cask of amontillado creative writing prompt

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Writing prompt on revenge: "the cask of amontillado", 53 comments:.

The saying dont get mad get even means exactly what it says dont get mad at people get even with them and just call it even and get along together.

"Saying the best revenge is to not to become the one who wronged you." It is completely true if you do not say anything do anything to get the person back they will just keep going on and ranting about it. If you do not do anything though they will not bother you again because they will think that it does not get into your head. If they do something to you that you do not like. Ask them to stop or walk away. Do not do anything else to make them mad or want to do it to you again. Revenge can be bad but in someways it can be good. Like in sports if you get hurt or they score on you, you want to score back or blow them up with a hit in football. Or like if someone makes fun of you, what would most of you do you would get revenge. If it is bad though you wouldn't want to do it again. Like in a football fight the second person usually gets caught.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." ~Marcus Aurelius I like this quote because if you can go on without getting revenge, you are strong. You don't need to stoop to that level, it's not worth it. Chances are, you will be the one to get caught, and the person you are trying to get back won't get in trouble, and that will make you more upset than you were to start with. Be more mature, just brush it off, it's not a big deal. You could hold a grudge, but that probably won't get you anywhere either. "Revenge" may turn into an on-going battle, if that happens, things could get awful. If you try to get revenge it will only cause more trouble, so be strong and don't let it get to you.

I chose to quote "Don't get mad, get even." I think it means if someone does something wrong to you, you need to be even with the other person. My mom always says two wrongs don't make a right. To be even I think means that you get over yourself and get along. Revenge is not always the right thing to do during instances. You might just have to bite your tongue and move on! You don't want to be the person who always makes the revenge worse then what happened to you. A connection in my life you be during homecoming week we got attempted to be T-pd. They didn't get very far because my dog scarred them away the first time. They ended up coming back and that time my dad chased them with a spotlight. After they left we picked up all the toilet paper into 2 Fareway bags and tore them up into very little pieces. The next night we ended up t-peing the people who tried to get our house. The next day they were complaining on how long it would take them to pick up. I wasn't trying to be mean, I was just getting even for trying to tp us. I agree with this statement to an extent. You can only do so much before it cause trouble. There is a fine line on how to get even and going to far. As I said before, revenge may not always be a good way to get even. You don't want to go over and above and be hated more!

When someone wants to get revenge on another person, many people do anything to get back at them. There are many ways you can seek revenge including tricks, comments, or even negative phrases. For me, I would probably play tricks on them to get revenge, because when you play tricks on them you really are not hurting them, you are just messing with them and their brain. Sometimes if I get mad at my brother or sister, i will often trick them or scare them good to seek revenge. It usually works, and you don't have to make negative comments or abuse them! Just remember If you don't want others to be mean to you, then don't me mean to them and you may get some respect.

It depends on the situation whether or not you should get revenge. If it is something small then you should just let it go, but if its more serious you should get them back. I am the type that likes to get even with people. Thats just me some people are nicer about it. So it depends on your personality whether or not to get revenge.

Don't get mad, get even. A lot of people like to get revenge on the people that caused them trouble or even if it does even do anything to you. I think there is a right revenge and a wrong revenge. The phrase is a very common around my family. The saying is prompting revenge, rather than saying don't be like them. When my dad might do something that hinders me, the first thing i think about is how to get back at him. I agree with the writing ,if it doesn't do as much harm as what they did to you. Also, if you are friends it would be okay, because you both know your messing around. Although, if you are sworn enemies, than it isn't okay. Just because they did something bad to you does not mean you can do it back. It means you need to be the better person and do the right thing. No, the right thing is not to get revenge on them. It might be the right thing to do if you are best friends, or even family.

Don' t get mad get even means that you shouldn't get mad and dwell on what that person has said or done you should try to seek revenge and make them as upset as they made you. I think that a lot of brothers and sister do this just to be mean. And friends do this so they can be better then each other. I think when people try to seek revenge sometimes they go to far. Maybe someone could end up getting hurt in the revenge process. Sometimes people won't stop until they get really good revenge.

The saying "Don't get mad, get even." ~Robert F. Kennedy is a very true statement. If you ask me I think the only way to feel better about something is to get even. The only problem with that is that sometimes getting even gets you in bigger trouble. A example is the twin towers. Of course we were angry after words but then last year we got even and killed Osama Bin Laden. That helped a lot of people that had love ones die on 9/11 greave even more. But if some kills your friend then you go kill him you will probably get put in jail. So you have to be smart about revenge. The thing about revenge is that it can male you feel better but you have to think about the people it might make feel worse. Also sometimes you just have to let karma take its course, and stand back and enjoy the ride.

