The Cask Of Amontillado Conflict Essay

The Cask of Amontillado is a short story published by Edgar Allan Poe in 1846; it features the conflict between two noblemen known by their family names: Montresor and Fortunato. The story begins with Montresor’s explanation of his rivalry with Fortunato; a one-sided conflict, to be sure, as Fortunato is totally oblivious to the countless insults that Montresor perceives. Throughout the text, Poe writes of Montresor’s elaborate plot to lead an inebriated Fortunato deep into the Montresor estate’s catacombs; eventually culminating in the surprising vivisepulture of Montresor’s rival within a small recess in the wall of the bone-strewn space. It is clear that within this text, the premeditated murder of Fortunato by the offended nobleman Montresor

Despite Fortunato’s apparent penchant for offense, Montresor neglected to make it known; instead, he began to plot his revenge against the trifling noble. This demonstrates the arrogance of Montresor; who abstained from the rational without hesitation, and instead leapt instantly to the extreme of

Through this, the man most certainly shows a great arrogance in his inability to accept the possibility that Fortunato means no harm; instead, he views Fortunato as competition - dead weight to be thrown overboard. Next, it should be demonstrated that Montresor is not a man of empathy, but of egoism; a truth evident in his attitude towards his act of murder. At the moment in which Montresor’s plot reaches its climax, he narrates that he chained Fortunato to the wall in only “the work of a few seconds.” (Line 71) Montresor was incredibly well prepared for this moment; he caught his enemy so off guard that he was “much too astounded to resist” whatsoever. Indeed, there was no hesitation. His concentration was so directed towards himself that he had no prompt to stop and think about what he was doing; he had already made up his mind. Proceeding onwards, Montresor kept Fortunato occupied as he began to lay stones over the recess in the wall that contained Fortunato, proceeding until he had entombed Fortunato and ensured his