Short StoryCriticism

CUMULATIVE AUTHOR INDEX

r Poe, Edgar Allan 1809-1849 Nf.I.ri 16,55, 78, 94.97, 117; PC 1, 54fSSC)l,22, 34r35J54; WLC v '

See also*-7?AYA 14; AMW; AMWC 1-AMWR 2; BPFB 3; BYA 5, 11; CDALB1640-1865; CMW 4; DA; DAS; DAB-DAC; DAM MST, POET; DLB 3, 59, 7374, 248, 254; EXPP; EXPS; HGG; LAIT2; LATS 1; LMFS 1; MSW; PAB; PFS 1,3, 9; RGAL 4; RGSF 2; SATA 23; SCFW2; SFW 4; SSFS 2, 4, 7, 8, 16; SUFW-TUS; WP; WYA

Poet of Titchfield Street, TheSee Pound, Ezra (Weston Loomis)

Pohl, Frederik 1919- CLC 18; SSC 25See also AAYA 24; CA 61-64, 188; CAAE

"The Cask of Amontillado"Edgar Allan Poe

INTRODUCTION

Regarded as the originator of the modern short story anda master of the form, Poe established a highly influentialrationale for short narrative art, which emphasizes thedeliberate arrangement of a story's minutest details ofsetting, characterization, and structure in order to impressa unified effect on the reader. In his own work he demon-strated a brilliant command of this technique—often elic-iting "terror, or passion, or horror" from his readers—aswell as an uncommon imagination suffused with eeriethoughts, weird impulses, and foreboding fear. Renownedfor cultivating an aura of mystery and a taste for theghastly in his fiction, Poe relied on his imagination andliterary skills to animate the disconcerting effects of hisso-called "tales of horror," especially those dealing withcrime and moral depravity. Among the latter kind, "TheCask of Amontillado" ranks as one of Poe's finest stories.Originally published in November 1846, in Godey 's Lady'sBook, "The Cask of Amontillado" has since become aclassic tale of revenge, distinguished by the subtle ironythat pervades many levels of the story and by Poe'suncharacteristic use of dialogue between the protagonistand antagonist as the principal structural device of thenarrative.

Plot and Major Characters

Set in an anonymous city somewhere in the Mediterraneanregion of Europe during the pre-Lenten festivities of thecarnival season, "The Cask of Amontillado" recounts thelast meeting between two aristocratic gentlemen, the nar-rator Montresor and the wine connoisseur Fortunate. Asthe story begins, Montresor plots complete and perfectrevenge for "the thousand injuries" instigated by Fortu-nato, who once again has insulted him, although the par-ticulars are never indicated. Montresor encounters theobviously tipsy Fortunato dressed in fool's motley andinforms him that a recently acquired cask of amontilladosherry awaits his discriminating palate in Montresor'sunderground cellars. Eager to taste the wine, Fortunatofollows Montresor to his palazzo and into the vaults.Although Fortunato has a cough that is aggravated by thedamp air and potassium nitrate hanging in the tunnelsthrough which they pass, he is spurred onward after helearns that his rival Luchresi may be permitted to tasteMontresor's new wine. Engaging Fortunato in dialogueripe with irony, Montresor lures his victim deep into thefamily catacombs, urging him to try other wines along theway. As Fortunato grows impatient to sample the amon-

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fresh mortar nearby, Montresor begins to entomb Fortu-nato brick by brick. Sobering quickly, Fortunato cries invain for release. As Montresor finishes his task, thebells on Fortunato's costume jingle faintly. Montresorthen hides his handiwork behind a pile of his ancestor'sbones. He concludes that no one has disturbed them forfifty years.

Major Themess j

Themes of betrayal and revenge clearly inform "The Caskof Amontillado," but the pervasive irony of Montresor'snarration complicates attempts to understand his motivesand other conflicts at the heart of the tale. At the sametime, layers of irony also contribute to the story's tone ofhorror While Fortunato remains blissfully ignorant ofMontresor's true intentions for most of the story, theevident pleasure Montresor takes in relating his story,proudly recalling every detail fifty years after the fact,

CUMULATIVE TITLE INDEX

"The Case with the Child" (Capek)See "Pffpad s ditgtem"

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (Doyle)12:62

»"The Cask of Amontillado" (Poe) JL378, 394407-08; 22:293; 34:264-65:/35)>97-354;54:180, 185, 188-89,209

"Cassandra" (Mansfield) 9:282"Cassation" (Barnes) 3:6, 10, 16, 24-5"The Cassowary" (Bowen) 3:33Cast a Cold Eye (McCarthy) 24:215-18"Casting the Runes" (James) 16:227, 230, 233

236, 245, 248, 252-53, 255"The Casting Vote" (Murfree) 22:211

"The Castle of Crossed Destinies" (Calvino)3:101-02

accomplished by the diabolically clever setting and springing of thetrap, which Poe substituted for the prosaic beginning of Headley'ssketch, and by the murderer's cat-like dalliance with his prospec-tive victim. The originality of Poe's treatment is well illustratedby his unconventional handl ing of the conduct of the victim,which Headley made so tritely stoical. James T. Pole.

