Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a dark and twisted story of revenge and hatered. As the story begins, we meet Montresour and Fortunato . In the opening paragraph, told from the point of view of Montresor, we know that something is amiss. Montresor tells us, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge" (Poe 2). Fortunato has done something against Montresor that has wounded him and insulted his family. We are never told what. As the story progresses, Montresor leads Fortunato into the catacombs of his family with the promise of a drink of Amontillado wine. As they descend deeper and deeper, Fortunato becomes sick from the cold and the damp, but he still continues. When they have reached their destination, Montresor chains Fortunato inside and indent in the wall. Fortunato, extremely drunk from a party that he has gone to, does not realize anything is amiss until Montresor begins laying bricks to trap him alive, in the catacombs. Montresor continues, seemingly without conscience, even as Fortunato screams and attemps to escape. At one point, he begins to feel guilty, but the feeling quickly passes as he remembers his quest for revenge. Montresor says, "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" (Poe 13). After he has finished, Montresor leaves Fortunato alone in the catacombs to die, fulfilling his family crest, "Nemo me impune lacessit": No one provokes me with impunity. We never learn what Fortunato has done to recieve such an end.
This relates to our studies in Language arts because of the journey that Montresor has taken in order to avenge his family. He has been planning his actions out so that he can never be found out. It also relates to
The Iliad through the theme of revenge. Achilles refuses to fight for the Achaeans after Agamemnon takes Briseis from him. Also, after Patroclus dies, Achilles fights and kills Hector. Both Montresor and Achilles seek revenge in order to regain their honor. Montresor is trying to avenge his family's good name and Achilles is trying to gain honor for himself and for his decendents. These are a few of the many ways that Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" relates to
The Iliad and the subjects that we are studying in Language Arts.
Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Cask of Amontillado". Eight Tales of Terror. Ed. John P. Roberts. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1978. 1-14.
1 comment:
You did a very good job summarizing this book by Mr. Poe. I was very impressed with your plot summary, but even more impressed with the side notes of your perspective woven into it. Also I like that you only summarized a part of the book that was relevant to the topic at hand. For me I was getting interested in your description of the book by Poe and then my mind is drawn to make the connection between the two books myself. I thought this was a very good post and keep up your good work.
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