Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado

In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip into the mind of a mad

man. The story relates a horrible revenge made even more horrible by the fact that the vengeance

is being taken when no real offense had been given. Even though this is a short story, Poe creates

a nightmare, almost guaranteed to give the reader a sleepless night.

The plot of the story is simple. Montresor takes revenge on his friend Fortunato by luring

him into the tunnels under the family estate. There he leads Fortunato into the depths of the

catacombs where he buries him alive by walling him into a recess in the wall. The story is told in

first person from the point of view of Montresor himself. The exposition of the story occurs

when Montresor tells us that he wants to take revenge on Fortunato because “he ventured upon

insult”(191). We also learn that he intends to go unpunished for this act of vengeance. The

narrator informs us that he is going to continue to smile in Fortunato’s face, but use the pride his

victim has in wine to lure him into the catacombs to taste some of his non- exis

. . .
He uses imagery to help the reader

experience of the catacombs.

I find that this story makes the hairs on my back of my neck rise every time I read it. He must not have been a guarded person. We hear the jingle of bells on Fortunato’s cap, his hacking cough, and his

laughter of despair as he is buried alive. Even if the

reader was confused by the language of the first paragraph or is puzzled by the motive of the

narrator, he/she is curious to know what will happen next. He sets most of the story in a

dark, damp series of winding tunnels piled with bones. Why does he hesitate at the end? Will he react to the desperate

cry of Fortunato? When the last brick is set in place, we know Fortunato’s doom has been sealed.

There is no real violence in the modern sense of the word, it is almost more horrifying because

rayther than see it with our eyes we se it with our imagination. The two characters are underground and isolated. He says just the opposite of what he means. Just about everything

Montresor says is verbal irony. The true horror is that Fortunato died a terrible death, utterly alone, and his killer

was never brought to justice. The conclusion lets us know that Montresor

was never punished for this crime.

Perhaps the theme in the story is the least important feature.

The setting Poe chose for the story adds to the horror.

Common topics in this essay:
Poe Montresors, Fortunato Montresor, Allan Poe, Flynn English, Cask Amontillado, , act vengeance, fortunato montresor, punish fortunato, cask amontillado,

Approximate Word count = 1282
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Already a member? Click here