How Is Montresor A Connoisseur Of Revenge

In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor is a connoisseur of revenge by his confident in acting, knowing Fortunato’s weakness, and how he plans the revenge. Firstly, Montresor’s confident in acting makes him a connoisseur of revenge. For example, Montresor act in front of Fortunato to make Fortunato believe that Montresor is concerning about his health. When Fortunato is coughing hardly, Montresor says, “‘Come,’ I said, with decision, ‘we will go back; your health is precious…Besides, there is Luchesi—’” (Poe 211). Montresor’s sincere confession to Fortunato makes him look like he truly cares about Fortunato, but he does not. His goal is to kill Fortunato because Fortunato insulted him. He knows that Fortunato will be very interested in the Amontillado, so his concern about Fortunato’s health will not impact Fortunato’s decision.

Therefore, his confident in acting helps him reach his goal.

Secondly, Montresor is a connoisseur of revenge because he knows the weaknesses of his enemy. For instance, Montresor knows that Fortunato’s connoisseurship on wine, so he uses Amontillado to trick Fortunato into the catacombs. When Montresor tells Fortunato that he has Amontillado, Fortunato is excited, “‘Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing. Amontillado!…he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado’” (Poe 210). Montresor knows that he can easily trap Fortunato by mentioning the Amontillado. Since he has the Amontillado, Fortunato will follow him wherever he goes without any argument. Moreover, because Fortunato’s weakness is wine, he will not question Montresor when Montresor tries to convince Fortunato to drink more wine in the

catacombs. That makes Fortunato very drunk, and it allows Montresor to reach his goal easier. Thirdly, Montresor’s planning makes him a connoisseur of revenge. Montresor states that if the victim does not know who killed him, the revenge does not count. Therefore, Montresor must let Fortunato know that it is Montresor that killed him, but he must not be guilty of his act, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity…him who has done the wrong” (Poe 209). This shows the reader that Montresor is willing to plan his revenge out carefully. The steps that Montresor takes during his revenge are brilliant, and Fortunato did not realize Montresor’s intention at all. His action is all connected and unstoppable because they are in the catacombs. Ultimately, Montresor is a great connoisseur in the art of revenge by his confident on acting, knowing enemy’s weakness, and how he plans out his revenge.