ipl-logo

The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

1871 Words8 Pages

If you have ever read “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, I am sure you would agree with me saying that it is a dark and suspenseful story. But what makes it so horrific? It is not just the gruesome plot that fills us with suspense and dread, but also Poe's use of various writing techniques and elements throughout the story that contributes to its horror. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe uses different gothic elements to intensify the themes of revenge and betrayal and highlight the dark and twisted nature of the main characters' friendship.
The first gothic element that Edgar Allan Poe uses is “setting in a castle”. "The Cask of Amontillado” is set in Italy during the carnival season. The setting of a story sets the …show more content…

While Montresour is bricking Fortuno in, he relays Fortunato’s reaction stating that “a succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form.” To which Montresour narrates “For a brief moment I hesitated, I tremble” (Poe, 5). Essentially Fortuno is so overcome with terror and despair that it causes even Montresour to hesitate, to reconsider what it is that he is doing to his once good friend. Toward the end Fortuno displays high emotion, emphasizing the horror of what is being done to him. Montresour embraces the high emotion of Fortuno as he is walling him in “I replied to the yells of him who clamored. I re-echoed — I aided — I surpassed them in volume and in strength” (Poe, 5). Poe wants us to truly grasp the intensity of emotion in this scene, even Montresour becomes so overcome with emotion that he out-screams Fortuno fully embracing what he has just done. Poe utilizes high and overwrought emotions to immerse the reader in a dramatic and emotional atmosphere, intensifying the impact of the story and adding depth to the themes of betrayal and

Show More
Related

  • Cask Of Amontillado Unfortunate Fate

    665 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the beginning of the story the narrator chooses the setting of Carnival. When one thinks of the carnival, the thought of joyful people, celebration and social interaction comes to mind. No one would have thought that that was the precise moment for Montresor to take revenge. The name of Fortunato itself is ironic, because the name of Fortunato means fortune in Italy. When Montresor reveals the audience that he “had fettered [Fortunato] to the granite”, the scene sends chills throughout the reader’s body (Poe 471).

    Read More

  • Comparing Cask Of Amontillado And The Tell-Tale Heart

    168 Words  | 1 Pages

    Poe’s stories “Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” display the dark romantic theme of a man’s soul by the development of the setting, plot, and characterization. As both stories begin, the initial device used to advance the theme is setting, which remains grim and sinister throughout the duration of both stories. Accompanying these physical details is the plot, each of which includes the murder of an innocent man. Most notably, the characterization of each piece’s narrator allows the audience to fully understand their internal struggle and its final resolution. While “Cask of Amontillado” contains an overall intriguing and unexpected plot as well as setting, the narrator’s characterization proves this story to conclude in a less

    Read More

  • My Last Duchess And The Cask Of Amontillado Essay

    1239 Words  | 5 Pages

    Montresor tortures Fortunato, both physiologically and physically. Montresor clearly gives Fortunato “multiple chances to escape his fate” (Delany 34), as he gives Fortunato obvious clues to his true intensions. These include leading Fortunato into a place for the dead, telling Fortunato not to go due to his severe cough that made it “impossible to reply” (Poe 5) at times, reminding Fortunato of his family arms, mentioning Luchesi, and showing Fortunato a trowel. Montresor seems to receive morbid joy out of the fact that Fortunato is so intoxicated that, just like the foot on Montresor’s coat of arms, he is unintentionally “stepping into his own destruction” (Cervo

    Read More

  • The Cask Of Amontillado Mood Essay

    639 Words  | 3 Pages

    Around the end of the story, Montresor traps Fortunato. “Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to secure it. ”(159-160) This helps create a mysterious mood because it implies that Montresor is going to try to do something bad to Fortunato. It makes the readers excited and ready to know what happens next.

    Read More

  • Montresor Character Analysis

    841 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the story progresses it becomes exceptionally evident the role external conflict plays in creating Montresor’s character. To begin, Montresor mentions “the thousand injuries of Fortunato” and the revenge he is determined to get from the most recent injury, an insult (Poe 543). By Montresor choosing to open the story with remarks about Fortunato’s wrong doings towards him, it’s clear that he holds a grudge. These conflicts between the two men throughout their friendship have had such an impression on Montresor that it’s over taken him – it’s all he can think about; thus, he immediately mentions these conflicts at the beginning of the story. In result, Montresor as a character appears quite hostile and as a narrator appears unreliable.

    Read More

  • How Is Dramatic Irony Used In The Cask Of Amontillado

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition, at the end of the story when Montresor is sealing up the wall that Fortunato is trapped in, he throws a torch in and Montresor heard a “succession of loud and shrill screams.” He “hesitated” and “trembled” because it startled him to hear such horrible screaming. (Poe, par. 77). This sentence has a climactic mood to it because it makes us readers worry whether Fortunato is going to live or what will happen if/when he dies. The two of these quotes create suspension as to what could happen next because of what these characters are physically

    Read More

  • The Cask Of Amontillado Theme Essay

    996 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for the gothic themes he presents in his writings, this was no exception for Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. Several important ideas are brought up about the story’s central theme of revenge. These ideas can be broken down into 3 parts: the incentive, the extent, and the reaction of the person partaking in revenge. It is essential to consider these ideas while reading Poe’s story, in order to comprehend his views on revenge. It also provides the reader the ability to question their own views on revenge as well as compare it with Poe’s.