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" means to me that they are simply states that they think revenge is okay. This is just saying that if they did something to you than you can do something back and then you'll be even with them. I do not agree with this statement because then when we are thinking that we can always get even with someone it can get very bad and carried away. As the years go on the people have become more violent. This can get very carried away and it can also been taken very seriously. This quote written by Mahatma Ghandi is meaning that revenge is not a bad thing and that when yo get your revenge then everyone else will think that you are even. Revenge doesn't do anything but hurt the other person. Yes, they did hurt you in a way but it's not helping anybody out when you try and get revenge.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." This quote was once said be Marcus Aurelius. I think this quote is very true. I would have to agree with this quote, because if a person does something to you and you don't respond, it throws them off. If you don't take revenge and act like you don't care, you become the bigger person. I think this because the person that does something to you has a goal of making you mad. By not doing something back to them I believe you have won. Plus if you just ignore it they will leave you alone and will stop bothering you most of the time. Even though revenge is sometimes good, usually it is just best to not let the situation get to you.

When they say "Don`t get mad get even," you should follow that. When some on hits you hit them back even if it gets you in trouble you can say that you were just getting even. I was told that if someone hits you hit them back harder, and then they might listen. These reasons, are why I believe this statement, because it is true.

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind"~Mahatma Ghandi This quote is telling you that you shouldn't try to get revenge with somebody. My mom has always said two wrongs don't make a right. If you try to get back at someone then they might not think the argument is over and try to get back at you. Your best bet is to just try to forgive them for what they have done to you and accept the fact that it can't be changed now. When you get back at someone it just fuels the fire and you argue your life away. I think what the quote means is that you shouldn't go around doing wrong to others who have done wrong to you just so thing will be "fair" because sometimes you might go a little too far. Just remember do on to other as you want done on to you and you should be just fine.

When it comes to revenge, the idea of burning someone just as hard as they burned you sounds nice. Anyone who have ever been wronged and just got even, they know what I'm talking about. Robert F. Kennedy said, "Don't get mad, get even," and sometime thats all you can do. Even once you have gotten "even" more than likely you will still remember what they did to you. It could be funny revenge, such as throwing water as your friend or hiding a fart cushion under a pillow, but as soon as its not a joke its not pretty. Your so called friend brakes your 150 dollar phone, as a joke, not funny. More than likely your going to want to get back at them. So when it comes to revenge it can be one of the most wanted, hated, sweetest, or even loved thing ever. So don't get mad, get even.

"An eye for a eye, leaves the whole world blind," It is so true. You can't see without eyes. They let you see the whole world. If you do not see then I feel bad for you. I hope nothing happens with my eyes. I did here a saying An eye for a eye. It is like this one to but it does not have leaves the whole world blind. I hope the whole world does not go blind then that would be bad. No one world be able to work, and make food and many other things that I can not think of.

I like the first quote by Robert F. Kennedy, "Don't get mad, get even." It tells us to not let the stuff get to your head and to become equal. When you get even, the person your getting even with will feel bad for doing whatever and he/she will stop. For example: One brother doesn't share his cookie with his other brother then the other brother doesn't share his candy with the other brother. I agree with that statement its just that you don't want to go to far! Don't break property or steal anything or do something illegal!

In the saying, "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." ,means that revenge isn't a good thing, because it will just make things worse. when it say that it leaves the whole world blind, it is saying that if you get revenge on someone, they will want it back on you, and it will keep making it worse, not better. It will be a continuous circle of revenge, because you don't want to be the one who got revenge on them, but didn't give it back, so everyone will keep getting revenge on each other. The world will become blind, because if you keep taking each other's eyes, there will be no more eyes to take, and the world will eventually become blind.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." ~Marcus Aurelius, I think what he means is that if you get bullied by another person you should go get help as your revenge. If you fight with that person and keep being mean to them then sooner or later you will become the bully yourself. So you should go get help instead of fighting or you will become the bully and will hurt others.

The saying, "Don't get mad, get even." is a good saying. If someone punches you, your not just going to stand their, your going to punch them back harder. If you don't get even, then you are the loser. Nobody wants to be a loser. When you get even, it lets them know your not going to take it. It doesn't mean you should start the fight, it basically means defend yourself. If they start the fight you have every right to end it, by getting even.

Don't get mad get even. That is a very good quote. So when you are getting picked on just don't take it and that will make that person mad because you are not getting mad and your not listening to them. And if you do take it just pick on them back because you are getting even (revenge). So always think of this quote when your mad. Just get even with the other person.

The saying "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." ~Mahatma Ghandi Is a well said saying. When someone does something to me I make sure to always get revenge one way or another, and when I get them back they want to get me back again until we finally just shake hands and call it even. If you don't shake hands and agree to stop things will get worse. The world will become blind because you take their two eyes and they do the same back to you, and eventually the world is blind.

I think you should get even. Getting even to me means to do the same thing back to them or to do something even more bad. Some times that could be a bad thing in many ways. One time my brother put a hole in one of my out side coats so I took his coat and I did the same but his hole was bigger. Sometimes I agree and disagree but it just depends on what you or they did.

Don't get mad, get even. This means that besides getting mad at the person that did it to you just get them just as bad or worse. like if someone takes your book and hides it you take theres and you hide it worse so that they can not find it back. Like also if you have to get something done and they wont stop distracting you then you can do the same to them but wait tell its a huge project so they fail haha.

