Preview

The Cast Of Amontillado Literary Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
351 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Cast Of Amontillado Literary Analysis
In the short story The Cast of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe shares a story about insults and revenge in action. Montresor is the protagonist who holds a grudge against the antagonist, Fortunato. The first sentence sets the stage for the murder of Fortunato. “The thousands injuries of Fortunate I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe, p. 108). It does not say what the “injuries” Montresor is referring to are, but in his book they were enough to murder Fortunato.
The narrator is telling this story many years after the actual murder of Fortunato. Poe does not give any explanation on why Montresor postponed sharing the story. One theory is that Montresor realized he killed Fortunato in vain. This implication

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Montresor, the main protagonist, appears as a dangerous and brutal psychopath “I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will” and “he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.” (Poe 144). As time is passing by in the story, Montresor reveals how obsessive and insecure he is. Montresor decides to get revenge and kill Fortunato just for a mere insult, and only because of his weak and unconfident personality. The insult and the other thousand injures mention before could have been just part of Montresor’s insecure nature. Furthermore, Fortunato does not expect that Montresor is seeking revenge or sees him as a threat. Besides, Montresor plays a great role of a caring friend until the end of the story. Montresor even refers to Fortunato in several occasions as his friends or “My poor friend ” (Poe 147) making Fortunato doubts of…

    • 826 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Edgar Allan Poe uses irony to develop the central idea of revenge. He uses irony in naming the character of Fortunato. Fortunato’s name means “fortune”. He is a man of wealth who is being blindly led to his death by Montresor in search of justifiable revenge. Poe also uses irony in the dialogue, “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking today”. Montresor is pleased to see him. Although Fortunato looks good now, he will be dead by the end of the story when Montresor puts his plan into action. Later, Montresor is concerned about his coughing. Montresor said, “We will go back. Your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved..”. Montresor tells him to go back because…

    • 181 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    with similar subject matter, because the murderer tells the reader how he commits his crime. Poe leaves the reader with many questions. The story, according Baraban, centers around the mystery of why Montressor feels compelled to kill. The reader must first answer other questions to make this determination. Has Montressor truly fulfilled his desire to avenge Fortunato…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Cast of Amonitillado by Edgar Allen Poe is a short stories that he wrote about a young man by the name of Montresor whom wants to venture out and seek the thrill of revenge but not put him self in risk so has someone else do it by guiding him the right was so this perons puts him in the right dricition for him to seek his revenge with out geting him in to any sticky sistuations…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Montresor actions are similar to a terrorist and murderer. In the article “The Futility of Vengeance”, the author states, “[..] At its most extreme, the desire for vengeance fuels murder and terrorism”(Murphy 2). This quote can relate to Montresor because Montresor planned out his actions and let the dust settle, like other murderers and terrorists. Another big point in the story that Montresor relates to is the idea that most people seek revenge when their honor or their family’s name has been insulted. In the story “The Cask of Amontillado” Poe states,” The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge”(Poe 61). This quotes shows that Montresor feels like Fortunato insulted him, and that is why he seeks…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    mostresor essay 1

    • 559 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To begin with, Montresor is an unreliable narrator. I think this because in the beginning of the story,(174) Montresor does not give any background or evidence of being insulted by Fortunato. The texts says, “ The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could...” Usually, when you are blaming someone that has done wrong to you, you would give a background, or evidence that they are in the wrong. My reason number two is that Montresor exaggerates his feelings and actions in the story, which is also why I believe he is bragging about his crime. “There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honor of the time...I well knew, to ensure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned.” (176) Here is a perfect example of Montresor's bragging. He's basically saying that, he the best of the best, the head chief, and everyone knows when he says to do something, they do it.…

    • 559 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    it may be possible that the reason he waited that long to tell anyone was for his own safety, but if that is true, there is no reason he should ever tell anyone. while he tells the story, montresor does not inflate the insults that fortunato causes nor does he omit his own lessor misdeeds. montresor does not try to make himself look better because he is not ashamed by his actions. when his story is finished, montresor says a phrase in latin which translates to “rest in peace.” this acts as a final stab at fortunato and shows that montresor shows no remorse for his past actions.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Poe uses several types of irony in The Cask of Amontillado. The irony of the situation in general is clearly stated in the first sentence, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Basically the narrator states that the physical injuries he endured from Fortunato did not really bother him however, when Fortunato ventured upon verbal insult, the narrator then wanted revenge. Most…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As punishment was not enforced at this time, it only shows how murder was involved. As it states that, “not only did Montresor feel no guilt, but he perceives his murder of Fortunato as a successful act of vengeance and punishment” (Baraban 49). Edgar Allan Poe…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This proves how Fortunato’s betrayal did not go unpunished, nor ignored by Montresor, who yearned for revenge. Poe continues to portray punitiveness and betrayal by stating, “No answer…

    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "The thousand injuries at the hands of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge" (Poe, 173). Montresor is so convinced of the righteousness of his convictions that he "must not only punish but punish with impunity" (Poe, 173). Montresor also states how he must not fail to "make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong" (Poe, 173). Montresor's words prove how his prideful obsessions have deluded his mind enough to believe that Fortunato's wrongs justify his agonizing death. Furthermore, Montresor believes he should go unpunished for his…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Roughly 56,600,000 people die every year, making it no surprise that authors everywhere create stories based around the sport of killing. In the horrific and sadistic stories of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” the authors use literary elements to illistrate nefarious murderers . No matter the motives of these murders, demented people always commit them. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” the guile Montresor seeks vengeance on Fortunato, an imprudent man who has an addiction to alcohol by using Fortunato’s desire of Amontillado against him to lure him to his death. In Connell’s amazing short prose “The Most Dangerous Game,” Rainsford, a skillful hunter, falls off a yacht into the Amazon. There he meets the hunting fanatic General Zaroff, who eventually implies that the only creatures that give him a thrill to hunt are humans. Rainsford thought he was being treated well and that him and Zaroff were to hunt other humans together; however, he soon finds out that he is the one who will be hunted. Authors Poe and Connell use tone, metaphores and suspense to illuminate a foreboding atmosphere in their tales “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Most Dangerous Game” ultimately creeping readers out…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Revenge is not always as sweet as it is cracked up to be. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Cask of Amontillado” one of the main characters, Montresor schemes to get revenge on the other main character in this story, Fortunato. According to Montresor, in order for him to be happy with the way he gets revenge he must meet two conditions. Montresor states, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is undressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.” ( Poe. 618 ) In other words, Montresor must get his revenge without being caught by anyone, but also in such a way that the person against whom the revenge is…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Setting is the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition to vengefulness, Montresor was also a clever person. By the third paragraph it is evident that Montresor formulated a plan to carry out against Fortunato. Montresor stated “I continued, as was my intent to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe, 1). The narrator then went into detail about Fortunato’s weak points. “He had weak points, this Fortunato” (Poe, 1). Montresor knew that Fortunato was an expert on wine. “He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine” (Poe, 1). Montresor also knew that Fortunato was not skilled in painting or gems. He proved that when he said “In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere” (Poe, 1). This displayed Montresor’s high mental alertness.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays