Cask+of+Amontillado+Essay

"Do not get mad, get even." Once said by Robert F. Kennedy, this quote is now a very well-known quote to a lot of people. It states that if a person wants to get revenge on a person, they should not go over the top, but just do enough to get even with the other person. In the story of "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe, one of the main characters Montresor does not understand this quote. Times throughout the story, Montresor foreshadows to the reader multiple times about what he will do to his 'friend' Fortunato. These things include showing his trowel, walking down catacombs lined with skulls and stating his family motto.

As Montresor and Fortunato are walking the catacombs, Montresor states that the bones on the wall are the remains of his family (Poe pg. 8). The remains are a symbol of death; Fortunato is completely unaware of this though. Based on the skulls, body parts, decayed entrails and such, the reader can easily understand that Montresor is going to kill Fortunato. How he will do this though, is still hard to tell.

While they are walking, Fortunato states that he cannot remember what the Montresor Family's motto is. Montresor says his family's motto is "Nemo me impune lacessit" (Poe pg. 9) which means 'Nobody attacks me with impunity'. Since Fortunato had 'attacked' or insulted Montresor, Fortunato will not get away with it without some sort of consequence. Fortunato, however, is still completely oblivious to this and has no clue he is going to die.

When Fortunato and Montresor are about to reach the opening where Montresor states there is Amontillado, Fortunato asks Montresor if he is of the Masons. The Masons are a secret organization still in service today, which Fortunato was a member of. When Montresor states he is part of the Masons, he pulls out a trowel used by masons to lay bricks. They have a good laugh about it, but little does Fortunato know that the little harmless tool Montresor has will kill him.

Using foreshadowing like the trowel, the walls lined with human remains, and Montresors family motto, the reader could come to a conclusion to what exactly Montresor was going to do to kill Fortunato. Montresor buried him alive in a wall he made with mortar and stone. Montresor went way over the top when he could have just humiliated Fortunato at the carnival.