In the quote "Don't get mad, get even," I think this quote means if someone pulls a trick on you, you shouldn't get mad about it just do it back to them. For example, when one of my sisters are playing tricks, wait until a week later and do it back to them. I agree to this statement to a certain extent. I think that you should get even with people but not ruin their life. Someways are good and others are bad like ruining someone's reputation to try to get even with them. At the same time don't go overboard. Don't do too much then they can do it to you over again.

I think the saying "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" is true because if one person killed another person and they wanted revenge they would start a never ending chain untill every one was dead so revenge is not always the answer. Revenge isnt good because you would try to get revenge on each other and you would get angryer and then you would go to far and kill each other.

When someone starts to irritate you, you most likely will start to get mad at them. The quote "Don't get mad, get even," is telling you that you should just stay calm and get them back later. I disagree with this quote because it will cause someone to get mad anyway, and then there will be like a mini war between the two people. People should not even have to think that they need revenge, or need to get even with someone. People just need to let things go, because it will be better in the long run. Revenge should not need to happen because someone could get physically hurt or mentally hurt. Sometimes people just need to get things out of their minds, but they should not do it by getting back at someone. People should just do something else that is fun, to get bad things off of their minds. People don't need to get revenge, therefore, I disagree with this quote.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." Revenge is a mean and hurtful thing to have in this world. If a person does something to you, you want to get them back that is just the act of nature. Thats why I picked Marcus Aurelius sentence over revenge he is looking at it in a different way and that is what I admire about it. What he is trying to say is that if a person kills your son you are probably going to want to kill them. But this is still not right, to want to kill someone this is bad revenge. You would become just like the person that killed your son even if you did it to get back at them. So the way that Marcus Aurelius put it I think is the right way to put revenge if you want revenge just make sure you do not become like the person that did the thing to you.

In the saying "The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." by Marcus Aurelius means that getting even with someone isn't worth your time because in the end either things will work out or it would be a waste of time depending on the situation. Many people think that getting back at someone for something they did to you is going to make them even, but in life, it really doesn't. Violence is never the answer. Same goes for getting someone back for something they did to you. Be the bigger person and walk away. It'll make you look better than the one that did something to you in the end. If someone did something to me, I'd walk away and just let what ever happens, happen. Life's to short to worry about what people think of you and you don't want to be that person that everyone hates or that everyone loves.

When JFK said Don't get mad get even... I think the was taking about war and how people should get mad and fight for their country. He makes it sound like revenge is a good thing which is sometimes. There are other times when you should let things go. When JFK said get even someone must have really done some thing bad. So I agree with JFK some times. I don't think that revenge is a not a good thing.

I'm writing about the quote "Don't get mad, get even". I chose this one because I like it. I think it means, instead of hitting him or something you should find the persons weakness then strike by embbarressing them or something. When my brother makes me mad I can't exactly hit him because he is a bit bigger than me, so I use my head I trick him into going outside the I lock the doors so he can't get back in. I agree with the statement because if America was just mad going in the war we would of lost because we couldn't out smart them or anything. I put thought into my words I think.

The quote, "The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you," means that instead of getting back at them you should make it seem like you don't care. They should realize that they aren't going to get a fight out of you and leave you a lone. If you try to get even you could hurt them worse then they hurt you and they could do much worse, it is best just to leave the situation a lone. Like if your brother takes your homework and shreds and you try to get back at him it means neither of you have won. You must be the bigger man and take the high road, that also makes them wonder if they really should go on like they are. I agree with the quote because if everyone tried to ignore the person who wronged them or just let it got without hurting anyone then the world would be a much better place, and there would potentially be less people out there that want to hurt others because less people will fight back and then they have no need to or will not have enough fun trying to get others to fight.

When we get mad we want to get even with others. Everybody wants to get even if someone did something to them. We don't think about it before we do something to get revenge. Some times it gets really bad like the columbine shooting when dylan klebold and eric harris killed 12 students and 2 teachers because people bullied them. You shoulden't take in your own hands. these are my reasons why when we are mad we want revenge.

The saying, "Don't get mad get even." ,means that you shouldn't wast your time being mad have fun and get even. The "get even" part means to play a trick on the person who did a trick on you. Theirs many ways of how to look at the quote depending on the person who is reading it. I also think of it as don't take what people say so seriously, just turn it into a joke and make something funny out of something that should have hurt you. If you spend weeks being mad at someone, you are going to have a lot of stress. If you get even and not mad life is going to be easier and less stressful.

"Don't get mad, get even." Robert Kennedy I agree to the quote because if someone makes mad you have to get even. When your brother does something that gets you mad. You have to get even. When someone bets you in something got to get even. I think this a great quote because it relates to every peoples life because they have brother, and sisters that makes them really mad. So you have to get even.

