“The Cask of Amontillado” --- Full of Irony

1226 Words3 Pages

Edgar Allan Poe is a famous writer in writing detective stories and horror stories. One of his horror stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” was talking about how a man took his revenge to his friend. However, to look deeply in this story, I found that this story was not just simply a horror tale about how a man gets his revenge in the safest way. Instead, it also demonstrates much irony in several areas: the title, the event, the season, the costume, the environment, the characters’ personalities, a man’s dignity and cockiness and at the end, the public order. he are The first thing that I found ironic in Poe’s story is its title, “The Cask of Amontillado”. Without reading this story, it was difficult for me to understand why Poe used this title. However, after I read it, it was sensible for the author to use this title, because this “Cask of Amontillado” plays an important role in the story. As I have mentioned before, this title is ironic, but why? The reason is quite simple; in the story, this “Cask of Amontillado” is a shill, which is used by Montresor in order to attract Fortanato to fall into a trap. Then, as a result, Fortanato was killed by Montresor. In other words, it can also state that Fortanato was killed by a “Cask of Amontillado”. At this point, the author depicts Fortanato’s life ironically since it seems that the value of Fortanato’s life is just as equal as a bucket of wine. Besides the title, the second ironic description is the time. Here, what I mean the time is the season that the murder took place. Montresor chose to take his revenge in “the supreme madness of the carnival season”. Actually, the author could simply write in this way, “in a carnival season, he encountered a friend”. The “supreme madness” see... ... middle of paper ... ...s a person who has a sagacious mind and his meticulousness leads to a successful murder. For example, the “vaults” where he chose to kill Fortanato, and that those ironic conversations that caused Fortanato fall into Montresor’s clutches. He also satirized Fortanato so much in this story, such as his favorite “Amontillado” and his dignity is his undoing. In contrast, Fortanato has a besotted mind, and his cockiness leads him to die. For example, he was not suspicious in the “vaults”, his envious of “Luchesi”, and his exorbitance in appreciating his connoisseurship, these all leads him to die at the end. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Literature for Composition: Reading and Writing Arguments about Essays, Stories, Poems, and Plays. Ed. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 8th ed. New York: Pearson, 2008. 124-128. Print.

Show More
Related

  • The Cask of Amontialado

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    Fortunato: The man who injured Montresor “thousands” of times and insulted him hence causing his death because Montresor took revenge on him.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Dramatic Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

    498 Words  | 1 Pages

    Verbal irony occurs when speakers or writers say the opposite of what they mean. One example of verbal irony in The Cask is when Montresor first sees Fortunato at the carnival. This is ironic because Montresor acts like he is pleased to meet Fortunato but he really is not. For example, Poe writes, “My dear Fortunato you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking today” (237) Moreover, what Montresor really means is that the meeting is lucky because it presents a good time to murder Fortunato. Another reason that Montresor acting like he is pleased to meet Fortunato is ironic is that Montresor wants to murder Fortunato. Montresor is mad because of Fortunato’s unknown insults toward him but is acting nice. Montresor is acting nice so that he can disguise his motives to kill Montresor.

    Read More

  • Revenge in The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most celebrated literary authors of all time, known for writing very suspenseful, dramatic short stories and a poet; is considered as being a part of the American Romantic Movement, and a lesser known opinion is he is regarded as the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. Most recognized for his mystery and macabre, a journey into the dark, ghastly stories of death, deception and revenge is what makes up his reputation. The short story under analysis is a part of his latter works; “The Cask of Amontillado”, a story of revenge takes readers into the mind of the murderer.

    Read More

  • The Revenge of the Cask of Amontillado

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    Set in an unspecified Italian city and an unidentified year, the Cask of Amontillado is a short story that majorly revolves on revenge. Written by the much-celebrated literary expert Edgar Allan Poe, the short story is centered on the narrator who is hell bent exerting revenge on a friend who caused him great pain.

