1. “The Cask of Amontillado”
THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO
LITERATURE
Kelly J. Mays
Fiction
Edgar Allan Poe’s
“The Cask of Amontillado”
13th Shorter Edition

2. Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
Poe was an American author best known as the pioneer of detective fiction, inventor of ratiocination (the advent of forensics), and works on mystery and the macabre. He was born in Boston but soon after was adopted by John and Frances Allan and moved to Richmond, Virginia, after his father abandoned the family and his mother died. Poe attended University of Virginia and flunked out of officers’ school at West Point. He then spent many years working as a journalist and literary critic, and founded several failed literary publications. A rampant alcoholic who suffered from delirium, the cause of his death remains widely disputed.
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3. The Cask of Amontillado
“I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat! ”
Using a first-person narrative contributes to the effect of suspense and anticipation, because the narrator can purposely mislead the reader. Is Montresor a dependable narrator? He appears single-minded in his pursuit of revenge, but do students identify this as motivated by mental illness or as an identifiable human evil or impulse within all people?

4. Questions for Discussion
Why has the narrator waited fifty years to tell what he has done? Under what circumstances is he reporting his deed? Why is Montresor angry with Fortunato? Does he have a valid reason to seek revenge?
The plot structure seems fairly obvious, with the exposition largely in (but not wholly confined to) the first three paragraphs; the rising action continuing until the climactic chaining of Fortunato to the wall (his recognition scene corresponding to that of many readers’ recognition of precisely what Montresor has in mind); the action falling to the last paragraph's conclusion, with the leap of fifty years to the time of the narration (a gap we previously did not know existed but that might allow us to conjecture just why Montresor is narrating—or confessing).

5. Questions for Discussion
How would you assess the mental stability of the narrator? Of Fortunato? What are some examples of humor, irony, and pun in the story? Poe is the founder of “ratiocination,” which we can think of as early forensics and crime scene investigation. Where do you see evidence of forensic clues provided in the story?
Once I ask students if Montresor is a dependable narrator, we usually discuss whether Montresor really has a legitimate complaint against Fortunato and then talk about whether Montresor as a narrator is unreliable in a way that confuses readers and/or interferes with the story's building suspense. Usually, students observe that, whether or not Montresor has a legitimate beef with Fortunato, Montresor does appear single-minded in his pursuit of revenge. We can count on him to carry out his plot—whatever it is—and this certainty is the basis for the suspense about what he will do and when. The reference to “freemasons” through the “secret shake” may slip over most students’ heads—make sure to indicate the pun upon “masonry” and “freemasonry.”

6. Group Activity and Write-Up
Imagine a scenario in which you are a jury member or judge listening to the prosecution and defense in Montresor’s court case. Write an essay in which you describe the evidence presented from both sides (is Montresor criminally insane, for example)? With which side are you most likely to agree, and what does this reveal about your own bias or understanding of criminal intent?

7. Suggestions for Writing
Is Fortunato’s death “poetic justice”? Write an essay on the relationship between irony and justice in “The Cask of Amontillado,” using at least three examples from the story. Montresor is telling his story down fifty years (“half of a century”) after committing murder. What do you believe motivated him to share his tale so long after the events? Is Montresor a sociopath, or does he possess a conscience? Use evidence from the story to support your position. Write an essay that examines the theme of “jealousy” in both Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” and Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess.”

8. Copyright © 2018 W. W. Norton & Company
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Copyright © 2018 W. W. Norton & Company