The Cask of Amontillado: The Dangers of Pride

n one of Edgar Allen Poe's best-known tales of horror, "The Cask of Amontillado," he suggests that pride can be a very dangerous thing. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents the compelling drama of two men. One who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he deems himself and his family worthy of, and another who's pride will ultimately be the catalyst for his death. Fortunato falls prey to Montressor's plans because he is so proud of his connoisseurship of wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montressor takes revenge on Fortunato. In this essay, I will examine how Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing and irony, in order to create such a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece.



In "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe employs a sinister aspect of foreshadowing. First, when Fortunato says, "I shall not die of a cough" (1148), Montressor replies, "True-true" (1148). Instead, Montressor know...