On Montresor's Motivation In The Cask Of Amontillado
Montresor’s Motivation
The Cask of Amontillado is a classic Edgar Allan Poe story about revenge stuffed with irony. There is no real build up to the beginning of the narrator, Montresor’s, revenge. The story actually begins with him stating that he is disgusted and fed up with the actions of Fortunato and that he had dealt with them long enough, (“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge,” Pg. 1612). But what exactly is it that has infuriated Montresor to the point of “punish(ing) (Fortunato) with impunity?” Montresor was obviously insulted in some way by Fortunato, but how? The first thing that he mentions when he is planning his revenge is Fortunato’s weakness, and that is that, “he prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine.” (1612). Montresor informs us that in everyday life Fortunato is a “quack”, but when it comes to wine he really knows a thing or two. Right after that statement he tells us, “In this respect I did not differ from him materially; I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could.” Montresor was also a connoisseur of wine, and maybe even made it himself, so could that have been a subject that triggered some tension towards Fortunato? Could Fortunato have made comments towards a product …show more content…
Though it is never directly stated why, there are hints to why it is an insult against his family that finally pushes Montresor over the edge. Just go back to the opening line that says, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Maybe it is his arrogance and comments about wine were what cracked the surface, but it is when Fortunato insults Montresor’s family is when he goes over the line. It’s not until page 1614 when the first comment about Montresor’s family is
The Cask of Amontillado is a classic Edgar Allan Poe story about revenge stuffed with irony. There is no real build up to the beginning of the narrator, Montresor’s, revenge. The story actually begins with him stating that he is disgusted and fed up with the actions of Fortunato and that he had dealt with them long enough, (“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge,” Pg. 1612). But what exactly is it that has infuriated Montresor to the point of “punish(ing) (Fortunato) with impunity?” Montresor was obviously insulted in some way by Fortunato, but how? The first thing that he mentions when he is planning his revenge is Fortunato’s weakness, and that is that, “he prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine.” (1612). Montresor informs us that in everyday life Fortunato is a “quack”, but when it comes to wine he really knows a thing or two. Right after that statement he tells us, “In this respect I did not differ from him materially; I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could.” Montresor was also a connoisseur of wine, and maybe even made it himself, so could that have been a subject that triggered some tension towards Fortunato? Could Fortunato have made comments towards a product …show more content…
Though it is never directly stated why, there are hints to why it is an insult against his family that finally pushes Montresor over the edge. Just go back to the opening line that says, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Maybe it is his arrogance and comments about wine were what cracked the surface, but it is when Fortunato insults Montresor’s family is when he goes over the line. It’s not until page 1614 when the first comment about Montresor’s family is