This is not the first summary of “The Cask of Amontillado” that I have written, and probably it won’t be the last, as it seems that more can always be written about this fascinating tale.
The real mystery in “The Cask of Amontillado” is not that a murder happens or that a secret has been kept for over fifty years which is now only beginning to be discovered; the mystery lies in the fact that the exact details of the wrongs which Fortunato has perpetrated against Montresor are never conveyed to the reader.
Montresor asserts that he took every measure to keep his prey off guard by never showing any sign of having been offended by the wrongs done him and very meticulously plans his revenge. He greets Fortunato during the Carnival celebration, befriending him and then explaining, in an off-hand manner, his need for help to verify the quality of a pipe or cask of recently purchased Amontillado wine. Fortunato, being a vain and foolish fellow, agrees to help solve Montresor’s problem. Montresor than proceeds to take Fortunato into his ancient family catacombs, beneath his estate.
Never for a moment does Fortunato suspect that anything can be amiss despite Montresor’s repeated warnings that he should exit the dungeon. The fool is drawn along as a puppet on a string until finally Montresor claps him in irons and bricks him up, alive, inside of the catacombs. Montresor exacts his revenge just as he told us he had in the opening lines of the story. Montresor is a cold, calculating fellow, but the reader is left with mixed feelings and often wonders just what effects the murder had on the murderer and why.
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