The question of how is usually the teaser question that keeps audiences guessing.  The sense of guessing in turn creates the feeling of suspense.  When a person sits down to read a mystery they are looking for a unique method of committing the crime – either in delivery or escape.  The fact that a crime is going to happen is a foregone conclusion so the interest is maintained by playing with the audience’s expectations about what exactly is going to happen.

Suspense is created in “The Cask of Amontillado” not through the questions of “how” or “who” but rather by refusing to answer the question of “why.”  Why would Montressor commit such a ghastly crime?  What has Fortunato done to deserve it?  By refusing to answer these questions the reader is kept interested and in suspense.  Ultimately refusing to answer the quesiton of why keeps the story perpetually interesting.

The setting of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is precise and important to the overall effect of the story.  The initial setting, the place where the narrator addresses the reader, is not specific.  The reader is allowed to conjecture, to create a setting that would be most comfortable to himself or herself.  Poe then quickly takes us through the carnival scene though he provides very few details, giving the reader a sense of unimportance while setting up Fortunato as a fool.

Although the carnival scene is certainly important, what is more important is how Montresor glosses over its existence.  He wants us to focus on the catacombs that are coming.  He offers barely any description of his home, no real details of his family, and brings Fortunato and by extension the reader as quickly into the darkness as possible.

Poe provides a number of details about the catacombs beneath the Montresor estate and wine cellars they have become.  Montresor pauses often to describe the catacombs, even before entering them.  “The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with niter.”  He repeatedly points out to Fortunato that the very air is unhealthy.  The reader is given a sense that the ground upon which Fortunato walks is participating in the carefully plotted revenge.

Beyond the damp and the niter, the bones add to the morbidity of the scenes. “I drink … to the buried that repose around us.”  Then Montresor points out “The drops of moisture trickle among the bones.”  The setting is one of damp, darkness and death.  Poe sprinkles the dialogue with careful details which Fortunato treats casually, ignoring them though they are clearly affecting him physically while Montresor insists on pointing them out at every step, reminding his listener of how the setting affected them both.

The final detail of the setting that should be discussed is the darkness.  The entire deed happened in the dark.  The murder has been covered up for fifty years.  Obscurity, darkness, and secrecy are themes that pervade the story and the darkness of the catacombs reflects this.  When they reach the final recess “the feeble light did not enable us to see.”  They have progressed literally from the light of the carnival scene into the utter darkness of the furthest reaches of the catacombs.  Figuratively Montresor has journeyed from the happiness of a life before he was wronged into the depths of inner darkness that compel him to murder.

The elements of setting including the damp, the cold, the bones and darkness all contribute effectively to the plot and themes of the story.  Each has literal and figurative importance in the story and Poe puts them together masterfully.

At the simplest level, a recurring irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” is the knowledge that the audience has of Fortunato’s imminent death whereas he has no idea of the actual reason that Montresor has invited him into the catacombs.  In the opening paragraph Montresor describes his intentions for his victim to “not only punish, but punish with impunity.”  It is clear immediately to the audience that Montresor has ill intentions.  However, Fortunato remains oblivious to these intentions, mistaking Montresor’s warm greeting as friendship rather than excitement about the opportunity to execute his plan.  When the audience reads “I was so pleased to see him, that I thought I should never have done with wringing his hand”, it is immediately clear that Fortunato perceives happiness in friendship whereas the reader knows that Montresor’s happiness derives from the chance to execute his diabolical plan.

The irony continues as the story progresses.  On several occasions Montresor offers Fortunato a chance to escape, giving him the pretext of his health.  In these moments the audience understands that Montresor is carefully manipulating Fortunato’s pride and building a tight trap, whereas Fortunato again perceives only friendship.

Poe also employs verbal irony in several instances to augment the dramatic irony.  When Montresor makes statements such as “I will not impose on your good nature” he does not mean that he is not going to inconvenience Fortunato, but rather that he does not consider Fortunato’s nature to be good. He is going to impose upon Fortunato in the severest manner but feels completely justified in doing so.

When Montresor says “you should use all proper caution”, he is not giving Fortunato a warning about the niter in the catacombs.  He is extending an ironic warning, which the reader understands, to Fortunato that he should be watching out for his health but not from the damp of the catacombs but from the human enemy that stands before him.

“The Cask of Amontillado” bears a multitude of other examples of both dramatic and verbal ironies as well as multiple levels of irony, however these examples give a short overview of Poe’s use of irony, which in this case is used to develop suspense and mood in a methodical and carefully planned manner.

The coat of arms depicts “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.”  The foot, while attempting to trample the snake invokes the snakes wrath whereby the destruction of the individual is brought about by his own carelessness.  The over implication to the reader is that Montresor’s family will take reveng upon those who provoke their ire whether intentionally or by accident.  In this case it is unclear if Fortunato is even aware that he has offended Montresor, however Montresor is determined to carry out the act of vengeance regardless.