^ Marvin Felheim, Sam Moon, and Donald Pearce (essay^ date 1954)

^ //i^ //SOURCE: "'The Cask of Amontillado,'" in Notes & iV \\T"w. Vol. 1, No. 10, October, 1954, pp. 447-49.\ \ the following essay, each critic focuses on the struc-

ture of Poe's tale. In the first part, Felheim explains tworequisites for Montresor to perfect his revenge; in thesecond part Moon accounts for Montresor's failure toexact revenge; and in the third part, Pearce comparesPoe's story to a profane rite, or scriptural parody.]

In^The Cask of Amontillado^here are two parts, equallyimpollanl, lu Momresor's revenge: "I must not only pun-ish, but punish with impunity"; and "the avenger [must]make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong."If the story is aesthetically self-contained, our readingmust be governed by these two requirements.

That Montresor accomplishes the first half is evident; hiscrime has not been detected "for the half of a century."Working out the second half of his requirement is morecomplicated, for Fortunato must become fully aware ofwhat his "wrong" was before he can comprehend hispunishment. He is a distinguished individual, "rich, re-spected, admired, beloved," and he has a title (his wife is"Lady"); his status makes the injury more serious. Fortu-nato's taunt is our first hint about the nature of this long-standing insult. Deep in the vaults he laughs and throwsa bottle "upwards with a gesticulation," a "grotesque"movement. The action, admits Forrunato, indicates that heis "of the brotherhood," "of the Masons." Here is insultenough to the proud Montresor, member of "a great andnumerous" Italian (presumably Catholic) family, a family

SHORT STORY CRITICISM,(yol. 35—

whose vaults include catacombs; here, indeed, is notpersonal injury (which could be "borne") but insult (whichrequired "revenge").

If being a Mason is Fortunate's crime, does he compre-hend the enormity of his deviation and the consequentpunishment? When the reality of the situation penetratesthe consciousness of the now sober Fortunato, he firstassumes that Montresor is joking. But on this score, he isquickly undeceived by Montresor's calm irony in carefullyrepeating Fortunato's phrase, "Let us be gone." Fortunatoimmediately and dramatically shouts (note Poe's use ofitalics at the climax): "For the love of God, Montresor!"These are. significantly, Fortunato's last words. Again,with deliberate emphasis, Montresor echoes him. Afterthat, Fortunato does not speak. There is no need to. Heunderstands. In pace requiescat! This final phrase ofMontresor's is significant, too. Now, indeed, the "oldrampart of [family] bones" can rest in peace.

By this reading, the story now becomes Montresor'senactment of an elaborate ritual. From the outset he con-ceives of Fortunato's death as an "immolation," a sacrifi-cial act in which Montresor himself assumes a pervertedpriestly function. The vaults and the wine become sacra-mental properties which give a blasphemous significanceto the ritual murder. And Fortunato, besides being thesnake in Montresor's family arms, takes on all the qualitiesof a serpent, traditional religious symbol of evil. His immo-lation enables Montresor to accomplish a fitting act ofrevenge, complete even to the benediction.

n

The interpretation of (jThe Cask of Amontillado^! whichMontresor succeeds in his revenge is required as a mirrorwhich will reflect the ironic sense in which Montresorfails. For Poe has here taken a tale of revenge and re-versed the whole thing by a pervasive irony; he has setup a problem of requirements and their fulfilment withmathematical precision, and he has solved it as a poet. Hismethod is to establish in great detail an ironic parallelbetween Fortunato and Montresor, so that by the endthey are virtually identified. In the beginning Fortunato, inmotley, mimics Montresor with his repeated "Amontilla-do!" but by the end the roles are reversed and Montresorplays the mimic. As Fortunato approaches the edge ofmadness, the mad Montresor re-echoes his yells and theidentification is complete. This carefully built ironic paral-lel points to the crucial irony—the profound failure of therevenge.

First, Montresor does not really fulfil the requirement ofexplaining his motive to Fortunato. Such a deed as Mon-tresor's is incredible to him except as some monstrousjoke, but this hope is killed by Montresor's mockery.Finally Fortunato makes his ultimate appeal, "For the loveof God, Montresor!" but Montresor's reply of cold God-less mockery is so profoundly irrational that it drives himmad. The only further sound which Montresor can pro-voke from the crypt is "a jingling of the bells"; Fortunatohas escaped to the haven of the fool. By his silence and

SHORT STORY CRITICISM, Vol. 35 "THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO"

Jacobs, "A Possible Debt to Cooper," Poe Studies, 9 (June 1976),23.

