The Two Personalities of Edgar Allan Poe

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The Two Personalities of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous writers in the American literary world. His stories and poems are known for their gothic style and having the common theme of death. This is certainly seen in his short story “The Cask of Amontillado.” It is speculated by many that Poe suffered from the mental illness known as bipolar disorder. In a letter to James Russell Lowell, Poe said, “I am excessively slothful, and wonderfully industrious — by fits. There are epochs when any kind of mental exercise is torture, and when nothing yields me pleasure but solitary communion with the “mountains & the woods” — the “altars” of Byron. I have thus rambled and dreamed away whole months, and awake, at last, to a sort of mania for composition. Then I scribble all day, and read all night, so long as the disease endures.” In “The Cask of Amontillado” he presents two very different characters, Montresor the spiteful, revenge seeking killer, and Furtunato the impulsive, pleasure-seeking victim. The two opposing personality types in these two characters fit the mania and mixed state characteristics of those suffering with type one bipolar disorder. Poe used the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado” to express the feelings of madness he dealt with during his lifetime. Montresor and Fortunato are presented as two opposing personalities, yet they also share a lot of subtle similarities. Mon trésor in French means my treasure and fortunato in Italian means lucky, successful, or fortunate. Both of their names have very similar meanings, which is wealth. Throughout the story I found that they repeated each other quite a bit, almost as if they were a reflection or a mirror image of each other. After Montresor tel... ... middle of paper ... ...s is or is not the loftiest intelligence -- whether much that is glorious- whether all that is profound -- does not spring from disease of thought -- from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect.” (Allan Poe) Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allan. N.p.. Web. 2 Apr 2014. . Healthline Editorial Team, , and George Krucik, MD, MDA, eds. "What Do You Want To Know About Bipolar Disorder?." www.healthline.com. N.p., 25 09 2013. Web. 2 Apr 2014. . Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Trans. Array Literature An Introduction to Reading and Writing. . 5th. Glenview, IL: Pearson , 2012. 226-230. Print. Fawcett, J. A.. N.p.. Web. 5 Apr 2014. . Allan Poe, Edgar. n. page. .

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