"The Cask of Amontillado" was among a collection of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories entitled "Tales," which had been published in 1845. This particular one takes place in Italy, and it begins with mystifying the reader because of the resentment the narrator, Montresor, holds for Fortunato; and ends with shock when Montresor buries Fortunato alive in an underground chamber of his palazzo. Montresor lures him into the chamber by manipulating him in different ways. To be able to manipulate someone, we must be aware of their weaknesses. Social interaction is like a dance. To be able to manipulate people successfully, you must not only the steps, but must be able to improvise. .
Until the end, Fortunato trusts him, because he is drunk and unsuspecting of Montresor. But even if he trusts Montresor, he is much more interested in the Amontillado and his urge clouds his judgment even more. Montresor recognizes this urge, this weakness and therefore manipulates Fortunato with it. "He had a weak point this Fortunato He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine.".
At the beginning, Montresor meets Fortunato "during the supreme madness of the carnival season." He greets him with: .
"My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day." .
This holds a hint of flattery - one type of manipulation. By constantly flattering him he is drawing him closer, making him look for more compliments. However, that isn't the main attraction for Fortunato - the main attraction is the Amontillado. When Montresor first speaks of the drink, Fortunato gets excited. Of course, the flattery helps and so do the insults. .
Montresor insults Fortunato by mentioning Luchresi, a rival wine connoisseur. He states that he might rather have the Amontillado with Luchresi, than with Fortunato and even adds that the other man "has a critical turn." This is something which offends Fortunato: .
"Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry," and makes him even more determined to prove himself the true virtuoso - better than his rival.
The revenge completely disregards the presence of the basic human instinct which thrives on the manipulation and destruction of others, for the moment of satisfaction. In Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado" is a story about revenge, telling the story from Montressor's point of view. ... In Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado," has many significance. ...
The Cask of Amontillado. ... However in the short story "The Cask of Amontillado," Edgar Allan Poe writes in the first person point of view from the perspective of Montresor, the diabolic narrator of this tale, who vowed revenge against Fortunato and has developed the perfect plan for retribution, only lacking the cooperation of Fortunato. ... The devil playing in "The Cask of Amontillado" is the narrator of this story. ... In fact, Montresor could care less about Fortunato's health; he is just concerned about his own advantage of manipulation by luring him deeper into the catacomb...
Poe's extraordinary manipulation of rhythm and sound is particularly evident in The Bells, a poem that seems to echo with the chiming of metallic instruments, and The Sleeper, which reproduces the state of drowsiness. ... In his short story, The Cask of Amontillado, he uses details of horror and repulsion to create the setting. ... In the Cask of Amontillado, Poe's descriptions of underground rooms, space, and sound help establish the atmosphere and the surroundings. ...
His stories, once dismissed as kind of gothic thrillers are now being analyzed for their self-conscious manipulation of narrative devices and their darkly view of reality, and Poe is beginning to be recognized as a master of fictional technique and a precursor of the modernist vision (Bloom 67). ... Nevertheless, the timelessness of and attractions to Poe's work is evident in the fact that many people can still recite portions of Poe's famous poem "The Raven" and vividly remember such tales as "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Cask of Amontillado." ...
