the cask of amontillado summary and analysis

When Fortunato stepped inside, he ran into the granite wall, and Montresor quickly locked him to the wall with a chain. Montresor told Fortunato that the Amontillado was inside. At one of the catacombs, Montresor led Fortunato into a small crypt, which was about four feet deep, three feet wide, six or seven feet tall.

Montresor gave him a bottle of De Grave, which Fortunato emptied.Īs they continued their journey, we discover that there are numerous catacombs of long-deceased relatives. As the two men proceeded further along the tunnels, the cold and the nitre fumes increased, and Fortunato asked for another drink. This statement, at the time of the story’s setting, would be yet one more of the many blatant insults for which Montresor hates Fortunato. Then, in his drunkenness, Fortunato said that he has forgotten what Montresor’s coat of arms looks like. When Fortunato noted how wide the vaults were, Montresor told him that he heard that the Montresor’s were a great and numerous family. Fortunato drank the Medoc and again he became lively and on again his bells jingled. This seemingly kind act, of kindness, is only an act performed to keep the victim alive long enough to get him to the niche where he will be buried alive.

At one point, however, Montresor paused and offered Fortunato a bottle of Medoc wine to help ward off the cold and the fumes of the nitre. As they passed deeper into the vaults, the niter caused Fortunato to cough constantly, but he was drunkenly determined to continue. Montresor agreed while wrapping himself in a cloak to make sure that he would not be recognized.Īs they descended into the vaults, Fortunato walked unsteadily and the »bells upon his cap jingled« as they descended, creating a further carnival atmosphere or a joyous time, a time which will ironically end soon with the living death of the unfortunate Fortunato. However, Fortunato was determined to taste the wine and insisted on being taken to Montresor’s home. He teased Fortunato with the rare liquor, even pretended that his vaults where the wine was stored were damp. Knowing that Fortunato considered himself a great expert of fine wines, and especially a fanatic of a sherry known as Amontillado, Montresor complimented him by keenly asking his opinion on a newly acquired cask of Amontillado. During one evening during the festival, a time when there was a lot of celebration taking place, Montresor has set up his crazy and evil plan with full confidence that he will never be discovered. Most importantly, Montresor never let Fortunato know of his grudge. The story talks about Montresor’s methods of manipulating Fortunato and carrying out his revenge against the unhappy Fortunato.

The first-person narrator, whose name we later find Montresor, immediately announces that someone named Fortunato has injured him several times and recently insulted him.

Summary And Analysis Of Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Pope.

The cask of amontillado summary and analysis