use Fortunato is being interpreted as a fool in his costume while Montresor is giving him wine and leading him to his death. On the other hand, Montresor seems so innocent as to what he plans to do. Another example of Poe's dramatic irony occurs as the two men are walking down to the catacombs and Fortunato notices the Montresor coat of arms. Fortunato says, "I forget your arms." And Montresor replies, "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" (Poe 1569). Peeples quotes, "The Montresor family could be represented by the foot, which crushes its enemies, or the snake, which sinks its fangs into the heel of its adversary, by bringing to mind the flag used by the American Revolutionaries reading 'Don't tread on me.' In either case, both the foot and the snake are injured, perhaps fatally; neither wins" (150). What is so ironic about this is that Montresor thinks that he wins by getting rid of his enemy when really he is not a winner at all.
             Throughout the story, Montresor uses verbal irony nume
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