Catacombs

The protagonist in Edgar Allen Poe’s “the Cask of Amontillado” and the protagonist in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “the Yellow Wallpaper” suffer from mental illness. Specifically for Poe’s story, the narrator and main character is Montresor; he is a psychopath. Montresor commits a crime against his friend, Fortunado who caused many “injuries” (Pike and Acosta 543) towards Montresor, but what he did is never mentioned. Patrick McGrath, in an essay for the New York Times newspaper, notices the…

knowledge of Fortunato to trick him into going exactly where he plans to murder him. By using Fortunato’s ego, Montresor does not need to use force or bribery to successfully accomplish his goal. Instead, Fortunato is willingly led into the dark, damp catacombs because he is so proud and confident in his abilities. This is not an amateur move. This is well thought out and proven to be successful. Montresor also displays his expertise in revenge when he is able to carry out all aspects of the…

In The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe uses dramatic and verbal irony. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that the character(s) do not. Verbal irony is when a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning. Dramatic and verbal irony is used in The Cask of Amontillado to cover up what Montresor is really going to do to Fortunato. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that the…

Edgar Allan Poe did a great job describing the vault where the Amontillado was kept. This is because he described it as, “…walls of pilled bones, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the most innermost recesses of the catacombs” (Poe, 1846). This sentence in the story gave off a thrilling and unsettling…

The narrator named Montresor tells this story in first person. Immediately at the beginning of the story Montresor lets you know his hatred towards an individual named Fortunato. According to Montresor, Fortunato has insulted him repeatedly and has vowed revenge on him. During carnival night, Fortunato has had a few drinks and Montresor takes advantage of this by enticing him about a new sherry wine named Amontillado. A wine, which happens to be one of Fortunato’s favorite, since he considers…

Montresor describes his path way down into the catacombs. “ It’s walls have been lined with human remains piled to the vault overhead... bones had been thrown down…” (5). Poe’s description aids the reader to create an image in which changes the mood. the walls being lined with human remains as well as…

that Montresor and Fortunato wore. Poe wanted to make the costumes represent what they are going to do in the story. In the story Fortunato did something to Montresor, so he saw out revenge. During the carnival, Montresor lured Fortunato into his catacombs, an underground burial for deceased family members, then Montresor got him drunk. Montresor later chained Fortunato to the wall, next he made a wall in front of Fortunato. Montresor, then dropped a fire stick into the wall, and killed…

The effect of Montresor’s unreliability in the story “The Cask of Amontillado” In Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator, Montresor, illustrates how he led Fortunato, the victim, to an ill-fated passing. The author chose to utilize first-person narration by describing only Montresor’s thoughts and not Fortunato’s. As the reader has only one point of view, they should be very cautious to what extent to trust Montresor and whether to trust him at all. The unreliable character of Montresor…

perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe 165). Montresor was capable to get himself to like a man that he hates. He was able to trick Fortunato into thinking they are good friends, causing Fortunato to come back to the catacomb with Montresor. Montresor pretending allows him to mask what was to…

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe masterfully locks in an eerie feeling that has his reader anxious and full of anticipation. In this short story, the main character, named Montresor, deliberately explains his plan of revenge to Fortunato, who insulted him. His plan takes place on a day of carnival in the nineteenth century and the reader finds out the truth while reading the jaw-dropping plot twist. Through his use of carefully constructed symbolism, imagery, and irony, Poe creates…