Rodolfo Renwick
Prof. Ireland
English 102
1 October 2008
The Cask Of Amontillado: Learning About Greed
Edgar Allan Poe writer of The Cast of Amontillado was an American writer, poet and editor. He was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, and he died in October 7, 1849 in Baltimore. He was one of the initial American writers of short stories, and he is recognized for his tales of the macabre. He wrote about horror fiction, crime fiction and detective fiction. His fiction works fit into the Gothic genre and his most recurring themes deal with death. Important elements found in Poe’s works are the presence of irony and persuasion.
The Cask of Amontillado a short story written by Poe in 1846 presents a good example of irony in his main character, named Montresor. He has resentment against Fortunato for an offense that is never explained. In addition, his feelings are remarkable in the story because he narrates the tale in first person—Montresor’s perspective. His objective is to revenge against Fortunato. In order to accomplish his goal, he persuades a naïve Fortunato, tempting him to taste a special wine, named Amontillado that he has just purchased. Montresor suggests on Fortunato that Luchresi, another character in the story is a wine’s connoisseur. This suggestion immediately provokes Fortunato’s acceptance to assess the special wine. After reaching Montresor’s vaults, he chains Fortunato to the wall, builds a brick wall in front of him, and leaves him to die without any evident reason. This essay analyzes the presence of irony in the character of Montresor as an element that encourages critical thinking in readers. Also, it is examined the existence of persuasion as a driven element in the story. Finally, this work asserts that Montresor has planned his revenge against Fortunato in advance, showing some examples that depict the Machiavellian plan perpetrated by Montresor.
The Cask of Amontillado presents a great deal of...