“The Cask of Amontillado” is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous horror stories, and was first published in 1846. At first glance, the story appears to be a straightforward account of Montresor exacting his revenge upon his former friend, Fortunato. It is easy to assume Montresor is insane or crazy since he decided to essentially bury Fortunato alive in his (Montresor’s) family catacombs and very little detail is given as to why Montresor seeks vengeance, leaving it to the reader to guess at what has sparked Montresor’s actions. While it may be easy to assume that Montresor is insane, there is much to be said for Montresor’s sanity including a lack of detail about Fortunato’s offenses, the intricacy of Montresor’s plan for vengeance, the culture
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Montresor states, “At length, I would be avenged… I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe 1118). This shows that Montresor is willing to not only be patient but also to concoct a somewhat labyrinthine plan in order seek vengeance so that he will suffer no punishment for it. While burying Fortunato alive may be a bit hyperbolic as far as getting even with someone goes, it is quite the actions of a sane man to have the piece of mind and patience to lay such an intricate and long-winded plan for vengeance. This speaks to the sanity of Montresor because the stereotype of madmen who kill people is rather contrasting to the actions Montresor takes to dole out his vengeance upon his former …show more content…
Montresor, as a thought to himself, says, “My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes” (Poe 1119) in regards to Fortunato being overtaken with a fit of coughing. Perhaps Montresor is simply being sarcastic when he says “My poor friend,” but it is possible that he actually feels a bit of sorrow for Fortunato. Of course, Montresor still buries Fortunato alive, but by calling him “My poor friend,” Montresor shows that he had some feelings for Fortunato at this point in the story even if they are only slight and mostly sarcastic. By seeing these emotions, it implies that Montresor is still sane because he feels, in whatever small quantity, sorrow and regret at his
Montresor states, “At length, I would be avenged… I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe 1118). This shows that Montresor is willing to not only be patient but also to concoct a somewhat labyrinthine plan in order seek vengeance so that he will suffer no punishment for it. While burying Fortunato alive may be a bit hyperbolic as far as getting even with someone goes, it is quite the actions of a sane man to have the piece of mind and patience to lay such an intricate and long-winded plan for vengeance. This speaks to the sanity of Montresor because the stereotype of madmen who kill people is rather contrasting to the actions Montresor takes to dole out his vengeance upon his former …show more content…
Montresor, as a thought to himself, says, “My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes” (Poe 1119) in regards to Fortunato being overtaken with a fit of coughing. Perhaps Montresor is simply being sarcastic when he says “My poor friend,” but it is possible that he actually feels a bit of sorrow for Fortunato. Of course, Montresor still buries Fortunato alive, but by calling him “My poor friend,” Montresor shows that he had some feelings for Fortunato at this point in the story even if they are only slight and mostly sarcastic. By seeing these emotions, it implies that Montresor is still sane because he feels, in whatever small quantity, sorrow and regret at his