"Don't get mad, get even." A quote from Robert Kennedy. I love this quote because I believe this is true. I have been taught that two rights don't make one wrong, but I believe it does. When someone makes me mad the first thing that pops into mind is how to get back at them. So I guess you can say that I totally agree with this particular quote. It fits my lifestyle suitably. Violence is not the answer to life. For me, it is the opposite. Sweet, sweet revenge.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." -Marcus Aurelius. This quote simply means to not sink to your enemies level. If they got you good, or did something really bad to you, get revenge but do it in the better perspective. For example, if your 'enemy' goes after your 'crush' don't let her see how much it bothers you. Even though it may drive you up the wall, don't let her get the satisfaction that she won. I think that these kinds of things happen every day. Everyone has that one person who they absolutely cannot stand, and everything they do bothers them. It's even worse when the person you dislike knows that you don't like them, and they make everything else seem more noticeable. They start to do things that irritate you more and more until you cannot stand it anymore.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you."-Marcus Aurelius I agree with this. The quote is saying that if someone hurts you in some way, revenge is not the answer. You still should stand up for yourself. Be the bigger person. Just because someone does something to you does not mean you have to do something bad back, that will make you look like as much of a bad guy as the person who did it to you. If you do something back, it will become an ongoing battle. Just find a way to agree with the person and stop the fighting and arguing. Violence is never the answer.

Revenge can be a great thing but it can also be very bad. If somebody does something you dont like and you want revenge, you must think before you act and wonder if it is an ok thing to do and if its not just dont do it. Revenge can be an appropriate way to say your mad at someone like if they take your money, you might run them over with a car wich wouldn't be a very reasonable action, but if you take some money from them to get even it wouldn't hurt anything. Another example of overreacting might be like if someone takes your homowork and you burn down their house, not a good response to the problem, but if you ruin their homework or take yours back it wouldn't be quite as bad as burning their house down. Some people don't react in a reasonable way to people doing stupid things to them so they try to get revenge, by doing someting worse to them then what they did to you.

I chose "Don't get mad get even." - by Robert Kennedy. In that quote he is saying that you shouldn't get mad at someone but you should get back at them. Make them pay for your lose. That they should have to suffer to make you feel good. I have heard many people say this quote but i don't agree with it. I think we should not try to make people suffer for our loses but just deal out the problem peacefully. It can't be that hard to not just go up to someone and say I'm going to bomb you and all of your family for killing my goldfish. Thats how our world is today. It is filled with violence and people wanting to kill each other. I think it's because all of the video game that have bombing and shooting and war in them. It's teaching the younger kids that killing things is ok. It is killing our society. The way people try to get on to planes and bomb them just to kill a bunch of people that they don't even have a clue who they are. Thats my thoughts on this topic.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." Marcus Aurelius speaks a lot of truth in that short line. I do believe in revenge but I also don't believe in hurting someone the way they hurt you. In elementary school, I was bullied horribly, so bad only two people in my class would even talk to me, I owe a lot to those two people. If I chose to take revenge, I would still be fighting with my bullies and I would be just as bad of a person as they were to me. At the same time though, I couldn't let them slide by. What they did to me was unforgivable and I wanted them to know that I was better than that. I decided that my best revenge was to be successful. I wouldn't let what they did to me slow me down, instead, it would speed me up. Every time I was smarter, brighter, more creative I felt like I was finally beating those bullies. If you take revenge, you're just as bad as your enemies in the first place. If you don't do anything then you let them win, but if you fight back without throwing a fist in the air, you might just beat them.

In the quote "Don't get mad, get even," by Robert Kennedy, seems to be that there is a winner, and a fight against your opponent. When you or someone else get's upset, that is usually when you get mad and give up or even try to come back at them with something more extreme and more intense then what they did to you. For example, you did not get invited to a one of your friend's house, and every other one of your friends did. What do you do? Go sit in a corner and cry, okay so maybe some of you would, but usually you get back at them by having the same group they had over but don't invite her or him. Or you are mad at them and won't talk to them, or won't have a conversation with them. This sometimes leads into stress which could also cause you to go behind their back and say some very rude and two year old rumor things. This quote is not good encouragment, but is understandable in reality.

"Don't get mad, get even." ~Robert Kennedy I agree with this quote because it's not good to get mad at a person if you don't know the whole story. I think you should get even because it's if they did something to you that made you mad, then you should do something to them because they have to know revenge has to come sometime. For example, Brooke and I share clothes but if I don't want her to wear something of mine then she won't let me wear something of hers that she likes. I think this quote means you don't need to explode on someone, but get even with them because they had to know it had to becoming.

