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The Cask Of The Amontillado Analysis

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Humans are unique in that we have been coded in such a way that our interpretation of literary texts have always varied, whether being influenced by religion, culture or ideology. Therefore actions, events, or beliefs may be justifiable or not depending on the individual. The Gothic Short story “The Cask of the Amontillado” By Edgar Allen Poe sheds light onto common human ambitions and characteristics, whether it is the lust for revenge, power, or class struggle. The story is told through a first person narrative in which the narrator gives the reader precise accounts on his endeavour for revenge. In “The Cask of The Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, the interpretation of revenge as a theme varies as a result of reading it through different …show more content…

The psychoanalytic lens is a literary criticism which builds on the Freudian theories of psychology. This theory argues that human behavior is the result of the interactions among three component parts of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. Id is defined as the impulsive and unconscious part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts (3). Ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave (3) and finally the foundation that ties the two is Super-Ego which aims for perfection. It comprises that part of the personality, mainly unconscious which includes the individual 's ego ideals, spiritual goals, and the conscience that criticises and prohibits ones drives, fantasies, feelings, and actions (3). This theory is the measure of our biological aggressive and pleasure-seeking drives vs. our socialized internal control over those drives. Freud asserts the notion that, “Human beings are motivated, even driven by desires, fears, needs, and conflicts of which they are unaware”. “The Cask of the Amontillado”, can be viewed through this lens because it deals with human behaviour when prompted to make dire decisions. Furthermore Montresor 's bid for revenge can be showcased with this school of thought thus all three fundamental structures of the human mind must be profiled. Firstly an example of Id being displayed in the story is

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5. A theme statement for “The Cask of Amontillado” is to encourage readers that revenge doesn’t get you anywhere because after it done you’ll have a strong feeling of regret. In the short story Montressor kills his friend and it wasn’t worth it at the end of the day because he started feeling

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Revenge: A Narrative and Scientific Perspective Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Browning’s “My Last Duchess” both revolve around revenge. We are introduced to men who swear vengeance on other characters. Yet, the mindsets of these men are, in some aspects, very different. To truly comprehend a story, we have to understand why authors make their characters behave the way they do in addition to the message being presented. In the case of “The Cask of Amontillado” and “My Last Duchess,” why do both narrators believe murder is totally necessary?

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Any fan of the medieval and Victorian eras knows that there are many stories centered around the rectification of lost or sullied honor through varying means of revenge. Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is no exception. The story’s protagonist, Montresor, feels that his friend, Fortunato, has insulted his family’s honor and decides to take revenge during a nighttime carnival by luring Fortunato into the Montresor family crypt and sealing him inside to die a slow death. Through the use of irony and symbolism, Poe reveals to readers an intense theme of revenge. Poe’s theme of revenge is illuminated through his application of the three different types of irony: dramatic, verbal, and situational.

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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.

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One of Freud’s theories is that the “Id – Ego combination dominates a person’s behavior until social awareness leads to the emergence of the superego, which recognizes that

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654 Words | 3 Pages

Edgar Allan Poe wrote many thrilling and allegorical short stories, which are very similar to each other when closely looked at. “Hop-Frog” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are two very intriguing stories that have many similarities and few differences; in the end, it is revealed that the themes are strikingly similar. These two thrilling stories reveal that the unstable trait that is pride has many detrimental effects. Pride is what drove Montresor and Hop-Frog to kill their oppositions.

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If you’ve read Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado, you know how evil the protagonist, Montresor, is. He expertly carried out a disturbing scheme that left a man buried alive in the deepest part of the Montresor catacombs to die and rot, all for the sake of revenge. We know that Montresor is a very dark and disturbing character, as his own personality was based off of Poe’s. There is no doubt that Montresor committed a heinous crime of which would not be excused in today’s world. However, there are several quotes and pieces of textual evidence to suggest that Montresor might have done the people a favor by killing the not-so-fortunate “fortunate one.”

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Everybody will eventually want revenge on an old friend or just someone they know. Montressor, similar to many people in the world, wants revenge on one of his old friends, Fortunato. The story opens with, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 212). In this statement, Montressor tells the reader what the cause of his revenge against Fortunato is. “The Cask of Amontillado”, written by Edgar Allen Poe, tells the story of how Montressor brings Fortunato into the catacombs to bury him alive.

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The fictional short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe takes place in the catacombs of Montresor’s palace, during the carnival’s climax. The story begins when Montresor, the villain of the story, vows revenge on Fortunato. Throughout the story, the author doesn't tell us what the revenge will be, but his choice of words in the details creates a mood in the reader. The author’s detailed description in the short story creates different moods in the reader like anger, satisfaction, curiosity, and victory because the chosen words connect with the audience.

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The Cask of Amontillado Argumentative Essay Edgar Allen Poe is a famous writer who is well-known for his short stories. The Cask of Amontillado is one of Poe’s short stories which is about two men, Montresor and Fortunato. Fortunato did something to Montresor, the act is unknown, but it angered Montresor badly enough to make him feel the need to seek revenge. The story portrays Montresor’s long, drawn out plan to kill Fortunato. In the story, it is clear that he was set on killing Fortunato, because of his actions and emotions shown toward Fortunato.

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Poe’s relation to The Cask of Amontillado The story “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story full of revenge, hatred and ultimately death. Many believe that this story is made entirely from Poe’s imagination. In reality, Poe used events that occurred in his own life to write the majority of the plot in this story. Poe based most of the story off of his alcohol addiction, his family’s deaths from tuberculosis, and the dark and often macabre times that he had experienced in his life.

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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.

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Though Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories like, The Cask of Amontillado, to his poems like, The Raven, Poe’s shows his writing style to use physical imagery and connotative syntax to show ,imagery in his writing. Throughout his life, Poe had always lived through the most chaotic and evil of time. His parents died while he was 3 years old. After his parents died, he lived with another family member who never accepted him as their own son. Later on in life, Poe had served in the military and at that point he started writing poems.

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699 Words | 3 Pages

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is about a vengeful, manipulative person named Montresor who is plotting to take the life of his friend Fortunato. This story is good for different reasons, one being the plot construction that hooks the reader from the beginning. Another is the three different types of irony he uses: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Edgar Allan Poe has a way of writing that pulls the reader in from the beginning. The first few lines of the story “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed my revenge.”

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1004 Words | 5 Pages

The first-person point-of-view found in Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado" is essential in creating the central theme of the story. This style of narration is also important in this particular story, because when a murderous protagonist, Montresor, is allowed to tell the story from his own perspective, the reader obtains a disconcerting look into his mental composure from the initial conjuring of his plan to the end result. The style of narration develops the unsettling tone of the story by allowing the reader to become personally acquainted with the thoughts and intentions of the protagonist. The first person point of view allows certain ironies to become evident, and furthermore, “The Cask of Amontillado” would not have been as psychologically powerful were

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