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English 9___________________________
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
Revenge Opinionnaire
Directions: Read each of the following statements.
Write A if you agree with the statement or D if you
disagree with it.
Agree or Disagree
_______ 1. One should always forgive and forget.
_______ 2. If you do not seek revenge on those who are cruel to you,
you will invite others to be cruel to you.
_______ 3. Only a madman would kill someone to avenge a wrong.
_______ 4. Forgive, but never forget.
_______ 5. An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.
_______ 6. There is nothing like sweet revenge.
_______ 7. Having feelings of revenge is normal, but acting on those feelings
is something else.
_______ 8. It is always best to turn the other cheek.
_______ 9. People who are cruel or mean deserve a taste of their own
medicine.
_______ 10. An unavenged wrong is like a festering sore.
_______ 11. There is nothing wrong with seeking revenge against someone
who has really hurt you.
_______ 12. Only a coward would fail to seek revenge when someone has
wronged them.
_______ 13. Smart people seek revenge only when they are certain they can
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get away with it.
_______ 14. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
_______ 15. The trouble with seeking revenge is that it will come back to
haunt you.
_______ 16. If someone insults your honor, you must seek revenge.
_______ 17. If more people would try to resolve differences by talking, we
would have a lot less violence.
_______ 18. No matter what the cause, revenge is never justified.
Literature and Your Life
CONNECT YOUR EXPERIENCE
Often it doesn’t take much to spark a desire for revenge. It can start
with a simple insult, an unresolved dispute, even an unhappy loser in a hardfought game. You encounter these situations in books, movies, television
programs, and in real life. Sometimes, as in this story, a quest for revenge
can get out of hand.
Think about why some people become obsessed with revenge and jot down all
the reasons that come to mind. Then note some of the negative consequences
of such an obsession. If possible cite examples.
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Negative Consequences
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Literary Technique
Edgar Allan Poe is considered the father of the horror story. He uses a
variety of literary techniques to the effect of sheer horror for his readers.
Throughout this tale, you must keep track of the following techniques.
Define each technique below.
FORESHADOWING: ________________________________________________
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IMAGERY: _________________________________________________________
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IRONY: ____________________________________________________________
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Poe’s word mastery focused on creating a single mood for his reader. Define
each word below and be prepared to track words which influence your mood.
TONE: ________________________________________________________________
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MOOD: _______________________________________________________________
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Amontillado 4
THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I
best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I
vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of
my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave
utterance to a threat. AT LENGTH I would be
avenged; this was a point definitively settled -- but
the very definitiveness with which it was resolved
precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish,
but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed
when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally
unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself
felt as such to him who has done the wrong.
Re-read this paragraph. What message is Poe
trying to get across? Why is it important at this stage of
the story? Is the narrator justified in seeking revenge?
From what point of view is this story told?
It must be understood that neither by word nor deed
had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I
continued as was my wont, to smile in his face, and
he did not perceive that my smile NOW was at the
thought of his immolation.
Why does the narrator smile in Fortunato’s face?
What does his smile hide? Is this how a normal person
would behave in the face of an insult? Have you ever
hidden your intentions behind a smile? Can you think
of any songs which focus on this human condition?
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Use this column to
track your
understanding of this
Poe masterpiece. If
you don’t understand
something, place a
question mark (?) by
the sentence(s) which
is giving you trouble.
Be sure to ask your
teacher about it.
Amontillado 5
You should also use this text
box to track the 7 Steps to a
Story.
1. A character(s):
He had a weak point -- this Fortunato -- although in
other regards he was a man to be respected and even
feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in
wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For
the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the
time and opportunity to practice imposture upon the
British and Austrian MILLIONAIRES. In painting
and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a
quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere.
In this respect I did not differ from him materially; I
was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought
largely whenever I could.
How do you feel about the narrator?
Where does this story take place? How do you know?
What skill do Fortunato and the narrator have in
common?
What does Fortunato’s name seem to imply?
It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme
madness of the carnival [like Mardi Gras] season,

protagonist:

antagonist
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that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with
excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much.
The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting
parti-striped dress and his head was surmounted by
the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him,
that I thought I should never have done wringing his
hand.
Why is the narrator glad to see Fortunato? Is it
normal to act pleased and friendly toward someone you
hate?
What does Fortunato’s dress say about his character?
I said to him -- "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily
met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day!
But I have received a pipe of what passes for
Amontillado, and I have my doubts."
