Who Is Montresor Clever

“The Cask of Amontillado” is a classic story in the usual style of its writer Edgar Allan Poe: dark, mysterious, and frightening. It follows the narrator, Montresor, as he manipulates, imprisons, and murders a man named Fortunato as retribution for some sort of insult. Not much plot is revealed in this story—we do not even know what the insult was that prompted this murder—but we do get an in-depth look at the character of Montresor from his own point of view. Montresor is a complicated man; he is both cruel and unreliable, but also smart enough to carry out his devious plan. As a character, Montresor reveals his personality to be perceptive, clever, vain, and heartless.
Once of the first things we notice about Montresor is that he is very

perceptive—he pays attention to everything around him and takes in every detail. This is revealed initially by the way he treats Fortunato, as he is able to judge that his victim is in a weak and vulnerable state. He explains that Fortunato “accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much,” showing that he knows exactly when to take advantage of this man (paragraph 4). Later, his keen perception is shown in the way he describes the crypt, listing everything he sees in very specific detail (paragraph 68). This is not the type of man who misses much.
Similarly, Montresor reveals himself to be extremely clever, particularly in the way he executes his plan.

It is obvious that he plotted out every move in advance, and has everything he needs on hand to complete the murder. He also knows exactly how to manipulate Fortunato, by playing on his pride as a connoisseur. He keeps mentioning another man, Luchresi, in an offhand manner: “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he” (paragraph 13). Though it seems casual, Montresor knows this is exactly the way to get to Fortunato. A less intelligent man could never have carried out this crime so

expertly.
Montresor displays negative character traits as well, however, including a tendency towards being vain.

He is clearly proud of his plan, as well as of his wealth and estate, and he keeps using Latin phrases to highlight his own intelligence. Even more so, he is proud of the Montresor line, calling it “a great and numerous family” (paragraph 45). And of course, his massive pride is also made clear by the act of murder he carries out. He is so vain that he thinks the correct response to being insulted is to kill the one who wounded his pride.
By carrying out this murder with no apparent qualms or remorse, Montresor also shows himself to be heartless and cruel. He leads Fortunato straight down to his death and never hesitates or seems to empathize at all with his victim. The way he describes his crime is clinical and emotionless, and he comes across as an unfeeling psychopath. Even years later he is proud of what he has done: “For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!” (paragraph 89). Even fifty years later, Montresor appears not to care at all that he killed a man only for insulting his

honor.
Like many of Poe’s stories, this tale is about character rather than plot. We come to know Montresor’s mind and personality, even if we never feel sympathetic towards him. Montresor is an intelligent, perceptive man who is nonetheless proud and cruel, yet is described in such detail that it makes the reader wish to learn more about his gruesome story. The tale of Fortunato’s murder is memorable enough that we are still reading it 170 years after it was written, and much of that is due to the unusual portrayal of its complex and clever but seriously disturbed narrator.