In today's society, Edgar Allan Poe would be labeled as an unstable individual coming from a broken home. At the age of one, Poe's father deserted his family and a year after his mother died, as the result of abandonment he was taken in by a Richmond merchant known as John Allan. The Allan family took Poe to England in 1815 where he spent the next five years attending good schools. On his return to the US, Poe continued his education at the University of Virginia and then to West Point. Poe did not complete his education from either school, resulting in the alternative decision to begin publishing his writing. "The Cask of Amontillado" was published in 1846, after Poe had nineteen years of experience in writing literature. In short, "The Cask of Amontillado," is about a gentleman named Montresor that seeks revenge on an acquaintance that caused him suffering. The theme of irony in "The Cask of Amontillado" remains constant and thick throughout Poe's narrative of deadly revenge. Poe's twisted irony is a crucial element to understanding the function of the story, with out the recognition of irony, Poe's narrative could be thought of as confusing or irritating. When initially reading Poe's account of "The Cask of Amontillado" it is hard to grasp the amount of satire that is involved in creating the story, but looking back through the story you begin to pick up on all the lurid quips that makes the narrative intriguing and remarkable.
             Poe uses the title of the story to begin the irony contained throughout the story. Part of the title is the word cask; this word can be read two ways, cask as in a large barrel, or as in the first syllable of casket. Either definition of the word can easily tie into understanding the story because in the beginning, Montresor is taking Fortunato to seek a barrel of sherry within his property for his appraisal. Fortuna
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