"Don't get mad, get even." --Robert F. Kennedy I agree with this statement because if someone says or does something to you, you should be able to get them back, or get revenge. I think this quote means that when somebody or some people do something to you, you have to get back at them and get even because you want them to go through what you had gone through for what they put you through. You would usually see revenge most of the time be between brothers and sisters or friends. I am the only child so I don't have to worry about getting revenge on anyone. Although, sometimes if your friend or friends gets you in trouble or something like that you are going to want to get them back somehow. I am usually seeing this happen because that is how everyone is it seems like. Everybody does this because its our human nature to be mad at someone for something they did to you.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." I think this quote is very interesting. Usually when someone does something to you, they want a reaction. They want you to get worked up or mad. They get a kick out of your reaction. What you can do to make them mad, or to get revenge on them is to not react. Pretend like it is no big deal and just shake it off. If it does hurt you, don't let them see that. Do not do something back to them. Do not yell or think of something you could do to them, because that is what they want. They want you to get worked up. So as revenge, keep your cool. Give them what they don't want, which you to be unaffected. My parents always tell me to count to ten when my brother makes me mad. He will stop what he is doing if I don't react to what he is doing. I totally agree with this statement. I have never really thought about it like this, but it is so true. If you don't give somebody what they want, they will stop trying. Remember, "The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you."

“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” I think that Marcus Aurelius was very right in saying those very words. Revenge is something that every human being experiences at one time or another in their lives, and we all have different ways of coping with our revenge. Some people want to get even or get back at the person, some want to forgive and forget, some people want to let karma do it's job, and others just wish it never happened. I think that the best way to deal with revenge is to let karma do it's magic. Unexpected things can happen if you just sit back and relax. There is no need to make a huge deal out of everything, because sometimes that will only make matters worse. Your enemy has done wrong to you, so this quote is saying do not do what your enemy did to you. Think about the golden rule. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Karma will make it's path, it always does.

"Don't get mad, get even." This quote means to get revenge on people who do you wrong. It says that instead of being mad at someone, you should get even with them by doing something back to them. If they do something mean to you, then you should do something even worse to them. That is what getting revenge is all about. It's like when I was a little kid and someone did something to me, like hitting me, I would do it back. Then I would get in trouble even though they started it. I used to think that this was right when I was younger. If someone did something to me, I would get back at them. Now I know that it is wrong though. You have to be the better person and not try and seek revenge, no matter how mad you are at them. When you get revenge on someone you are just as bad as them. That is why I would have to disagree with this quote. Instead of getting even, sometimes you just have to forget about it and move on. You will be doing the right thing and you will feel better about yourself.

The quote, "The best revenge is not to become the one who wronged you," means that you shouldn't get revenge on a person. The only way they ar going to stop doing wrong to you is if there is no one fighting back. Revenge is never a good thing, although we think it is. Revenge will always come back to get you in the long run, no matter how many years ago it was, it may be days before it comes back and hits you in the face. It is going to come back and you are going to realize that you weren't the better person. You will think over your decision, and know it was a bad one. When it hits you in the face, you may have lost a best friend, a great boyfriend, or maybe even your parents. They may have turned on you and think you are no good. No matter how much you may want revenge on someone, remember it is never a good thing. Think twice about it and you may thank yourself one day.

"Don't get mad, get even." Lets be honest, half the joy of doing something to somebody, is seeing them get angry. I'm not saying I often make people mad purposely, but if somebody who I truly dislike (and there are few) really has it coming, I may... how you say, take action. But you as a person can't give others the satisfaction of getting mad when somebody purposely tries to hurt you. We all know how frustrating it is when you see somebody just brush it off and be like "whatever." So instead of crying or grimacing at them, revenge may be your best option. If you can avoid getting mad AND getting even, more power to you, sugar. But if you're anything like me, you know you can only put up with so much until you tell that prissy, sour puss where she can stick it. This reminds of once when I was at the pool and some girls who I did not know (but they knew me) stared at me and made rude remarks the entire time. The fact they knew me, my friends, and everything about me is still pretty creepy to me, but that's neither here nor there. The girls continued to say terrible things about me, but being the bigger person I just smiled pleasantly and- didn't let them get to me. But as one of those girls later became interested in my near and dear guyfriend, i was simply forced to tell him about all the terrible things she had said about me. Not once did I let those girls know it didn't bother me, but the fact I shot down her chances at a relationship probably bit her in the butt. So as you see, your initial reaction won't do much other than give others the satisfaction of getting to you, but being able to use what they've done to you against them is a satisfactory revenge and you didn't even have to lift a finger.

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." Mahatma Ghandi was stating the truth when he said this. When people seek revenge they think of it as an eye for an eye. So when someone does something to you and you try to get even, they might think the same thing. If everyone seeks revenge then there is no one left. As he says the whole world would be blind. I believe this is true. Yes, they did something wrong, but you don't need to get back at them. People need to be the biggger person and don't get back at them. No don't pretend like it didn't happen but don't make it a scene or anything. Try talking it out. If it is in fun, then it is okay. People can take it to far though. To relate it to my life I think of when people quit something or do something to make me mad and I want to get back at them sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. That is why I believe the quote, "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind," by Mahatma Ghandi is a great and accurate quote.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." by Marcus Aurelius. I agree with Marcus. If you want to get revenge on someone for what they did to you that is normal but if you go forth and actually do something mean or hurtful it is as if you are the bully that did the same thing to you. If you get picked on about your freckles and then because you are hurt go back and tell the person who made fun of you that their hair is ugly, you became the bad person in the picture. No one likes to be picked on or beat up but it is better for you to bring it to someone else or just let it go and ignore them. If you want to become to bigger person is sometimes hard but it is probably the best way to get through a fight than to bring revenge into the picture. Revenge isn't the way to solve problems, it is more of a way to make more problems.

