Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe become known for his poems, short stories, and literary criticism. “The Cask of Amontillado” which was a horror short published in 1846, has become a classic among his other work. The story takes place in an unknown city in Italy during a carnival. It focuses on a man named Montresor who is exacting revenge on his acquaintance or friend, known as Fortunato. Montresor lures Fortunato into his trap by telling him he acquired a cask of Amontillado, which is a variety of sherry wine. Fortunato, being a wine enthusiast and drunk, follows him without question. Montresor leads Fortunato into the Montresor catacombs and tricks him to enter a hole in the wall. He proceeds to trap him and bury him
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Along with this Montresor knew the setting and time was right to act out his revenge plan. At a carnival, it was common for people to be tasting wine and be a little drunk. Also, everybody is having fun and doing activities so it would be hard to notice if one person went missing. Montresor approaches Fortunato and uses his weakness to lure him down into catacombs where there is supposedly a cask of Amontillado. Montresor bears another fruit of his analytical mind when he mentions that he could ask a man named Luchresi to taste the wine instead. Fortunato is vehemently against letting Luchresi sample the Amontillado first, revealing that Luchresi is a competitor to Fortunato. Montresor knew this and mentioned his name to make sure that he would follow him down into the catacombs. His plan, to bring Fortunato into catacombs during a carnival, and bury him alive in a wall, was calculated so that there would be no error and no chance of being caught. Montresor actually tells the reader this in the beginning of the story when he says, “At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled – but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk” (179). Intelligence is not the only trait that allowed Montresor to succeed in his plan, as he possessed another symptom of sociopathy, the ability to mask his intentions and seem sane …show more content…
Fortunato, still slightly drunk, enters without realizing what is happening, as Montresor quickly chains him inside and starts rebuilding the stone wall. Fortunato starts to sober up and realizes what is happening but nervously laughs and takes it as one big joke or prank. He then starts telling Montresor that they should get going, “‘…Let us be gone. ‘Yes,’ I [Montresor] said, let us be gone’” (183). Montresor knows that Fortunato has realized his doom and as he is finishing up the wall he calls to him. He wants to hear Fortunato suffering or crying out to Montresor for forgiveness but Fortunato does not reply to Montresor’s taunting calls. He finishes up the wall and leaves the catacombs, stating that he is feeling sick. The fact that Montresor was left with the silence of Fortunato was what made him feel sick because his revenge wasn’t fully fulfilled and not because he just buried someone alive. This not only shows how vengeful he was but how little remorse and guilt he felt.
Montresor’s want of revenge was so intense due to sociopathy, irrational thinking, and craving for punishment. He was able to succeed because of his clever plan and analytical thinking which helped him find a few of Fortunato’s weaknesses. Also, due to his ability to mask his mental disorder, Fortunato trusted him and did not doubt his friendship or pick
Along with this Montresor knew the setting and time was right to act out his revenge plan. At a carnival, it was common for people to be tasting wine and be a little drunk. Also, everybody is having fun and doing activities so it would be hard to notice if one person went missing. Montresor approaches Fortunato and uses his weakness to lure him down into catacombs where there is supposedly a cask of Amontillado. Montresor bears another fruit of his analytical mind when he mentions that he could ask a man named Luchresi to taste the wine instead. Fortunato is vehemently against letting Luchresi sample the Amontillado first, revealing that Luchresi is a competitor to Fortunato. Montresor knew this and mentioned his name to make sure that he would follow him down into the catacombs. His plan, to bring Fortunato into catacombs during a carnival, and bury him alive in a wall, was calculated so that there would be no error and no chance of being caught. Montresor actually tells the reader this in the beginning of the story when he says, “At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled – but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk” (179). Intelligence is not the only trait that allowed Montresor to succeed in his plan, as he possessed another symptom of sociopathy, the ability to mask his intentions and seem sane …show more content…
Fortunato, still slightly drunk, enters without realizing what is happening, as Montresor quickly chains him inside and starts rebuilding the stone wall. Fortunato starts to sober up and realizes what is happening but nervously laughs and takes it as one big joke or prank. He then starts telling Montresor that they should get going, “‘…Let us be gone. ‘Yes,’ I [Montresor] said, let us be gone’” (183). Montresor knows that Fortunato has realized his doom and as he is finishing up the wall he calls to him. He wants to hear Fortunato suffering or crying out to Montresor for forgiveness but Fortunato does not reply to Montresor’s taunting calls. He finishes up the wall and leaves the catacombs, stating that he is feeling sick. The fact that Montresor was left with the silence of Fortunato was what made him feel sick because his revenge wasn’t fully fulfilled and not because he just buried someone alive. This not only shows how vengeful he was but how little remorse and guilt he felt.
Montresor’s want of revenge was so intense due to sociopathy, irrational thinking, and craving for punishment. He was able to succeed because of his clever plan and analytical thinking which helped him find a few of Fortunato’s weaknesses. Also, due to his ability to mask his mental disorder, Fortunato trusted him and did not doubt his friendship or pick