    Read More

  • Mood Of The Cask Of Amontillado

    790 Words  | 4 Pages

    It allows the reader to gain an understanding for Montresor’s thoughts and the horrific scene taking place; these both make the reader uneasy. The terrifying nature of the scene is exaggerated by details such as the sound of Fortunato’s screams, which increases the fear factor for the reader. The author includes these details to cause the reader to feel the eerie mood of the story more so. Another example of Poe’s use of detail can be found in the statement, “My heart grew sick — on account of the dampness of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my labour.

    Read More

  • Gothic Elements In The Cask Of Amontillado

    1285 Words  | 6 Pages

    Poe was emphatically influenced by Gothic writing, and “The Cask of Amontillado” (1954) with its mind-set of crawling horror and imminent death in an Italian palazzo, most unquestionably demonstrates those impacts. This and numerous other Poe stories are rich in Gothic themes such as madness, cruelty, perversion, and obsession, and feature a various rationally unequal storytellers; Montresor positively qualifies on this number. Poe, in turn, influenced later Gothic writing, especially Southern Gothic. This strand highlights Poe-like dim diversion and gives careful consideration to mind boggling, agitated, even silly characters and the general public in which they live than to the powerful themes often supported in British Gothic fiction (Poe, Edgar Allan, 2001). "The Cask of Amontillado" refers to a nonexistent container of wine the speaker uses to attract a contender wine expert into a crypt so the narrator can kill him.

    Read More

  • The Cask Of Amontillado Conflict Essay

    696 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through this, the man most certainly shows a great arrogance in his inability to accept the possibility that Fortunato means no harm; instead, he views Fortunato as competition - dead weight to be thrown overboard. Next, it should be demonstrated that Montresor is not a man of empathy, but of egoism; a truth evident in his attitude towards his act of murder. At the moment in which Montresor’s plot reaches its climax, he narrates that he chained Fortunato to the wall in only “the work of a few seconds.” (Line 71) Montresor was incredibly well prepared for this moment; he caught his enemy so off guard that he was “much too astounded to resist” whatsoever. Indeed, there was no hesitation.

    Read More

  • Montresor Revenge Quotes

    653 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Montresor was laying the masonry, he heard a “low moaning cry from the depth of the recess,” which was followed by silence. The use of the moaning shows the suffering of Fortunato which creates the mood of terror. After the cry, there was a moment of silence, which created more suspense. Montresor then hears the vibrations of the chains, to which he hearkened to it with satisfaction. The vibrations of the chains shows Fortunato's helpless struggle, which is terrifying.

    Read More

  • Montresor Revenge Quotes

    487 Words  | 2 Pages

    That Montresor is losing sight of humanity, which Poe is utilizing throughout the story. “But when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 61). As you read it shows how focused Montresor is about revenge, that he will not stop until he gets his revenge on Fortunato. Montresor's satisfaction will only come from Fortunato's immense suffering.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Montresor And Zaroff

    491 Words  | 2 Pages

    Montresor has wrath toward Fortunato for insulting and treating him less. Fortunato was tricked into thinking a different result would happen than his death. Montressor tried to make his own justice of the situation ‘’ At length, i will be avenged. ‘’ pg 83 Poe showing he's going to get back at Fortunato for what he did. “He did not perceive that my smile was at his demise’’

    Read More

  • What Is The Mood In The Cask Of Amontillado

    1054 Words  | 5 Pages

    The quote shows the author's details create a shocking mood in the readers because he describes a detailed image the helps the reader envision what is going on. This action takes the audience by surprise because they know Montresor is getting revenge, but they aren’t told what it will be so they are as clueless as Fortunato. Montresor threw a torch in the niche where he tied Fortunato up and he finished closing up the wall, killing a man who considered him a friend. “I thrust a torch to the remaining aperture and let it fall within… I force the last stone into position; I plastered it up.” (pg7)

    Read More

  • The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    "The Cask of Amontillado" has a place with the Romantic development in workmanship; it is a piece of the Romantic subgenre of the gothic, a story of repulsiveness with the gothic gear of prisons, tombs, and corpses. Taking care of business, however, Poe rises above the class. As he watched, his frightfulness was not of Germany (which means gothicism) but rather of the spirit. To the degree this is valid, Poe was a pioneer in composing mental fiction, often of amazingly hypochondriac, if not unusual, identities. He likewise was an early promoter of craftsmanship for workmanship 's purpose; not at all like his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, he didn 't compose moral stories.

    Read More

More about The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

Open Document