"The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you." This quote by Marcus Aurelius speaks wonders. It tells us all to take the high road. If any of us were to try to get revenge by redoing what had been done to us, we would all be on the same moral levels. And those levels- no matter how fair they may seem- are very low. I think this quote is miraculous. I agree with the message that it sends. It is amazing how much everyone could learn from this. Looking into my past, I see that even I could have used this quote. When I was a child, I was horrid. I was possibly even beyond horrid. Everyone followed me, and made me feel like a queen, but I didn't forget about the ones who had left me out or wronged me in the past. In fact, I would purposely leave them out once or twice to get the point across that no one hurts me. Now that I have grown up both physically and mentally, I have seen a great change in myself and my actions. I have noticed that I used to sink to those people's levels, and that made both them, and myself, not like me. Honestly, I am beyond happy to have had the chance to write about this very quote. It again reminds me how much I have matured and grown through all that I've had to go through. Thanks for picking it, Mrs. DeVore.

''The best revenge is not to become like the one who wronged you" ~Marcus Aurelius. I was taught ever since I was little the phrase, be the better person. My mom would always hush me before yelling at my siblings and simply say, be the better person. Hold what your going to say and just use the silent treatment. This quote is exactly what my mom was teaching me. When somebody does something wrong to you don't fight back, because thats what they want, they want to pick a fight. When you simply don't say anything back you are winning the fight. This eats them up inside because its just like spraying some Febreze into a fan, it blows right back at you. Whatever they say say or do, you know that they are going to get slapped in the face by there own actions because you chose not to stoop to there level. I fully agree with the quote and my family and I live by this quote, so that is why this quote is important to me.

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." ~Mahatma Ghandi I think we all recognize how intelligent knowledgable Ghandi was, far beyond what most of us could ever imagine. This quote is another example that shows how he was very wise, because only wise people can understand that there is no point in "revenge." What I understand this quote as is as follows: if you do the wrong the person who wronged you in the same way, you are just as guilty, there is no resolution, and no one learns. Someone please tell me, what is it going to do if you hit your brother back? A red mark on his arm to match yours? I understand that he hurt you, but be the bigger, better, and smarter person, and take it upon yourself to choose not to hurt someone in the way they hurt you. It will only make you as bad as that person, and you must promise to yourself that you are better than that. I have personally experienced constant teasing by individuals before, but I know that getting snappy and harsh right back will not solve anything. I must simply remove myself from the situation, take a couple of deep breaths, and continue on without purposely trying to have negative interactions with that person. I agree with Ghandi one hundred percent, because I personally know that it doesn't help to get "an eye for an eye," but in fact does the opposite of helping. You will become a better person and learn a much-needed life-lesson if you can control your own actions and not chose to replicate others' actions.

72 The Cask of Amontillado Essay Topics & Examples

Writing a theme analysis, thesis statement, or even a topic sentence for The Cask of Amontillado is an exciting opportunity to explore such problems as violence and revenge. Share your opinion on horror fiction with the tips, examples, and topics from our team .

🏆 Best The Cask of Amontillado Essay Topics & Examples

📌 most interesting the cask of amontillado essay topics, 👍 good the cask of amontillado essay questions & titles.

The Cask of Amontillado essay is an exciting opportunity to express your point of view on such problems like drugs and alcohol use, violence, revenge, and share your opinion on horror fiction.

Why Should You Write The Cask of Amontillado Paper?

There are three arguments to choose this short story for your critical review or literary analysis.

First of all, you should acknowledge that Edgar Allan Poe is an inventor of the detective and science fiction genres. He highlighted the worst human features like vindictiveness, drug addictions, fear, etc.

Second, the horror genre is still popular in the modern culture. Scary tales always were an excellent way to express personal and social anxieties over various problems.

Third, Poe’s novels are easy to read but still complicated. You have to focus on details to get the whole picture. Moreover, each time you read the novel you can find new aspects that you might have missed before (Tip: check our The Cask of Amontillado essay examples to find new ideas you haven’t even considered yet).

The Cask of Amontillado Essay Questions

Finding the right paper topic can become a daunting task. That’s why we prepared a bunch of ideas for your The Cask of Amontillado essay topics.

