The Cask of Amontillado Insanity; the state of being mentally ill or showing signs of madness. Insanity is a generalized term that describes behaviors within multiple psychological disorders. According to Dr. Willem H. J. Martens, PhD, “Antisocial Personality Disorder, is characterized by diagnostic features such as superficial charm, high intelligence, pathological egocentricity and lack of remorse or shame.” Similarly, these personality traits are often evident within the characters of Dark Romanticism writing. As exemplified within Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado, the narrator, Montresor, displays characteristics of Antisocial Personality Disorder through his morbid acts.
Montresor uses manipulation and insincere speech to lure his victim; symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Montresor is conniving and uses superficial charm to lure Fortunato to the Amontillado and ultimately, his death. As a man who seeks revenge, Montresor orchestrates a plan to have the attendants at home abandon the house. By using reverse psychology, Montresor outwits the attendants and tells them to remain at the house as he will not return until the next morning. Montresor states, “These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned” (Poe). By using reverse psychology, Montresor ultimately wants the people at the house to leave
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His past experiences with an associate ultimately prompted this disorder, and as a result, he demands revenge. His bold personality traits including manipulation, violence, and distinguishment of right and wrong demonstrate signs of a deeply ingrained personality disorder. Ultimately, Montresor’s mentally insane characteristics identify him as an unstable individual looking for a solution through