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The Cask Of Amontillado Analysis Essay

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“The Cask of Amontillado” “The Cask of Amontillado” is a suspenseful tale of trickery, revenge, and murder. It tells of Montresor, who had a nefarious plan to punish his friend for the pain he had caused him. This short-story was written by Edgar Allan Poe, an American storyteller. His dark imagination helped shape the horror genre. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe creates a suspenseful mood by including a pattern of grim diction, haunting images, and threatening details. Poe uses grim diction throughout the story to set the mood. For example, in the beginning of the story, the main character, Montresor, uses the words “retribution,” “revenge,” and “impunity” (Poe 61). The central idea of this word group is payback and consequences. …show more content…

This describes the scene in which Fortunato realizes Montresor had begun encasing him. Poe’s haunting images and details furthered the suspense. Poe builds the suspenseful mood through threatening details. For example, “There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honor of the time. I told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house.” He wanted to make sure that there were no witnesses. This describes Montresor’s actions while preparing for the murder. A second example is that Montresor’s arms motto is “Nemo me impune lacessit” (Poe 64), which is Latin for “No one attacks me with impunity.” The motto is essentially stating that if he is attacked, he will harm his attacker. Fortunato had mentally abused Montresor, so he kills him. Another example is “In pace requiescat!” (Poe 68), meaning “May he rest in peace!” Montresor says this after Fortunato’s annihilation. These alarming details help add to the mood. “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.
“The Cask

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