From the beginning we know that Montresor plans revenge on Fortunato, however, we never really know why he hates Fortunato so much – aside from the insults he supposedly has given him. It is during Carnival, a time of great celebration and gayety, that Montresor decides to lure Fortunato by the promise of amontillado into the catacombs to kill him.
The name of the narrator is Montresor; Mon tre sor
sounds a bit like “monster”.
In the first paragraph, please include:
The title of the short story, “The
Cask of Amontillado”, and the name of the author, Edgar Allen Poe.
A brief synopsis of the story – no
more than three or four lines.
The thesis statement so that we
know what your essay is going to be about.
A reference to Poe’s use of irony,
setting, and the unreliable narrator to create the mood of “The Cask of
Amontillado”. Example: Poe’s use
of irony, the eerie setting and Montresor’s unreliability as a narrator helps
to create the gothic dark mood of his “The Cask of Amontillado”.
In the second paragraph, or the
first body paragraph, please include:
A thesis statement so that the
reader knows what the paragraph is about.
If you are discussing irony, be
sure to develop the thesis of Poe’s use of irony.
Give specific examples of irony
from the story either through quotation or by paraphrasing.
Then explain or discuss the
quotation or the paraphrase to show how it is ironic.
Example: Poe uses situational irony from the
very beginning of the short story, from the title – the word casket derives
from the word cask – to the setting – Carnival is a time of gayety and not one
normally associated with a murder – and the name of the victim, Fortunato, who
is clearly not fortunate.
If you want to do more paragraphs
on the various ironies Poe uses, you may; you might do one paragraph on the
many examples of verbal irony:
Examples of verbal
irony:
Montresor tell Fortunato that
they must go back for Fortunato is sick and he cannot be responsible if
anything happens to him.
Montresor “implores Fortunato
to turn back as they descend deeper into the catacombs.
There are many, many more examples
of verbal irony in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Please mention briefly the examples of dramatic irony.
Examples:
Fortunato says that he will
not die of a cough, which is true, he won’t die from a cough.
Montresor tells Fortunato the
family’s Latin motto, which is "No one attacks me without punishment. Dramatic irony is displayed because Fortunato fails to understand how Montresor intends to apply that motto to him.
Montresor pulls out a trowel, a mason's tool, and tells Fortunato that he is a member of the Masons, a secretive and exclusive organization; Fortunato, unaware of Montresor's true intentions toward him, fails to grasp the sick joke.
In the final paragraph, briefly go over the main points in your essay, and then write your concluding thought.
Do not include new information in your final paragraph.
