There are many different types of people in this world. Some are kind and considerate, who always thinks of others before thinking of themselves. Then there are people who are unforgiving and cruel, like Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. Through the themes of revenge, pride, and foolishness, Poe creates a story that will make his readers begin to think about the repercussions of their actions. There are two types of people when it comes to revenge: those who go out seeking revenge and those who tend to let matters go. Revenge is a very normal response to feeling slighted out of something. People who tend to seek power also seek revenge. This reminds people that the powerful man is not to be toyed with. According to …show more content…
It can cause people to work longer and harder to achieve a task or become better in a specific area. Pride can be seen when a toddler performs a certain skill and the mother has witnessed the accomplishment of her child. This type of pride is what can drive humanity forward. Then there is a type of pride known as hubristic pride. Hubristic pride can lead to arrogance and can leave the person feeling entitled to more than what they deserve. This type of pride is unpredictable and frightening because when a person is experiencing hubristic pride they may not be in their healthy state of mind. According to Dr. Steven Aicinena, when pride is damaged the person will try to protect their pride by engaging in harmful behaviors especially when the loss of pride damages their ego (The Sport Journal). When someone harms another for the sake of their pride the benefit of the damaging act is more important than effect it may bring about down the road. In sports, for example, some coaches may experience hubristic pride. They may try to humiliate their players and make harsh comments in order for the team to win a game or move forward in a tournament. Athletes can also experience hubristic pride. They may think that they do not have to follow the rules or that they should receive special treatment. I believe that Montresor is experiencing hubristic pride. Whatever wrong he believes Fortunato made towards him damaged his pride. The …show more content…
There are many ways that people can be foolish. People can be foolish when they do not choose to be wise. People must think about their actions and what consequences may follow. If people made wise decisions then there would be less foolishness in the world. When people are being foolish they tear down the lives that they have built and do not care about the evil that they commit. The foolish person is driven by greed to be the prettiest, most handsome, or even the richest human being. They do not care who they cut down or harm in the process of achieving their goal. According to Ina Painter, people who are foolish can manipulate others into getting whatever they want (Chalcedon). It is foolish of people to not see the effects of death as it is in Montresor’s case. Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs where he builds a wall to enclose Fortunato and leaves him there to die. Montresor is blinded by hatred and the need for revenge that he fails to see what his actions will cost him. When Montresor killed Fortunato he did not realize the impact it will have on Fortunato’s friends and family and even on Montresor. In this event, Montresor’s mind was compromised and he later felt guilty for the murder. In the Bible it says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a frightening and entertaining short story about the severe consequences that result from persistent mockery and an unforgiving heart. Poe’s excellent use of Gothicism within the story sets the perfect tone for a dark and sinister plot of murder to unfold. “The Cask of Amontillado” simply overflows with various themes and other literary elements that result from Poe’s Gothic style of writing. Of these various themes, one that tends to dominant the story as a whole is the theme of revenge, which Poe supports with his sophisticated use of direct and indirect factors, irony, and symbolism.
The deranged, but brilliant Edgar Allan Poe once said “The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls...” Poe’s notions of the evil within are found in both “The Cask Of Amontillado” by Poe, and “A Poison Tree” by William Blake. The authors write about how revenge can create this insane creature within that will only settle for betrayal and destruction. For example, the speakers in both features are wronged by someone and their way of handling it is deceitful murder. The killers on the outside are characterized as calm people; while on the inside, they are characterized truly as people who enjoy watching those who “deserve it” suffer. Poe and Blake use characterization to convey a theme that man takes violent revenge when they are wronged.
Another example of pride would be with John Proctor. John Proctor was your everyday man. He was a farmer, he claimed to be Godly though he was said to never attend church. Not attending church then was very frowned upon and even considered a horrible sin. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor, was accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams. Abigail did this to get revenge because Elizabeth fired her. Elizabeth did this because Abigail had an affair with John. He would not confess to being associated with the Devil because it was not true and he did not want shame brought to his name. Though his wife talked him into confessing, he would not sign his name to the paper. Not only did he not sign his name; he also ripped up the papers. This shows a great deal of pride as well, being that he would not confess because of the way society would look at him thinking that he was associated with the Devil.
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.
