From Dark Corners

“The Cask of Amontillado”

By: Edgar Allen Poe

Analysis by: Michael Maimed

“The Cask of Amontillado,” By Edgar Allen Poe, invites the reader to travel down into the catacombs of their mind and confront the dark nature inside them. True to the dark style he is known for, Poe takes the reader through this experience using symbols, irony, and foreshadowing to connect the reader to the themes of revenge and death. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe’s use of symbols, irony, and foreshadowing invites readers to reflect upon their dark nature and connect them with the themes of revenge and death.

This paragraph will examine Poe’s use of symbols relating to the themes (revenge and death) found in the text. As the story begins, the protagonist, Montressor, encounters the subject of his revenge, Fortunato. The clothing worn by Fortunato is a symbol of a fool. As Poe writes, “The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (p. 1019). Montressor, on his quest for revenge, sees Fortunato as a fool whom he will lead to his death. As another example of symbols, Poe writes, “We came at length to the foot of our descent and stood together on the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montressor’s” (p. 1020). Here the reader is connected to the themes of revenge and death. Catacombs are a classic symbol of death, as it is a place made for the dead. Montressor leads Fortunato towards the final conflict and climactic revenge in the text. Poe leads the reader toward their own confrontation with the dark nature within themselves. But symbols are not the only way Poe connects to the themes of revenge and death found in “The Cask of Amontillado.” Poe also uses irony throughout the story to convey these themes to the reader.

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” throughout the text, the reader comes across instances where Poe uses irony to convey the themes of revenge and death. The name Fortunato is, in fact, ironic. The translation of Fortunato’s name means lucky or fortunate in Italian. The reader finds that the name Fortunato is an example of situational Irony because Fortunato ends up being foolish and unlucky. Again, we see the irony when Montressor finds Fortunato dressed as a fool during the carnival. Pleased to see the drunken Fortunato, Montressor says to him, “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met” (Poe, 1019). This is an example of verbal irony because Montressor means the opposite of what he says to Fortunato. It will end up being unfortunate for Fortunato. This connects with the revenge and death theme because Fortunato unknowingly finds himself in Montressor’s plot for revenge. The reader wonders where they are being led, as Fortunato is literally being led to his grave (death). Poe not only uses the literary elements of symbols and irony in connection to revenge and death, but he also uses foreshadowing to accomplish this feat.

Foreshadowing is the last literary element we will examine. Poe uses foreshadowing to reveal the revenge and death themes found in “The Cask of Amontillado.” From the beginning of the tale, Poe connects the themes with Montressor’s admission about his plan to murder Fortunato (Poe. 1019). Here we see revenge and death highlighted by Poe’s foreshadowing of Fortunato’s murder. The reader sees another example of foreshadowing by Poe when Montressor pretends to show Fortunato the sign of the masons. Montressor instead holds up a trowel (Poe 1022). This is a foreshadowing of how he plans to cause Fortunato’s death. This relates to the themes of revenge and death because the reader knows Montressor plans to kill Fortunato, but not how he will accomplish the task. The scene is ironic at first. But the foreshadowing becomes clear to the reader when Montressor takes his revenge by trapping Fortunato behind a wall (Poe 1023-24). The symbols, irony, and foreshadowing’s connection to revenge and death within Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” allow the reader to wonder what dark deeds lie behind the walls they construct inside themselves.

Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” discusses the topic of revenge and death as it relates to our society. Death is a universal issue we have all faced as a society since the dawn of man. Poe’s story speaks toward an ongoing battle within. Light and darkness wage a struggle inside all people. A struggle governed by concepts like right and wrong or good and evil. This inner struggle defines a person’s identity and character. Just as it represented the identity of Montressor and Fortunato. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe’s use of symbols, irony, and foreshadowing invites the reader to reflect upon their deeds and dark nature inside themselves by connecting them with the themes of revenge and death. So, what dark deeds have the readers walled up within their minds?

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allen. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Literature: The Human Experience, edited by Richard Abcarian, et al., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1846, pp. 1019-1024.