Montresor's Manipulative Essay

“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 61). In Edgar Allan Poe’s short tale “Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor vows to exact revenge on Fortunato, the antagonist, because of a mere insult. For this reason, Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs away from the carnival. This results into Fortunato’s misfortune. Clearly, Montresor, the protagonist, is strategic, manipulative, and vengeful. Clearly, Montresor is strategic. In the beginning of the text, Montresor states, “It is about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend” (Poe 62). Here Montresor shows his motives to discreetly capture Fortunato. Because of the large body of people at the carnival, it is difficult to notice missing individuals. The costume attire contributes to this. These people are drinking …show more content…
While attempting to lead Fortunato into his trap, Montresor states, “As you are engaged I am on my way to Luchesi” (Poe 62). Here Montresor is using Luchesi to lure Fortunato into the catacombs. This is significant because Luchesi is Fortunato’s rival and main competitor in his field. Because Fortunato wants to be the best wine connoisseur, Montresor is able to toy with Fortunato’s pride. Fortunato’s desire to be the one to determine if the amontillado is real or not rather than Luchesi enables Montresor to entice him in the catacombs. Later, when Fortunato is having a coughing spell, Montresor states, “We will go back your health is precious” (Poe 64). Montresor does not mean this; he does not care about Fortunato’s health. Montresor knows Fortunato thinks that Montresor will imply that he is weak. He uses the knowledge that Fortunato does not want to be seen as fragile, so he will continue to follow him in the catacombs. This manipulation is aiding in Montresor’s strategy to keep Fortunato from