Irony Essay: The Cask of Amontillado Irony can bring a lot to the big table of the essence of a story. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the work of classic American author Edgar Allan Poe, irony is being used to further express the dark essence of the story being told. It is a story of a man named Montressor, who holds a murderous grudge against a renowned connoisseur of fine wine that he calls his friend. The story explains the progress of Montresor's plan to kill or punish Fortunato. The reason for the hatred, however, is not known at all. One type of irony in the story is the antagonist's name: Fortunato. It derives from the latin word “fortuna” which means fortune. However, he was not fortunate at all. In the end of the story he was tricked by a man he called his friend. He was …show more content…
This is dramatic irony because the readers know that he will in fact, be missed. By the end of the story, the readers know that Montressor will lock Fortunato up in a seemingly random part of the catacombs to die in the silence of his thoughts, damp air, and nitre filled surroundings. Fortunato also says, “The cough’s a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.”
Another, and my final, example of irony in this story is that both men drink to Fortunato’s long life whilst in the damp catacombs. This is ironic because the readers know that Fortunato’s life will not be as long as he hopes it will be. He will be trapped in a niche until he dies from starvation, dehydration, or by the cough he has. I infer that Montressor would like Fortunato to have a long life in that niche so that he will suffer for the unsaid offense he inflicted upon