Man will go to extreme measures to get revenge. In Edger Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor’s revenge is entirely moral according to protecting his personal honor but would be seen wrong in the public eye. The characters convey his theme that pride leads to a man’s ruin and there is a great use of irony that leads Fortunato to his death. Montresor’s pride in his family name is so great that “When [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, [Montresor] vowed revenge” (739). He cannot let himself be put down because he would appear to be weak and inferior, so he plans his revenge carefully. He [Fortunado] prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine (739). Montresor found this to be a weakness and his plot for revenge. Montresor preys …show more content…
upon this point, creating a nonexistent cask of Amontillado that he knows Fortunato will do anything to taste. To insure that, Montresor goes even one step further and teases Fortunato’s pride by saying that he plans to have Luchesi taste the wine because “if anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me.”(740). Fortunato’s pride cannot accept that anyone is better at wine tasting than he is, so he insults both Montresor and Luchesi by saying, “You have been imposed upon; and as for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado” (740). Knowing the Fortunato’s pride wouldn’t allow him to miss this chance Montresor states, “My, friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement. Luchesi---“(740). Montresor made told his attendants that he would return in the morning knowing that this would lead to their disappearance and allow him to return home with the company of Fortunato. Montresor led Fortunato to the vault where the steps to his revenge literally took place.
Several times Montresor offers to turn back with Fortunato because of his cough and the dampness of the catacombs but Fortunato insists, “’Let us go on’” (741). Fortunato’s pride wouldn’t allow him to show weakness. Nothing would interfere with him tasting the Amontillado. They continued along the crypts which are lined with human remains. Montresor know that Fortunato pride would not let him turn back so he lead him to the crypt where he plans to bury him alive, saying, “Proceed, …”herein is the Amontillado” (742). As they proceeded forward, “He [Fortunato] is an ignoramus,” interrupted my friend, as he stepped unsteadily forward, while I [Montresor] followed immediately at his heels. In an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered. A moment more and I [Montresor] had fettered him to the granite” (742). The pride of both men would lead them to this life changing moment. Montresor’s pride would lead him to take the like of another human being while Fortunato’s pride would blind him to the thoughts of Montresor’s revenge and effects of his prior actions. The pride of both of these men leads them to a place of darkness where they couldn’t see. Montresor’s actions proved that man will go to extreme measures to get
revenge. Cite Works Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Vol. 10. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 738-743
Montresor is a man who feels pride in himself and in his family, so when Fortunato—an acquaintance of Montresor— “venture[s] upon insult,” Montresor “vow[s] revenge” against him (1). Montresor hastily decides that he must kill Fortunato, even though his use of the word “venture” implies that Fortunato had not yet insulted him, but nearly did. Montresor’s impulsive need for revenge causes him to formulate a plan to murder his acquaintance. He keeps Fortunato intoxicated by “presenting him…[with] wine,” he “fetter[s] him to the granite,” and he “plaster[s] up… [a wall of] new masonry” to trap Fortunato in the catacombs (39, 71, 89). All of these acts are signs that the need for revenge has made Fortunato insane. A person who has any sense of morals would not commit crimes such as Montresor’s. His impetuous decision to exact revenge caused him to lose his
In her article, Renee utters that when the thought of vengeance build up in an individual’s brain, it coerces him insane and does not tolerate him to present it a second thought. The first sentence of the story, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge,” clearly describes the whole theme of the story as a deeply enrooted revenge in Montresor’s mind” which is an absolute portrayal of retribution that occurs due to arrogance and jealousy. Author sees himself as a superior individual and was victimized by a superiority complex which is quite visible through the phrases which he wrote in the story that Montressor expresses superiority as showed his victim as a foolish person by attributing weird physical appearance and dress appearance in which he described his dress code of “tight fitting parti striped dress and head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.”
