“The Cask of Amontillado”
By Edgar Allan Poe
What is a cask of Amontillado?
What does the word cask
sound like to you?
(hint-Think death)
Amontillado is a very
expensive dry, white wine.
Characters
Montresor
Fortunato
Montresor is our narrator
Fortunato is our victim
Feels wronged by
Fortunato
Proud
Arrogant
Wants to make Fortunato
pay for what he did.
A mason
Wealthy; has servants
Married
Setting
Carnival
Carnival
Carnival is a secular holiday, but
is evolved from the Christian
holiday, Lent.
What is Lent?
Carnival
Traditionally, Lent
involves giving up meat.
The literal meaning of
Carnival is:
Carn + Val =
Flesh (meat) + Farewell
Modern day lent involves
giving up something one
enjoys.
Participants of Carnival eat,
drink, and party excessively
before the solemn event of
Lent.
It is essentially their last
“hoorah” before Lent.
Think like a criminal…
Why would Carnival be the perfect time to commit a
crime?
More Setting
Catacombs
Catacombs are known as “Cities of the Dead”
In “The Cask of Amontillado” our narrator, Montresor, plans his
revenge to take place in the catacombs beneath his palace.
Catacombs
•
Underground areas where
people are buried.
•
This started when disease
claimed the lives of so many
that proper burial became
impossible.
•
Catacombs became the
alternative.
•
The wealthy had catacombs
under their estates to bury
their own family members.
Catacombs for the Wealthy
Visiting
Catacombs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=--ti8nSK5ZQ
Would you go on a tour?!
Conflict
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor lures
Fortunato to his catacombs.
He is upset about how Fortunato has insulted him.
He is seeking revenge!
What kind of conflict is this?
EXTERNAL
MAN VS. MAN
Vocabulary
Impunity- Freedom from punishment
He is not afraid of being punished for what he does because he
has impunity.
Repose- to lie dead or at rest
Many buried bodies repose in tombs underground.
Aperture- an opening, such as a doorway.
He entered the dark room through an aperture in the wall.
Subside- to slow or decrease
When he realizes that no one hears him, his screams subside.
Text Analysis
What is Mood?
Mood
Mood is the feeling or atmosphere the
writer creates for the reader.
One word to describe “The Cask of Amontillado” is suspenseful.
Suspense- a continual state of excitement
about what will happen next.
Come up with words you would use to describe the mood of Poe’s stories
How does Poe create mood?
Poe creates a suspenseful, horrifying, creepy mood by using
imagery.
Imagery- The use of sensory details that appeal to sight,
hearing, taste, touch, or smell.
When reading Poe’s stories, a reader can hear the screams,
see the death, taste the wine, feel the nitre, and smell the
rotting flesh!
GROSS 
Let’s Practice Analyzing Mood
Mood of “The Cask of Amontillado: Suspenseful, Horrifying, Creepy
Example of Imagery
“Drops of moisture trickle
among the bones.”
“I felt the cold, steamy breath
of death on my neck.”
Which senses does the
imagery use?
Touch, sight, hearing
Monitor for Understanding &
Summarize and Share
Paraphrasing
What is
Paraphrasing?
Restating in your own words the
information that you have read.
Paraphrasing keeps all the details
of the original text.
Let’s Practice!
Text
My Paraphrase
“I smiled at him as usual whenever I
The narrator pretends he likes the
met him. He didn’t guess that I smiled other man, but he is lying. What he
at the thought of destroying him.”
really is smiling about is the thought
of destroying him.
“The Cask of Amontillado”
Enjoy!