In Edgar Allan Poes' The Cask of Amontillado , the narrator, Montresor, had
successfully carried out the execution of his greatest enemy, Fortunato. By reading the
story it can be reasonably determined that the tactics and methods used to kill Fortunato
were skillfully thought out and pre-planned. It was not a spur of the moment murder, but a
In The Cask of Amontillado , the main character, Montresor purposely postponed
the execution of Fortunato until the "supreme madness" of the carnival season. At first the
carnival may seem to be irrelevant towards the planning of Fortunatos'' murder, but it was
actually a prime moment for Montresor to seek his revenge upon Fortunato. He had
waited for the carnival season, for a particular reason, so he would not be detected luring
Fortunato to his death. Everyone attending the "carnival" was dressed in a costume.
Montresor himself was disguised by a "black mask of silk and a roquelaure" (117) as was
Fortunato in a clown suite. Further the people at the "carnival" were under the influence
of alcohol. When you put the costumes and the drunk attendants of the carnival together,
it would be impossible to find a credible witness to pin point Montresor and Fortunato
Another carefully planned tactic used by Montresor was the use of his servants. He
had skillfully used his servants in such a way that they aided him in the murder of
Fortunato. Montresor had purposely planned for his servants not to be home on the night
he killed Fortunato. He stated this by saying " there were no attendants at home... I had
told them that I should not return until the morning... I had given them explicit orders not
to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient... to ensure their immediate
disappearance... as soon as my back was turned "(117) . Montresor had used his servants
...