Montresor's Vault

The short story, The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, was narrated by Montresor. Montresor states how he is going to seek revenge on his “friend,” Fortunato, because he has been insulted by him. Montresor uses Fortunato’s love for wine against him as a way of revenge. During carnival season, Montresor told Fortunato that he had gotten ahold of something that could pass as Amontillado. He told Fortunato that if he was too busy a man Luchesi could taste it, but Fortunato states that Luchesi cannot tell the difference between amontillado and other Sherries. Fortunato suggests to go to Montresor’s vault because he is so apprehensive to determine whether or not the wine was amontillado. Montresor’s vault was very damp and from what they described, was covered in nitre. Montresor kept insisting for him to take Fortunato home and used his terrible cough as an excuse. Fortunato refused and stated that he can use the wine as a remedy for his cough. The vault was filled with dead bodies and in response to the setting Fortunato said he forgot what the Montresor’s arms and motto was. Montresor stated that it the arms was, “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpant rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel” (Poe, 1846). Montresor also told him their motto which was, “Nemo me impune lacessit,” this meant, “No one attacks me with impunity” (Poe, 1846). At some point later in the journey, Fortunato makes a hand motion which was meant a secret sign of the Masons. The Masons was a “fraternal organization” that Montresor could not belong to, which is why he believed Fortunato …show more content…
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