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The cask of amontillado character analysis of montresor
Theme of revenge on the cask of amontillado
The cask of amontillado Montresor kills Fortunato
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Montresor begins his story by expressing his excitement over the future events that would culminate in Fortunato’s death. When he sees Fortunato one day during carnival season, he is so overcome with excitement that he says, “I was so pleased to see him, that I thought I never should have done wringing his hand” (1). Montresor reveals his true conscience by showcasing his enthusiasm for Fortunato’s future demise; in doing so, he shows that he is incapable of compassion and has no guilt. Because of his inability to feel guilty over what is to come, Montresor’s confession of the crime has no remorse. It lacks the grief associated with remorse and is more of a brag.
•Montresor does fulfill this definition of revenge. He boasts about how it has been fifty years since his crime and nobody has “disturbed” the catacomb that he has enclosed Fortunato. Regarding the second part, it is questionable. The fact that he is still telling this story a half century later may suggest that he is obsessed (“overtaken”) with his crime. And the third part, he did make himself known to Fortunato because Fortunato cries “For the love of God, Montresor” as he is being enclosed in the catacomb wall.
In the story, Montressor says, “…but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge."(Poe) The quote shows that Fortunato had done something to him in the past and Montressor was out for revenge. He also states the rules of revenge which were don’t get caught, don’t become obsessed, and both parties must know why. Montressor’s code of arms also shows a symbol of revenge. When Fortunato ask him about his arms, he tells him, “A huge human foot … the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.
Montresor states, “I continued , as was my in to smile in his face and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe 1). Montresor devises an intricate and well thought out plan to murder someone he considers a friend, he highlights the evil of humanity when the thought of killing Fortunato brings a smile to his face.
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?
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.
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.
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.
As the story progresses it becomes exceptionally evident the role external conflict plays in creating Montresor’s character. To begin, Montresor mentions “the thousand injuries of Fortunato” and the revenge he is determined to get from the most recent injury, an insult (Poe 543). By Montresor choosing to open the story with remarks about Fortunato’s wrong doings towards him, it’s clear that he holds a grudge. These conflicts between the two men throughout their friendship have had such an impression on Montresor that it’s over taken him – it’s all he can think about; thus, he immediately mentions these conflicts at the beginning of the story. In result, Montresor as a character appears quite hostile and as a narrator appears unreliable.
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
In this story, we observe how a character with such power and intelligence easily turns into a mad man who has devised a plan to murder an innocent man over a plebian conflict the two experienced. In one statement, Montresor says, “I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe 1). In short, Montresor is implying that killing Fortunato is the fair thing to do and that he should be exempt from punishment for doing so. If I were to kill a classmate because he insulted me, I wouldn’t be exempt from punishment. Poe shows us that we can’t hold back our strange and uncivilized urges to get revenge on those who dishonor or hurt us.
Fortunato is a fun loving character who is able to live life almost carefreely. However, Fortunato is also full of ignorance in regards to his current position with Montresor, especially when he is drunk. Due to his persistent ignorance and pride, Fortunato fails to see any danger or harm that he faces; instead, he only sees the hope of tasting a rare wine despite the obvious signs to the contrary. He misses his chances to turn back and his chances to escape, instead, Fortunato invests himself fully in the venture. By the time he realizes his ignorance, Fortunato finds himself chained to a wall while another one is being built in front of him.
But every action has a cause and effect. Poe focuses mainly on the concept of, is it worth taking revenge for, how far you are willing to go for it, and will you end up regretting your choice. In Montresor’s case, he might’ve ended up with regret in either scenario of him taking or not taking revenge on Fortunato. Either way, I believe Poe’s theme of revenge relates to a much bigger theme in life, choice. The ability to choose is everything we do, decide, and without it, we wouldn’t be anything.
Montresor is a grudge holder. In the beginning, Montresor, explains why he is angry with Fortunato, but didn’t come into detail of what he did to him. Evidently, Fortunato injured and insulted Montresor, who says that he has endured peacefully as Fortunato repeatedly offended him thousands of time. Fifty year ago, Fortunato use to deny what Montresor would say about, who he was or what he had done, as if it was untrue. Montresor would argue back and forth with him explaining that it was true.
In this essay I will explain how Montresor’s execution of Fortunato was carried out like an expert. I will list examples of how Montresor manipulated Fortunato, and how he enjoys his revenge. In this story Montresor, the murderer, used reverse psychology, and utilized cunning precondition to fulfill his scheme. He also used clever paronomasia to deceive Fortunato. Montresor first manipulated Fortunato when he met him at the carnival.