The cask of amontillado is a chilling tale on revenge and deceit between friends. It has been accepted universally as Poe’s perfect short story with the world’s most amazing story line. The narrator who gets to be identified later as Montressor recounts on his murder of Fortunato. The account begins with the protagonist’s woe of how Fortunato has inflicted upon him a ‘thousand injuries’ so left with no alternative but revenge. Fortunato is oblivious of this scheme since he is blinded by the pride he takes on being an expert in judging wine. He even declares that it would be degrading to compare his prowess to that of Luchresi. The narrative brings out the methods Montressor uses to lure Fortunato to his trap to achieve the initial schema.
On a carnival evening celebration Montressor, he sets out to implement his malicious scheme confident it was foolproof. He makes good his threat by taking advantage of Fortunato’s self-styled pride in the proficiency of judging of fine wines and an enthusiast of a sherry, amontillado. He enticed Fortunato by asking his opinion about his newly acquired cask of sherry. He was convinced that Montressor had a cellar stocked with the amontillado hence the cask of amontillado. Being hooked, Fortunato insisted on going to Montressor’s residence to taste the wine. The protagonist disguised himself in what would be taken for the carnival cloak. The servants had conveniently been allowed carnival celebration night off. This appears like a ploy to do away with witnesses to the great brutality. The execution had a well laid out plan to take place during the carnival festivities, which would provide a setting of cover-up due to the merriment and masquerading.
The cellars being downstairs, Fortunato descended noisily and unsteadily while the bells upon his cap jingled. They go deeper into the caves; the nitre causes Fortunato to cough persistently just as he insists on continuing the journey. He is offered a bottle of Medoc wine just to intoxicate him the more not to ease the cough.
The Medoc boosts his energy to continue towards his death. Ironically both toast to Motressor’s buried ancestors and Fortunato’s long life. Overcome by drunkenness, Fortunato claims he has forgotten what the Motressor’s coat of arms looks like. This makes Montressor angry as he took it as an insult. He further demeans the Montressor family motto and fuels revenge. He continues to give Fortunato the dose of the Medoc as the nitre and dampness increase on their way down. Fortunato tosses the emptied bottle with a gesture of a secret society, the masons whom he thinks Montressor wouldn’t understand. He insults him on the same, and Montressor shows him the trowel. Ironically it is an indicator of real masons or bricklayers and will still be the tool of Fortunato’s death later. It is an emblem of the masonic secret society order. He looks down on Montressor as not being good enough for the order, but on the contrary, he will prove himself even better later. The eerie scene in which they walking is a catacomb filled with skeletons of Motressor’s long-departed lineage. He tricks Fortunato that the amontillado is in one of the crypts and he enters. Montressor quickly locks the unresisting drunk with chains to the wall. He begins to construct a wall to block the entrance using the trowel. Fortunato begins to moan, and by the time Montressor is on his fourth tier, the sounds of chains as he tries to free himself are very loud. He got scared a little bit later joins in the shrieks and screams. At the moment of laying the last brick, Fortunato begs him to end the joke for the love of God. He mocks this plea, throws his torch into the crypt, and lays the last brick. He concludes by saying that the peace hasn’t been disturbed for half a century.
SETTING
The account begins in Italy in a setting of the carnival celebrations evening. The action hours spills over to midnight. The main horror-action set up is in the underground catacombs, which are burial vaults that are dark, cold and damp. The plot is graduated perfectly to keep the reader glued. The protagonist introduces his intention to revenge on the onset. He proceeds to enlighten the reader on why he is to achieve but with a lot of suspense. The story is heightened when Fortunato is finally enters the crypt and chained. When the bricklaying begins, the climax of the suspense is achieved. The conflict is resolved by the laying of the last brick as the protagonist achieves his goal. The main themes are on the power of revenge and deceit. Montressor, under these two drives manages to lure Fortunato to his death without the latter ever suspecting. The facade of friendship is cruelly used.
LITERARY DEVICES
Irony trails throughout the tale as things said by Montressor are not meant. As they progress down to the catacombs, he keeps warning Fortunato about the health dangers of being there. This seemingly kind act carries undertones of the most vicious irony. It is performed to keep the victim alive long enough to get him to the niche where he will be buried alive.
