...All the reader knows of the character, Fortunato, in the Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado, is learned through the unreliable narrator, Montresor. Dramatic, situational and verbal irony develops the character of Fortunato as a naïve, foolish and gullible person. Fortunato has many weaknesses that lead to his eventual death. Although his name gives the impression that Fortunato is a fortunate person, he’s actually very unfortunate and makes himself an easy target for Montresor’s perfect crime. Fortunato does not realize he is being led into his own death. Dramatic irony is shown as Montresor says, “Neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued…to smile in his face and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (127). The reader knows Fortunato is being led to his own death, yet Fortunato remains oblivious. This dramatic irony shows Fortunato as an oblivious, naïve character. Montresor gives Fortunato several opportunities to turn back from this trip, yet Fortunato is too gullible to comply. “Come…we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy… You are a man to be missed. We will go back,” Montresor says to Fortunato after hearing his cough. Too drunk and eager to get a taste of Amontillado, Fortunato refuses. Dramatic irony develops Fortunato as he says, “Enough…the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me.”...
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...of how Montresor becomes obsessed with revenge because Fortunato “insulted” his family and takes it to the highest degree by murdering Fortunato with complete coldness. Revenger is a feeling that can overpower a person and drive them to do things that they never thought they were capable of, just for the feeling of personal satisfaction. However, many details of the story make the readers wonder if Montresor was insane or Fortunato’s had done wrong and his murder was premeditated? In the story, we are introduced to Montresor who is considered to be protagonist and narrator of the story. All the evidence presented throughout the course of the story can make us believe that Montresor is an unreliable narrator. He tells us the story from his own point of view, which is brutal, vengeful, merciless, and cold. He insists that his actions are due to the “Thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could…” (236) and he is definitively convinced that all his actions are justified as he stated “I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (236). One of the first signs of his unreliable character is that Montresor did not even mention one of the “thousand injuries” Fortunato caused him; most people would think that you would be able to recall or mention something that drove you to commit a crime like this, which also lead the readers to believe that Fortunato was possibly killed for no reason at all. Another sign of his unreliability is how Montresor describe Fortunato in a...
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...Rosa Trahin Ms. King ENG 102 9/2/13 The Thin Line between Obsession and Insanity What triggers people to murder; or to even have the slightest thoughts about killing someone? There might be many answers; however, the best answer could be insanity. Edgar Allan Poe was a well-known writer; best known for his short mystery and horror stories. “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado” were two short stories written by him. Both of these stories consist on some sort of paranoia, obsession, and death. The “TBC” and “TCOA” are stories being narrated by the ones that have committed the crime of the story, such as murder. On the “TBC” the narrator is a man that with time turned into an aggressive, alcoholic, obsessive person. The man’s name was not revealed on the story. On the other hand, the narrator of “TCOA” was Montresor. This man was seeking revenge. Montresor stated “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (“Amontillado” 144). On both stories the narrators kill someone due to their obsession. These two short stories written by Poe had similar altercations but different outcomes; such as Montresor never getting caught for what he did and the man from “TBC” got sentenced to the death penalty for the crime he committed. The story of “The Black Cat” talked about how this man murdered his wife due to his obsession with the black cat. This man had a cat named Pluto. As he was growing older his...
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...genre, it shared a small theme, and the characters shared a lot of the same characteristics. Poe known as a great writer how was his overall literary style determined for these two short stories? The similarities of both tales belong to the gothic genre. This is true from large number of features presented in either one or both of the stories. The most prominent were the dreary, damp, and decaying catacombs of the “The Cask of Amontillado” and the dark themes such as death and insanity, which was a consistent presence in both stories, in the forms of madness of Montresor and Prince Prospero and death of Fortunato and Prince Prospero, along with his guest who took shelter from the Red Death in Prospero’s palace. Other features common to the gothic literature of the narratives were mysteries in the shape of the mysterious shrouded figure in “The Masques of the Red Death” and how Montresor would avenge himself against Fortunato in “The Mask of Amontillado” and the fact the setting was in a palace; just like the setting in “The Masque of the Red Death, which were normally used frequently to set gothic ideas. The stories are alike which shared a minor theme, even though the main subject matter differed greatly. Reprimanding those who indulged excessively in luxuries at the expense of others, “The Masque of the Red Death” could have been seen as an aristocratic...
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...upon Emily as the cause. “The Cask of Amontillado,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the cause of death is revealed but no one knew the cause of Fortunato’s disappearance. These stories contain many differences as well as similarities ranging from imagery, symbolism, theme, and tone. The recognizable commonality of the two is the theme of death. Each of these stories portrays death, or murder, as a result of vengeance, revenge and betrayal. “The Cask of Amontillado” deals with the death of Fortunato and “A Rose for Emily” deals with the death of Homer and Emily. William Faulkner never admits that Emily is the cause of Homer’s death but gives the audience clues that suggest Emily was indeed responsible. Emily’s death seemed to be of natural causes (Faulkner, 1931, p 531). Edgar Allan Poe, in “The Cask of Amontillado” tells the audience of Montresor’s plot of revenge and murder of Fortunato. Betrayal and revenge are obvious throughout both stories. In “A Rose for Emily,” Emily first betrayed Homer after he did not take her for his wife after the whole town saw the two of them together. In “The Cask of Amontillado” betrayal is shown in Montresor’s actions, which result in Fortunato’s death. In both stories, death is caused by the betrayed persons, Emily and Montresor. The actions of the betrayed parties lead to another common theme of imprisonment. In “A Rose for Emily, Homer was imprisoned...
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...When comparing the two main characters Montresor and Goodman brown the reader will note the similarities and differences of the two characters. For example both characters are anti-heros. Montresor’s biggest flaw is his pride, while Goodman Brown’s biggest flaw is his curiosity. Montresor and Goodman brown are both anti-heros, which means a central character that is flawed, and therefore he or she makes the story more interesting. They both like to judge other characters. When reading these stories the reader is unsure if either story is telling the truth. For instance in “Young Goodman Brown” the events that unfolded seem to be just a dream and nothing more. While in “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor show several signs of insanity making...
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...Mysteriously, police do not always find the mark, which leaves us to fill the gap and seek revenge elsewhere. Certain situations can insist on taking revenge on that person, fake friends, revenge plotting, and wisdom in the end is all that mattered. This story starts with one character supposedly insulting the other who will now exact revenge. Carefully, Montresor would venture deep in his catacomb to be sure no one ever heard from Fortunato again. Taking revenge on someone is so gut wrenching since...
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