Montresor’s final boasting, about leaving Fortunato to rot in the catacombs, shows the reader that Montresor has never represented himself to having any remorse over Fortunato’s death, as Montresor is able to suppress the memory of him leaving Fortunato for dead for so long. Also, when Montresor is an elderly man he finally felt safe to gloat by acknowledging his plan and actions over 50 years ago. Lastly, Montresor bragged about leaving Fortunato to starve in the catacombs by letting someone know 50 years after the event took
While Montresor finishes building up the wall, he takes a second to think over what he is doing, “... the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied” (Poe 165), not only does he feel no remorse for what he is doing, but he is proud of killing Fortunato. Montresor is so fixated on the fact that he scrutinizes Fortunato as better than him, turning him into a sociopath for murdering in cold blood. After Montresor finishes his construction of the wall to seal Fortunato in Montresor determined, “My heart grew sick- on account of the dampness of the catacombs” (Poe 166). This sick thought, is ironic about feeling bad for killing Fortunato, he never felt bad; he is disdain about Fortunato. Even by a “...half of a century” after he sealed him in, “no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!” (Poe 166), Montresor feels no regret about killing Fortunato. In Fact, he feels pride that he got away from it. Montresor is delighted by the impunity of killing Fortunato that he feels the need to tell someone of his
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.
Montresor is desperate for avengement after Fortunato disrespects his lineage “a thousand times” and devises a plan of revenge against Fortunato (Poe 68). Within his plan, Montresor stresses that he “must not suffer as a result of taking [his] revenge” (Poe 68). Montresor’s horror at being caught rather than the thought of murdering another person shows a serious lack of mental stability. Beyond the absence of guilt, the thought that Montresor puts into murdering Fortunato is concerning. Like Fortunato, Montresor is knowledgeable on fine wines, and he uses this as the heart of Fortunato’s demise. Montresor plans out Fortunato’s death, beginning with Fortunato’s “one great weakness: he liked to drink good wine,” so Montresor threatens his standing on wine when he says he will go to Luchresi instead of Fortunato for his opinion on the Amontillado became “they say he knows as much about wines as [Fotunato]” (Poe 68-69). Montresor plays on Fortunato’s pride to regain his own self-respect so that he may lure the other man into a sense of security before he bricks him into the wall. As Montresor builds Fortunato into the wall, he is being filled with the self-respect he had lost with Fortunato’s insults just as he is losing all of the guilt that kept him classified as a sane person before his insane actions. He refuses
While walking down the cavern walls to his cellar, Fortunato began to cough and began to show signs he was getting sick from the cavern walls. Montresor asked Fortunato if they needed to stop and turn around since he had began to cough, but Fortunato’s determination kept him going which was exactly what Montresor wanted. The article by Jamil Mustafa states, “After Fortunato suffers a coughing fit, Montresor announces that they must leave the noxious vaults” (Mustafa). This tests Fortunato’s determination and will to continue to the precious amontillado that Montresor has been talking about. Along the way to the cellar, he continues to cough and Montresor tells him often that they must turn around so Fortunato will not die from a cough. This only makes Fortunato more determined to make it to the amontillado, Fortunato said that he will not die of a cough and that he will taste the amontillado (Poe). Montresor uses Fortunato’s cough to manipulate him into making his determination to get to the precious amontillado even greater. The way he uses his sickness to lure him down further into the caverns is another example of the theme manipulative false
Montresor’s revenage begins during the carnival where he encounters a somewhat drunken Fortunato and tells him that he has obtained a similar wine to Amontillado. Montresor tricks Fortunato deep within the vaults without any suspicions about his revengeful death act while remaining as friendly as he could be. Through the long walk, Montresor gives Fortunato wine as to aide with his coughing; as a result Fortunato becomes more vulnerable and less suspicious about Montresor’s true intentions by becoming drunker. The fact that Montresor has led Fortunato deep within the vaults without raising any suspicions and leaving him vulnerable shows that Montresor will carry his murderous revenge without any doubt. Furthermore into the story, Montresor easily chains up a very drunken Fortunato by the feet, which is attached to a rock, so once sober he will not be able to escape and begins building a brick wall, trapping him within. As Montresor keeping elevating the wall, Fortunato’s last plea for his life, as he has become aware of Montresor’s merciless intentions is, “For the love of God, Montresor!” Before placing the last brick, Montresor calls Fortunato twice, but he never replied back and with that he achieved his death revenge against his friend
