The Cask Of Amontillado Revenge

Edgar Allan Poe’s brilliant take on revenge and consuming rage in “The Cask Of Amontillado” is a riveting story, a combination of horror and morbid fascination that’ll give you the willies. Montresor is a man possessed by violent tendencies, driven by his desire for retribution because he is a homicidal individual and not because Fortunato insulted him. Throughout the story, Fortunato is under the impression they are the best of friends, oblivious to the fact he had insulted Montresor, proving that Montresor disguises his bloodlust under convincing excuses. Perhaps this simply shows concite on Fortunato’s part, but rich and renowned people like Fortunato are clever enough to know who they have insulted or injured, and make use of that fact

The Merriam-Webster website translates this to “No one attacks me with impunity”. Impunity is a strong word, meaning that no one is excused from their wrongdoings, and everyone must face the consequences of their actions, even if it means you must force them to face them yourself. Such a intense family motto is a core belief for Montresor, and it leaves him with a deep set conviction that any wrong done to him must be personally avenged. From Montresor’s point of view, Fortunato is seen as a poisonous snake in the grass, a metaphor of the second part of Montresor’s family coat of arms, “...the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel"(Poe 17). Fortunato is the serpent in Montresor’s mind's eye, who had just bitten him and can now expect the crushing of Montresor’s metaphorical foot, giving Montresor confidence, and a false sense of justification for what he is about to

Planning revenge is one thing, but planning to bury someone alive is an entirely different story. For all the suffering that Fortunato endures, all the rage and hatred Montresor has, we do not know the reason. We only see a small glimpse of the true reason, one of the very first paragraphs of the story, Montresor saying “the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge”(Poe 1). This insult that Fortunato has said never becomes clear, but knowing Fortunato’s tendency to drink, and a proven fault of a careless talker, this insult may have just been a slip of the tongue, an accidental jab at Montresor’s family name or a personal insult. Montresor’s vicious personality is well hidden from Fortunato, the latter believing that he had not insulted or hurt Montresor in any way. He hides his ruthlessness from the world, until it manifests itself in very unpleasant ways, until he can no longer rein it