The Cask of Amontillado – To Be or Not To Be The Cask of Amontillado is a well publicized and widely read short story by the famous Poet Edgar Allen-Poe. It was written in the year 1846 in a periodical named Godey’s lady’s Book. The short story is based on intrigue, suspense and murder the opening line states “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge”. (191) However, the elixir to the plot is the Cask of Amontillado. This essay will focus on and prove that the title ‘’The Cask of Amontillado’’ sets a precedent of what to expect and at the conclusion of the short story the reader’s expectations will be fulfilled in relation to that same title.
The Cask
A Cask is a container to hold the contents of liquor or beer. During the 16th and 17th century in Europe, the Inns and Taverns of that period would use Casks made with wood in the form of a barrel, with an iron loop fastened around it to hold the contents in place. The title States ‘’The
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It is considered a Sherry Wine. It was developed in or around the 18th century in Spain, and it was sold in fine drinking establishments. It was certainly a drink of affluence at the time, and rare to find. In the Title ‘’The Cask of Amontillado’’ the reader can decipher that the Amontillado will be the central focus of the plot. Montresor does lure Fortunato to go with him and taste some classic Amontillado in the hopes of getting him intoxicated. It is the inebriated Fortunato who enters the catacombs and is forever entombed by Montresor. The Central reason why Montresor is able to carry out his vengeful plot is the healthy consumption of Amontillado that Fortunato has ingested. It becomes quite clear to the reader that Amontillado is the only reason that Fortunato cannot use reason and fight back. Therefore the title of the short story is accurately named – murder cannot occur without the Cask of
"The Cask of Amontillado" is a story about revenge, but the reader is never truly told exactly what Fortunato did to warrant such vengeance. In fact, throughout the story, the reader gradually realizes that Montresor is an unreliable narrator, and that Fortunato is a friend of Montresor who is unaware that Montresor is plotting to kill him. He is a connoisseur of wine who is enticed by Montresor to sample some rare Amontillado and lured into his trap down into the catacombs. While Luchesi is another wine connoisseur and an acquaintance of Montresor and Fortunato; Montresor urges Fortunato to sample his wine by threatening to allow Luchesi to try it first if Fortunato does not comply. that whatever insult Montresor believes Fortunato committed is probably imagined or exaggerated.
Before leaving his house Montresor told his housekeepers that he will come home late and that they do not have to be at the house until the next morning, so that his home will be completely empty for the night. Montresor then tells Fortunato that he has bought a pipe of the wine called Amontillado, by Fortunato’s face expression you can tell the wine bottle must be extremely rare, Montresor then tells him that he does not really know if it is the Amontillado for sure or if it is a fake. By doing that Montresor gets Fortunato curious and so Fortunato offers to help Montresor with a wine taste to be sure that it really is the Amontillado. His plan works, Fortunato expresses eager interest in making sure that the wine is really the Amontillado and not a fake. Montresor then wraps himself in a cloak to make sure that he would not be recognized as he leads Fortunato to his home and into his damped vaults in his catacombs full of
How would you feel if you were to die, plastered inside a wall? In the short story “The Cask of the Amontillado” written by Edgar Allan Poe, one of the characters die exactly like that. Montresor lures his former friend, Fortunato, into underground catacombs in a way that Fortunato couldn’t resist. Fortunato is very fond of wine, so Montresor tells him to follow him down to a vault where he could taste the Amontillado. From there, Fortunato falls into Montresor’s plan for revenge.
Fredrich Schiller once said, " Revenge is barren of itself, it is the dreadful food it feeds on; its delight is murder, and it's end is despair." This relates to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" because Montressor seeks revenge on a man named Fortunato for his wrongful actions committed against him. Fortunato insulted Montressor in the past, so Montressor sets up a plan to extinguish Fortunato's flame once and for all. In the midst of a town gathering, Montressor informs Fortuanto of a fine cask of wine he has acquired. Fortunato being a fine wine tester insists he must test this wine which Montressor informs him is located deep in the pillazo beneath his family mansion. Montressor leads Fortunato deep into the pillazo, where he then chains him to a wall, seals up the entrance with his trowel, and leaves Fortunato to never be heard from again. Because of Fortunato's foolishness and arrogance, he is made an easy target for Montressor.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a suspenseful tale of vengeance. To summarize, the main character, Montresor, seeks to avenge himself by destroying Fortunato, a man who had brought him agony. Poe’s use of grim diction, haunting images, and threatening details create a frightening plot. His dark imagination creates ominous images that appeal to our senses and aide in adding tension. His vivid word choice and details help add to the suspenseful mood.
