September 10th 2013
The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allen Poe is narrated by Montresor, who starts the story by stating he have been insulted repeatedly by his acquaintances Fortunato. Montresor seeks revenge for being insulted so many times. It was during a carnival that Montresor finds Fortunato drunk and decide to put his master plan into effect. He tricks Fortunato by saying there is a very expensive drink called Amontillado in the cask. A catacomb is where dead bodies are stored and usually families make walls or can often be used as a pass way into another part of the underground. Montresor leads Fortunato in the cask, deep down underground where the supposed Amontillado was supposed to be. When they finally reach the very end of the underground, where the Amontillado was suppose to be, a very intoxicated Fortunato is chained onto a wall. Montresor then begins to build a wall of stone when Fortunato becomes silent. When Montresor is about to put the last brick, Fortunato wakes up and think it’s all a joke. Fortunato is buried to death by Montresor out of revenge. The central idea of Poe’s story is insulting someone for so long can soon lead to a horrific revenge.
Fortunato teased and insulted Montresor one too many times, and he didn’t like it. Revenge was the only thing on Montresor mind. Being insulted in public would want to make one seek revenge. Betrayal drives Montresor throughout the story. What’s a friendship without trust, no friend is suppose to insult his other friend. No trust in a relationship can lead one into betrayal. Betrayal can eventually lead into revenge. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best as I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (291). Being insulted too many times can hurt, and of course Montresor wanted to do something about it, he wanted to make sure Fortunato experienced the exact type of pain he had to endure. No matter how dirty he had to play.
Fortunato knows his wine, and with that being known Montresor knew exactly how to get him into the underground