the cask of amontillado
...n be said that since the central idea is somewhat vague, that Poe's intentions were to create apiece built upon horror and suspense. He uses interesting characters, plot, literary devices as well as setting and atmosphere to make his story captivating and strange for the reader. The characters in this story are portrayed in very different ways. The central character in the story is Montresor. Montresor has suffered insult or injury of some type at the hands of Fortunato, the antagonist. Montresor is seeking revenge against Fortunato and cleverly tricks him into following him into the catacombs of his families crypts where he intends to kill him. It can be said of Montresor that he is a vengeful man with premeditated murder on his mind, "to smile in his face, and he did not percieve that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation. "When he meets Fortunato at the carnival, he is very happy to see him. It would seem that his happiness can be attributed to the fact that he realizes the time of his revenge is at hand. The character of Fortunato, who is very appropriate to the situation since and ironic, as Montresor is intending to make a fool of him by playing upon his greatest desire, the love of wine, to lead him to his own death. The conflict stems from the fact that Montresor or his family has been the victim of some insult at the hands of Fortunato or his family. The gravity of the situation is somewhat exaggerated by the narrator in the opening line of the story when Montresor states: "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.... At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely settled.... I must not only punish, but punish with impunity." It seems that Montresor has been waiting a long time for revenge. It seems that he has had a lot of time to plan out how he inteneds to bring Fo...