The Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example

The Cask of Amontillado One of the foremost figures in American literature, Edgar Allan Poe is renowned not onlyfor his poems but also for his classical horror tales that continue to thrill readers hitherto. One of his most notable works is The Cask of Amontillado, an eerie tale about one man's revenge. In this story, Poe's ability to manipulate setting, character and dialogue as well as his masterful use of imagery, metaphors and symbolism to come up with a spine-tingling story are exhibited. This paper intends to provide an analysis of the story by assessing how Poe utilized the myriad literary elements so as to lead the readers to a mood that is most fitting for revenge and murder. Main Characters In terms of characters, the story retains its simplicity by featuring only two main characters. The first is Montresor, who firmly vows revenge upon the other character, Fortunato, for an insult. However, the actual focus is on Montresor, who serves as the narrator of the story about his perfect murder ("The Poe Perplex"). His story, around which the entire story revolves, is made clear even at the onset of the tale as he utters, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." (Poe). With this, Montresor is seen abiding by his traditional family motto, i.e. no one can attack him without being punished. Furthermore, he declares that he "...must not only punish, but punish with impunity." (Poe). On the other hand, Fortunato is the man whom Montresor pledges to murder. Montresor finds perfect bait for Fortunato with the latter being passionate about wines. Fortunato, as a connoisseur, insists on tasting Montresor's newly purchased Amontillado to determine its authenticity and expresses outrage when Montresor tells that he can consult Luchresi regarding the matter. Attired in a court jester costume, Fortunato, bearing great pride in himself, goes with Montresor to the palazzo where he meets his end as Montresor planned ("Adventures in Reading"). Theme This horror story centers on the power of revenge that drives a man to murder his friend for an insult that he deems unforgivable. Montresor's mind frame is honed by his family's motto, "Nemo me impune lacessit." Or "No one assails me with impunity." On his coat of arms, this motto along with a symbol of "a huge human foot d'or, in field azure, the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." (Poe). As mentioned, Montresor narrates how he carefully planned the details of this perfect crime upon Fortunato whom he intends to punish through slow death. He makes sure that all his servants are out of the palazzo so there are no possible witnesses. He also chooses a place hidden enough so that no one may possibly inspect or suspect. Montresor uses Fortunato's pride in himself as a superior wine connoisseur to lure his friend. It is also important to note that a vital component in Montresor's plan of revenge is that as Fortunato dies a slow death, he will constantly be reminded of the fact that he rejects myriad opportunities to escape from Montresor as the latter is adamant that they turn back due to his condition (Quinn). He will remember how Montresor initially declines his offer to check on Amontillado since he is inflicted with cough and cold, thus, the dampness of the vault and presence of niter will not bode well for his present condition. On the way to the catacombs, upon hearing Fortunato's dreadful coughs, Montresor repeats his plea, "Come..., we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For met it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi..." (Poe). To this, Fortunato firmly replies, "Enough...the cough is a mere nothing, it will not kill me. I shall not die of cough," (Poe). While rotting to death in the sealed catacombs, Fortunato will constantly think of his missed chances for escape. He will eventually realize and deeply regret that his craving for wine has led him to his death in the dark catacombs (Quinn). This thought brings great pleasure to Montresor as this makes his revenge much sweeter. Style of Storytelling To create the desired effect, Poe carefully crafted the story such that Montresor's plan of revenge is vividly captured and observed by readers (Quinn). For instance, Poe opted to write the story from the first person point of view of Montresor. By having this perspective, the moral shock and horror effect are intensified ("The Poe Perplex") as the reader is given a first hand experience of the dynamics of a sinister mind. Somehow, with the point of view of Montresor, readers becomes entomb in their own cellars of mental dread just like the main character (Burduck) Apart from this, Poe also utilized dramatic and verbal irony. Dramatic irony takes place when the reader perceives something that a character does not. An example of this is when the reader becomes completely aware of what will happen to Fortunato. The reader already has an idea that the unsuspecting Fortunato will meet his end as he continues descending the catacombs with Montresor, who has plotted to kill him (Hammond). On the other hand, verbal irony, the character saying one thing and meaning another, is evident when Montresor is seen expressing his regard about Fortunato's ill health and suggests more than once, as quoted above, that they should return due to Fortunato's