The Cask of Amontillado

A detailed Summary of The Cask of Amontillado


The "The Cask of Amontillado" brings us into the mind of a mad man, or is he. The story deals with a horrifying tale of revenge. This is made worse by the fact that the vengeance occurs with no knowledge of the original offense. The way Poe did this sets the mood for true evil. The plot of this story is a simple one. Montresor, the main character and narrator, takes revenge on his friend Fortunato by luring him into the wine cellar under his family's property. From there he brings Fortunato into the catacombs where he buries him alive by chaining him to the wall and then putting a wall up in front of Fortunato. We know that he intended to go unpunished for his act of revenge. Montresor then informs us that he is going to continue to smile in Fortunato's face, while using Fortunato's pride in his knowledge wine to lure him into the catacombs to taste some of his imaginary Amontillado. The conclusion of this story lets us know that Montresor did in fact get away unpunished for his crime. Fifty years has gone by and he now tells his story


The setting Poe uses in the story adds to the overall effect of the piece. He sets most of the story in a dark, damp tunnels piled with the bones of dead family members. By taking Fortunato into the vaults, Montressor has cut him off from any possible help. Using the carnival as a backdrop is also a smart move because it is a time when everything is in a state of chaos and people have lost self-control. If it wasn't for the craziness on the streets from the carnival Fortunato might have sensed something wrong with Montresor's intentions and left the vaults he had been led into before it was to late.

The final topic to be covered is the overall mood of the story. Poe does a good job of making it evil. The end of the story is filled with suspense. Poe describes how Montresor constructs each individual row of stones, helping to build the suspense. At this point you realize Montresor is committed to finishing what he has started showing no regard for the desperate pleas from Fortunato begging him to stop. When he finally sets last brick

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cask Amontillado, realize montresor, fits family, poe describes, montresor's hatred,

Approximate Word count = 701
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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