In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe offers a complex and often disturbing portrait of the narrator, Montresor. His desire for revenge has always been a major part of the motive for his actions. Montresor is responsible for the death of Fortunato because Montresor does not allow an insult to remain unchastised. His desire for revenge was so well planned that the reader can see that Montresor did not waste one second of his time. The Cast of Amontillado is a portrait of human revenge expressed in an unpleasant manner. Also it express that Montresor did no care about anything he just was going to do everything that was in his hands to maintain his high social level. This story only focuses on taking revenge to maintain an upper class …show more content…
But on the other hand, the injuries were not what led him to violence, he says that it was all Fortunato's fault that led to "ventured upon insult", which causes Montresor to take revenge; But the insult was never particularly determined, it was through several obvious actions of the text, the insult we can see how Fortunato feels that he is on the same level as Montresor and his family. The nobility is dying and because of this Montresor thinks that he is losing his place in high society. Finally he feels so proud of the rise of lower social classes and being the last of the family, he decided to take vengeance as the last option. The insult that Montresor refers can be seen from a perspective of arrogance of Fortunato, that is how Montresor sees it, he feels that Fortunato is trying to advance to a higher social level that was never offered because he was born in a Low society; And as he is not noble by birth, Montresor has something that sadly Fortunato does not have it is that this is more cultural capital. Even that Fortunato is winning that also Montresor continues to see him as a fool, and someone who should not be reaching that high class he
Montresor wants to get revenge on people who make him mad such as Fortunato. How Fortunato may have hurt Montresor is by insulting him and by threatening him somehow. Therefore, Montresor wants to make sure that Fortunato doesn’t expect anything by being his friend. Once Montresor
Montresor proves that one should be careful about insulting another because he/she could seek revenge in the story. Montresor proves through his actions towards Fortunato. He states, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he
The author introduces the readers to the narrator who is known as Montresor when he is talking to an unknown audience. In the course of the discussion with the unknown audience, Montresor attests to the fact that Fortunato, who is a close friend of his has morally insulted. Due to the moral insult labeled against him, Montresor intends to revenge. “Part of Montresor's vengeance plan, however, is to ensure that he does not expose himself neither to Fortunato nor to the society at large” (Johnson et.al, 8). To this effect, he does not let open the ill feelings that he harbors against Fortunato. Montresor asserts to the fact that he would consider his vengeance plan a failure if at all Fortunato found out and exerted revenge. That notwithstanding though, he says that he would let Fortunato know that he is the mastermind of all his misfortunes when he will be satisfied that his vengeance plan will not backfire.
Unacceptable insults of Fortunato, apparently seemed it was the motivation of retaliation “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best as could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (1 – 2).” That was the beginning sentence of Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado story. In addition, it is a statement about the actual relation between Montresor and his friend. It does not reveal what exactly happen between the two friends, so no one can decide what Fortunato’s punishment is. The word ‘insult’ shows that Montresor has not been physically hurt. Probably the relationship has damage his honour. The term ‘borne’ implies that he probably has returned many of these injuries to immortalize the cycle of vengeance, though it indicates that he has merely endured them. However, now Fortunato has ventured upon insult, and Montresor takes this as a moral affront, punishable by death. “A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself as such to him who has done the wrong”(5-7). The revenge, that Montresor is going to follow, has to have two standards. First, it must not be repeated. This means the act of revenge has to be carefully planned to kill Fortunato, which would make it impossible for latter to punish him in return. Second, the person, who is going to punish, has to
“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.
A main theme presented in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is that Montresor shows obsession with the murder of fortunato. This is exemplified by Montresor’s precise planning, carefulness and slowness of speed in the process.
Hoping to obtain revenge, Montresor, the narrator, lures Fortunato, one of his friends, into the depths of his catacombs to be murdered. Montresor says, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge"(149). This is the first line in the story, and this is why Montresor seeks revenge. There is no explanation of the insults that Montresor received, so the reader may infer that Montresor is just lying. The insults that were received could possibly be just outdoing in the business arena. Montresor might be using that excuse for his desire to kill Fortunato, because he may be killing Fortunato out of jealousy. Montresor is likely telling this story to a family member, friend, or his doctor while lying on his deathbed. Montresor says, "…your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter."(150). Montresor just admitted that he knows Fortunato is better than he. Montresor may have been under the influence of jealousy. Redd 4 There are different theories to ...
