“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

1. Has anyone ever done anything to you that made you want to get

revenge on them? What did they do?

2. Have you ever gotten revenge on someone for something they did to you? What did you do to

them in return? Why did you feel a need to get revenge?

3. Explain how the revenge made you feel. Did you get caught? If

you had gotten caught, would that have changed the feeling the revenge gave you? Explain.

catacombs

• Usually, catacombs. an underground cemetery, especially one consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs.

• an underground passageway, especially one full of twists and turns.

virtuoso

• a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field.

impunity

• exemption from punishment.

• immunity from detrimental effects, as of an action.

fettered

• A fetter is a chain or shackle placed on the feet.

• Usually used in the plural - “fetters” can refer to anything that confines or restrains.

• Thus, “fettered” means confined or restrained, literally by a chain or shackle placed on the feet, or figuratively by something like boredom or poverty.

connoisseur

• a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste: a connoisseur of modern art.

• a discerning judge of the best in any field: a connoisseur of horses.

gait

• a manner of walking, stepping, or running.

precluded

• to prevent the presence, existence, or occurrence of; make impossible: The insufficiency of the evidence precludes a conviction.

retribution

• retaliation, repayment, recompense.

afflicted

• to distress with mental or bodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously: to be afflicted with arthritis.

• vex, harass, torment, plague.

explicit

• fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated; leaving nothing merely implied; unequivocal: explicit instructions; an explicit act of violence; explicit language.

• precise, exact, unambiguous

Literary Terms Questions

1. CHARACTERIZE Montresor. What kind of person is he?

• Concerned with honor – kills Fortunato over an “insult” p. 168

• Cruel – taunts Fortunato by showing him the trowel (p. 171) and screaming w/him when walling him up (p. 172)

• Manipulative – entraps Fortunato using F’s own self-perception (p. 168); servants p. 169

• Sociopathic/psychopathic – commits murder with little evidence of remorse (p. 173)

2. What might Fortunato’s name mean?

• Someone who is fortunate

• Someone who becomes successful through luck, not necessarily hard work

3. Why might Fortunato’s name be IRONIC?

• He is not fortunate in his interactions with Montresor, which lead to his death.

• This is the opposite of what we might expect for someone whose name implies good luck or fortune.

4. Give examples of IRONY in the story, including SITUATIONAL,

DRAMATIC, and VERBAL IRONY.• Situational: Fortunato expects Amontillado

and instead receives death• Dramatic: Fortunato doesn’t know he’ll be

killed; but reader does, and thus gets the trowel joke (p. 171) and the cough joke (p. 170)

• Verbal: the compliments M pays to F; p. 171 M “implores” F to return.

5. How does not knowing what Fortunato did to Montresor

intensify the horror of this story?

• One could imagine that Fortunato’s offense is quite minor or unintentional and that Montresor is a particularly cruel person

• One could imagine their own friends or acquaintances behaving like Montresor

6. Would the story be better or worse if you knew what Fortunato did to

Montresor? Explain.• Might be worse because Poe’s idea of

what is horrifying might not match yours.

• Might be better if Poe manages to tap into your deepest, most secret fears.

7. Explain how Montresor’s family motto is related to the story? To the

actions of Montresor?• The motto translates, “No one insults me

with impunity.”

• This shows that Montresor cannot let an insult be forgiven.

• He interprets it to allow/require him to kill Fortunato.

8. How does Montresor manipulate Fortunato? What CHARACTER

TRAITS make Fortunato easy prey for Montresor?

• Fortunato is really proud of his ability to judge fine wines and is competitive with others to show his skill. He also likes to drink.

• Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s pride w/the story of the cask, and uses Luchresi to appeal to F’s competitive nature; he also preys on F’s drunkenness

9. What is the setting? What details of the setting contribute to the horror of

this story?

• Italy (p. 168 – mentions Italians; names seem Italian)

• During the carnival season (p. 168)• Probably mid-1800s as the word

“millionaire” (p. 168) was coined around 1820-1830.

• Horror: catacombs, nitre, midnight

10. Contrast the setting in the beginning of the story with the setting

where Montresor takes Fortunato.• The beginning is the craziness of carnival,

with costumes, colors, noise, parties; it is dusk. p. 168

• The end is in the depth of Montresor’s family crypt with darkness, bones, horror; it is midnight. p. 171-172

11. Explain the MOOD of this story. Give examples from the text to support

your answer.• Horrifying –

– Montresor toys with Fortunato, • showing nitre p. 169, • taunting about cough p. 170 • and trowel p. 171;

– Fortunato is unsteady and drunk when killed p. 171-172

– while Montresor is calculating and efficient p. 171-172

12. Who is the PROTAGONIST of this story? Justify your answer.

• It is Montresor

• He is the one pursuing a goal, even if we think it’s a negative goal

• The reader gets most insight into his motives and thoughts.

13. Who is the ANTAGONIST of this story? Defend your answer.

• It is Fortunato

• He is in conflict with Montresor (the protagonist) because he has insulted Montresor

14. Who is the narrator of this story? What kind of narrator is he?

• Montresor is the narrator• First person limited (uses “I”; doesn’t give

Fortunato’s thoughts• May be unreliable

– Doesn’t explain the “insult”– Might have pangs of conscience

• P. 173 “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs…”

• Why is he telling this story 50 years later? possibly deathbed confession?

15. Explain a symbol in the story.

• The cask of Amontillado could symbolize the wealth associated with a rare item, which motivates both characters

• Montresor’s coat of arms could symbolize his revenge against Fortunato’s insult

• Fortunato’s fool costume symbolizes his foolishness and greed

15. Explain a symbol in the story. (cont.)

• Carnival symbolizes a topsy turvy society that allows such a murder

• The catacombs symbolize Montresor’s personality, which is pleasant on the outside, but filled with death and darkness.

Romantic Story Analysis Chart

Fantasy and Imagination

• N/A

Love of Nature

• N/A

Intense Emotion

• Montresor’s desire for revenge

• Fortunato’s fear as he’s being walled up

Sympathetic interest in the past, medieval

• Montresor’s home and catacombs seem medieval

Exotic Places

• Italy

• Carnival

• Catacombs

Legends and Myths

• Buried alive

Death

• Fortunato

Morbid melancholy; insanity

• Montresor is sociopathic

The Supernatural

• N/A

Failed Love

• N/A

Mysticism (spiritual intuition beyond ordinary

understanding)

• N/A

Rural Life and the Common Man

• N/A