The “Cask of Amontillado” but Edgar Allan Poe is certainly an interesting read. I read it for the first time my freshman year of high school and probably didn’t understand half of the story because of Poe’s writing style. After reading it again and even though it’s a little disturbing, I definitely enjoyed reading it; it is definitely in the spirit of the season.
One of the things I noticed after reading through it again was the abundance of foreshadowing throughout the entire story. Montressor immediately hints that he will “be avenged; this was a point definitely settled.” From the beginning of the story, it is evident that something is going to happen, and referencing Poe’s track record, the outcome will probably disturbing.
My beliefs that something bad would eventually result were only supported when Montressor mentions that he had dismissed his staff early for the night. As if Montressor wasn’t mysterious and creepy enough to begin with, why else would he dismiss his staff early other than to have privacy to seek his revenge against Fortunato? Later in the story, Montressor often mentions bones and skeletons that they pass in the catacombs. At that point, I had a pretty good idea that Fortunato would soon be joining the other “human remains.”
Along with the presence of foreshadowing, Poe used a lot of irony. One of my favorite bits of irony was Poe’s choice to name the victim “Fortunato.” I think that it is pretty obvious that Fortunato’s fate was not exactly fortunate. Personally, being tricked, chained up, and suffocating to death wouldn’t be my preference of how to die. I also appreciated that because of the carnival, Fortunato was dressed in a motley and “had on a tight-fitting partistriped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.” He was basically dressed as a fool; and we eventually find out that he was the fool of the story. He was a fool to trust a man he had recently betrayed and was distracted by wine to realize what Montressor may have been up to. He stumbled, drunken, into Montressor’s trap without even realizing it until he was chained up.
Though Poe has certainly some eerie works, I enjoyed them, “The Cask of Amontillado” in particular. This story put me in the mood for Halloween.
The irony in this story is definitely plentiful. Fortunato's name, to me, was the most ironic. I also agree that it is pretty obvious that his fate is not fortunate. His outfit adds a great hint of irony. Being dressed as a fool is nearly the equivalent to having a "Montresor is going to trick me" sign on his forehead. This is truly a great read, and it was real fun filming our video project for it. I must say, you made a great Montresor.
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