What is Amontillado?
"How?" said he, "Amontillado? A pipe?
Impossible ? And in the middle of the carnival?"
"I have my doubts," I replied; "and I was silly
enough to pay the full Amontillado price without
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consulting you in the matter. You were not to be
found, and I was fearful of losing a bargain."
"Amontillado!"
"I have my doubts."
"Amontillado!"
"And I must satisfy them."
"Amontillado!"
"As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi. If
any one has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me—”
"Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry."
Who is Luchesi?
Fortunato is demonstrating one of the seven deadly sins?
Name it.
"And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a
match for your own."
"Come let us go."
"Whither?"
"To your vaults."
"My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good
nature. I perceive you have an engagement.
Luchesi—”
"I have no engagement; come."
Amontillado 8
"My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the
severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted.
The vaults [wine cellars] are insufferably damp. They
are encrusted with nitre."
What is nitre?
"Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing.
Amontillado! You have been imposed upon; and as
for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from
Amontillado."
What can you conclude about Fortunato’s character
from his words and actions here?
How does Fortunato feel about the narrator?
Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my
arm. Putting on a mask of black silk and drawing a
roquelaire [long, heavy cloak]closely about my
person, I suffered [allowed] him to hurry me to my
palazzo [home].
There were no attendants at home; they had
absconded to make merry in honour of the time. I
had told them that I should not return until the
morning and had given them explicit orders not to
stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I
well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance ,
one and all, as soon as my back was turned.
Amontillado 9
I took from their sconces [holders] two flambeaux
[torches], and giving one to Fortunato bowed him
through several suites of rooms to the archway that
led into the vaults. I passed down a long and winding
staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he
followed. We came at length to the foot of the
descent, and stood together on the damp ground of
the catacombs of the Montresors.
The gait [way of walking] of my friend was unsteady,
and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
"The pipe," said he.
"It is farther on," said I; "but observe the white
webwork which gleams from these cavern walls."
He turned towards me and looked into my eyes with
two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of
intoxication.
"Nitre?" he asked, at length
"Nitre," I replied. "How long have you had that
cough!"
"Ugh! ugh! ugh! -- ugh! ugh! ugh! -- ugh! ugh! ugh! - ugh! ugh! ugh! -- ugh! ugh! ugh!
My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many
minutes.
"It is nothing," he said, at last.
Does the narrator really feel sorry for Fortunato?
Amontillado 10
"Come," I said, with decision, we will go back; your
health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired,
beloved; you are happy as once I was. You are a man
to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back;
you will be ill and I cannot be responsible. Besides,
there is Luchesi—”
Does the narrator really care about Fortunato’s
health? What literary technique is being used here?
"Enough," he said; "the cough is a mere nothing; it
will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough."
Again, name the literary technique being used here.
"True -- true," I replied; "and, indeed, I had no
intention of alarming you unnecessarily -- but you
should use all proper caution. A draught of this
Medoc will defend us from the damps."
Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew
from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the
mould [a hollow in which wine bottles lie on their
side].
"Drink," I said, presenting him the wine.
He raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused and
nodded to me familiarly, while his bells jingled.
"I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose around
Amontillado 11
us.”
"And I to your long life."
Why is the narrator’s toast ironic?
He again took my arm and we proceeded.
"These vaults," he said, are extensive."
"The Montresors," I replied, "were a great
numerous family."
What is the narrator’s last name?
"I forget your [family coat of] arms."
"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot
crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are
imbedded in the heel."
"And the motto?"
"Nemo me impune
lacessit [No one
attacks me without
impunity]."
What do the
images and the
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motto on the Montresor coat of arms suggest?
"Good!" he said.
The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled.
My own fancy grew warm with the Medoc. We had
passed through walls of piled bones, with casks and
puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of
the catacombs. I paused again, and this time I made
bold to seize Fortunato by an arm above the elbow.
What is a catacomb?
"The nitre!" I said: see it increases. It hangs like
moss upon the vaults. We are below the river's bed.
The drops of moisture trickle among the bones.
Come, we will go back ere it is too late. Your
cough—“
"It is nothing" he said; "let us go on. But first,
another draught of the Medoc."
I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave. He
emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed with a fierce
light. He laughed and threw the bottle upwards with
a gesticulation [signal] I did not understand.
Amontillado 13
I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the
movement -- a grotesque [weird] one.
"You do not comprehend?" he said.
"Not I," I replied.
"Then you are not of the brotherhood."