5 Edward Craney Jacobs, "A Possible Dept to Cooper," p. 23.

6 Marvin Felheim, Sam Moon, and Donald Pearce; "The Cask ofAmontillado,'" Notes and Queries, NS 1 (October 1954), 447-49.

7 Francis B. Dedmond, "'The Cask of Amontillado' and the 'Warof the Literati,'" Modern Language Quarterly, 15 (June 1954),137-46.

FURTHER READING

Bales, Kent. "Poetic Justice in 'The Cask of Amontillado'."Poe Studies 5, No. 2 (December 1972): 51.

Comments on multiple levels of irony in the tale froma Protestant viewpoint.

Benton, Richard P. "Poe's 'The Cask' and the 'WhiteWebwork Which Gleams'." Studies in Short Fiction 28,No. 2 (Spring 1991): 183-94.

Addresses the implications of the nitre on the wallsof Montresor's catacombs.

Bonaparte, Marie. "The Masquerades." In her The Lifeand Works of Edgar Allan Poe: A Psycho-analyticInterpretation, pp. 505-24. London: Imago Publishing Co.,1949.

Outlines Poe's oedipal rivalry in the context of thetale, supposing that Poe "fully vented" his aggressionagainst a suspected romantic rival.

Bums, Shannon. '"The Cask of Amontillado': Montresor'sRevenge." Poe Studies 7, No. 1 (June 1974): 25.

Explains the Italian tradition of revenge, concludingthat the tale's final line is addressed to Montresor'sancestors.

Cervo, Nathan. "Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'." TheExplicator 51, No. 3 (Spring 1993): 155-56.

Identifies Montresor's family motto as the Scottishnational motto, linking it to the tale's structure.

Current-Garcia, Eugene. "Poe's Short Fiction." In his TheAmerican Short Story before 1850: A Critical History, pp.59-83. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985.

Argues that Poe's tale exemplifies his theory of shortfiction.

Hoffman, Daniel. "Murder!" In his Poe Poe Poe Poe, pp.218-25. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., 1972.

Discusses psychoanalytic implications of thedoppelganger aspect of "The Cask of Amontillado,"specifically Poe's relation to the narrator.

Kempton, Kenneth Payson. "T as Protagonist." In hisThe Short Story, pp. 82-91. Cambridge, Mass.: HarvardUniversity Press, 1947.

Studies Poe's method of first-person narration in "Thecask of Amontillado."

Kennedy, J. Gerald. "Revenge and Silence: The Foreclosureof Language." In his Poe, Death, and the Life of Writing,pp. 114-44. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1987.

Analyzes the linguistic elements of the revenge themein Poe's story.

Kirkham, E. Bruce. "Poe's 'Cask of Amontillado' and JohnMontresor." Poe Studies 20, No. 1 (June 1987): 23.

Suggests biographical sources for Poe's use of theMontresor name.

Kishel, Joseph H. "Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'." TheExplicator 41, No. 1 (Fall 1982): 30.

Identifies Montresor's economic motives fromFortunato's last words, which are a beggar's traditionalcry for alms.

Kozikowski, Stanley J. "A Reconsideration of Poe's "TheCask of Amontillado'." American TranscendentalQuarterly, No. 39 (Summer 1978): 269-80.

Evaluates historical and psychological readings of thetale's ironic effects, revealing the overarching irony ofPoe's narrative skill.

Levine, Stuart. "Horror, Beauty and Involvement." In hisEdgar Poe: Seer and Craftsman, pp. 77-92. Deland, Fla.:Everett/Edwards, 1972.

Examines Poe's mythic use of horror as the centralimage of "The Cask of Amontillado."

Meyers, Jeffrey. "Fordham and Literary Quarrels, 1846-1847." In his Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy, pp.190-212. New York: Charles Scnbner's Sons, 1992.

Recounts the plot of "The Cask of Amontillado" andevents contemporaneous to its composition.

Pribek, Thomas. "The Serpent and the Heel." Poe Studies20, No. 1 (June 1987): 22-3.

Detects a pattern of role reversal between avengerand victim in Poe's story.

Punter, David. "Romanticism and the Unconscious:Amontillado." In his The Romantic Unconscious: A Studyin Narcissism and Patriarchy, pp. 150-54. New York:Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1989.

Treats "Cask" as a structure of puns that revolvearound romantic notions of revenge.

Scherting, Jack. "Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado': ASource for Twain's 'The Man That CorruptedHadleyburg'." The Mark Twain Journal XVI, No. 2 (Sum-mer 1972): 18-19.

Draws parallels between the two stories.

Voller, Jack G. "Allegory and Fantasy: The Short Fictionof Hawthorne and Poe." In his The Supernatural Sublime:The Metaphysics of Terror in Anglo-American Romanti-cism, pp. 209-39. Dekalb: Northern Illinois University Press,1994.

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