Montresor's Revenge

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, revenge is to avenge (as oneself) usually by retaliating in kind or degree, and this is exactly what Montresor did. In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor holds a grudge on Fortunato, a frenemy who had insulted him. Instead of calling out Fortunato for saying some hurtful things to him, Montresor starts to plot his revenge, which entails murder. This requires some deep scheming, such as where to do the killing, how to get him to comply, how to keep it a secret, and how to actually carry out the murder. In the end, Fortunato lured by the false promise of a cask of Amontillado, Montresor uses his masonry skills to trap a chained up Fortunato within vaults beneath …show more content…
He knew what he would have to do to finally rid himself of Fortunato forever. By pretending that nothing was wrong after Fortunato insulted him, the pair remained friends, and Fortunato would never suspect that it would be Montresor to lead him to his demise. The cleverness of Montresor helps him become what could be considered an actor whenever Fortunato was around. “I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe, 234) really showcases how he deeply hates Fortunato, but his anger and rage isn’t enough to overcome the cunning plans joining together to really make him pay. These plans will show the loathing and abhorrence Montresor holds for him, right before his ‘friend’ is trapped in a small room within the catacombs of Montresor. When he and Fortunato are heading down to find the Amontillado, Montresor notices Fortunato coughing quite a bit, and asks if he is feeling all right. Fortunato replies, “The cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough,” to which Montresor replies “True- true” (235). This isn’t Montresor showing that he doesn’t find the cough life threatening- this is Montresor honestly telling him he will not die of a cough because Fortunato will die in his hands. This little incident of foreshadowing really shows how excited Montresor is to finally carry out this fiendish goal, and he knows that Fortunato is too absorbed …show more content…
He gets Fortunato drunk, and leads him to his death without ever showing one bit of remorse. Right before Montresor conceals him in the vault, he isn’t feeling very well. “My heart grew sick - on account of the dampness in the catacombs,” (239) explains how Montresor is feeling when he traps Fortunato. According to the actions that is carried out by this dastardly man, the sickness he feels should be of remorse or contrition, but he just cares about the dampness of the ossuary, and leaving as soon as possible. This just leads him to finish his job quickly and go back above ground. Along with the feeling pressed to leave the moist underground tunnels, he felt a sense of pride. “For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat.” (239) As a prideful man to begin with, of course Montresor would take satisfaction in the fact that nobody found his body. He then also mentions a latin phrase translating to “May he rest in peace,” which is most likely being said sarcastically. This irony is used because Montresor could not care less about how Fortunato is resting, he only cares that he is dead. The malevolence of Montresor is crucial to his plan to kill Fortunato in cold blood, and without it, would not have been able to carry out the