“The Cask of Amontillado” is about a man named Montresor who wants revenge on a man named Fortunato for something that Montresor suffered in the past. His plan of revenge for Fortunato was planned perfectly. He made sure the timing, location, and all other aspects of the plan were perfectly in place so Fortunato would not suspect anything. With this plan, Montresor was able to lure Fortunato and execute his plan. This resulted in a slow and painful death for Fortunato, and a successful day for Montresor. The story itself was dark and mysterious, which could have given the reader an eerie feeling. The setting was also described as dark, gloomy, and eerie when the characters entered the catacombs. The way the story was written could have related …show more content…
The catacombs were described as dark and secluded. With these details, Poe was inferring that this was the way Montresor wanted it. Montresor planned it so when he and Fortunato went into the catacombs, no one would hear them because of the festivities taking place above them. The further Montresor and Fortunato travel into the catacombs, the stronger the eerie feeling grows on the reader. After Montresor had executed his plan, the reader should realize that his plan was perfect. He timed it so no one would hear them when they went down to the catacombs, he made sure the location he chose was secluded and hardly visited, and made sure that Fortunato died the way he wanted him to, a slow and painful death. After Fortunato dies, this can make the reader horrified that someone could do this to another person. Montresor was successful and was most likely never caught since he is telling the story 50 years later. The setting in this story had an important part on the effects it had on the reader. Poe’s description of the setting and atmosphere was able to give an eerie feeling throughout and a horrific feeling in the end. If the setting had been different, Poe might have not been able to give the same effects as he does now. Stories may contain these types of endings to give the reader something to think about after reading the story or even allow the reader to create their own
As explained before, the "dull, dark, and soundless" house serves as both "the castle" and "gloomy atmospheres'' in this story. Poe uses the house as the main tool to create a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. However not all of Poe's gothic elements are actual physical objects. Fear is Poe's next choice of gothic elements as even our main character Roderick predicted would "sooner or later'' become his untimely demise. Fear is the dark recesses of the human heart and conscience and Roderick's fear in this brilliant story was not even death; but it was fear its self. Lady Madeline death is Poe's next gothic element because her death is a crime. Lady Madeline is the victim a the incompetents of her twin Roderick and unfortunately suffered a premature burial. Poe dose this the emphasize the extreme emotion of Roderick and the severity of the situation. Poe as well uses the description of the "decaying house...ghastly river..[and] black and lurid tarn'' to create feelings of darkness, shadows and gloominess and give the story a gothic ambiance. Poe Uses these elements to give his literature a gothic, gloomy, and overall dark atmosphere.
First, the journey that Fortunato and Montresor take is from the light and joy of a carnival through an underground tunnel that becomes darker, colder and more poisonous as they continue walking. Poe describes their descent into a "deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame," and talks about the nitre in the air around them as they go deeper underground and Fortunato comes closer to death. This slow, dangerous descent helps build suspense as the reader becomes increasingly aware of Fortunato's murderous plan.
Edgar Allen Poe uses figurative language throughout the story to develop the mood. For example, “He had the eye of a vulture, the eye of one of those terrible birds that watch and wait while an animal dies, ...”. This sets a creepy and horrifying mood. Also it shows the author of thinking the eye is a little disturbing. Another example is ,“ Yes. He was dead! Dead as a stone. His eye would trouble me no more!”. The narrator is saying that the person the had killed was as non moving as a stone. Also it sets an eerie mood knowing the narrator killed the man. The final
The story “The Cask of Amontillado” is written in first person point of view and this story is fairly simple to understand. This story is affected by the narration when looking at what the narrator's focus is, the narrator’s thoughts or opinions, and how the reader interprets the story.
The writing style of Edgar Allan Poe shows the writer to be of a dark nature. In this story, he focuses on his fascination of being buried alive. He quotes, “To be buried alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these [ghastly] extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality.” page 58 paragraph 3. The dark nature is reflected in this quote, showing the supernatural side of Poe which is reflected in his writing and is also a characteristic of Romanticism. Poe uses much detail, as shown in this passage, “The face assumed the usual pinched and sunken outline. The lips were of the usual marble pallor. The eyes were lusterless. There was no warmth. Pulsation had ceased. For three days the body was preserved unburied, during which it had acquired a stony rigidity.” page 59 paragraph 2. The descriptive nature of this writing paints a vivid picture that intrigues the reader to use their imagination and visualize the scene presented in the text. This use of imagery ties with aspects of Romanticism because of the nature of the descriptions Poe uses. Describing the physical features of one who seems dead is a horrifying perspective as not many people thing about the aspects of death.
