In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor murders his friend out of revenge for an unnamed set of acts. Through careful manipulation, he is able to lead his friend, Fortunato, to his death without a single hint that anything was wrong. At the end, Montresor leaves under heavy guilt, in denial that he regrets committing the murder. The Edgar Allen Poe short story, “The Cask of Amontillado, demonstrates that even the most perfectly orchestrated revenge ends in regret.
As a member of a family line priding itself in perfect retaliation, Montresor considers himself to be an expert on revenge. As the two characters are wandering deeper and deeper into the catacombs, Poe makes a point of explaining Montresor’s family history. His family motto, “Nemo me inpune lacessit,” means that no one will ever do a family member wrong without suffering consequences (Poe). In illustrating how this motto is implemented, Montresor explains the family crest: a foot crushing a snake that bit into its heel (Poe). Though Fortunato does not know it, he is the snake and Montresor is the foot. In seeking vengeance against Fortunato, Montresor is fulfilling an ancient family tradition. As he explains to his friend at the very beginning of the story, Montresor has taken vengeance as a part of his character, promising perfect retaliation whenever revenge is called for. As he explains, the perfect revenge is consequence-free, and always dishes out the same level of harm that the avenger originally received from the victim (Poe). As a member of a long line of seekers of perfect revenge, Montresor considers himself to be an expert, illustrating his finesse by saying, “Neither by word nor by deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will” (Poe). In the story, Montresor is a competent and confident avenger enacting the perfect crime.
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"“The Cask of Amontillado” Analysis".
Just as Montresor predicts, he is able to commit vengeance perfectly, with no risk of suspicion. Using reverse psychology, Montresor convinces Fortunato to lead himself to his doom. First, Montresor uses Fortunato’s disbelief against him, convincing him that something rare and exciting has happened: the acquisition of a pipe of Amontillado (Poe). Disbelief causes Fortunato to become excited, impairing his judgment. Secondly, Montresor uses keen observation to take advantage of Fortunato’s pride, making Fortunato assert that he is the only one who can correctly identify the Amontillado (Poe). Finally, Montresor uses a combination of flattery and concern to address Fortunato’s health every time he feels sick, thereby causing Fortunato to shake off Montresor’s concerns, boldly marching on into the cold, damp catacombs (Poe). Montresor is able to manipulate all of the flaws in Fortunato’s character, leading him willingly to his death without any risk of being found out. Once there, Montresor enacts the second requirement of the perfect revenge: causing the same pain in Fortunato that Fortunato caused him. Once he has secured Fortunato in the recess deep in the catacombs, Montresor causes his victim to scream and panic in total helplessness (Poe). Montresor is able to commit the perfect revenge, causing equalizing pain in his victim without any consequences.
Despite planning and carrying out the perfect revenge, Montresor leaves feeling remorse. Despite causing horrible suffering in the person who caused him suffering, Monstressor does not leave satisfied. Either through death or a sense of defeat, Fortunato stops replying to Montressor, lying still in the dark without answering Montressor’s calls (Poe). The moment Fortunato grows quiet, Montressor has a peculiar reaction: “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so” (Poe). Montressor is hit by remorse the moment his vengeance is complete, immediately dismissing it as physical discomfort. He then hurries to finish the wall and cover it up with bones (Poe). Despite being thoroughly planned and gleefully set into action, Montressor’s vengeance does not end in satisfaction.
The story of “The Cask of Amontillado” is about expertly implemented vengeance that ends in regret. Even though Montressor causes the pain his victim caused to him, leaving consequence-free, his immediate response is regret. Through Montressor’s murder of Fortunato, Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates that vengeance only ends in regret, no matter how perfectly implemented.
