The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe is a complex short story that is old and influential. It strength does not come from the plot or actual text but the atmosphere that it sets for the reader. The point of the short story is to make you think and wonder what kind of messed up stuff did the clown have to do in order to incur that level of vengeance from the narrator. You can also think of what kind of sociopath OCD the narrator has to be to be able to plan/carry out a painful murder for revenge.
There are many uses of figurative language in this story that you have to really think about to see. There is a metaphor in reference to the title because the cask of amontillado is a wine that is red and can be compared to the blood …show more content…
By using Luchresi’s name he makes Fortunato want to stand up for himself with pride. The antagonist would be Fortunato and he is a fool. The way that he dresses points out that he is foolish and naïve. “He has on tight-fitting partistriped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.” He is described as a fool and dressed like a clown. The bells jingle refers to the old fashioned clowns that would have a lot of bells on. Secondary characters would be Lucharesi and as seen as another wine expert. Montresor plays on the pride of Fortunato by saying if you don’t have time I’m going to ask Lucharesi. This is a psychological game where if Fortunato says no to Montresor he is basically saying that he is not as great of an expert as Lucharesi is. This is how Montresor lures Fortunato in. The setting starts out as “dusk one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season” this means the story starts out as a festive night where everyone is drinking and having fun. Then the setting changes to the catacomb “We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together on the damp ground of the catacombs of …show more content…
Verbal irony is when a character says something but means the complete opposite. Situational irony is an unexpected ending or reversal of fate or fortune. Dramatic irony is usually depicted in drama and only found in fiction when the audience clearly knows something the main character does not. This story conveys irony by using dramatic irony because as the reader we all know that Fortunato is going to die with all the foreshadowing found. All the signs point out that he is going to die, there are the catacombs, skeletons, and everyone knows he is going to die except himself. There is also verbal irony “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day.” This means that it is lucky for Fortunato to see Montresor but it is ironic because it is the meeting of his death. “We will go back your health is precious.” Montresor tells this to Fortunato and this is verbal irony because he wishes him well but does not mean that, “and I to your long life.” Which is a toast to his long life even though he is about to kill him. Another verbal irony example is when Fortunato says “he is an ignoramus.” This is verbal irony because Fortunato is the one that is a fool. Fortunato also means fortunate or fortunes and this is verbal irony in itself because his name is fortunate but he is quite unlucky to die like this.
This wonderful piece by Edgar Allen Poe is a classic story that makes