Check them below:

• Why does the author uses the first-person view narration? Think how different the novel could be if it was told from the Fortunato or the third-person point of view.
• Do you sympathize Fortunato or think that he deserved his fate? Explain your opinion.
• Consider writing your The Cask of Amontillado essay thesis on alcohol and alcohol abuse. Could Fortunato escape his fate if he was sober and not addicted to alcohol?
• Compare the revenge and villain in the Poe’s novel to a modern short stories. Would Montresor dare to commit this crime in XXI century? Find analogies in a modern literature and movie production.
• Compare this novel and to Poe’s The Black Cat. Think which novel is the darkest of his writings and provide your arguments.
• Analyse the role of scenery in the plot. Is there a connection between characters’ fate and scenery?
• How our actions and decisions influence our destiny? Analyze why Fortunato decided to taste the amontillado. Could he refuse? Did he have a chance to escape?
• Analyze why trapping Fortunato still not makes Montresor free. Why even 50 years after Fortunato’s death Montresor is still feeling angry.
• Explore the theme of mortality in Poe’s novel. Does it make you think about your own death? Express your thoughts.
• How do the way the murder was commited influences the reader’s comprehension of the story? Would the story differ if Montresor chose another way to kill Fortunado?
• Imagine if Montresor was a woman. How would it change the comprehension of the novel? Are there any signs that Montresor can be a woman?
• Explain, why did Montresor choose family catacomb for a murder. How do you feel about the descriptions of the crime scene?
• Analyze Fortunato’s dressings. Why is he dressed as a fool? Are there features of his character that contradict his image?

Now you have a lot of point to explore in your paper. If you are still not sure how to write The Cask of Amontillado essay outline, you can always check our examples to get inspiration on the topics and paper structure.

• Symbolic Elements in Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” The name Fortunato is a symbol of the genesis of Montresor’s plan for revenge. The attire is also symbolic of the sacrificial element that applies to Montresor’s revenge.
• The Cask of Amontillado The use of irony Poe uses three types of irony in the story as a literary tool that facilitates the readers’ understanding of the friendship that exists between Montresor and Fortunato.
• Literary Devices in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe As such, Montresor finds his companion’s “transgression” worthy of the cruelest death, and believes that his cause is so right that he deserves to get away with it. Hyperbole There is a sense of this […]
• “The Fall of the House of Usher” & “The Cask of Amontillado”: Summaries, Settings, and Main Themes As the narration progresses, fear arises in the reader or viewer, and finally, something horrific happens.”The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Cask of the Amontillado” share all of the features above, as […]
• The Single Effect in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado The very first words uttered by the author at the start of the story carried the hook necessary to reel the reader into the story with the desired effect.
• Edgar Allan Poe: ”The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” In this discourse two of his famous short stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are studied in an attempt to better understand the use of symbolism, the literary tool of irony, and […]
• “The Cask of Amontillado” as an Example of Horror Stories The primary specialty for the author is to capture the horror of the soul in its most vivid manifestations, and this task became the basis for one of his stories.
• Imagery Use in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe The story utilizes graphical language and imagery in the development of a sense of deceptive and persuasive nature and circumstances in the expansion of the symbolic approach of sustaining a condition of suspense. The imagery […]
• Revenge Theme in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe He, therefore, decides to seek revenge, but he wants to be careful in order not to risk his life. Fortunato seems to be fond of wine against Montresor, and he decides to use this as […]
• Literary Elements in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Razor” Nabokov and Poe use literary devices to create meaning, connect with the audience and deliver their message. The protagonists are different, with one of them being static, while another one changes.
• Montressor in The Cask of Amontillado In addition, Montressor said that he was a friend of Fortunato but he seemed to have acted out of character when he assumed the habits and characteristics of a cold blooded killer.
• Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado Although the revelation of the character of Montressor was done indirectly, the fact that he was also the narrator of the story enabled readers to have access to his thoughts and feelings.
• Irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe As the atmosphere of gaiety during the carnival changes to the horror from the catacombs beneath Montresor’s palazzo the reader ascertains that the carnival was a prelude created by the author to admit the drastic […]
• Poe’s Short Story “The Cask of Amontillado” At the time of the trial, Montresor is proud of what he did because it was fair in his eyes. According to this alternative reading of the event, Montresor sees family honor as his adversary, […]
• The Short Story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Poe The question that I had from the research was does Poe use the idea of space to reinforce the theme of betrayal, vengeance, and irony in the short story?
• Carnival Season in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” In this monograph, the author explores the depiction of madness in literary works and specifically Poe’s “The cask of amontillado”. This article in a scholarly journal analyzes the protagonist of Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ […]
• An Epilogue to “The Cask of Amontillado” During the specific day that the trial took place, Montresor, the defendant, entered the courtroom for the verdict to be read.
• Discussion of “The Cask of Amontillado” Fortunato was already drunk by the time he was led to the cask of amontillado. He perfectly lured his victim to the execution place and killed him.
• Epilogue to “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe It is that the murder is a reason for the fifty-two years-old disappearance of the respected Fortunato, and the Montresor’s guild is undeniable”.
• Theme of Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” and Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” However, it is possible that a person artificially invents the cause of his unhappiness and blames the other for this, although the problem might not exist if he had a different attitude to it.
• Evil in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat” The author intentionally uses the first-person point of view in order to reveal their thoughts and highlighting the dread of the happening.
• “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe The plot is told from the first person as the pronoun “I” is used and the story is told in the past tense.
• Edgar Poe and “The Cask of Amontillado” On the day of the carnival Montresor goes looking for Fortunato and finds him a bit tipsy and it is then that he tells him of how he had acquired a rare kind of amontillado […]
• Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher In particular, we may analyze such novellas as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
• Jury Defense and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe As a member of the jury sitting in on the trial of Montressor, I feel it is necessary for me to explain the reasons why the jury came to the conclusion it did.
• Browning’s “My Last Duchess” vs. Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” He is regretful of the dowry he did pay and thinks the Duchess was just pretentious. Fortunato is determined, and despite the sorry state of his friend, he tags him along to his demise.
• Edgar Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Ligeia” His method of murder signifies what he knows of stone masonry, of which he is a member, instead of the Masons, which is a secret organization that Fortunato is a member of.
• Edgar Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” Literature Analysis The main character in “The Cask of Amontillado” is Montresor with Fortunato being a minor character in the short story. Also, Montresor is the story’s narrator, and a lot of details about his character are […]
• Narrative Perspectives in Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” One of the reasons why the story The Cask of Amontillado and the poem My Last Duchess are being commonly referred to, as such that represent a particularly high value, is that the narrative perspective […]
• Mini Anthology: Poe Edgar Allan and Dickson Emily’ Works The other story that Poe Allen has written is “The fall of the House of Usher” whereby the main theme is about the haunted house, which is crumbling and this aspects brings out a Gothic […]
• Dark Humor in The Cask of Amontillado Essay The use of horror and humor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is one of the literary features that the author uses to constructs the story.
• Use of Setting to Create Mood in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Evaluating Symbolism and Irony in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Relationship Between Fortunato and Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Images of Narrators in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Revenge and Mortality in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Unjustified Motive for Murder in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Evaluation of the Role of Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Irony of Lies and Deceit in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Revenge of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• A Dark Mood in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Symbolic Meaning of the Cask in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Vowing Revenge in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Misfortunes of Fortunato in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Literary Devices Used by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Use of Figurative Language as Persuasion in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Vengeful Montresor of “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Psychological Elements in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Irony and Foreshadowing in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Theme of Deception and Revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Revenge Isn’t Sweet Forever: Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Plot of Vengeance in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Theme of Death and Life Experiences in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Perspective of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Analysis of Homicide as a Result of Vengeance in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Sociopathic Killers in “The Cask of Amontillado” by E.A. Poe and “Night of the Hunter” by Charles Laughton
• Repression of Sexuality in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Effects of Foreshadowing on the Plot Structure in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Mental Illness of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Question of Montresor’s Sanity in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Mortal Sin of Pride in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Negative Effects of Uncontrolled Ego in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Use of First Person Narration in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Pride and Retribution in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Use of Mystery and Darkness in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Aspects and Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat”
• The Portrayal of Revenge, Obsession, and the Fear of Being Buried Alive in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Nature vs Nurture in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Death Penalty in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Setting and Meaning in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
• The Role of Illnesses in “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• Symbolism, Imagery, and Theme Compared Through the Stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Scarlet Ibis”
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Teaching the cask of amontillado, take a drink of shmoop..

