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. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents the compelling 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 catalyst for his 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. In this essay, I will examine how Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing and irony, in order to create such a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe employs a sinister aspect of foreshadowing. First, when Fortunato says, "I shall not die of a cough" (1148), Montressor replies, "True-true" (1148). Instead, Montressor knows that Fortunato will perish from his vengeful scheme that consists of dehydration and starvation. Fortunato is a proud man and he does not think that his death with be due to some

The cask of wine also serves as a warning to the reader, advising the reader to be wary of gifts from those whom you have wronged. The more unbelievable it is, the more it should not be believed. Amontillado should have been a very, very hard to find wine, and even harder to find during the carnival season.

The dangers of pride are addressed in "The Cask of Amontillado," a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. In this story, Poe uses the modalities of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism to convey his message in a creative and original way. He reminds us that pride can lead us to do unthinkable things that we would never otherwise consider doing such as killing in order to get revenge on someone who has hurt our pride. Our pride can also cause us to be naive and blind to things around us, leading us to dangerous situations and, in the most sever of cases, leading us to our own deaths. Fortunato did not live up to his namesake in this story and his pride ultimately drove him to his own death. And so, I leave you with this question, is your pride hurting you in anyway?

Another instance of irony is Montressor's statement to his friend that they should return because his Fortunato's "health is precious" (1147). This bit of conversation is ironic because Montressor does not really want to protect Fortunato's health, but indeed to kill him.

Another instance of foreshadowing comes with the trowel scene. At one point in their journey, Fortunato makes a movement that is a secret sign of the Masons, an exclusive, fraternity-like organization. Montressor does not recognize this hand signal, but claims that he is a

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Approximate Word count = 1088
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)