However, we get no inclination that Fortunato is in any way better situated than Montressor -- only that he has insulted him. Montressor's vanity has been stricken, and he will strike back. But there is the sense in Iago that he wants something the Moor has -- whether it is power, Desdemona, ability, etc. There is a look in his eye, a sound in his speech, a hint in his words that he is jealous of the Moor. Does this transfer to Montressor, a latter-day representation of the evil Iago? Is it fair to say so? Is it even fair to say jealousy is at the root of Iago's hatred? Critics for centuries have puzzled over the mystery of Iago's hate. "Motiveless malignance" is all the better they have been able to name it. Therefore, one might not wish to prosecute the perpetrator Montressor by laying the blame at jealousy. After all, Montressor tells us himself in the very first line: "when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge."
What McHugh calls jealousy can perhaps be better understood as wounded vanity. Montressor gives both the reader and Fortunato another hint that such is the case when he describes his coat of arms: The heel of a foot crushing the head of a serpent, which has sunk its fangs into the heel. Again, Montressor may be fooling with the drunk Fortunato by foreshadowing what is to come -- by foretelling what awaits him at the end of the vault. But Fortunato does not realize that he himself is the snake. Duped by Montressor's smile, Fortunato is convinced that the only snake to come up between them is Luchesi, who wouldn't know Amontillado from sherry.
McHugh does give some evidence that both predator and prey in "Amontillado" suffer from vanity: "If Fortunato were not so quick to prove himself better than Luchesi, he wouldn't have gone into the catacombs in the first place. As for Montresor, wounded pride…left unchecked can have destructive, even lethal, consequences" (McHugh 2). The lethal consequences for Montressor? By killing...
Cask of Amontillado and Unreliable Narrator Mental Disorder and Poe's Unreliable Narrator Edgar Allan Poe is most known for his fascinating tales of the macabre and grotesque. Many of Poe's short tales are told from an unreliable perspective in which the narrator tells the events that have occurred as he interprets them. Furthermore, these tales of the macabre often explore the concepts of paranoia and murder. These themes are prevalent in "The
Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe uses vivid dialogue to give his characters life. He begins his tale by speaking directly to the reader. He pulls the reader in by saying that "You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat" (Poe, 191). The reader knows that the main character is speaking to him. And the reader understands
Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allen Poe uses a number of elements to increase the shock value of the murder perpetrated by Montresor. The victim is Fortunato, whom Montresor attempts until the very end to convince of nothing but his own friendship and goodwill. There are several elements of setting and situation that aid Montresor in his intention to murder Fortunato. The shock value of this event is further enhanced
Cask of Amontillado to the U.S. National Debt Comparing the Symbolism in The Cask of Amontillado by E.A. Poe to the U.S. National Debt In The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe addresses a man who lures his friend down to a cellar with the promise of a fine wine and then walls him up and leaves him there because he feels the friend has wronged him (Poe's, 2003). Metaphorically, the
Somehow, this made the story illustrate Fortunato's character and somehow has given me some thoughts on Fortunato's character, reasoning why Montresor bears bitterness to Fortunato. The next scene in the story is the place where the crime will happen, at the catacombs of the Montresors, a place underneath the Montresor palazzo and where a lot of deceptions and verbal ironies were suggested. This includes the concern to Fortunato's health that
Symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" contains many rich symbols. It is a story deeply shrouded in mystery and destruction for the character of Fortunato, and although Fortunato does not realize it, he is going to meet in his fate on the night of the carnival. What is worse, is that he will meet this untimely death at the hands of someone he
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