Another time Poe signals to the reader that Montresor has a trowel—used to apply and spread mortar and plaster—and he will use this trowel to achieve his retaliation. Montresor produces a trowel from his coat pocket after Fortunato does not believe Montresor to be a mason (376). This clues to the reader that Montresor will act on Fortunato by cementing him into the catacombs. This foreshadowing contributes to the mood by creating a disturbing crime scene that no
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor is a diabolical character set on revenge for an injustice he perceives as unforgivable. While the nature of such injustice is never justly stated, it is clear Montresor takes his family motto “Nemo me impune lacessit” (Poe 16), to heart. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 14). This final injury, although never stated, is the unraveling of Montresor and at length he would be avenged (Poe 14). Hatred and revenge are the driving factors of Montresor’s disquiet and he cannot rest until Fortunato has been dealt the punishment he believes he deserves.
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
This one-sided story by the narrator, Montresor, leads to a suspenseful conclusion not only that Fortunato’s insults perhaps are minor, but also that Fortunato may not recognize the issues at all. This lack of evidence and unrealistic friendship lead readers to believe that Fortunato does not deserve to be buried alive. Montresor could be just a sadistic character who wants to murder his enemy for
In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” the author utilizes the literacy elements of dialogue, setting and characterization to illustrate the irony of Fortunato’s demise. One way Poe’s short story uses literacy elements to illustrate the irony of Fortunato’s demise is by using the irony of dialogue. In the upcoming quote, Montresor just opened up a bottle of wine in the catacombs and Fortunato and him are making a toast. “I drink… to the buried that repose around us.” (Poe 211). Fortunato says this not knowing that he will soon be buried with everyone around.
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
In "The Cask of Amontillado," Edgar Allan Poe tells the tale of the fictional death of Fortunato at the hand of Montresor. Many question the sanity of a man who can internally justify the murder of another without considering other methods of revenge.
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.
Tooth for Tooth In the short story “A Cask of Amontillado” two wealthy rival Italian men with a taste for wine descend into the catacombs of one of the noblemen’s house who goes by Montresor. All is not well, though, as Montresor’s rival Fortunato has offended him greatly in the past, all of which has convinced Montresor enough to seek out vengeance on his rival and past friend. Through careful planning and patience Montresor proves that the recurring theme of this story is that revenge is a dish best served cold, and that the overwhelming amount of deceit shows the hatred Montresor had for Fortunato. The insult that was dealt to Montresor by Fortunato provokes him to cease their friendship and causes him to seek out revenge on Fortunato, thus making it more effective. 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 ).
However, I’m really surprised and resentful of Montresor’s guilty, his calm behaviour at the end of the story:“My heart grew sick....I hastened to make an end of my labour”; and feel sympathetic towards Furtunato - a really pitiful and stupid guy. Even until now, Montresor does not show his regret: “ For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them”. Personally, I think Mentroser has a mental problem with crazy thoughts of considering his cruel actions as intelligent and reasonable deeds. Through “The cask of Amontillado”, “ Legia”, I come to a conclusion that Poe wants to maltreat his prey and lets it gradually die in repentance and agony rather than making the enemy die with a gun of grace and then