Irony on the Cask of Amontillado

Stephen Ryan The Cask of Amontillado In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip into the mind of a mad man. The story relates a horrible revenge made even more horrible by the fact that the vengeance is being taken when no real offense had been given. This concept sets the mood for true evil. The plot of the story is simple. Montresor takes revenge on his friend Fortunato by luring him into the wine cellar under the family estate. There he leads Fortunato into the depths of the catacombs where he buries him alive by walling him into a recess in the wall. This story is told in first person, from the point of view of Montresor. The exposition of the story occurs when Montresor tells us that he wants to take revenge on Fortunato because “he ventured upon insult.” What this insult was we do not know. We do know that he intends to go unpunished for this act of reprisal. Montresor then informs us that he is going to continue to smile in Fortunato’s face, while ...