In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edward Allen Poe, the character Montresor’s defining characteristic is revenge. The author never describes Montresor’s physical looks, this can make it difficult to the readers when it comes to imagining how he looks. Throughout the story, Montresor plans to get his revenge on Fortunato for all of the wrong he has done to him. By repeatedly giving Fortunato alcohol to drink throughout the night, Montresor successfully intoxicates him which makes it easier for him to lead him down into the catacombs. The only thing Montresor thinks about is revenge. He is a very static character through the entire length of the story. Based on his actions, Montresor is the antagonist, and he shows this at the …show more content…
He takes the utmost care selecting the perfect words in all situations to ensure that he always sounds like a kindhearted and nobleman. He seems to know the true nature of many human beings and knows how to get his way with them. In this quote “I had told the servants that they must not leave the palace, as I would not return until the following morning and they must care for the place. This, I knew, was enough to make it certain that they would all leave as soon as my back was turned.” (Poe 69). Readers begin to understand just how smart Montresor is, he knew that the best way to get his servants out of the house was to lie to them. The servants, only thinking of themselves, took the chance almost immediately. Montresor being knowledgeable on how many humans act very self centered knew this would be the best plan of action. Intelligence is a very good trait for him to have.It makes it easier for him to come up with the plan on getting his revenge. That are less likely to result in him getting caught or Fortunato becoming suspicious. Montresor’s natural ability of intelligence makes it significantly uncomplicated when it comes to him coming up with a plan to get his …show more content…
For years he has thought only of finally being able to get rid of Fortunato and his denigrate remarks. Baraban V. Elena writes in his analysis that “This is a story of a man who committed a horrible crime half a century ago.” (Elena 1). This leads people to believe even after committing the crime, Montresor was still so keen on doing it properly that the authorities couldn't piece anything together and solve the case. In another scholarly quote by Leonard W. Engel that reads “Montresor the narrator, it will be remembered unlike the narrower is in other tales who have murdered their victims and then tried to conceal their bodies, does successfully conceal his crime.” (Engel 1). This shows also adds to the fact that Montresor did in fact get away with his crime, and nobody ever finds out about what truly happened. Montresor’s static mindset helps him to put all his attention into committing this crime so perfectly he never gets