Dorothy Parker is famous for her quote "Revenge is a dish best served cold". But what is revenge? The Oxford Dictionary defines revenge as to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit. The story of “The cask of amontillado’’ by Edgar Allan Poe is about a dark take on someone’s willingness to exact his vengeance. One who would read the story would tell you that the whole thing is about revenge and it can be looked at as revenge twists the mind of a person who is vengeful, to begin with, or as revenge is a driving force behind a person going so far as to commit a murder.
However, there are several quotes and pieces of textual evidence to suggest that Montresor might have done the people a favor by killing the not-so-fortunate “fortunate one.” Is Montresor just a selfish evil genius fueled with revenge, or a good samaritan who wants to give the people the vengeance they deserve? It’s very clear to see why Montresor is the ultimate character of revenge; Montresor indicates that he is going to kill Fortunato, just for the sake of revenge, as seen in this quote, “…He [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I [Montresor] vowed revenge” (Poe 61). The whole story is based upon the concept of revenge. Revenge is almost always a personal matter, so nowhere in the book does it say anything about Montresor doing a good act, nor committing the will of the people. There is nothing in Poe’s novel that suggests Montresor was committing his crime
Dramatic irony consists of the character in the story knowing less about his or her situation than the reader. Verbal irony involves a character saying one thing, and meaning another. Situational irony consists of what is expected to happen, and what actually happens. Three types of irony found in Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, are dramatic, verbal, and situational irony. A good example of dramatic irony occurs when Montresor explains to Fortunato that he is also a mason.
However, Montresor conceals his true views of Fortunato long enough to lure him into catacombs. Like a connoisseur would, Montresor waits for the perfect moment and arranges very precisely for Fortunato to fall into his trap. Promised with Amontillado, a drunk Fortunato follows his “friend” and allows himself to be chained to the wall. Then, Montresor’s
One literary device that is utilised is pun. In ACT 3, scene 1, lines 94 and 95, Mercutio makes a pun out of his death, saying, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” There is a play on the meaning of the word grave, grave meaning serious, but in this case, it can be an allusive term for death and a place where the dead are buried. This technique emphasises the tragedy of the situation. Oxymoron is another literary device expertly employed to accentuate the pending tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In ACT 3, scene 2, line 000, Juliet uses oxymoron to express her distress upon learning of Romeo killing Tybalt, “Beautiful tyrant!
Absence of Justice “The Cask of Amontillado”-by Edgar Allan Poe, a story of revenge and murder that shows a tragic injustice by giving judgment without a proof and not that only, but an execution as well. Poe illustrates in the story that is not necessary for a person to be mad in order to make wrong decisions; however, a person can be fully aware of what is happening but still wants to do the wrong thing. The story is horrific from several aspects such as the setting of the story and where it occurred, the characteristics of Montresor and Fortunato, and the humor that eventually leads to death. The setting in the story is very creative of Poe because it hangs between the joy of the carnival and the darkness of the catacomb. Montresor chose the carnival season to finish his mission while everybody is busy celebrating and drinking.
A tragic hero must have a moment in time to discover an important element in the story. A tragic hero goes through a punishment that they can’t avoid, which is caused by their hubris. The last thing that a tragic hero must have is a catharsis, a feeling of pity felt by the readers for the demise of the tragic hero. Like previously stated, Beowulf follows the criteria of a tragic hero. Beowulf has a tragic flaw
In the cask of Amontillado he said “The Cask of Amontillado start with a plan to kill to kill his master Fortunato. The Narrator states “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity” Poe, The cask of amontillado, 1846. Poe has a smart way of changing gothic tales of terror and mystery and mixing them with different variations by changing emphasis from surface suspense to a symbolic play in language and different meetings of a variation of words. This tactic used in the story makes him a unique and valuable one of a kind writer. The New York Times said” his vivid, surrealistic, often macabre tales…..were complemented by detective stories….. a genre he
In The Tell Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe Uses Figurative language, Characterization, and symbolism to illustrate how psychotic twisted the mind of the narrator is. The narrator creates something that keeps the reader imprisoned and in its suspense. Edgar Allan Poe uses this by using figures of speech such as repetition. Poe also uses imagery to characterize the narrator to indicate his senses which also shows his unbalanced mind. In “The Tell Tale Heart , Edgar Allan Poe uses figurative language.
Poe’s writing is unusual. It has so many different characteristics within it and makes it irresistible to read. The way he uses suspense to confuse and scare the reader increases the strength of his writing. Edgar Allan Poe has a very distinct way of writing because of his drive to scare, confuse, and intrigue the reader. First, Poe uses disturbing topics and rich vocabulary to really scare the reader at times.