SETTING
• SETTING: THE PLACE AND
TIME THAT A STORY TAKES
PLACE
• THE SETTING OF THIS STORY
IS IN ITALY, DURING THE
EARLY 1800S.
• MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE STORY TAKES PLACE DURING
CARNIVAL SEASON, AT NIGHT IN THE MONTRESOR FAMILY
CATACOMBS.
PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST
• PROTAGONIST: MAIN CHARACTER, OFTEN HERO OF THE
STORY
• THE PROTAGONIST OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS
MONTRESOR.
EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOT A HERO, HE IS STILL THE MAIN
CHARACTER.
•
• ANTAGONIST: CHARACTER AGAINST THE PROTAGONIST,
OFTEN VILLAIN OF THE STORY
• THE ANTAGONIST OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS FORTUNATO.
• EVEN THOUGH FORTUNATO IS THE VICTIM IN THE STORY, HE IS
AGAINST THE PROTAGONIST.
CONFLICT
• CONFLICT: STRUGGLE
BETWEEN OPPOSING
FORCES
• THE STRUGGLE THAT
EXISTS IN “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO” IS MAN
VERSUS MAN BECAUSE IT
IS MONTRESOR AGAINST
FORTUNATO.
PLOT POINTS
• EXPOSITION: INTRODUCES THE CHARACTERS, BACKGROUND,
AND SETTING
• INTRODUCED TO MONTRESOR, WHO TELLS US THAT HE WANTS TO GET
REVENGE ON FORTUNATO.
• LEARN THAT FORTUNATO’S WEAKNESS IS HIS PRIDE.
• RISING ACTION: EVENTS WHICH LEAD TO THE CLIMAX OF THE
STORY
• MONTRESOR LURES FORTUNATO INTO HIS CATACOMBS BY SAYING HE
HAS SOME AMONTILLADO THAT HE WANTS LUCHESI TO TASTE.
• AS THEY WALK THROUGH THE CATACOMBS, FORTUNATO COUGHS OFTEN
AND MONTRESOR KEEPS SUGGESTING THAT THEY TURN AROUND.
PLOT POINTS
• CLIMAX: THE HIGHEST POINT OF ACTION IN THE STORY; THE
TURNING POINT IN THE STORY
• MONTRESOR SUDDENLY CHAINS FORTUNATO UP IN A CRYPT.
• FALLING ACTION: EVENTS IN THE STORY THAT LEAD TO THE END
OF THE CONFLICT
• MONTRESOR BEGINS WALLING UP THE ENTRANCE TO THE CRYPT.
• FORTUNATO REALIZES WHAT IS HAPPENING AND TRIES TO STOP
MONTRESOR, BUT TO NO AVAIL.
• DENOUEMENT/RESOLUTION: THE END OF THE CONFLICT
• MONTRESOR FINISHES WALLING OFF THE CRYPT’S ENTRANCE, WHICH
WILL RESULT IN FORTUNATO’S DEATH.
FLAT AND ROUND CHARACTERS
• FLAT CHARACTERS: ONLY A FEW
THINGS ARE KNOWN ABOUT FLAT
CHARACTERS
• ROUND CHARACTERS: MANY
CHARACTERISTICS ARE KNOWN
ABOUT ROUND CHARACTERS
• BOTH MONTRESOR AND FORTUNATO
ARE ROUND CHARACTERS IN “THE
CASK OF AMONTILLADO.”
STATIC AND DYNAMIC CHARACTERS
• DYNAMIC CHARACTERS:
CHANGE DURING THE COURSE
OF THE PLOT
• STATIC CHARACTERS: DON’T
CHANGE DURING THE COURSE
OF THE PLOT
• BOTH MONTRESOR AND
FORTUNATO ARE STATIC
CHARACTERS IN “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO.”
NARRATION AND POINT OF VIEW
• NARRATOR: THE "VOICE" THAT SPEAKS OR TELLS A
STORY
• MONTRESOR IS THE NARRATOR.
• UNRELIABLE NARRATOR: A STORYTELLER WHO FAILS
TO SEE THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EVENTS IN THE
STORY, OR ISN’T COMPLETELY TRUTHFUL
• HE DOESN’T EXPLAIN THE “INSULT”
• HE MIGHT HAVE PANGS OF CONSCIENCE
• THE POINT OF VIEW USED IS FIRST PERSON.
• WE ONLY KNOW MONTRESOR’S THOUGHTS BECAUSE
HE IS TELLING THE STORY.
