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Sometimes you don’t need to fear the enemy that hates you, but the friend that hugs you. Montresor ,the antagonist, and Fortunato are two characters who were best friends and turned into foes without even knowing it. In the end, one character faces the horrible reality of the other’s decision. In the story, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, Montresor is a psychotic character that commits a terrible crime that develops a creepy, creepy mood which reveals the theme of revenge.
Montresor’s infatuation with revenge drove him to murder his former friend, Fortunato, because he marred his family name, which proves that he is very psychotic. Insane, is the least you can say about Montresor, when he describes his premeditated murder. In the text it states, “I gave Fortunato no cause to doubt me. I continued to smile in his face, and he did not understand that I was now smiling at the thought of what I planned for him at the thought of
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my revenge”(pg.238). He organized this revenge possibly for months, thinking of all the awful things he could do to Fortunato. In addition to that, Montresor has a very cold heart, he did not seemed fazed by anything he was doing. According to the story, “‘Go on’ I said, ‘Go in the Amontillado is there’...I followed… Before Fortunato could guess what was happening I closed the lock and chained him tightly to the wall. I stepped back.”(pg242.). Clearly unstable, Montresor steps back as if he is admiring what he did. His plan was successful and it fulfilled the hole for revenge that he had in him. In the text its says, “Quickly I began to build the wall...I could hear him pulling at the chains...I hurried to force the last stone into its position...For half a century...May he rest in peace”(pg.244). Montresor must be proud of what he did because he is telling the story 50 years later. It’s obvious that Montresor has some screws loose since he is telling the story so long after it has happened, but the real question is who is listening? The mood of the story is made up of characters, their traits, and the setting, which in this story is creepy and eerie.
A part of Montresor’s plan was to not get caught, so to do this he allowed his servants to leave. The author states, “there was no one at home…they would all leave as soon as his back was turned”(pg.240). The feeling of isolation rises when we are informed that Montresor and Fortunato are alone which gave the story an eerie mood. The setting of the story in the rising action helped create the mood. The text states, “Against three walls there were piles of bones higher than our head”(pg.242). The bones in the catacombs give off a skin crawling sensation. As Montresor screams with Fortunato it validates that he is evil. In the story it says, “‘Montresor! For the love of God!’‘Yes. For the love of God!”(pg.244). The sick mind of Montresor finding what he did okay make the mood creepy and eerie. Montresor’s intent was to kill Fortunato and thinking of the decomposition of his body 50 years later is creepy
feeling. Combining the rising action, falling action, and especially the climax the story develops the theme of revenge. Much thought was put into this scheme of murdering Fortunato. The text states, “I promised myself that I would make him pay for this-that I would have revenge”(pg.238). Based on Montresor’s mind set you can know that he has been obsessed with revenge for a while. Because they were former friends, Montresor knew exactly what he could use as bait to lure Fortunato in. The story states, “‘If anyone understands wine it's Luchresi. He will tell me’[Montresor]...‘Ho! Come… To your vaults. To taste the wine’”[fortunato](pg.240). His bait was fortuitous but it worked and all the time Montresor indulged into this revenge had worked out in the end. All of the effort we saw Montresor put into this revenge is why the theme is revenge because his whole life revolved around it. In the end we can see how evil and psycho Montresor really was.The personality Montresor and the setting helped us acknowledge the creepiness of the mood. In knowing how Montresor stressed and planned this very strategically showed that he was obsessed with revenge which showed the theme.Eventually, Montresor showed his true colors, but it was too late for Fortunato to get a glimpse of the rainbow.
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.
Have you ever met someone so clever, determined, and cruel to leave a man to die over an insult? Montresor is the perfect example of these character traits. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor uses all of these character traits to get revenge on Fortunado for insulting his family name. Montresor’s clever planning, determination for revenge, and cruel murder are the perfect combination for his unequaled revenge.
