Cask of Amontillado

A detailed Summary of Cask of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe's, The Cask of Amontillado is an excellent display of how you can take a very sane person, given the right circumstances, and make a malicious person out of him or her. Revenge is a feeling that has the ability to over come a persons grip on reality. The narrator Montressor feels that he was insulted greatly by our not so fortunate Fortunado. Montressor vows to have vengeance on Fortunado's for his heinous crime. The old saying "an eye for and eye," does not really apply to this Montressor. His view on this matter would be something more like " an eye for and eye and while I'm at it I might as well take and ear, an arm, one or two fingers which I will break first and then sever at each knuckle." This just shows you what type of demented state of mind revenge can put a person in.

This story begins with Montressor explaining that Fortunado has insulted him and that he is going to pay dearly for his unjust act. He thinks of a plan to utilize Fortunado's weakness, his connoisseurship. When he comes across Fortunado he tells that he thinks he might have been taken on a recent purchase of what he thought was Amontillado (a very high quality wine), knowing that Fortunado will not be a

The central theme of revenge in this play causes the main character Montressor to act irrationally until he slays his foe. It is quite apparent that this man has not always been crazy. It is hard to see but you can tell when his saneness comes through in a few spots in the play. For example in the opening sentence he states that he could accept Fortunado even though he had many faults, but as soon as he "venture upon insult" (Poe156), he was a dead man. Perhaps the method to his madness was because of his long heritage. He said that he had a very extensive family and that there motto was "Nemo me impune lacessit" (Poe 158), which when translated means something like my enemies shall pay dearly. This is just another way that Poe tries to show that Montressor is not out of his mind. He must kill this man for insulting him perhaps only because he does not want to disgrace the family name, and not necessarily because he wants to. The one question that remains now is if Mo!

Upon their arrival to the vaults Monty offers Fortunado another chance to escape his now almost certain death. He seems to be a master of the art of reverse psychology. Some talented people may be able to use it now and then, but this man never seizes to use it. The entire play he is offering Fortunado and opportunity to go back, and save himself, but the ignorant man is over come with his obsession of fine wines and he continues on into the musty catacombs. The two men traveled deeper and deeper into the underworld with each step Fortunado's cough growing worst. They finally come to entrance of a small niche. Montressor leads him into it and all to the

Some common words found in the essay are:
Fortunado Montressor, Cask Amontillado, cask amontillado, ha ha, love god, eye eye, pay dearly, poe 159,

Approximate Word count = 1109
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels