Imagine, being hundreds of feet underground, surrounded by nothing more than walls of dirt and skeletal remains, and right next to you is a man who can harm you at any moment. You plead him to leave, but it is all in vain. He is drunk and the effects of the alcohol he has consumed is wearing off quickly and you fear for your life. What do you do? This is what Mr. Montresor had to contemplate that night in the catacombs all those years ago when he unfortunately had no choice but to end the life of his old friend, but now enemy, Fortunato. Montresor’s actions that night were purely out of self-defense, proven by the fact that Fortunato had a history of being a violent drunk; and on the night of the incident, the defendant repeatedly requested …show more content…
The witness Lady Fortunato can attest to the fact that her husband was both a violent man and a drunk. Evidence, lying in the skeletal remains of Fortunato, even proves that Fortunato had a chronic drinking problem. According to research on the effect alcohol has on a person’s bones, “alcohol consumption is a risk factor for osteoporosis based on the frequent findings of a low bone mass, decreased bone formation rate, and increased bone fracture incidence in alcoholics” and “there is evidence that duration of alcohol abuse is associated positively with the severity of osteopenia, which suggests that the bone loss is gradual” (Turner pg.1693). In short, drinking excessively, like Fortunato often did, would show through his remains. His bones are fragile and badly decomposed, which show signs of osteoporosis most likely caused by his drinking, thus proving he was a drunk. In addition to this fact it was a very real possibility that his chronic drinking made him even more violent. Lady Fortunato was not the only one to see his violent side. Montresor has even previously stated, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but…he ventured upon …show more content…
It total, the defendant denied his invitations in and requested he leave no more than 5 times, but he refused. Fortunato, in all actuality, was never invited to be on Montresor’s property. He invited himself saying, “‘Come let us go…to your vaults,’” and to that Montresor twice responded, “‘My friend, no” (Poe pg.49). Fortunato was very insistent on going to Montresor’s home, he disregarded obvious denial of consent. Fortunato even “possessed himself of my arm” in the words of Montresor (Poe pg.49). Since Montresor never technically allowed him access to his home and catacombs, Fortunato could be considered as trespassing, making him an intruder. Since Fortunato is considered as such, self-defense laws like the Stand Your Ground Law or the Castle Doctrine can be applied to this case. The Stand Your Ground Law, in short, states that, “under certain circumstances, individuals can use force to defend themselves without first attempting to retreat from the danger. The purpose behind these laws is to remove any confusion about when individuals can defend themselves and to eliminate prosecutions of people who legitimately used self-defense even though they had not attempted to retreat from the threat.” (“Stand Your Ground Laws”) With Fortunato clinging to his arm and no close exit in the crypts, this law does most definitely apply to the situation the defendant