"How?"
"You are not of the masons."
"Yes, yes," I said "yes! yes."
"You? Impossible! A mason?"
"A mason," I replied.
"A sign," he said.
"It is this," I answered, producing a trowel from
beneath the folds of my roquelaire.
This is a pun. Define the word “pun.” What are
the two definitions of the word “mason” which allow
Montresor to fool Fortunato?
"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But
let us proceed to the Amontillado."
Amontillado 14
"Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the
cloak, and again offering him my arm. He leaned
upon it heavily. We continued our route in search of
the Amontillado. We passed through a range of low
arches, descended, passed on, and descending again,
arrived at a deep crypt [tomb], in which the foulness
of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than
flame.
At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared
another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with
human remains piled to the vault overhead, in the
fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three sides
of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this
manner. From the fourth the bones had been thrown
down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth,
forming at one point a mound of some size. Within
the wall thus exposed by the displacing of the bones,
we perceived a still interior recess, in depth about
four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It
seemed to have been constructed for no especial use
within itself, but formed merely the interval between
two of the colossal supports of the roof of the
catacombs, and was backed by one of their
circumscribing [surrounding] walls of solid granite.
It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull torch,
endeavoured to pry into the depths of the recess. Its
termination the feeble light did not enable us to see.
"Proceed," I said; "herein is the Amontillado. As for
Luchesi—”
"He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend, as he
stepped unsteadily forward, while I followed
immediately at his heels. In an instant he had
reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his
progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly
bewildered. A moment more and I had fettered him
to the granite. In its surface were two iron staples,
Amontillado 15
distant from each other about two feet, horizontally.
From one of these depended a short chain from the
other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist,
it was but the work of a few seconds to secure it. He
was too much astounded to resist. Withdrawing the
key I stepped back from the recess.
What kind of person has Fortunato shown himself
to be?
"Pass your hand," I said, "over the wall; you cannot
help feeling the nitre. Indeed it is VERY damp. Once
more let me IMPLORE you to return. No? Then I
must positively leave you. But I must first render you
all the little attentions in my power."
"The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not yet
recovered from his astonishment.
"True," I replied; "the Amontillado."
As I said these words I busied myself among the pile
of bones of which I have before spoken. Throwing
them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building
stone and mortar. With these materials and with the
aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the
entrance of the niche.
I had scarcely laid the first tier [row] of my masonry
when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato
had in a great measure worn off. The earliest
indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from
the depth of the recess. It was NOT the cry of a
drunken man. There was then a long and obstinate
silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the
Amontillado 16
fourth; and then I heard the furious vibrations of the
chain. The noise lasted for several minutes, during
which, that I might hearken to it with the more
satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon
the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I
resumed the trowel, and finished without
interruption the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh tier.
The wall was now nearly upon a level with my
breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux
over the mason-work, threw a few feeble rays upon
the figure within.
A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting
suddenly from the throat of the chained form,
seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief
moment I hesitated -- I trembled. Unsheathing my
rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but
the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my
hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs , and felt
satisfied. I reapproached the wall. I replied to the
yells of him who clamoured. I reechoed -- I aided -- I
surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this,
and the clamourer grew still.
It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a
close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth, and the
tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the
eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be
fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I
placed it partially in its destined position. But now
there came from out the niche a low laugh that
erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded by
a sad voice, which I had difficulty in recognizing as
that of the noble Fortunato. The voice said -"Ha! ha! ha! -- he! he! -- a very good joke indeed -an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh
about it at the palazzo -- he! he! he! -- over our wine - he! he! he!"
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"The Amontillado!" I said.
"He! he! he! -- he! he! he! -- yes, the Amontillado.
But is it not getting late? Will not they be awaiting us
at the palazzo, the Lady Fortunato and the rest? Let
us be gone."
"Yes," I said "let us be gone."
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MONTRESOR!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!"
What does this dialogue reveal about the state of
mind of the characters at the end of the story?
But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I
grew impatient. I called aloud -"Fortunato!"
No answer. I called again -"Fortunato!"
No answer still. I thrust a torch through the
remaining aperture [opening] and let it fall within.
There came forth in return only a jingling of the
bells.
Why does Fortunato never ask why Montresor is
burying him alive?
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My heart grew sick -- on account of the dampness of
the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my
labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I
plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected
the old rampart [wall] of bones. For the half of a
century no mortal has disturbed them.
In pace requiescat [Rest in Peace]!