Edgar Allen Poe's brings us a twisted tale of vengeance and horror in "The Cask of Amontillado." Poe's character, Montresor, acts as our guide and narrator through this story. He grabs a hold of the reader as he tells the story from his own apathetic and deceptive mind to gain vengeance from the weak and dismal Fortunato. Montresor's mentality is disturbing as he uses his clever, humor, ironic symbolism, and darkness to accomplish this.
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.
Any great accomplishment can make someone feel proud about their work. It makes one feel good; it raises a person's spirits. "No question, pride has its good points." (The Toronto Star, Nov 1999) Then again, there are also the bad points of pride one must consider, before being proud. Pride can deceive a person into being ambitious, and make them strive for something that is not rightfully theirs. Both Macbeth and Willy encountered this problem. Pride can also cause a bad relationship with the people one loves most. For Macbeth and Willy, their relationships with their families were burdened as a consequence of this pride. Pride can lead to much worse things; it can put a person in a
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.
Pride brought out a very dangerous emotion in Montresor, anger. Montresor had suffered "a thousand injuries" or wrong doings from Fortunato, but Montresor was never motivated to speak out against or hurt Fortunato (Poe 221). He was content to tolerate Fortunato's offences silently until he crossed a line. Fortunato "ventured upon insult" or slandered Montresor's name, which Montresor's pride could not let stand (Poe 221). After Montresor heard of Fortunato's slander of his name, he quietly plotted to exact revenge upon Fortunato and take advantage of his two greatest flaws, his excessive drinking and his pride (Poe 222). Montresor made careful plans that ensured he would not raise suspicions, so he would not get caught (Poe 222). Montresor believed that revenge is useless if one gets caught (Poe 222). He allowed pride and anger to cloud his judgment, which caused him to make the dangerous decision to murder Fortunato for an offense that did not
Montresor’s actions lend to his vengeful and manipulative nature. He lures Fortunato into the catacombs of his home to carry out his plans to kill Fortunato. In the first step of his plan, he boosts Fortunato’s ego by saying that Luchesi was almost as worthy a judge of wine as he. Then Montresor tricks Fortunato into believing that there is an
People are constantly being commanded by the temptation of revenge and demolished by the aftermath of taking it. “I forced the last stone into place; I plastered it up. – For more than a half century no one has disturbed them” (Poe 8). In the story “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor is so hopelessly controlled by his desire for revenge, that he brutally murders his
Sometimes friends can get into an argument and some things can hurt them, but not to a point where they want to hurt each other physically. Vengeance can bring justice to someone, but as well bring pain to the other. Revenge is a horrible emotion which can lead someone to do horrible things. Two companions, Montresor and Fortunato, destinies are controlled by one thing only, vengeance and murder. In the story, the narrator seeks revenge on Fortunato because he mortally insulted him. Montresor succeeds in luring Fortunato to his death without raising any suspicion. A horrible revenge made significantly more awful by the way that the retribution is being taken when no genuine offense had been given. In the short tale, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar A. Poe, the major conflict of revenge is between Montresor and Fortunato, but it is interesting because Montresor is the only one who is aware of the conflict. The author uses the conflict to build suspense and to change the mood of the reader.
Pride was believed to be “a high or overweening opinion of one’s own qualities, attainments, or estate, which gives rise to a feeling and attitude of superiority over and contempt for others” (OED 2). This usage of the word pride gives it a negative cynical connotation, describing people as vain, arrogant or belittling other people. An example of this could be when someone famous thanks “all the little people” as seen as in movies and TV as a joke. They are suggesting that they are bigger or greater than others. Pride is not a negative trait to have if it doesn’t get the best of you.
Anyone who knows anything about Edgar Allan Poe’s work probably knows that he is a very dark writer. This holds true in his short story, “The Cask of Amontillado.” “The Cask of Amontillado” follows the character Montresor through the Carnival where he meets up with his friend Fortunato, who is a wine connoisseur. Fortunato has recently crossed a line by insulting Montresor and does not quite know what is coming his way that night. Edgar Allan Poe uses the literary element of irony in order to portray the theme of revenge within “The Cask of Amontillado.”
In his short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe tells the story of a man, Montresor, who is ridiculed and belittled by what initially appears to be the villain of the story, Fortunato. Poe is not often taken seriously as a writer because of his tendency to include his personal characteristics, experiences and feelings into his works. Thus, the expression of the man who “vowed revenge” REF appears to mirror vulnerability of that of an orphaned Poe. He uses this raw vulnerability to