The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" describes ahorrific vengeance killing: the burying alive of a man. Montresor, a man ofno small means, seeks revenge on a friend of his, the unsuspectingFortunato. Montresor never mentions what Fortunato did to deserve suchwrath; yet Montresor has premeditated and skillfully planned out themurder. Montresor leads Fortunato through his estate's catacombs, where hetells the Italian wine connoisseur that a cask of Amontillado awaits hisscrutiny. Taking full advantage of Fortunato's pride in his wine-tastingabilities, Montresor seduces his friend into the depths of the caverns inspite of Fortunato's allergy to nitre and visible drunkenness. Montresoracts with cold, calculated motions and seems to indicate a total lack ofemotion; Poe portrays his protagonist as being both compulsive and deluded. Poe does not provide any real physical characteristics of Montresor,the protagonist in the story, save that he is male. However, "The Cask ofAmontillado" is essentially about Montresor's thoughts and behaviors. Fromthe outset, Montresor admits that he seeks revenge on Fortunato, and nevermentions why. This indicates that the protagonist is deeply angry
However, the reader is aware that Fortunato's main weakness ishis personal pride in his wine-tasting abilities. Fortunato is drunk when he follows Montresor and he wears a "tight-fitting parti-striped dress. " Thus theprotagonist is portrayed as being patient as well as intelligent. The catacombs correspond to the wine motif, aswine is stored in underground cellars. As the protagonist, Montresor embodies thecentral themes of moral ambiguity, vengeance, delusion, and compulsivebehavior. The imagery is sinister, dank, and foreboding. Montresor's vaults are no ordinarywine cellars, though; they are actual catacombs in which the bones of thelong-dead are stacked. Rather, hestates, "I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. The reader can feel the cold chill of the subterranean air, as wellas the oppressive cavernous walls encroaching like a tomb. Although he coughs, he doesnot seem unduly nervous. However, Montresorwon't admit that this sense of sickness comes from guilt or horror at hisactions. Moreover, the dampness and the nitre are referred to periodically in thetale. Montresor's inner conflicts are hidden behind a veneer of self-righteousness, self-confidence, and false bravado. In fact, the protagonistdoes not agonize over his immorality and is unconscious of any feelings ofguilt or wrongdoing.
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Acceptance Essays
