Language and The Cask of Amontillado
The Cask of Amontillado was a short story written in 1846, by Edgar Allen Poe. In this story we follow two men named Fortunado and Montesor. Montesor is out to seek revenge on his “good” friend Fortunado, a very prideful man, as he has made him look like a fool one too many times. Montesor takes his friend down the catacombs deep beneath the city to show him a cask of wine he has obtained, as wine is Fortunado’s weak point. We soon find out this is going to be the end of him as Montesor chains him up and brick by brick he is buried alive. The central idea that comes out of this story is be careful how we treat people, you never know if they are plotting your demise. Poe’s use of language is very effective and I will be focusing on his use of irony and symbolism. These two elements heavily impact how the story plays out. …show more content…
Let us just start with the names, Fortunado and Montesor. Fortunado is supposed to mean someone who is fortunate, but we find out he is anything but that. Montesor’s name meaning is someone who shows fate, which is ironic as he is taking Fortunado’s fate into his own hands.” I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (985). Montesor is fed up by “the thousands of injuries” Fortunado has cast upon him. The fact that all this is going on during the city’s Carnival is situational irony as this is supposed to be a time of celebration, but to Montesor it’s the perfect time to act upon his revenge. As they go deeper and deeper into the catacombs the air becomes thicker and full of “nitre” on the walls. Fortunado has a cough already and Montesor keeps insisting they go back as his cough would be the death of him. If only he would’ve listened and not let his pride get the best of him. Fortunado just had to be the one to prove Luchresi wrong. The final nail in the coffin is when Fortunado was boasting about being part of the Free Masons insulting
The Cask of Amontillado was a short story written in 1846, by Edgar Allen Poe. In this story we follow two men named Fortunado and Montesor. Montesor is out to seek revenge on his “good” friend Fortunado, a very prideful man, as he has made him look like a fool one too many times. Montesor takes his friend down the catacombs deep beneath the city to show him a cask of wine he has obtained, as wine is Fortunado’s weak point. We soon find out this is going to be the end of him as Montesor chains him up and brick by brick he is buried alive. The central idea that comes out of this story is be careful how we treat people, you never know if they are plotting your demise. Poe’s use of language is very effective and I will be focusing on his use of irony and symbolism. These two elements heavily impact how the story plays out. …show more content…
Let us just start with the names, Fortunado and Montesor. Fortunado is supposed to mean someone who is fortunate, but we find out he is anything but that. Montesor’s name meaning is someone who shows fate, which is ironic as he is taking Fortunado’s fate into his own hands.” I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (985). Montesor is fed up by “the thousands of injuries” Fortunado has cast upon him. The fact that all this is going on during the city’s Carnival is situational irony as this is supposed to be a time of celebration, but to Montesor it’s the perfect time to act upon his revenge. As they go deeper and deeper into the catacombs the air becomes thicker and full of “nitre” on the walls. Fortunado has a cough already and Montesor keeps insisting they go back as his cough would be the death of him. If only he would’ve listened and not let his pride get the best of him. Fortunado just had to be the one to prove Luchresi wrong. The final nail in the coffin is when Fortunado was boasting about being part of the Free Masons insulting