    Read More

  • Montresor Character Analysis

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Cask of Amontillado” is a dark piece, much like other works of Edgar Allan Poe, and features the classic unreliable narrator, identified by himself only as Montresor. This sinister central character is a cold ruthless killer that is particularly fearsome because he views murder as a necessity and kills without remorse. Montresor is a character who personifies wickedness. Poe uses this character and his morally wrong thoughts and actions to help the reader identify with aspects of the extreme personage, allowing them to examine the less savory aspects of their own. The character of Montresor detailing the glorious murder he committed is a means of communicating to the reader that vengeance and pride are moral motivators that lead to treacherous deeds and dark thoughts.

    Read More

  • Symbolism and Irony in The Cask of Amontillado

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wood, Kerry.” Literary Analysis : Irony In ‘ The Cask Of Amontillado’ by Edgar Allan Poe.”Humanities 360. Helium, Inc., 9 Nov 2007. Web.17 Mar 2014.

    Read More

  • Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado Essay

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, Montresor expresses concern about Fortunato and says, "Come, I said, with this decision, we will go back; your health is precious. Montresor does not want Fortunato to die from anything other than his own plan of slow death by asphyxiation. Symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado" This story by Poe has numerous examples of symbolism. For example, the manner in which Fortunato is dressed is ironic for a man with societal prominence. Fortunato is a man of stature who is “rich, respected, admired” (Baym).

    Read More

  • Pride in The Cask of Amontillado

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    Irony is also used throughout this tale. The use of revenge in this story shows irony. Montressor avenges himself by fooling Fortunato into literally walking into his own grave. Fortunato pursues the "cask" which ends up being his own casket. Montressor even asks Fortunato repeatedly whether he would like to turn back.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Cask of Amontillado is a short tale of revenge, written by Edgar Allan Poe. The two main characters in the story are Montresor, who is the murderer, and Fortunato who plays a wine connoisseur and the victim. In this dark story, we can see a lot of irony, hate and revenge coming from the main character who has been planning this all along. In this essay I will analyze, examples of irony and foreshadowing used by the writer, symbols and themes, among other things. (Hasanbelliu)

    Read More

  • The Cask of Amontillado

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is one of greatest American authors and poets. He is well-known as a master of using irony in his story. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a horror story about revenge of Montresor upon Fortunato. Fortunato believes Montresor is his good friend, but he ends up with being chained and walled in to the catacombs. There are three types of irony used in this short story: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Using these ironies, Poe wants the readers to understand about Montresor’s “friendship” with Fortunato.

    Read More

  • The Cask Of Amontillado Essay

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Montresor Poetic Justice

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe uses irony and poetic justice all throughout “The Cask of the Amontillado”. The places where irony and poetic justice hold the most significance are the scenes where, Montresor speaks of the wronging done to him by Fortunato, where Montresor and fortunato speak of the coat of arms, and where at the very end when Montresor traps Fortunato in the catacombs and leaves him to die. These scenes clearly show the use of these two tools that Poe used to tell the story of Montresor and

    Read More

  • The Use of First Person Narration in The Cask of Amontillado

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Literary Devices In The Cask Of Amontillado

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Cask of Amontillado: Character Analysis

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    The major characteristics of the narrator and main character, Montresor, are anger, hatred, and revenge. In the story, he is angry with Fortunato because he believes that Fortunato has wronged and insulted him many times by saying, “thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could…he ventured upon insult…” (Poe). In addition, Montresor’s hatred for Fortunato goes so far that he believes he must kill Fortunato. He mentions this in the story as, “[y]ou, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat” (Poe). He seems to say that his soul is made of hatred and goes on to say he must give Fortunato the utmost punishment: death. Montresor even shows traits of revenge when he says, “…but when [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” and “...I would be avenged…” (Poe). He is saying that he will get revenge on Fortunato, whom he is angry with and hates for being insulted by.

    Read More

More about “The Cask of Amontillado” --- Full of Irony

Open Document