How Does Montresor Show Pride
The Cask of Amontillado: A Study of Vengeance and Pride
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, the themes of pride and revenge are deeply intertwined. They say pride comes before the fall, and it is evident that Poe was a firm believer in this concept. In his tale, it is the sin of pride that ultimately leads both characters down the path to ruin. The two main characters embody and express these themes. The protagonist, Montresor embodies revenge, his motives thoughts and actions are driven by it, his every move clearly calculated to “not only punish, but punish with impunity” (Poe). Fortunato, “the fortunate one”, our hapless antagonist, is led to his ultimate resting place because of an inherent weakness, his pride. …show more content…
Not only does Montresor feel no guilt, but he perceives his murder of Fortunato as a successful act of vengeance and punishment rather than crime. ' Montresor presents himself as a person who had the right to condemn Fortunato to death; he planned his murder as an act of execution” (Baraban 49).
As stated above the protagonist, savors every moment fulfilling his plot of revenge, his pride consumes his behavior and he is unable to feel any wrongdoings from his actions only complete enjoyment from the clever retaliation. He also feels he is just because he gave several opportunities for the victim to bow out from his plan, even if his own pride made it impossible for him to escape. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a tale of vengeance that illuminates the dangers of pride. Both characters exhibit extreme, disproportionate pride which in turn leads to their downfall. Fortunato’s pride blinded him from impending danger, ultimately leading to his gruesome death and Montresor’s pride drove him to seek vengeance and in turn led to him committing a heinous, immoral act, a mortal sin. Through analysis of this tale it seems clear that pride lays the bricks down the path to
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”, the themes of pride and revenge are deeply intertwined. They say pride comes before the fall, and it is evident that Poe was a firm believer in this concept. In his tale, it is the sin of pride that ultimately leads both characters down the path to ruin. The two main characters embody and express these themes. The protagonist, Montresor embodies revenge, his motives thoughts and actions are driven by it, his every move clearly calculated to “not only punish, but punish with impunity” (Poe). Fortunato, “the fortunate one”, our hapless antagonist, is led to his ultimate resting place because of an inherent weakness, his pride. …show more content…
Not only does Montresor feel no guilt, but he perceives his murder of Fortunato as a successful act of vengeance and punishment rather than crime. ' Montresor presents himself as a person who had the right to condemn Fortunato to death; he planned his murder as an act of execution” (Baraban 49).
As stated above the protagonist, savors every moment fulfilling his plot of revenge, his pride consumes his behavior and he is unable to feel any wrongdoings from his actions only complete enjoyment from the clever retaliation. He also feels he is just because he gave several opportunities for the victim to bow out from his plan, even if his own pride made it impossible for him to escape. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a tale of vengeance that illuminates the dangers of pride. Both characters exhibit extreme, disproportionate pride which in turn leads to their downfall. Fortunato’s pride blinded him from impending danger, ultimately leading to his gruesome death and Montresor’s pride drove him to seek vengeance and in turn led to him committing a heinous, immoral act, a mortal sin. Through analysis of this tale it seems clear that pride lays the bricks down the path to