Figurative Language In The Cask Of Amontillado

‘Determination becomes obsession and then it becomes all that matters.’ The terror of The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart written by Edgar Allan Poe, both delve into insidious, sinister acts through the lives of the narrators, as they are confronted with the stark reality of revenge and the obsessive nature to kill. Essentially, they are short stories that create a sense of tension and menace. Both of these stories display this by Poe’s use of imagery and figurative language, the themes of psychological terror and death and the convention of his narrative style. In The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado, Poe use of imagery and figurative language allows the reader to create vivid pictures in their minds. Similarly, psychological

In The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe uses the narrator’s actions to convey how insane and psychopathic the narrator is. This adds a menacing feel to the story. Near the demise of the old man, Poe creates a feeling that ‘death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow and enveloped the [old man]’ which displays a visualisation within the minds of the readers and create tension within them. Poe’s use of transforming death into a living individual that had human characteristics allowed the reader to feel in hazard and thus, creating sense of menace. Moreover, the narrator actions of describing the eye ‘[to] a vulture… (that made his) blood turn cold…(that) chilled the marrow in (his) bones,’ displayed the creepiness of the eye and accompanied horror in blood. The use of imagery allows to make the reader feel as though they are in the story experiencing the situations and emotions of the narrator and the old man. His calm approach to killing the old man reignite the sense of menace and ultimately, create tension within the reader. Similarly, in The Cask of Amontillado, the audience is introduced to Fortunato a person who is ‘distilled [with] the rheum of intoxication,’ a person who adds to the emotional and dramatic sense of tension. Poe's use of transforming Fortunato's foot to a 'huge human foot…{a} foot that crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs imbedded in {my} heel'

Poe uses the experiences and actions by both narrators to create a sense of tension and menace. Although, the narrator is justified he needs to kill the man, the reason behind it truly brings out the psychological terror within him. The old man had ‘never wrong [the narrator] …had never given [the narrator] insult,’ however what haunted the narrator was just a simple eye. A simple eye that had done nothing besides make the narrator’s ‘blood run cold…that [arose] from the bottom [his] soul.’ Demonstrating how frightened the narrator is, how far he is willing to go just to lose the sight of looking at the old man’s ‘vulture eye.’ Not only does this terror the narrator, but it allows the reader to gain a sudden fear to not only the narrator but to the old man. Ultimately, creating tension and a sense of menace. Similarly, in The Cask of Amontillado, Poe portrays the psychological complexity of Montressor, emphasising the madness within his. The story is a result of the narrator’s love for himself and hatred for Fortunato. Throughout the story, we see different sides of Montressor which adds to the madness and insanity of the character himself. From Montressor calling Fortunato a ‘friend’ who cares about ‘[Fortunato’s] health being precious,’ to a man that ‘vowed revenge…[who made] no mortal approach [Fortunato].’ The fact of the change of mood, insinuates the true insanity and