He insinuates they should go back though he intends to retain him there for over fifty years. He toasts to Fortunato’s long life as he knows he plans to kill him. The merriment of the carnival celebrations is ironic as it is the time of the murder. The implication of being a mason is ironic as Fortunato relates it to the secret order while Montressor indicates bricklayers. Fortunato’s name is ironic as it indicates being fortunate ,and apparently he is very unfortunate.
Foreshadowing is apparent in many instances but outstanding by Montressor’s insinuation that Fortunato may be busy with other engagements just so to ensure he falls into the trap. This foreshadows Fortunato’s doom as the reader is looking for any slight opportunity to murder him.
Suspense flows with the story from the beginning to the end. The reader is aware of the onset of Montressor’s intention to take revenge by punishing with impunity for unidentified wrongs. That he was plotting this on unsuspecting victim keeps the reader waiting to see how it materializes.
Sarcasm is a tone traced throughout the account Montressor refers to his adversary Fortunato as my poor friend. This expresses to the reader that Montressor sarcastically insinuates immense hidden hatred. He further talks of Fortunato’s health being precious while he actually intends to take his life. This is heightened by Montressor calmly implying his life doesn’t matter.
Symbolism is found in the use of the dark catacombs imply the dark side of Montressor’s gruesome personality and malevolent character. Their locations underground above which the celebrations are taking place indicate the real unseen, dark Montressor’s image underneath the apparently gentle good-mannered self. The carnival masquerade symbolizes deceit and hoax.
Imagery is used to horrifically describe the scenes clearly. They target all senses to heighten the mood of the story. The visual description of the catacombs implies the gruesome murder ahead.
Allusion has been applied in the story where rather than directly referring to Fortunato’s death, he is taken to a journey through the ghostly catacombs. The Montressor’s ancestral graveyard is lined up with corpses as an indicator of the upcoming death.
CHARACTERIZATION
Montressor is conniving as depicts a character of not wanting to welcome Fortunato to his vaults while the reader knows clearly that was his main agenda. He pretends not to impose himself on his target, so to lure him the more by using his weakness on wine consumption.
Montressor is exceedingly clever as throughout the tale he makes foolproof plans to trap Fortunato to his death. The takes him to the cellars that are insufferably damp and pretends to offer him a bottle of Medoc wine to control the cough though he really wants him drunk.
Montressor is Sarcastic as he toasts to Fortunato’s long life, whereas he knows he has his planned death ahead.
He is vengeful and ruthless as he plans pretentiously and successfully carries out the same under the guise of friendship. He eventually skillfully lays bricks to burry Fortunato alive. He kept track of the thousand insults from Fortunato.
Montressor is manipulative since he was able to control Fortunato’s
wine taking a weak point. He comes off as unstoppable in a very subtle way. His manipulation is maneuvered softly, and it doesn’t appear as such.
Fortunato is an extrovert who relates with Montressor freely, naively provoking him. He chooses jester clothes that make people to perceive him as hilarious. His sense of humor hurts Montressor always.
Fortunato is depicted as being gullible as he is enticed down into the cellar and intoxication without realizing and finally being buried alive.
He is a drunkard who guzzles the wine that he claims to judge in quantity, which becomes his undoing.
He is proud even while his wine judgment seems like an illusion. He feels above Luchresi in being a connoisseur. Finally, his pride spells his doom.
Fortunato is an alcoholic with a great weakness of the same. He is taken into the horrific catacombs by occasional doses of the Medoc and arrives too drunk to save himself.
He is egocentric since he never listens long enough to pick the undertones of anger and hatred depicted by his friend. He continuously demeans him, only fueling the hate.
Conclusion
There is a need to be careful how people treat one another as a simple offense by a single word or otherwise can damage a relationship irreparably. Loftiness is a destructive drive as it can bring gruesome cruelties to exact revenge. Violence is not conflict resolution there is need for reflection before action. After all,the secret burial of Fortunato must have bothered Montressor endlessly, so he narrates it after half a century.