Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a tale of revenge, yet portrayed in the midst of irony. This is evident right from the beginning of the story as Montressor, the main character and narrator, states his intentions towards his acquaintance, Fortunado, to the reader. The reader does not know what Fortunado’s crime is against Montressor, yet Montressor deems it necessary to kill Fortunado for the insult against him, whatever it may be. Despite the fact that the reader knows little about Montressor at the beginning of the story, the reader is forced to listen to the story from his point of view (Moore). The story reeks with the feeling of entrapment in a dark setting, but I will show how both men have become victim to the entrapment that was meant for one man through the use of dramatic, verbal, and situational irony.
Aside from the carnival, the setting is predominantly taking place in the catacombs. These very catacombs were used as a storage area for the Amontillado, the renowned wine for which Fortunado could not turn down a chance to taste. Montressor uses this Amontillado to lure Fortunado away from the company of the carnival. Of course, he needed incentive to gain Fortunado’s interest, so he mentioned Luchesi, a rival wine connoisseur, in the midst of his conversation with Fortunado. Montressor’s intentions toward Fortunado are the foundation of the dramatic irony that will ensue as the story unfolds since the reader already knows that Fortunado is marked for death. Fortunado made several harsh statements regarding Luchesi like, “Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.” (Poe, 15) Montressor has knowledge of Fortunado’s distaste for Luchesi, but this vendetta is used to fuel Fortunado’s obsession over the Amontillado. Montressor places the pieces strategically, and the fine placement was due to reverse psychology, or better known in the world of literature as verbal irony.
Montressor not only knows Fortunado’s motivations, but also that of his servants. He had given them explicit instructions to remain in the home for the night since he would not be coming home for the evening. Montressor knew his servants well enough to realize that they would not remain in the house if their master was not around to watch over them, so the servants indulge in the carnival or other affairs they had for the night rather than remaining in the house. Another example of verbal irony that is displayed is Montressor’s concern for Fortunado’s health. A sign of foreshadowing is when Fortunado says that he will not die of a cough, yet Montressor responds with a mere, “True – true.” (Poe, 16). Montressor even drank to Fortunado’s “long life” (Poe, 16) despite the fact that Montressor will be the one who is responsible for his life to cease. He knows that Fortunado will not return home because he cannot resist the Amontillado. As Montressor begins constructing the wall around Fortunado, we can see that not only is Fortunado intoxicated with the Medoc, but Montressor is intoxicated with his desire for revenge. Before the last block of the wall is placed, the reader is pelted with irony.
The situational irony can be seen in the fact that Fortunado, also known as the fortunate one, is enduring an unfortunate end. Fortunado is chained to the wall, he’s one stone away from being buried alive, yet he is in denial and believes his situation to be a joke. The mason, Fortunado, is walled in by one who Fortunado did not believe to be a mason. Even though Fortunado is trapped in the room, Montressor is trapped in his demented mindset. No one knows what Fortunado was guilty of, but that does not seem to bother him to the point where he would perceive Montressor as an enemy. He was unable to relate to the basics of human society, but lived inside his own vengeful mind, an enclosed area in which space was sparse, much like that of Fortunado’s masonry coffin. Montressor lived on, yet he was wrapped and trapped within himself (Moore).
The story is dark, and Montressor is not a man to be trifled with, yet Fortunado’s crime must have been so obscure that he may have not realized committing it. This unsaid crime could have been committed while Fortunado was inebriated. No one knows for sure, and Poe does not reveal such information to the reader. The reader believes the story to take place in the present, yet it is revealed to take place about fifty years in the past from when it was told. The reader realizes this within the last paragraph which reads, “Against the new masonry I reerected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.” (Poe, 19) This time offset can also be considered as situational irony. Irony comes to the reader in all directions in this story, so much that it could be considered a textbook of irony.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado” Literature: A Portable Anthology, Second Edition.
Eds. Janet E. Garner, et al. Bedford: Boston, 2009. pg. 14-19.
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