White explored in further depth the possible ironies of the coat of arms.  While it is obvious that the coat of arms implies revenge for Montresor it also foreshadows the possible guilt that Montresor feels for taking his revenge.  In the end the reader must ask himself if Montresor did not in fact hurt himself in some way.  Is there no twinge of conscience?  If he feels nothing then why is he impelled to retell this story? 

The coat of arms in “The Cask of Amontillado” should not be overlooked.  The foot on the snake also has a biblical reference to Genesis 3:15 during which moment Adam and Eve are driven from the Garden of Eden.  Poe could be implying that in taking his revenge Montresor is casting off his hopes for paradise or, more probably that his paradise has already been ended by Fortunato and he will take his revenge regardless of any consequences that my come in the future.

Poe begins by making Montresor’s personality clear.  He is a cold, calculating individual who is highly patient and extremely intelligent.  He is able to discuss this event with detachment, a signal to the reader that the narrator is a strong figure and dangerous.  The first impression is that one is sitting across the table from an old friend, but by the end of the story the reader realizes that this old friend is a killer, driven with a lust for revenge.

Montresor goes on to describe his actions in precise detail.  He does not simply state the necessary facts, as one would exprect from a confession, but draws out the scene carefully, as one expecting applause for the murder.  The entire time the reader is wondering what exactly he has done, knowing from the beginning that Fortunato is doomed.  Which details are relevant to solve the mystery and which are mere fancies of a deranged mind?  Was it important to Montresor’s plot that Fortunato was dressed in motley?  No, but he recounts the detail to create a perception of Fortunato, to paint both his foolishness and helplessness.  The reader cannot help but feel a mixture of pity and revulsion at the sight.

As the story progresses from dark to even darker matters so do the characters and the mood of the story becomes darker still.  At each turn Montresor offers Fortunato an opportunity to escape, which he eschews, and the reader begins to feel the inevitability of death.  The niter and darkness in the catacombs begins to choke out thoughts of escape and the reader is resolved that Fortunato will die.

As the realization of death passes over the reader, the feeling is replaced with a new thought, the sinister nature of Montresor.  As he begins to build the wall, the certainty of Fortunato’s death is made plain.  There will be no escape.  So why does Montresor insist on giving each last detail?  Poe wishes for the reader to feel the chill and morbidity in Montresor’s tone.  To simply state the facts without the details would be to cheat the reader of the experience.  Could a sane man, one “who so well know[s] the nature of [Montresor's] soul,” fall into this trap or does the reader have the same potential to commit these acts as Montrsor?  By creating a casual atmosphere about murder, Poe is creating a mood of horror, not at the act of murder, but at the potential acts of evil within each of us.  As the characters become trapped in darkness so does the reader become wrapped in dark thoughts and realizes that though Montresor escaped the catacombs he brought with him a horror that is capable of sitting across the table in apparent innocence to casually recount with an air of normalcy.

White (1989) has made the argument that Montresor was acting on behalf of his family in the tradition of the feudal lords of France and Italy.  If his analysis is correct then one can assume that Montresor’s actions are similar to the actions of a soldier and that he would feel no more compunction for the murder than would a loyal soldier engaged in a just and valid war with a feared and dangerous enemy.  Indeed Montresor describes Fortunato as a man “to be respected and even feared.”  Is Montresor then performing only his duty, or is there a more sinister side to his actions?

Stepp (1976) offered the insight that Montresor addresses a person, the reader, “who so well know[s] the nature of [his] soul.” Stepp further concludes that by so doing Poe suggests that Montresor or his nature resides within each person who reads the story, otherwise how could anyone understand the nature of his soul.  The implication is clearly that any person could, provided the correct provocation, perform an act as heinous as that which Montresor does.  Although such a judgment upon humankind may appear extreme, it does offer a degree of insight into the personality of Montresor.

If we begin to look at Montresor not as a lunatic completely disparate from humankind then understanding his personality and motives becomes somewhat easier though certainly not possible with certainty.  He is a jealous man.  To Fortunato he says, “You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as once I was.”  Although Montresor may, and probably does have additional motives, envy is certainly among them.  Envy which is common to many.

Kishel (1982) has argued that Montresor is a sort of sadist.  He mocks Fortunato with his own words, hoping that he will hear his enemy begging for mercy in the same way that his family and fortune have been reduced to the status of beggars.  Support for this claim is easy to find in the coldly calculating manner in which Montresor lures his prey into the dungeons.  The laborious preparations are obvious.  The mockery unnecessary.

However Delaney (2005) has taken a different view of Montresor’s activities.  He has argued that Montresor’s repetition of Fortunato’s words are not in mockery or sadism but rather in remorse and pity.  Delany has suggested that Montresor is not a creature so distant from any of us that he can in fact act with “impunity” but that he does feel a degree of guilt for his actions, otherwise why would he bother telling this story fifty years after the events transpired?  Clearly it has weighed heavily on his mind.  White would respond that Montresor is recounting a victory, much like a hunter would recount the tale of his successful hunt.  In the end it is for the reader to decide.

