Cask of Amantillado

“The Cask of Amontillado”

Revenge can be sweet, but in this case it is just down right grotesque! In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” it talks about a gentlemen named Montressor and how he is angry at Fortunato for insulting him in the past. Montressor will not let this go unpunished, so he thinks up a clever scheme to get back at him. This plan is in a way, ingenious but most definitely insane and crazy.

This story dates back into the 1800’s. The time of year, Mardi Gras. A good friend and fellow wine connoisseur, Fortunato, once insulted Montressor, the main character. Although the insult was not stated in the story it must have been pretty bad because of the revenge Montresor was planning. After a party Fortunato went over to Montressor’s house to have some wine and then go out to another party. There was something ironic about the way Fortunato was dressed. He was wearing motley, much like what a jester would wear and he would be made a fool later that evening. In the catacombs underneath the house is where they store all of their wine and some other things. In the very back of the musty, damp, and dark cellar was the best of the best wines, Amontillado.

Montressor used reverse phsycology very frequently in the story to lure Fortunato in and to lead the servants out. He told the servants that he would not be home for at least twelve hours. So of course, they left the house to go to parties. He also told Fortunato not to go down into the catacombs because he did not want him to get even sicker from the dampness down there. Of course, that made him want to go down to get the wine. Along the way they see lots of niter on the walls and they can feel the dampness from the river. They make many stops along the way in the vaults to drink fine vintages to make him a bit more intoxicated. Fortunato cannot even tell through his orbs that he has hurt his friend! As they get farther and farther away he keeps on suggesting for Fortunato to go upstairs and to get Luchesi to go to get the wine with him. Of course, Fortunato kept on saying he was fine. The farther they go, the more wine they drink. Montressor kept on making it seem as though he was not angry at Fortunato for anything he had done. Along the way there were bones, and bodies laying all around in recesses on the walls. This sets off many questions like, is this man an insane murderer, or is that just all of his deceased family members?

Finally, they reach the end on the catacombs and the Amontillado is near. Then, suddenly Montressor throws Fortunato and fettered him on the wall in a little aperture. He Builds a crypt with a trowel and masonry slowly circumscribing him. Fortunato will slowly suffocate and die. He is almost done laying the stones when Fortunato begs him to let him out and lets him know that the joke was very good but Montressor is not joking. He lays the last block and clamored can be heard through the walls. Slowly the noise died down and Montressor absconded to let Fortunato repose. Of course, then Fortunato perceived what he had done.

In a way, Montressor was very clever. He got everyone to do what he wanted without telling them, and everyone being totally oblivious. Reverse phsycology played and important role in this perfect murder. It helped everything run smoothly with getting the servants out of the house and get Fortunato into the catacombs. Yes, this murder was the perfect consequence for what Fortunato had done. It got him down there and made