Fortunato’s obsession with wine leads to ignorance in, “Cask of Amontillado”. In the beginning of the story, Montresor and Fortunato discuss their wine connoisseurship when Montresor reveals that he had received Amontillado, making Fortunato jealous. This leads to Fortunato practically begging Montresor to let him join in the trip to his wine vaults. However, what Fortunato does not know is that Montresor is tricking him into going so that he can get revenge. When in the catacombs, Montresor urges Fortunato to leave because of the conditions and says, “We will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as
To start off, we learn that Montresor has borne many insults by Fortunato that leads him to the extremity of whisking away his life. Towards the beginning, it is made clear that Montresor’s desire is revenge and that he is persistent in making it a reality. We also learn that Montresor is sly and cunning when acting towards Fortunato. Montresor’s fake smile and cunning ways of appeasing Fortunato’s senses lead him to his own demise. We learn from these actions that Fortunato is a fool and oblivious. Not only that, but we are given a sense of humor as well when
But on the other hand, the injuries were not what led him to violence, he says that it was all Fortunato's fault that led to "ventured upon insult", which causes Montresor to take revenge; But the insult was never particularly determined, it was through several obvious actions of the text, the insult we can see how Fortunato feels that he is on the same level as Montresor and his family. The nobility is dying and because of this Montresor thinks that he is losing his place in high society. Finally he feels so proud of the rise of lower social classes and being the last of the family, he decided to take vengeance as the last option.
If anyone has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me--,” and at that point Fortunato interrupts him. This is how he lures Fortunato to go down into the catacombs with him. Since Fortunato thinks he is a connoisseur of wine, he is insulted that Montresor would even suggest getting Luchesi to test the wine because, “Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from sherry.” The second way Montresor displays connoisseurship of revenge is when he acts caring towards his “friend.” Seeing that Fortunato has a terrible cough, Montresor says, “Come, we will go back; your health is precious to me.” This is said to make him want to keep going. A technique called “Reverse Psychology” is used here. By Montresor using this technique, it is a clear example of how he approaches revenge like a connoisseur. The final way that Montresor approaches revenge like a connoisseur is when he enjoys his
When Montresor is trapping Fortunato, the statements said and the actions done prove this. His self-confidence allows him to continue his plan, even when he may feel guilty and unable to move on. “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labor. I forced the last stone into position; I plastered it up.” (Poe 7) Montresor explains how he feels regretful, though he must still be confident enough to place the last stone into its position. He knows that he contains enough power to continue his mission, so he proceeds on and persists. Montresor’s confidence allows him to persevere through his plan of murdering
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
By the end of the plot it becomes clear that the crime detailed by Montresor occurred quite some time ago. As “for half of a century” no one has disturbed the resting place of Fortunato. Within the passing of fifty years it seems no scandal or controversy has surrounded Montresor at all. Fortunato was punished with impunity at the discretion of Montresor. Yet, it is curious that with fifty years of passing time Montresor still does not give a real reasoning behind his actions. Vivid detail is given on the account of what events transpired, how Montresor fooled Fortunato into following him into that crypt. Where the setting changed from the lively carnival to the family crypt. How Fortunato was buried out of the view of the public eye, his death hidden just like the full truth of that incident is hidden from the audience. The details of Montresor descent from the world of the living to the hellish setting of the crypt are given perfectly. Yet, fifty years after the fact and Montresor still can provide little reasoning for why committed murder that