Edgar Allan Poe is known for his gothic writing, His story “The Cask of Amontillado”, is about a man who wants to get revenge on someone else because of the insults he received. His use of detail in the story allows the reader to enter the mind of a murderer, not only to read what he is thinking, but also to understand what he is thinking.
From the very beginning of the story, the first line starts off by saying, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge,” the theme of revenge is clearly visible. Montresor, who is also the narrator of the story, wants to plot revenge on his friend Fortunato, for insulting him. Montresor’s family has a coat of arms, and theyre motto is “Nemo me impune lacessit” which means, No one assails me with impunity (Poe 48). It gives us a reason to understand why Montressor is so unforgiving in getting revenge from Fortunato. There is also a picture on the coat of arms of “a huge human foot d'or, in a field of azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are embedded in the heel”(Poe 46). Just as his family’s coat of arms says, no one will punish or insult him and get away with it. The picture reinforces that image. Montresor considers Fortunato to be the snake, and Montresor is the foot that is going to crush and kill him.
There are two main characters in the story. One of the characters is Montresor, the murderer and narrator of the story. Montresor is considered a round character. You can tell he is cold, brutal, and vengeful when he says, “I must not only punish,but punish with impunity”(226). He doesn’t mind telling us about his torture and murder of Fortunato. In fact, he thinks what he did was the just, right way to handle the situation. Fortunato on the other hand, is considered a flat character. He had pride in himself, especially in his knowledge in wine. Fortunato was also unconscience and he never suspected anything from Montresor's actions,...