Theme Of Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

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All of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” takes place in the catacombs beneath the home of Montresor. Montresor lures Fortunato down into the catacombs to kill him for insulting him. Montresor lures Fortunato by telling him he has a cask of Amontillado in the catacombs under the house. They get to the end of the catacombs and Montresor lures Fortunato into a dark room. While Fortunato is looking around for the Amontillado, Montresor is building a wall to block Fortunato in which kills him. The story may seem simple at first, but Edgar Allen Poe littered it with ironies. Poe used both verbal and dramatic ironies. The ironies show a deeper meaning in everything Montresor says and in his actions. The first type of irony in the story, “The Cask of Amontillado”, is verbal irony. The first thing Montresor says to Fortunato is ironic. Montresor says, “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met” (237). Montresor wants Fortunato to think he wanted to see Fortunato, but in reality it was the perfect time for murder. Fortunato has a cold and is coughing. Fortunato says “the cough’s a mere nothing, it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough”. Montresor replies “True—True” (238). This is ironic because Montresor knows Fortunato will not die of a cough. Montresor knows he is going to kill Fortunato. Montresor keeps trying to turn back, which only encourages Fortunato to continue onwards. Montresor says, “we will go back your health is precious” (238). This is