Montresor says all cordial comments about Fortunato making him believe Montresor cares about his health. Montresor is actually going to kill Fortunato and Montresor will be overjoyed when Fortunato is dead. Another time irony provides the reader with more than the character’s knowledge is when Fortunato is dressed up for the carnival: he wears a parti-striped clown suit covered with bells (372). This is ironic considering that Fortunato is dressed up as a literal fool. However, he does not know that Montresor is actually treating him as a fool and that he is agreeing to follow Montresor to his death.
As the reader begins to read the story the author makes it very clear that Montresor wants revenge. The author tells us that the relationship between Montresor and Fortunato was not a good one. The first line of the story goes as follows “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” (Poe) Apparently, Fortunato had caused pain to Montresor multiple times in the past and Montresor was fed up with it, and finally decided to do something about it. As the story progresses the reader learns the different characteristics of each one of the men. Fortunato, the one who is killed is a jokester, the way the author tells the reader that is by describing his outfit at the carnival, which was a grand
Nevermind the fact that Fortunato remains unaware of the wrong that he has thusly committed. Perception is reality: In his reality, the injury that he has been unfairly dealt, can only be righted with vengeance. Montresor considers himself to be the long suffering innocent party who has suffered “the thousand injuries” (Poe 14), of Fortunato. The matter then, is not only to get revenge, but to right they wrongs committed against him. Montresor is a well-layered character, filled with an unbridled hatred that drives his need for revenge.
Poe shows Montresors violent demonstration as macabre. Second, Poe represents the horror of the eventual death of Fortunato as macabre. Poe relates this horror through Fortunato thinking his situation to be “a very good joke” and a request to “let us be gone” (240). Although death is evident, Fortunato’s tries to negate his horror of death with the idea that he would be released due to it “growing late”, and his predicament being a rouse (240). Lastly, Poe uses Montresor’s succession of a murderous plot, and Fortunato’s suffrage and demise by a volatile nature as macabre as well.
Fortunato says this not knowing that he will soon be buried with everyone around. Another way dialogue is used to illustrate the irony of Fortunato’s demise is when they enter the catacombs and Fortunato begins to cough uncontrollably. “Enough… the cough is a mere nothing, it will not
Furthermore, Montresor obviously has planned for this revenge ahead of time and been waiting for the day that Fortunato will show up. Montresor is aware of Fortunato’s connoisseurship and love for wine, that made it easier for Montresor to accomplish his mission. Another example of Montresor’s maliciousness is that he keeps on calling Fortunato as ‘My friend’. Also when he offered Fortunato a bottle of Medoc wine to keep him warm, which will also get him drunk to fall into Montresor’s
Between two families, there was conflict because one family hurt another in a very bad way. Fortunato has wronged Montresor, but his ignorance leads him to think Montresor is his friend. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “A Cask of Amontillado” portrays the symbolic meaning of Fortunato’s death through some examples of instances where Poe symbolizes the Montresor motto, the laying of the bricks, and the jingling bells. First and foremost, the
Moreover, it is a murder done as a tool that he uses to protect his honor and dignity. The scariest thing about Montresor's murder is that the only mention of Fortunato's disrespect is in Montresor's own tale. There is no other evidence that Fortunato was indeed disrespectful to Montresor. He comes off as a representative of aristocracy who likes to have fun at various parties and enjoy exquisite alcoholic beverages. Yet, he does not appear to be a severely negative character who would deserve such a horrible untimely end.
When it comes to writting performance, Poe is so graceful with his purpose from sentence to sentence. Poe starts his story in a strange way because readers do not know exactly about Fortunato’s personaily, he insults Montresor whether seriously or not which enables him to receive severe revenge and the result of Fortunato is seemingly predicted : “ A wrong is unredressed....who has done the wrong” (1). In addition, every single detail contains many implications of irony. The name of the victim, Fortunato, means “ the fortunate one”. The most terrible actions are executed in a carnival atmosphere of happiness.
As said in the short story Fortunato insults Montresor in the past: “THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe ). Due to Fortunato’s insults and his past injuries that he dealt to Montresor, Montresor plans his revenge and waits it out for the perfect time. As soon as the insult reaches Montresor’s ears his revenge is already placed in stone: “At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled” (Poe ). His reaction to Fortunato’s insult compels him to end their relationship and plot out his vengeance. Montresor’s revenge might be overdue as it is revealed that Fortunato has wronged Montresor more than once.