Was Montresor a sadist? A soldier? Ridden with guilt?  Clear of conscience?  These questions are the questions that make Montresor such an interesting character.  In the end he captures so many elements of what it is to be human that the reader cannot help but identify on some level with him though she might not agree with his actions or have the ability to condone them.

See the references page for full citations.

Any analysis of Fortunato must begin with a look at his name before exploring his physical and mental characteristics and behavior.  Fortunato means fortunate.  It is the past particple, used, just as in English, as an adjective.  However, it can hardly be argued that he is a very fortunate person, at least in the end.  The irony here is doubtlessly not lost on the majority of readers and is just as doubtlessly intentional by Poe. 

A second look, however, does can lead to the insight that in Montresor’s view Fortunato may indeed by more fortunate.  Although Montresor outright deny’s jealousy as a motive, the possibility remains that Fortunato’s fortune is a reason behind Montresor’s ghastly behavior either because of envy or because Fortunato came into his fortune at Montresor’s expense.  These are, of course, questions that Poe intended for the reader to ask in order to masterfully build the suspense that is so necessary to the success of the story.

Physically, we learn that Fortunato is not a healthy individual.  He suffers from a cough.  The carnival season comes along in the spring so it might be assumed that he has a cold as a holdover from winter, but more likely Montresor is aware of a chronic problem, otherwise he would have found it difficult to time his preparations to coincide with chance ailment.

Mentally, Fortunato is much more complex.  Clearly he is confident in himself.  Certainly he must be aware of the “thousands of injuries” that he has infliced on Montresor, otherwise why would Montresor be so careful to give no reason that Fortunato should “doubt my good will.”  Fortunato understands that he is dealing with an enemy but boldly accepts the invitation, as if brought by a subordinate.  Confidence such as this must come from success and the logical implication is that to some degree his success has come from his past dealings with Montresor.

In addition to his confidence, Fortunato also displays a degree of intelligence.  He states, “Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.”  While certainly this remark is intended to be derisive, the fact that Amontillado is a type of Sherry could not escape Montresor.  He is asserting that his knowledge has degrees of subtlety that go beyond the normal.  Montresor, in fact agrees that Fortunato is a “virtuoso” when it comes to wine.

Ultimately his pride and confidence in his own knowledge and experience bring Fortunato to his downfall.  The same powers which brought him his good fortune lead him to a bad end.  Montresor is able to use Fortunato’s egocentrism against him and ultimately complete his revenge.  Were Fortunato a more perceiving individual he might have escaped.

Poe masterfully weaves together Fortunato’s name, physical characteristics and mental makeup to create a character that the reader enjoys watching perish.  Fortunato is, in some ways, simple, but is certainly not pathetic.  He brings a dynamic of intelligence and gullibility which stems from confidence and pride to a story that uses those dynamics to create suspense and ultimately satisfies the reader by demonstrating that pride does indeed go before the fall.  In the end Fortunato vindicates Montresor, not only in the real sense of paying for his un-named crimes, but by freeing the reader of any guilt for sympathizing with a murderer.

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.

In the next few lines we discover that the revenge has taken place and that this is the story of that revenge.  The original questions, however, remain throughout the story.  Even up to the last line there is some mild hope that Fortunato might really get away, that Montresor might relent, and all the while we are left wondering why?  Why the murder?  Why the slow, careful planning?  Why was there no suspicion on Fortunato’s part?

The beauty of the mystery here is that it remains truly unsolved and yet it does not leave the reader feeling unsatisfied.  We know the major events.  We feel resolution for all of the characters.  We need not know Fortunato’s guilt in order to know that Montresor is completely satisfied with his revenge and that he feels no guilt for it.  Yet the driving question from the beginning carries the story forward and through its completion because it is an interesting question.

In addition to the key question, Poe further creates suspense by offering Fortunato a number of opportunities for escape.  Montresor invites him to leave the catacombs, offers to take him out, even points out the futility of continuing and as readers we must think to ourselves “Yes, get out! You fool!” and yet we cannot help but watch in horror as he goes to his doom.

Montresor uses the guile of a cask of amontillado in order to lure Fortunato into the catacombs beneath his ancestral home.  Fortunato is an expert in wine and Montresor suggest that his superior talents can help him decide if a supposed cask of amontillado is in fact genuine.  Fortunato succumbs to the false flattery of his talents and follows Montresor into the damp, dark catacombs.

Once in the catacombs Montresor guides his prey into the deepest recesses where he has prepared shackles which he uses to restrain Fortunato while he proceeds to bury him alive by bricking him in one brick at a time.

“The Cask of Amontillado” is a classic of horror fiction, of which Edgar Allen Poe is the true master.