Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado Analysis

The unforgettable Revenge How claustrophobic are you? Well in this short story, the tight spaces that are felt are anything but enjoyable. The story of “The Cask of Amontillado” is written by Edgar Allan Poe. It is a story of two people, Fortunato and Montresor, and how Monstresor carries out his revenge against Fortunato. Poe uses all kinds of literary terms, but i want to focus on two main terms. Poe uses Irony and Imagery to tell us a story of the unforgettable revenge. Irony is an important literary device in the story of “The cask of amontillado”. An early use of irony is in the description of Fortunato’s costume, when he meets Monstresor. Monstresor says, “He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress; and his head was surmounted

One use of imagery describes the vaults of Montresors house. Poe writes “The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre”(2). Montresor is describing his vaults to Fortunato prompting him not to come. In this quote, Poe describes the vaults as cold and damp, with nitre, or white dust on the walls, that gives an image of vacancy and spookiness. His use of imagery gives a sense of uncomfortable and creepy feeling that adds to the overall horror that awaits ahead. Ahead a horror of a picture awaits as both Montresor and Fortunate head down to the catacombs. “We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame”(Poe 5). As the both of them head down the catacombs, the quote produces an image of narrow hallways and staircases giving a feeling of confinement. Not only is it cramped, but the stench of the air is so great it smothers out their torches to a glowing state. This gives the reader a thought of what Fortunato must be thinking when he stumbles through Montresors narrow vaults. As the story reaches its climax, the noises of Fortunato are vividly heard. “A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back”(Poe 6). Fortunato, after he is chained up and his drunkiness wears off, realizes he has been chained up. He lets out loud screams, that startle Montresor and knock him back. His screams are so vividly described that an image of complete terror can be