Man has been known to be the cruellest animal on our planet and since we are at the top of the food chain we can do anything we want to our planet and also other people. Our kind is so cruel that we destroy our world for the need of resources and we can even be cruel to each other. Humans throughout history have always been at war with each other over land, greed, culture and revenge. Revenge and greed are both prominent in the short stories Stone Mattress and The Cask of Amontillado. Both of these short stories have great examples of greed and revenge in them and that they are similar but both are set differently.
The Cask Of Amontillado is a short story created by Edgar Allen Poe and was published in November 1846. The story is set place at an unknown time period but in an italian city. A man seeked revenge on another man named Fortunato. Fortunato was known as a rich man with a love for wine. The other man who wanted revenge on Fortunato told him that he had received a shipment of a rare wine called amontillado.
Foreshadowing is a dramatic device in which an important plot point in mentioned early in the story to return to later in a more specific way. In simple words, foreshadowing just means you give the reader hints of what will come later in the story. In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” the foreshadowing is that though he may not die of a cough, he will die of something else.
Down deep into the underground catacombs in Italy is where the poor soul of Fortunato took his last breath. In “The cask to the Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe the death Fortunato and Montresor’s vengeance of him can be traced back to the decisions of Fortunato. Fortunato has an addiction to drinking wine, he is overconfident and large ego about himself and easily conceivable personality did lead him to his death. He needed to fix these points in his life because if he did, then who would not have been in dead in the catacombs under Italy.
The most terrible actions are executed in a carnival atmosphere of happiness. The motto “Nemo me impune lacessit” (No one attacks me with impunity) indicates that the entire Montresor Family history is filled with acts of revenge; the jinging of the bells announcing Fortunato’s death.
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Edgar Allan Poe displays the theme of revenge and manipulation. The narrator Montresor pledges revenge on Fortunato for an insult that is never explained. He maintains an appearance of goodwill towards Fortunato and decides to make use of Fortunato's weakness for fine wines against him. During the carnival season, the narrator approaches Fortunato, telling him that he has come across something that could pass for Amontillado a rare and expensive wine. Fortunato being excited about the news insists on accompanying Montresor to the vaults to determine whether it is Amontillado or not.
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe is a gripping and macabre short story that explores the themes of revenge, deception, the destructive nature of pride, and their relevance to us in the present day. While the story was written in the 19th century, its themes continue to resonate with contemporary audiences, highlighting the timeless nature of human emotions and their consequences. One theme that remains particularly relevant today is the theme of revenge. Montresor's relentless pursuit of vengeance against Fortunato raises questions about the limits of revenge and the morality of taking justice into one's own hands. As Montresor states, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge" (Poe, 1846).
The Norton Introduction to Literature. W.W. Norton & Co. New York, 2017. Print. "Explanation of: The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe." LitFinder Contemporary Collection, Gale, 2000.
In the beginning of the story the author's choice of words in the descriptions makes the reader feel angry. Montresor tried to ignore Fortunato and his insults, but they were
What makes the murder especially brutal is that Fortunato will asphyxiate over time in an enclosed, dark, and solitary confinement as opposed to a sudden death. This is an indication that the crime Montresor claims to be victim of affected his social status in an Italian connoisseur society. His fall in rank is stated when he explains that the Montresors were a great and numerous family. Fortunato is not explicitly stated to be the reason of the decline, but it is true that Montresor feels that his family has lost its majesty and would take insinuations of this fact to be a terrible insult. An injury to Montresor’s family honor would cause him
Montresor’s family motto translates to: no one provokes me with impunity. Fortunato has insulted Montresor, which seals his fate in Montresor’s eyes. Once someone has insulted Montresor, that someone can expect punishment. The family motto confines Montresor’s mind into believing that Fortunato must be killed. Despite the lack of vindication for Fortunato, Montresor is bound to be affected negatively by the murder.
Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for the gothic themes he presents in his writings, this was no exception for Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. Several important ideas are brought up about the story’s central theme of revenge. These ideas can be broken down into 3 parts: the incentive, the extent, and the reaction of the person partaking in revenge. It is essential to consider these ideas while reading Poe’s story, in order to comprehend his views on revenge. It also provides the reader the ability to question their own views on revenge as well as compare it with Poe’s.
Characterization proves the theme that Fortunato's insults make an enemy of Montresor. Montresor becomes vindictive when Fortunato’s insults start turning towards his family. Montresor’s family motto is no one punishes him and gets away with it (Fields). This gives reason to believe that honor dictated that Montresor avenge the insults Fortunato laid at his feet. Montresor says, “THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as
Poe was emphatically influenced by Gothic writing, and “The Cask of Amontillado” (1954) with its mind-set of crawling horror and imminent death in an Italian palazzo, most unquestionably demonstrates those impacts. This and numerous other Poe stories are rich in Gothic themes such as madness, cruelty, perversion, and obsession, and feature a various rationally unequal storytellers; Montresor positively qualifies on this number. Poe, in turn, influenced later Gothic writing, especially Southern Gothic. This strand highlights Poe-like dim diversion and gives careful consideration to mind boggling, agitated, even silly characters and the general public in which they live than to the powerful themes often supported in British Gothic fiction (Poe, Edgar Allan, 2001). "The Cask of Amontillado" refers to a nonexistent container of wine the speaker uses to attract a contender wine expert into a crypt so the narrator can kill him.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” and Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” the two characters are consistently belittled by the antagonist in the stories. In “Sweat” Delia is an average housewife, but unfortunately she is in an abusive relationship with her husband named Sykes, who has a tendency to degrade Delia. Throughout the story, Sykes treats Delia horribly and towards the end of the story, Delia finally realizes that she has had enough of her abusive husband because he makes her feel as if she is not worth anything. Due to Sykes’ tendency to degrade her, Delia is considered to be a sympathetic character. The same kind of conflict affects the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado.”