Have you ever met someone so clever, determined, and cruel to leave a man to die over an insult? Montresor is the perfect example of these character traits. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor uses all of these character traits to get revenge on Fortunado for insulting his family name. Montresor’s clever planning, determination for revenge, and cruel murder are the perfect combination for his unequaled revenge.
on Montresor's hatred for Fortunato because he had made fun of his family name by saying, “The
Montresor does have some disconnect or mental problem. He wishes to kill Fortunato for insulting him, but he never specifies what insult it was. He also states he has borne a thousand injuries. This is an exaggeration- Montresor only says this because he needs a reason to kill Fortunato. If Fortunato has done anything to deserve a painful death, he would certainly know, but Montresor does not let fortunato know what he has done and states "neither by word nor deed had [Montresor] given Fortunato cause to doubt [his] goodwill." Montresor's madness is also made clear by his method of killing Fortunato; he suffocates him in a wall built in f...
These imply Montresor’s the whole family is filled with acts of revenge. These also illustrate self-esteem or pride hold a critical role in the family that they do not accept anyone try to injure them. If someone does so, they will use their own method to punish their wrongdoings, which they at least find a way to release their discontented against such behavior. Montresor also considers this action as an insult because he perceives that he is not being respect and look down by Fortunato. This is because Montresor is a poor man compared to Fortunato who can afford to buy the entire shipment of Amontilado. Therefore, Montresor says, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (331). This shows Montresor family’s coat of arms and motto can be the key that leads him wants revenge for being insulted by Fortunato. Since no one is able to clear up the internal injuries that have been in his heart for a while, he deems he should take the risk and punishes Fortunato by himself. In some way, he may think that he helps the society to cut weeds and eliminate the roots by killing all the loose end or
In the Cask of Amontillado, our narrator’s situation is one he is quite happy being in. Our narrator is Montresor, an Italian man rich with pride, and you quickly learn through his narration that he is intelligent, conniving, and extremely sinister. Throughout the story, everything Montresor does is motivated by one thing, his own thirst for vengeance. Montresor explains his actions are a result of Fortunato constantly abusing him and finally going too far, but he never explains anything Fortunato has done to insult him. When we meet Fortunato, he is extremely friendly towards Montresor, albeit a little intoxicated, so much that he makes Montresor’s story of “a thousand injuries” seem unbelievable (Cask 1). Compared to Gilman’s narrator whose spiral out of control was triggered by her forced seclusion from the outside world, it seems that Montresor’s insanity come from inside his own head. There is no evidence that suggest any attempts by Fortunato to belittle or insult Montresor in any way. I believe that Montresor may have been jealous of Fortunato’s success in life, and that is what drove him to vengeance. For example, on their way to the catacombs Fortunato makes a hand gesture of the Masons, a secret brotherhood, which Montresor doesn’t understand. Fortunato ask if Montresor is a Mason and for him to prove it, and Montresor lies and shows his trowel (Cask 5). This proves that
Fortunato is fortunes favorite- the Lady Fortunato, Lady luck or God's favorite. Montressor is more material in the fact Tresor means storehouse or hoard. Montressor is jealous that Fortunato was so "rich, respected, admired, beloved..." He was not, so everyday was like an insult seeing Fortunato. Montressor invites Fortunato to his vaults where he keeps his wine selection. He told Fortunato of the Amontillado which Luchesi good not appreciate like he could.
Montresor’s pride of self-respect and dignity is reflected from the very beginning of the story. He speaks about the frequent insults from Fortunato. While the details of the final insult are never revealed, it caused Montresor to seek revenge, to the point of murder. He
In her article, Renee utters that when the thought of vengeance build up in an individual’s brain, it coerces him insane and does not tolerate him to present it a second thought. The first sentence of the story, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge,” clearly describes the whole theme of the story as a deeply enrooted revenge in Montresor’s mind” which is an absolute portrayal of retribution that occurs due to arrogance and jealousy. Author sees himself as a superior individual and was victimized by a superiority complex which is quite visible through the phrases which he wrote in the story that Montressor expresses superiority as showed his victim as a foolish person by attributing weird physical appearance and dress appearance in which he described his dress code of “tight fitting parti striped dress and head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.”