The Cask of Amontillado
.... As you read the story you find there is no cask of Amontillado. The meaning hidden beneath this is that there is also no meaning or no fulfillment in Montresor’s crime. All is absent as is the cask of Amontillado. Irony can also be found in one of the most memorable lines of the narrative. Fortunato states, “I shall not die of a cough,” and Montresor replies, “True – True.” (Poe 39). Montresor knows the fate that lies ahead for Fortunato, and Fortunato speaks a truth that he cannot realize because he is unaware of the mischievous plot. In addition, Poe represents dramatic irony in the first line of the narrative when Montresor proposes, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” (Poe 1). Poe lets the readers know what is painfully ahead for Fortunato. Edgar Allen Poe’s word choice is an important element to the narrative. When Montresor speculates, “…one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season” (Poe 4), Poe uses the word madness to explain the celebration of the carnival season, but he also uses madness to explain the madness of murder that is going to take place. Poe’s careful word choice is also evident when he uses the word amontillado. Amontillado can also be used interchangeably with the word bait. This can be shown in the crypt when Montresor insists, “Proceed…herein is the Amontillado” (Poe 70). Fortunato stepped inside and Montresor swooped in, and chained Fortunato down. Amontillado is the lure that is being used. The name Edgar Allen Poe chose for his character Fortunato is also ironic. Fortunato is perceptibly supposed to be the word fortunate. After reading the narrative one would wonder how he is fortunate because he dies in the end of the narrative. Poe chose the name correctly because Fortunato will receive forgiveness for his sins, but Montresor will have to live with the guilt of his murder. Symbolism is also used to convey the meaning of the narrative to the reader. As Montresor observes, “He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical caps and bells” (Poe 4), he realizes Fortunato is dressed as a jester. This symbolizes that he is a fool, and he is by not seeing the trap that was l...