worsening cough caused by the cold and dampness of the catacombs. However, readers are well aware of Montresor's twisted mind. Instead of concern, Montresor only wanted to derive greater gratification from Fortunato's insistence to move on as this thought will torment him while shackled in the dark abyss (Quinn). Another instance is when Montresor asserts that he is indeed a mason in a sense different from what Fortunato means. Montresor portends that he is a bricklayer as he shows the trowel and not a member of the secret brotherhood of the Freemasons ("The Poe Perplex"). In the end, irony is still employed by Poe with Montresor's delivery of his final line, "In pace requiescat." This statement is generally translated as "May he rest in peace." However, given Fortunato's unfortunate condition, "in pace" connotes a very secure monastic prison ("The Poe Perplex"). Imagery, Metaphors and Symbolism This horror classic is enriched with metaphors and symbolism that bring about the establishment of the ominous imagery ("MS Encarta"). One of the symbolisms in the story lies in the theme which primarily revolves around Montresor's family motto, "Nemo me impune lacessit." It should be highlighted that this adage happens to be the same motto of Scotland. Based on interpretations, it is not coincidental that Poe opted to adopt this motto as one of the main components of this story. This is said to represent John Allan, Poe's foster father who is the epitome of Fortunato in myriad ways. Their common denominator includes their interest in wine, affiliation with the Freemasons and being "rich, respected, admired, beloved;" (Poe). Even the name "Allan" is cited as an anagram of Amontillado. (Silverman) However, some believe that the story is part of the war of the literati in which Poe wanted to intimidate his enemies in the field of literature. Fortunato is said to represent Thomas Dunn English, a contemporary who insulted Poe several times while Luchesi represents Hiram Fuller, editor of the Evening Mirror in New York. ("Wikipedia") Another representation the readers can identify is the three names given by the author - Fortunato, Luchresi and Montresor, denoted treasure. Fortunato and Luchresi are Italian words that suggest "fortunate" and "lucrative", respectively. In the same way, Montresor is of French origin from which a similar meaning may be derived. ("The Poe Perplex") The use of metaphor is also seen in how Fortunato is described as wearing a costume of the court jester. This attire seems fitting both for the carnival season and Montresor's intention of making a fool out of him (Hammond). In addition, Poe effectively used the contrasting of the element of setting to influence the mood of the story ("MSN Encarta"). Readers initially behold the festive mood of the carnival season when Montresor meets Fortunato that fateful night. However, the setting suddenly shifts from the festivities to the eerie catacombs under Montresor's palazzo. This, along with Fortunato's court jester costume topped with the jingling of the "...conical cap of bells," (Poe) breaking the creepy silence within the catacombs, intensifies the baleful atmosphere of the story ("Adventures in Reading"). Similar effect is achieved as the Amontillado, dry variety of sherry produced in the mountains of Spain, is contrasted with the darkness of the catacombs and Fortunato's tomb ("The Poe Perplex"). Tackling the story in its entirety, some perceive beyond this story being a masterful tale of revenge. They believe that Poe's story is an anti-aristocratic work that depicts the scandalous dealings with the upper class society (Levine & Levine). This is in light of the origin of the main characters and the carrying out of the murder in the palazzo. The luxurious house or the European counterpart of a mansion, unbeknownst to many, holds many secrets. Conclusion Many literary scholars assert that the Cask of Amontillado continues to be one of Poe's brilliantly crafted tales that deserves to be a part of any anthology of horror classics (Hammond). With this masterpiece, Poe once again proved his mastery in delivering haunting stories that stir the imagination of readers. His ability to intricately weave character, dialogue, setting and other elements into a chilling tale is exhibited in this work. This is deemed as the foremost reason why this story, among Poe' other works, is endeared by generations of readers. This also made Poe as one of the major icons in American literature. Works Cited Adventures in Reading: Pegasus Edition. Chicago: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989. Burduck, Michael L. Grim Phantasms: Fear in Poe's Short Fiction. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992. Hammond, J.R. An Edgar Allan Poe Companion. London: The MacMillan Press, 1981. Levine, Stuart and Susan Levine, ed. The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe: An Annotated Edition. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1990. MS Encarta Premium Suite, 2005. "The Poe Perplex." United States Naval Academy. 17 April 2006 Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Literature. 14 April 2006 Quinn, Arthur Hobson. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. New York: D. Appleton-Century Company. Silverman, Kenneth. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. Wikipedia. 17 April 2006 Read More