<br>The Cask of Amontillado is a horror short story, which revolves around the themes of revenge and pride. The plot involves two men: Montresor, the narrator, who is an Italian aristocrat seeking revenge against the second main character: Fortunato, a proud man that boasts about his conoisseurship of wines and who finally walks to his own death.
Edgar Allan Poe, an American born writer and poet during the early 19th century, is known for his dark and twisted diction that continues to captivate readers to this day. Nearly all of Poe’s stories contain hidden symbolism and themes that entice readers to discover the secrets in his writings over a hundred years later and the “Cask of Amontillado” is no different. Written in November of 1846, nearly three years before Poe’s death, “The Cask of Amontillado” is often regarded as one of Poe’s master pieces, full of symbolism and dramatic irony. Edgar Allan Poe’s dramatic ironies and symbolisms in his short story “The Cask of Amontillado” convey a dark theme of pain, manipulation, and the impact of revenge.
Given these points, the shadowy and mischievous setting, the captivating plot, and mesmerizing point of view make “The Cask of Amontillado” a prime example of a quality horror story. The setting helps Montresor lure Fortunato into the skeleton-filled catacombs, the plot evokes a scary and frightened response from the reader, and the point of view shows us Montresor’s true feelings. Even though an idea of a perfect crime is impossible, the author develops Montresor to have the best traits and choices which make every dream of a murderer a
Feuds and arguments between individuals who may disagree with or dislike one another are a common occurrence in everyday life, often varying in degrees of intensity, but rarely reaching a point of extremity. However, in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, This threshold of extremity is reached by the narrator of the story, Montresor, who explains that his acquaintance, Fortunato, has repeatedly and irreparably insulted him over the course of years, and uses it as justification to take justice into his own hands and seek retribution through murder, despite there being no proof of Fortunato's guilt other than Montresor’s claims. His motive for murdering Fortunato can be attributed to his state of mind, as Montresor’s lack of guilt, empathy, or remorse highlights him as a character with psychopathic tendencies. As the story progresses, Montresor’s cold and calculating nature leaves the audience full of dread and suspense while he lures the oblivious Fortunato towards his inevitable demise. The employment of rhetorical devices such as irony, theme, and structure builds the suspense for the ultimate climax of Poe’s gothic masterpiece.
Vengeance and murder infects the minds of Montresor and Fortunato upon an exchange of insult in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado”. This is the story of pure revenge after Forturano disrespects Montresor. The story follows the characters meeting up at a carnival and eventually the disguised Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs of his home by convincing him that he acquired something that could pass for Amontillado, a light Spanish sherry. Fortunato grows eager to taste this wine and to determine for Montresor whether or not it is truly Amontillado. He leads him back to the catacombs of his home and carries out his plot to bury him alive. Edgar Allan Poe writes from a mysterious first person perspective, uses colorful symbolism and situational irony to present the man's inner self, in turn revealing that revenge is fundamentally infeasible.
9. The title “The Cask of Amontillado” is an ironical reference to Fortunato's imminent death. Indeed, if a cask is a barrel of wine, it is also the root of the word “casket”. So as Fortunato is searching for this cask of wonderful wine, he is in fact walking toward the place of his final rest.
Being raised based with Catholic principles implies that certain values, such as the respect for a persons life, became part of my own identity. Therefore, I personally believe that no one has the right to decide whether or not someone deserves to die.
The Vengeful Story In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” it is not only a suspenseful and thrilling short story, but it has a great amount of irony throughout the story as well. One of the main characters in the story is Montresor. Montresor uses verbal irony by saying one thing, but meaning something else. Ninth graders should always read “The Cask of Amontillado” because it is the most effective way to learn about irony, tone, and allusions.
Compare and contrast These four texts certainly have many elements in common, they are all written by the same author, in the same genre. All the stories have the narrators recollecting their experiences. In The Cask of Amontillado it was over 50 years later, where the Premature burial were 10 years later and the last two is unknown in time. They all have a motive for telling their story where some is trying to prove their sanity and others wants to brag about their accomplishments and therefore disproves their sanity.
Edgar Allan Poe practices literature within use of the intrinsic qualities that possess the many definitions assigned to the word ‘literature’. Poe is an artist of words. He uses aesthetic, creative works of fiction to tell stories of drama and often horror. Poe’s’ literary genius is translated most commonly through his ingenious poetry and short stories. Consequently, it is his tendency to lace parts of his own personal life and views into his story-telling that causes critics to downplay the true art of the work by Poe. In this essay, the short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” will be analysed to make the argument that Poe is a serious writer through his use of proper literary aspects.