MOOD AND TONE
• MOOD: THE ATMOSPHERE OF A LITERARY WORK
INTENDED TO EVOKE A CERTAIN EMOTION OR FEELING
FROM THE READER
• THE MOOD OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS
SUSPENSEFUL, DREAD, AND ANXIETY.
• TONE: THE ATTITUDE A WRITER TAKES TOWARD THE
READER, A SUBJECT, OR CHARACTER
• THE TONE OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS EERIE, CREEPY,
AND DISTURBING.
IRONY: FORTUNATO’S NAME
• HIS NAME IS IRONIC BECAUSE HE
IS NOT FORTUNATE IN HIS
INTERACTIONS WITH
MONTRESOR, WHICH LEAD TO HIS
DEATH.
• HIS DEATH IS THE OPPOSITE OF
WHAT WE MIGHT EXPECT FOR
SOMEONE WHOSE NAME IMPLIES
GOOD LUCK OR FORTUNE.
ALLITERATION
• ALLITERATION: THE REPETITION OF
CONSONANT SOUNDS IN WORDS THAT
ARE CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER,
TYPICALLY OCCURS AT THE BEGINNING
OF WORDS
• DESCRIBING THE MOLD: “THE
WHITE WEB-WORK WHICH
GLEAMS FROM THESE CAVERN
WALLS”
• THE “W” SOUND IS REPEATED.
FORESHADOWING
• FORESHADOWING: HINTS OR CLUES OF EVENTS THAT HAVE YET TO
OCCUR.
• THE FOLLOWING ARE STRONG EXAMPLES OF FORESHADOWING FROM
THE STORY:
• THE DESCENT INTO THE CATACOMBS AND REFERENCES TO THE SKELETONS.
• MONTRESOR CALLS HIMSELF A MASON AND SHOWS FORTUNATO HIS
TROWEL.
• THE MONTRESOR FAMILY MOTTO IS “NO ONE ATTACKS ME WITH IMPUNITY.”
• THESE EXAMPLES OF FORESHADOWING ARE CLUES THAT HE IS
PLANNING SOMETHING HORRIBLE FOR FORTUNATO.
SYMBOLISM
• SYMBOL: A PERSON, PLACE, OR THING
USED TO REPRESENT SOMETHING ELSE.
• MONTRESOR’S COAT OF ARMS
SYMBOLIZES HIS REVENGE AGAINST
FORTUNATO’S INSULT.
• FORTUNATO = FOOT
• MONTRESOR = SNAKE
• FORTUNATO’S CLOWN COSTUME
SYMBOLIZES HIS FOOLISHNESS.
THEME
• THEME: CENTRAL IDEA OF A
PIECE OF LITERATURE,
SOMETIMES CALLED THE MORAL
OF THE STORY, OR THE LESSON
• ONE THEME OF “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO” IS THAT
REVENGE WILL CONSUME YOU.
GOTHIC LITERATURE
• GOTHIC LITERATURE IS DESIGNED TO
THRILL READERS BY PROVIDING MYSTERY
AND BLOOD-CURDLING ACCOUNTS OF
VILLAINY, MURDER, AND THE
SUPERNATURAL.
• THE CONVENTIONS OF GOTHIC
LITERATURE INCLUDE ANCIENT
BUILDINGS, A GLOOMY ATMOSPHERE,
DARKNESS, DEATH, DECAY, AND MADNESS.
SUMMARIZER: COAT OF ARMS
INSTRUCTIONS: THE VARIOUS GOTHIC ELEMENTS OF “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO” ARE A PART OF POE’S DEVELOPMENT OF THE STORY’S
SUSPENSEFUL MOOD AND EERIE TONE.
1.
CREATE A NEW COAT OF ARMS FOR THE MONTRESOR FAMILY.
INSTEAD OF THE IMAGE OF THE FOOT CRUSHING THE SNAKE
WHO BITES BACK, USE A GOTHIC IMAGE FROM THE STORY; IN
OTHER WORDS, AN IMAGE IN THE STORY THAT SIGNIFIES
DARKNESS, DECAY, DEATH, MADNESS, GLOOM, ETC.
2. TO THE RIGHT OF THE NEW COAT OF ARMS, EXPLAIN HOW
POE’S USE OF GOTHIC IMAGES HELPS TO DEVELOP THE
STORY’S SUSPENSEFUL MOOD AND EERIE TONE.