For instance, in the first paragraph Poe leaves the reader with the image of a cold, dark, empty, and dead forest. As demonstrated in these quotes, “The skies they were ashen and sober;”, “The leaves they were withering and sere;”, and “... by the dim lake of Auber, In the misty mid region of Weir It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, in the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.”. All of these quotes, show Poe creating an image or setting for the reader that’s gloomy, dark, and scary. Not only did authors leave the reader in a gloomy, sad mood by describing that kind of setting, but also in the manner they spoke, authors of this time period used a lot of intense and dramatic emotion, which will be analyzed in the following
The Cask of Amontillado was written using Edgar Allan Poe's fear of being buried alive. In Cask of Amontillado, Montressor the narrator wanted revenge on Fortunato. Fortunato and Montressor use to be good friends until conflict arose between them. So now Montressor hates Fortunato and is confident that he will make him pay. He wanted revenge because it Fortunato hurt many of Montessor friends, Burying him alive explains why he got him drunk and why.
To add suspense Poe adds foreshadowing in which it gives the reader a clue of what is to come later in the story. Such as when Fortunato says “The cough is a mere nothing it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough” and Montresor replies “true” because he knows that Fortunato will indeed die from dehydration and starvation in the catacombs (6). Also his description of his family’s coat of arms depicts foreshadowing. The shield shows a human foot crushing a persistent serpent. “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded
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.
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 the story “The Cask of Amontillado” the setting begins with a party and people being happy. This could represent the beginning of Montressor and Fortunato’s friendship. Then somehow, Montressor feel Fortunato has wronged him. This starts the path of darkness in theme. The anger or darkness he feels is building, as represented in going down the cellar stairs. The more you think about revenge the darker and more complex it gets.
...ontresor's sociable facade, then the catacombs below symbolize the hate within him. Poe gives explicit descriptions fo the foul caverns. They are "insufferably damp . . . encrusted with nitre." The "founess of the air" nearly extinguishes their torches. Poe describes the "white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls." Clearly Poe's desired efect is to expose the evil that consumes from within.
The theme of revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado” is the driving force for the entire short story. The main character, Montresor, vows to take revenge against the other main character, Fortunato, because of an “insult” that Fortunato has apparently made against Montresor (Baraban). This is evident in the opening line of the short story when the narrator Montresor states, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (Poe 1612). This opening line makes it obvious that the insult is what directly led to Montresor’s insatiable desire for revenge, but there are also some underlying factors that could have indirectly led to this revenge as well.
Poe begins setting the tone of the story by describing the gloomy and threatening vaults beneath Montressor’s home. The first description of the Montressor home, as well as the reader’s first hint that something is amiss, is the description of the time off Montressor had required his employees to take. This alone lets us know that some of his intentions are less than virtuous. He describes the vaults as extensive, having many rooms, and being insufferably damp. This description of Montressor’s vaults strikes a feeling of uneasiness and fear in the reader, as well as a fear of malevolent things to come. References to the bodies laid to rest in the ca...
Poe’s most famous poem begins with an imagery that immediately brings the reader into a dark, cold, and stormy night. Poe does not wish for his readers to stand on the sidelines and watch the goings on, but actually be in the library with the narrator, hearing what he hears and seeing what he sees. Using words and phrases such as “midnight dreary” and “bleak December” Poe sets the mood and tone, by wanting his readers to feel the cold night and to reach for the heat of the “dying embers” of the fireplace. You do not come into this poem thinking daffodils and sunshine, but howling winds and shadows. By using these words, Poe gives you the sense of being isolated and alone. He also contrasts this isolation, symbolized by the storm and the dark chamber, with the richness of the objects in the library. The furnished room also reminds him of the beauty of his lost Lenore. Also, Poe uses a rhythm in his beginning stanza, using “tapping”, followed by “rapping, rapping at my door”, and ending with “tapping at my chamber door.” You can almost hear the tapping on the door of the library as ...