Character Critical Analysis – The Cask of Amontillado

Montressor is the main character in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. Since the story is told in the first person we learn about him only by what he says and thinks. He is insane, a madman or even a serial killer (long before they were called that). And yet he is intelligent and prideful and so people have enjoyed reading about the story of one of his victims for over 150 years.
He is insane, not just by his actions – killing a man by burying him alive, but the reason he does it is because of “the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge”. And Fortunato does not even realize that Montressor is unhappy with him. Which makes us think that the injuries were not that severe.
Another example of his insanity is his tirade regarding revenge. “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when the retribution overtakes it redresser. It is equally unredressed when the...