Amontillado Betrayal Theme

The Cask of Amontillado “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story in which the narrator, also known as Montresor vows revenge on a man named Fortunato. The reason is revealed to the reader as “injuries and insults.” The author Edgar Allen Poe, illuminates the theme of betrayal through friendship, death, and deception. One way the author portrays the theme of betrayal is through friendship. The narrator, Montresor proposes that he was once friends with Fortunato. He continues to state, “The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could” (1). This presents betrayal by contributing to Fortunato’s “Thousands of injuries” (1), like many friends do. The insults, although are what Montresor states as his reason for his want for revenge this is proved when the narrator continues to state, “but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (1). However, betrayal through friendship is also shown through Fortunato as he believes Montresor’s “friendliness”. As

Throughout history, alcohol has been associated with death, although many times through health issues. In this case the words used by Montresor, “You were not to be found and I was fearful of losing a bargain” (6), are what led him into the catacombs led by Montresor. Had Fortunato not had a weakness for wine and had not been drunk when he was trapped he might’ve lived. The narrator greatly illuminates the catacombs as a place of death and torment, mthrough this Poe’s theme of betrayal is illuminated. The words “withered” (17), “terminate” (69), “pass” (79), all add an eerie feeling of death. As well as the statement by the narrator, “It’s walls had been lined with human remains piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris” (74). The statement is ironic due to Paris being the city of love, and in this sense it is being compared to the “great catacombs” (74) which are located