Edgar Allan Poe's, The Cask of Amontillado is an excellent display of how you can take a very sane person, given the right circumstances, and make a malicious person out of him or her. Revenge is a feeling that has the ability to over come a persons grip on reality. The narrator Montressor feels that he was insulted greatly by our not so fortunate Fortunado. Montressor vows to have vengeance on Fortunado's for his heinous crime. The old saying "an eye for and eye," does not really apply to this Montressor. His view on this matter would be something more like " an eye for and eye and while I'm at it I might as well take and ear, an arm, one or two fingers which I will break first and then sever at each knuckle." This just shows you what type of demented state of mind revenge can put a person in.
             This story begins with Montressor explaining that Fortunado has insulted him and that he is going to pay dearly for his unjust act. He thinks of a plan to utilize Fortunado's weakness, his connoisseurship. When he comes across Fortunado he tells that he thinks he might have been taken on a recent purchase of what he thought was Amontillado (a very high quality wine), knowing that Fortunado will not be able to resist a taste. It is ridiculously clever of Montressor how he plays Fortunado like a puppet, all the while just toying with him and acting if he has no interest in his services. He even actually pretends to be concerned with Fortunado's illness, he states:
             "My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. These vaults are insufferable damp. They are encrusted with nitre" (Poe 157).
             Finally after long debate, still in fear of Fortunado's well being, he agrees to take him to his vaults and share this priceless wine with him.
             Upon their arrival to the vaults Monty offers Fortunado an
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