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
Throughout the story, Montresor does not justify his reasons for committing murder. He does not disclose anything about the “thousand injuries” (250) done to him by Fortunato, nor does he even reveal the details of the supposed injuries that drove him to vow revenge. Montresor’s family motto, “nemo me impune lacessit” which means “no one insults me with impunity” (252), indicate that Montresor only killed Fortunato to protect his family’s
Montresor does have some disconnect or mental problem. He wishes to kill Fortunato for insulting him, but he never specifies what insult it was. He also states he has borne a thousand injuries. This is an exaggeration- Montresor only says this because he needs a reason to kill Fortunato. If Fortunato has done anything to deserve a painful death, he would certainly know, but Montresor does not let fortunato know what he has done and states "neither by word nor deed had [Montresor] given Fortunato cause to doubt [his] goodwill." Montresor's madness is also made clear by his method of killing Fortunato; he suffocates him in a wall built in f...
When they arrive at the Montresor estate, Montresor leads Fortunato down the stairs into the catacombs. Down here is where the Amontillado Fortunato is going to taste and where the revenge of Montresor is going to take place. As he get closer and closer, the narrator opens up more and more to how he is going to kill his "friend". It sound like it is a premeditated murder. Montresor seems so inconspicuous that he acts like he cares about Fortunato which is still a part of his plan.
He shows absolutely no remorse or any true interest in the effect that his actions will have. Even to go as far to make jokes at the expense of the future murder of his so called “friend.” Like Dr. Stout said, sociopaths can lead people to their impaling doom with much ease. The sheer ease of his master plan of revenge unfolding. His use of reverse psychology on people to have them ultimately do his true bidding. Playing with Fortunado’s trust to his own satisfaction and gain. He exhibits many traits of a sociopath throughout the story. Edgar Allan Poe is well known for doing this in many of his works as seen in classic works like The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart. The protagonists of these stories are also sociopathic, insane, vengeful and blood thirsty people who in reality are in fact the true antagonists. In each of their minds they believe they’re rightfully exacting justice and don’t see any error in their actions or just simply don’t care. They’re also cold, unfeeling, persuasive, and sinister murders who escalate small issues out of proportion. A sinister character is a recurring theme in Poe’s work and Montresor is surely no exception to this
Accordingly, Poe is well responsive to this psychological trait of the human brain. Likewise, Poe employs the perception of perversity and remorse in “The Cask of Amontillado.” The reason of burying Fortunato is not only vengeance, but also a robust reaction that is described in “The Black Cat”. There is a passionate yearning in Montresor to hurt Fortunato even if he has not made any harm to him. Although Montresor asserts that he has been injured several times by Fortunato, he cannot defy calling him “respected, admired, beloved,” admitting his “good nature,” and also calling him “noble” (Little 212). These expressions confirmed that Fortunato is a good quality person and the expression “injuries” used in the first phase of the story is simply a hyperbole that Montresor’s psyche has fabricated. Furthermore, wickedness does not come unaccompanied, but it carries itself a sense of remorse. Even if Montresor reflects himself as the diplomat of his family for deafening down rivals, he suffers remorse while walling up Fortunato. Consequently, Poe’s clasp of unreasonableness and culpability of the human mind is
In the story "The Cask of Amontillado", Edgar Allen Poe tells the story of Montresor and Fortunato. This story has a much lighter mood to it, but from the beginning there is some tension between Fortunato and Montresor. The story its self has a
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
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.
The first indirect factor that could contribute to Montresor’s vengeful act, and thus the story’s theme of revenge, is the character of Montresor. Montresor tends to harbor feelings of resentment and has a hard time not taking things out of context (Womack). He also plans the murder of Fortunato in advance and devises it in such a way that he will not be caught. In killing Fortunato, Montreso...
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.
Some people would like to think that just because you kill somebody, it does not make you a bad person or insane. That is not the case. If you can get so mad over something that you are going to take a life, there is something wrong going on in your mind. You obviously cannot think for yourself to make good rational decisions. In this story Montresor,who is insane, never shows any remorse, never reveals a good reason for why he is mad at Fortunato, and never, even after half a century, thinks his desire for vengeance is excessive or abnormal.
Poe starts out with a man, by the name of Montresor, wanting revenge on another man, named Fortunato. Most of the story takes place deep in the Montresor family catacombs. As Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, he chains Fortunato up to a small hole in a wall, bricks it over, and leaves Fortunato to die. Even through the traits of anger, hatred, and revenge, as the story progresses on, Montresor, the main character in “The Cask of Amontillado”, starts to show signs of feeling guilty for wanting to murder Fortunato.