The Cask of Amontiallado

A detailed Summary of The Cask of Amontiallado

Anything not taken in moderation can be damaging. In one of Edgar Allen Poe's best-known tales of horror, "The Cask of Amontillado," he suggests that pride can be a very dangerous thing, when one is overwhelmed with it. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents a horrific drama of two men. One who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he deems himself and his family worthy of, and another who's pride will ultimately be the fall of his own death. Fortunato falls prey to Montressor's plans because he is so proud of his connoisseurship of wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montressor takes revenge on Fortunato. Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing, revenge, and irony, in order to create a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe utilizes foreshadowing in a most grim and dark way. First, when Fortunato says, "I shall not die of a cough" 1, Montressor replies, "True-true"2. Instead, Montressor knows that Fortunato will perish from his vengeful scheme of walling him up, and having him die of starvation and dehydration. Fortunato is a proud man and he does not think that his dea

The short story, "The Cask of Amontillado," also contains a good deal of symbolism. The black silk mask and "roquelaire" 4, or cape, which Montressor puts on before entering the catacombs, represents the devil or death. They represent and tell the reader what Montressor has planned. His "getting even" is evil and will mean death to Fortunato. The coat of arms of Montressor's family is another example of symbolism and foreshadowing in the whole story. Montressor's description of it is "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" 5. In this image, the foot is symbolic of Montressor and the serpent of Fortunato. Montressor is very proud but he feels that he was wronged and that Fortunato had insulted both him and his family, or so we are to believe. He says, "I must not only punish, but punish with impunity" 6. Although Fortunato has hurt Montressor, the coat of arms suggests that Montressor will ultimately crush him. It is his duty and obligation to right the wrongs done to his family, even if it means death. The motto of Montressor's family is, "Nemo me impune lacessit" 7, which means, "No one wounds me with impunity". Poe uses this image of the coat of arms to drive home his message of the dangers of pride and extends it to

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Approximate Word count = 876
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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