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A main theme presented in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is that Montresor shows obsession with the murder of fortunato. This is exemplified by Montresor’s precise planning, carefulness and slowness of speed in the process. Montresor shows obsession through his precise planning. “As I said these words I busied myself among the pile of bones of which I have before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche.” “It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped …show more content…
I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned." Montresor must have been planning this for months, he has put everything into place to ensure he gets his revenge with no consequences. He waited until carnival so the whole city would be loud, knowing that it is carnival he knew Fortunato would be fairly intoxicated making him easily persuadable. Also because he knew it would be carnival he knew everyone would be dressed up and incognito so no one could ever identify him to keep himself innocent. But before all of that he went down through the catacombs and laid out a special area for what would be
In Edgar Allen Poe’s story The Cask of Amontillado the main character Montresor tricks his friend Fortunato into his catacombs and buries him alive. Edgar Allen Poe’s character commits this deed out of a need for revenge because of some hurt that was committed against him. Poe conveys this need for revenge through his attention to the small details within his story.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a dark piece, much like other works of Edgar Allan Poe, and features the classic unreliable narrator, identified by himself only as Montresor. This sinister central character is a cold ruthless killer that is particularly fearsome because he views murder as a necessity and kills without remorse. Montresor is a character who personifies wickedness. Poe uses this character and his morally wrong thoughts and actions to help the reader identify with aspects of the extreme personage, allowing them to examine the less savory aspects of their own. The character of Montresor detailing the glorious murder he committed is a means of communicating to the reader that vengeance and pride are moral motivators that lead to treacherous deeds and dark thoughts.
In his article “On Memory Forgetting, and Complicity in “the Cask of Amontillado”” Raymond DiSanza suggests that an act of wrongdoing is always at the heart of good horror stories. (194) DiSanza’s article on “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe describes Poe’s writing in a way I didn’t think of myself. DiSanza finds Poe’s language in this story to “taste like amontillado: smooth, slightly sweet, and appropriately chilled”. (DiSanza 195) Throughout his article he mostly talks about what possibly could have been Montresor’s motive to kill Fortunato? And why did Montresor wait fifty years to tell the story?
whatever plan they might have. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor was obsessed with taking
Montresor, the main character in Edgar Allen Poe's well-known short story Cask of Amontillado, is only one of this author's many deeply disturbed and sadistic protagonists in his famous literary works. In this story, Poe focuses on the raw emotions and traits that Montresor exhibits throughout the tale. Although, it is never clearly discussed why Montresor seeks revenge upon Fortunato, he bitterly recounts how Fortunato had insulted him for no apparent reason. Montresor's plan for revenge is to murder Fortunato in a slow, sadistic, and inescapable manner. In the end, Montresor accomplishes his goal of making Fortunato pay for his offensive words and behaviors, thereby demonstrating his lack of empathy, psychopathic tendencies, and persuasiveness.
“I continued as was my wont to smile now was the thought of his immolation.”(page 1 paragraph 2) As Montresor smiles at Fortunato he feels safe as he is falling for his devious plan. This gives a very creepy feeling to the reader because this shows that Montresor is in fact, a psychopath. “I replied to the yells of him who clamored. I reechoed-- I aided-- I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this and the clamorer grew still.” (page 6 paragraph 7) As Fortunato screamed for help, Montresor yells louder to prove that no one can hear him and no one is coming. Montresor gives the reader a very disturbing sentiment of his course of action toward Fortunato. Furthermore, the reader obtains a strange, eerie feeling because Montresor is revealed crazy through the conflicts of the
The first sentence of "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe gives a singular and simple theme which is Montresor's revenge. The plot of the story revolves strongly around the execution of his betrayal and his revenge against Fortunato. The author does an impressive job by expressing the satire that takes place throughout the narrative by conveying the irony through the words and actions of the characters.
A little less than two centuries ago a writer named Edgar Allan Poe, wrote “The Cast of Amontillado.” The main character and protagonist of the story are Montresor, he plots and masterminds a plan to rid the world of his enemy, Fortunato. Through his actions and the diabolical plot that Poe creates, Montresor is portrayed as deceitful, methodical, and vengeful character,
Throughout a human’s lifetime, he or she will face experiences that can affect the development of his or her character. In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor is the narrator and main character throughout the story that faces an experience that changes his viewpoint on his former friend, Fortunato. Although Fortunato is not aware of Montresor’s issues towards him, he soon finds out the true level of their friendship. Throughout the short story of “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor portrays the characteristics of vengeance, manipulation, and lack of sympathy towards his “frenemy,” Fortunato, to show the significance of his ruthless character.
Carefully, cautiously the Montresor plotted precisely how he would exact revenge upon Fortunato. Much time and great energy was devoted to this plan, selecting a time that would be best: during carnival when the town would be celebratory, his servants apt to run off and join the celebration, when the two could silently disappear without notice or question. No detail is forgotten; he allows for no deterrents. He follows through with such a confidence that never does he stumble or hesitate in carrying out his plan. The Montresor indicates that he had never given. To continue with this ploy, he even goes so far as to express false concern for Fortunato as they pass through the catacombs. Blaming the nitre and damp, the Montresor suggests that they turn back as not to compromise Fortunato’s ill health, though he has no intent of doing so. Never once until the very end did Fortunato have cause to suspect that there were any foul plans afoot.
A crypt is an underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place. Montresor’s crypt is bottomless, dark, lonely, and suffocating, as shown from the text, “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 then flame.” Furthermore, “At the most end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls have been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris.” The correlation between the crypt (which is his chosen method of killing or punishing) and his character is astounding. He even describes himself as shown from the text he states,” ‘We will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter…’” The setting of the crypt and Montresor are both the madness and the reason why this story is so off
Because Montresor narrates the story in the first person, the reader is able to perceive his thoughts and understand his motivations and justifications for his ruthless murder in a manner which a third person point of view would not allow. Montresor’s personal narration of the events of the story does not justify his crime in the audience’s eyes, but it does offer a unique opportunity for the audience to view a murder from the perspective of a madman killer. It is Poe’s usage of this unique angle that causes the story to be so captivating and gruesomely fascinating. As the story opens, Montresor explains why it is necessary that he “not only punish but punish with impunity” to avenge for Fortunado’s insult to him. This justification for his crime is a piece of information that the audience is able to learn only because they are permitted inside the mind of the protagonist. In the final scene, when Montresor is carrying out his murder pl...
“In Montresor’s confession to the priest, his honesty interlaces with darkness. He “vomits” the book of his life. His final words: “In pace requiescat!” (24), reveals a different aspect of Montresor. Like an onion divested of its covers, Montresor, having freed himself of painful knowledge, darkness, feels dizzy or lighthearted. He turns around and playfully gives Fortunato his last rites. The confession within the framework confession is a peephole into Montresor’s heart. Having carried Fortunato in his mind and heart, Montresor feels free at last. When Montresor confesses after fifty years on his deathbed, remorse is not paramount.” (Whatley 2). Once his grudge leaves him, he starts feeling guilt and remorse. He killed Fortunato because of the grudge he had and the anger that was in his heart. It was not the right thing for him to do but he did not realize it until after the deed was done. He does not tell anyone about this for fifty years. In this long silence, he is confronted by his guilt. His heart feels low and he is disappointed in himself. He keeps calm on the outside but on the inside, he is being torn apart. He finally cannot take any more fifty years later and had to tell what happened after his guilt convicted him more than he can
The logic behind his fixation for revenge was “the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne, when he ventured upon insult-I vowed revenge” also meaning Fortunato had intentionally insulted something personal to him(61). Montresor knew“there were no attendants at home”because“to ensure their immediate disappearance, one and all as soon as my back turned” he used reverse psychology on all his attendances, this was how devoted he was to getting revenge(63). In the end he really was a static character as he never changed he even ended his tale of revenge with “in pace requiescat” which he is using to intentionally mock Fortunato’s new grave(68). Montresor is the perfect example of a static character since throughout the whole entire story all that's on his mind is how he can succeed on getting his
The main reasons for Montresor’s traits are his family arms and family motto. He mentions his family arms as, “[a] huge human foot d’or, in a field of azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel” (Poe). This quote, to me, means as, “[a] ...