Fortunes Irony: The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

LIT2000
Research Essay 1
Fortunes Irony In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, the story entails a cynical theme of cold calculated revenge. This becomes evident after the first couple lines where the narrator, identified as Montresor, states the story’s conflict as “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe). From the beginning, the narrator tells in first person of his deep hatred for the victim Fortunato, and does not offer any more information to what the insult was; leaving the reader to question whether this offense actually occurred or if Montresor’s disdain for Fortunato is but a construct of Montresor’s deranged mind. Instead of more
classical mysteries that ask “who did it?” the “The Cask of Amontillado’s” heart lies in the intriguing question: "Why did he do it?"(Baraban).
The story’s setting begins around dusk, one evening during the carnival season in an unnamed city, where everyone is dressed in costumes. The setting quickly changes from the carnival’s activities to the damp, dark, nitre and skeleton filled catacombs under Montressor 's home, which helps to establish the sinister atmosphere of the story. The “The Cask of Amontillado” is told in first person by the narrator Montresor which is mainly conveyed in the narrator’s monologue, and the dialogue between Montresor and Fortunato. Poe uses metaphoric instances to foreshadow and amuse the reader. When Fortunato is introduced he is symbolically dressed as a fool during the festival, and becomes one as Montresor leads Fortunato to his doom. Montresor uses reverse psychology throughout the story to achieve his goal of revenge, implicitly using another regarded wine connoisseur Luchesi, to persuade Fortunato into coming with him, and repeatedly used to empower Fortunato to continue into the depths of the catacombs. Another instance of Montresor’s genius using reverse psychology is when he stated “I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them
explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned” (Poe). The irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” is evident throughout the story from the characters names that Montresor suggest “treasure” meaning the amontillado; to Fortunato “furtune” and his unlucky demise. Another instance of irony happens when Fortunato asks for Montresor’s coat of arms to which Montresor reply’s “A huge human foot d 'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" (Poe). Fortunato then asks for the motto to Montresor answer’s "Nemo me impune lacessit" or “No one attacks me with impunity” to which Fortunato reply’s “Good!”(Poe). The use of symbolism and similarities is again used by Poe when both Montresor and Fortunato are traversing the catacombs; Montresor offers two bottles of wine.
The first being Medoc, which was actually believed to protect one’s health, the Montresor uses it to keep Fortunato drunk by using the medoc to “defend us from the damps” (Poe). The second wine is De Grave, which literally means “of the grave” forshadowing Fortunato’s fate as Montresor toasts to Fortunato’s health (Poe). Another more comical similarity was when Fortunato makes a gesture that indicates he is a part of the free masons, and moments later Montresor reveals he is carrying a trowel beneath his cloak to indicate that he is a mason as well, with Fortunato responding “you jest!”(Poe). The climax comes as Montresor and Fortunato reach the end of the catacombs. Here Montresor shows his lack of empathy as he chains Fortunato a wall of “solid granite” (Poe) and Montresor begins to seal Fortunato inside. The point of “The Cask of Amontillado” is to entertain while showcasing the darker side of human emotion and grudges, and what can transpire. What can be gained from “The Cask of Amontillado” is what people are capable of if they feel insulted or hurt as Montresor truly believes he is the protagonist in “The Cask of Amontillado” seeking to restore the honor or prestige of his house
by following the Montresor’s coat of arms. Citations
Baraban, Elena V. "The Motive for Murder in 'The Cask of Amontillado '." Rocky Mountain Review 58.2 (Fall 2004): 47-62. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Modern Short Stories. Ed. Margaret Asmun. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929. 1. LitFinder. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
""The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe." Loudlit.org. Trans. Rod Harrison and Quinn Armstrong. Project Gutenberg, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. (Used to research tone and text implications, Great site!).