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Essay / A look at the revenge illustrated in Edgar Allan Poe's story, The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allan Poe's “The Cask of Amontillado” is the twisted tale of Montresor's revenge against Fortunato , a “friend” who insulted his last name. . After luring Fortunato to his family's catacombs with the promise of enjoying a glass of Amontillado, Montresor chains him to the wall and leaves him there to die. Different aspects of Poe's life, including his psychological tendencies and his Freemasonry, influenced him to incorporate social status into "The Cask of Amontillado." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay It is obvious that Poe's personality characteristics and values are reflected in this short story. Poe disliked his social status, was full of pride and took criticism harshly. Like Poe, Montresor also did not take jokes and criticism lightly. Fortunato's continued remarks about the Montresors are what ultimately led to Montresor killing him. Fortunato made remarks about the Montresors due to their recent decline in wealth. Poe resented his more successful colleagues who had more money than him, and he made it known; he “quickly got annoyed at the jokes made at his expense” (Giammarco). Montresor does not like Fortunato's wealth and happiness because he has lost his social status. Montresor wants what he had and what Fortunato recently won. Both Montresor and Fortunato have a great sense of pride and reputation. Thus, Montresor's fall in social status affects him seriously and makes him envious of Fortunato. This envy and jealousy, caused by Montresor and Fortunato's different social positions, is what ultimately drives Montresor to kill Fortunato (Poe). Poe's personality, characterized by his resentment towards his social status, can be seen here in the character of Montresor. As the story unfolds, the audience learns that Montresor has fallen in social class and that Fortunato is now richer and therefore more powerful than him. After Fortunato has a coughing fit, Montresor says, “You are rich, respected, admired, loved; you are happy, as I was once. You are a man we miss” (Poe 327). This shows that Montresor was once rich and happy, as Fortunato is currently, but his fall in social status caused him unhappiness. One of the influences on Poe plays a role. Montresor still has his pride despite the fact that he has fallen in his social status. . He is still convinced that he can fool Fortunato with Amontillado's promise and play on his weaknesses. This weakness, resulting from his high social status, leads to his definitive disappearance. Fortunato dies in the catacombs and Montresor must live with the guilt of having killed him for his reputation (Poe). Poe's strong sense of pride is seen here in the character of Montresor. Three aspects of Poe's character, including resentment towards his social status, harsh acceptance of criticism, and having a strong sense of pride, all made their way into Montresor's character in this short story. These characteristics of Montresor demonstrate the element of social status that Poe incorporated into “The Cask of Amontillado.” Not only was Poe influenced by his own personal experience, but he was also influenced by the strong Freemason presence of his time. The audience sees another aspect of social status embedded in Poe's short story, namely the reference to Freemasons. In Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," a conversation between Montresor and Fortunato takes place about Freemasons. "You don't understand? » he said. "Not me,".