Revenge in Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'

In the story “The cask of Amontillado “by Edgar Allan Poe, Two friends” Montresor and Fortunato” fates are determined by one thing only, revenge and murder. In the story Poe uses a sense of deception to create an alluring character before escalating his symbolic strategy to a state of suspense. Even though the story remains a mystery through the end, Edgar Allan Poe never explains why Montresor carries so much hatred toward Fortunato, this missing information gives the story more suspense, living one question to the reader “why Montresor has so much hatred towards Fortunato. Aside from the way that the story begins which is on a day of celebration. The Irony is that the theme all along changes from a day of celebration to a day of murder. The key point to the story is suspense which foreshadows a sense of premonition. In sum, Edgar Allan Poe uses eloquent words and images that create an environment that is corresponding to the story’s sinister plot. From the beginning of story, Poe uses language that attracts the reader by invoking strong words that relay to revenge. Poe choice of words compels the necessity of revenge. For example, he states in one of the quotes from “The Cask of Amontillado” saying, “at length I would be avenged” (50) and goes on to say that he will not only “punish, but punish with impunity,” (50) which shows that Montresor takes this matter quite seriously. Also, when Montresor claims that a when a wrong has been committed it remains “unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done him wrong” (50). By making this testimony, Montresor is not only justifying his need for revenge, He is also coming up with a reason to why he cannot forgive Fortunato.

These remarks are quite appealing because we do not know what has occurred to cause such hatred on the part of Montresor. But Because of the idea that some great wrongdoing has occurred and that severe punishment will be given, the reader cannot help but to read more to find out what has Fortunato done to the Montresor. Although this question is not clear, by the end of “The Cask of Amontillado” the reader, much like Montresor, is so retain in the act of an unknown revenge. You can only use your Imagination to conclude to why He did what he did. Poe’s creation of suspense to the story goes far beyond his integrity. He carefully chooses words that pass on a strong sense of place to reader creating more anxiety. For example, despite the fact that one expects the carnival setting to be a happy and bright environment, it is set to the tone Montresors’ plot. For Example, In a Quote From “The Cask of Amontillado,” The Narrator say’s” It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season” (50); This shows Montresor waited until it is dark to plot his revenge. Poe describes the mood of the setting as taking place during a time of “supreme madness” and so it becomes clear that there is something disturbing about the setting, Like Montresor himself. Rather than joy and fun as describe on the setting Poe sets the reader up for an unraveling dark plot. Not only is the setting strange and chaotic this furthers gives the reader leads to the question of what it all means.

The dark setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, which is the catacombs, intensifies a place of death. This makes an ideal place to conceal a murder on a perfect day. From beginning to end the use of setting and description Poe uses constructs a sense of suspense that lasts right through the story. This result is even more compelling because the beginning of the story offers readers an intrigue story of revenge with no true cause. Fortuanto weakness of love for wine was used against him in order to trick him into his own death. Poe uses the setting of Montresor’s family wine room as the perfect setting for Montresor plan. The wine room leads to the catacombs which later Fortunato finds himself buried alive by his own friend. This tells the reader that Montresor had done this before because a Family catacomb is a place to bury your love ones but with respect instead you later find out that the further Fortuanto and Montresor walked down the tunnel the more you started to see bones on the ground which is a sign of no respect to the dead that were improperly laid to rest. This probably explains Montresor’s Family Quote which is “Nemo me impune lacessit” nobody harms me without being punished. This tells the reader that you can only conclude that in Montresor Family, death is way of punishment for being insulted or threatened.

A crime that goes unpunished is what the moral of the story really is without any real justification. Poe lets the reader know in the way he chooses the story setting. You can only but make your own conclusion to why this murder really took place but you can’t credit Montresor because he tells it the way he wants’ us to know. At the end you Montresor tell us that Fortunato deserves what he got. But is it really true? Does Fortunato really deserve to die? Revenge is Montresor’s plan and he accomplished it when he builds the niche and buries Fortunato alive. Does Montresor have the right to act as a judge and as an Executioner of Fortunato’s life? Who knows but he did get away with it, Murder that is and only he know why.