The Cask of Amontillado written by Edgar Allen Poe was first published in 1846. Poe is known for his dark tales of horror, murder, and apparent fear of being buried alive as seen by the central theme to many of his short stories. This story is no exception. He uses his literary magic to weave a tale of suspense and psychological horrors. Although the reasons behind this murder tale aren't clear, Poe uses the theme of disguise to tell this gruesome tale. .
In the opening the reasons for revenge are disguised like a riddle. "the thousand injuries of Fortunato" and "when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge" (Poe 680). It would appear that the main characters are of wealthy status in society and that this Fortunato has somehow insulted the storyteller Montressor to a breaking point. Some would compare this Fortunato to a bully, and throughout the story all the way to his death he is boastful, and talks down to Montressor and about another man named Luchesi.
The murder takes place during carnival at time in which cups runneth over with libations, costumes are worn and it is a time of fun and partying. Montressor uses this time to disguise himself in a mask and cape not only to blend in with the revelers, but also to conceal his identity to be able to commit this murder without detection. After all this is a time when no one expects harm to come to them and so was the case for Fortunato. Montressor states that his "friend accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much." (Poe 681). This appears to be a well thought out plan, premeditation if you will, that fits perfectly into the theme of disguise used throughout the story. .
The final example of disguise I will discuss is the use of the catacombs. Montressor lured his friend into the catacombs by using his ego against him promising a taste of a rare cask of Amontillado, which is a very fine, very rare, and expensive wine.
Summary B. ... The Cask of Amontillado A. Summary B. ... In "The Cask of Amontillado," Montressor plots and carries out the murder of his friend, Fortunato. This is done by telling Fortunato that there is a cask of fine wine, Amontillado, in his wine cellar. ...
The writings of Edgar Allan Poe are known for their presence of horror, mystery, and tragedies, but what influenced his original stories and writings have been on the mind of his audience since his death. Over the years rumors have spread, saying maybe he was a little crazy, or his addictions drove him to his wild tales, but how does one write such detailed and elaborate tails when not in the right state of mind? From going over his works and background we can see that Poe had to be in the right state of mind when writing to be able to write so carefully and eloquently. A major theme that can ...