Situational Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” displays three different types of irony: situational, dramatic, and verbal. He uses two characters named Montresor and Fortunato to display this. Fortunato feels as though Montresor is his friend; however Montresor does not feel the same way. In fact, Montresor feels as though Fortunato has done something unforgivable to him. The book describes Montresor’s plan of revenge and how it led to Fortunato’s death.
Montresor states, “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me....” Situational Irony is when it does not seem right for the situation. Montresor tells this to Fortunato after he explains to him that he received a pipe of Amontillado. The quote shows situational irony because we expect Montresor to offer Fortunato, his “friend”, to see it, but instead says he is going to Luchresi. Montresor knows that Luchresi and

Fortunato do not get along because of their love towards Amontillado. Montresor is trying to make Fortunato eager to see the pipe which leads to the next part of his plan.
The story states, “there were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honor of the time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house.” Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something the character does not. This quote shows dramatic irony because while Montresor knows that there are not any attendants Fortunato does not. Montresor had told his attendants not to stir and that he would return in the morning, knowing that they were going to leave. This leads to the following events where suspicion arises.
“‘And I to your long life’”, Montresor states when Fortunato raises a toast to the buried that repose around them.Verbal irony is when what you say isn’t really what you mean.

The quote displays verbal irony because Montresor knows that Fortunato is not going to live a long life because he is planning on killing him. Montresor wants to get revenge on Fortunato because of the grudge he has against him. He is planning to chain him to a wall and leave him there to die with no idea why his “friend” is doing this.
Edgar Allen Poe shows how situational, dramatic, and verbal irony plays an important part in the essence of the story in “The Cask of Amontillado”. The story overall is ironic because Montresor and Fortunato are supposedly friends, but Montresor actually feels as though Fortunato has done him wrong. Montresor holds a murderous grudge against Fortunato and leaves him alone to die. Fortunato will die having no idea what he did to make Montresor feel that way towards

him.