The Cask of Amontillado begins before nightfall, one evening during the carnival season in a city in Europe. The location quickly changes from lighthearted and cheerful to dark and gloomy in the damp, dark catacombs under Montressor's palazzo which gives us a clue on how ominous this whole set up seems to be. This "Amontillado" seems to be hidden within the forbidden catacombs underneath his palace.
The mood of the story starts out jolly and carefree. However as they go into the catacombs to where the supposedly hidden cask of Amontillado it becomes darker and more gloomy by the minute. In the end when Montressor was about to put the final piece of stone in place he heard laughter from inside the crypt and the voice (Fortunato) thought it was all a joke and they would soon be back at the palazzo.
The main character in this story is the narrator, Montressor. He thinks that Fortunato insulted him and therefore must die. He is filled with anger and wants revenge very badly. It is ironic about Fortunato's jester costume because Montressor made a fool out of him. Montressor pretended to like Fortunato even when he was planning on killing him this shows that he can be tricky as well. He is like the serpent in his family crest, he always tends to get revenge and strike back.
The Cask is what holds the Amonillado, which is nothing more than a variety of dry sherry. It also represents the bait to get Fortunato down in the catacombs to his demise. The reason they had to go through the catacombs is because Montressor left it at the end of the crypt and they needed to go get it. In the end, Fortunato love for this liquid proved to be his downfall. .