“The Cask of Amontillado” Why do so many people take vengeance into their own hands? Perhaps it gives them a feeling of justice and a way to cope with their injuries. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” the main character Montresor acts out his sweet revenge on an unsuspecting Fortunato. In this story written by Edgar Allen Poe, the author creates a mood of irony and imagery to accompany his theme of revenge.
To start off with, Poe develops his eerie and ominous mood through his suspenseful irony. He illustrates Montresor acting like a friend towards Fortunato, who worries about his health when he keeps coughing as if he were ill. It is very ironic because Montresor asks questions like "How long have you had that cough?" and says "we will go back; your health is precious.” (Poe 347). This adds to the irony because the audience knows that Montresor has this whole elaborate plan to murder Fortunato, yet he shows all these caring actions towards him. A second example of how irony is used in the story is the meaning of Fortunato’s name and his tragic ending. In Italian, his name means lucky, however, this deceives the readers because of his very unexpected and unfortunate death at the end of the story. This appeals to the readers because it gives off a very …show more content…
He implores it by describing how he “heard the furious vibrations of the chain” (Poe 350) which lasted several minutes to his satisfaction. Not only does Poe describe how Fortunato shakes the chains to escape, but he depicts how they vibrate. Those sensory details continue to shape his chilling mood. Another example of how imagery is when the two men were walking through the catacomb and “the drops of moisture trickle among the bones” (Poe 348) and the nitre “hangs like moss upon the vaults” (Poe 348). Poe appeals to his readers and illustrates the setting by describing the little sensory details that can be found throughout the
To start off with, Poe develops his eerie and ominous mood through his suspenseful irony. He illustrates Montresor acting like a friend towards Fortunato, who worries about his health when he keeps coughing as if he were ill. It is very ironic because Montresor asks questions like "How long have you had that cough?" and says "we will go back; your health is precious.” (Poe 347). This adds to the irony because the audience knows that Montresor has this whole elaborate plan to murder Fortunato, yet he shows all these caring actions towards him. A second example of how irony is used in the story is the meaning of Fortunato’s name and his tragic ending. In Italian, his name means lucky, however, this deceives the readers because of his very unexpected and unfortunate death at the end of the story. This appeals to the readers because it gives off a very …show more content…
He implores it by describing how he “heard the furious vibrations of the chain” (Poe 350) which lasted several minutes to his satisfaction. Not only does Poe describe how Fortunato shakes the chains to escape, but he depicts how they vibrate. Those sensory details continue to shape his chilling mood. Another example of how imagery is when the two men were walking through the catacomb and “the drops of moisture trickle among the bones” (Poe 348) and the nitre “hangs like moss upon the vaults” (Poe 348). Poe appeals to his readers and illustrates the setting by describing the little sensory details that can be found throughout the