• Activities: 14
• Quiz Questions: 10

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Description

We have a few (non-alcohol, classroom-friendly) mixers to go with Cask of Amontillado, which will make it go down a little more smoothly.

In this guide you will find

• an activity playing with narrative perspective.
• a reading quiz to be sure students know who’s burying whom.
• discussion questions exploring the story’s heady symbolism.

Please Shmoop responsibly.

What's Inside Shmoop's Literature Teaching Guides

Shmoop is a labor of love from folks who love to teach. Our teaching guides will help you supplement in-classroom learning with fun, engaging, and relatable learning materials that bring literature to life.

Inside each guide you'll find quizzes, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more—all written by experts and designed to save you time. Here are the deets on what you get with your teaching guide:

• 13-18 Common Core-aligned activities to complete in class with your students, including detailed instructions for you and your students. 
• Discussion and essay questions for all levels of students.
• Reading quizzes for every chapter, act, or part of the text.
• Resources to help make the book feel more relevant to your 21st-century students.
• A note from Shmoop's teachers to you, telling you what to expect from teaching the text and how you can overcome the hurdles.

Want more help teaching Teaching The Cask of Amontillado?

Check out all the different parts of our corresponding learning guide.

Instructions for You

Objective: " The Cask of Amontillado " is narrated by a murderer and told from his perspective. In this activity students consider the multiple relevant perspectives at stake in the story and employ one of them to retell the tale. Students answer critical questions about the story, participate in classroom discussion, and write an creative retelling of the story from Fortunato's perspective of being buried alive.

Teachers can expect to spend about 30-50 minutes on classroom discussion and possibly one or two more class periods for students to present original work.

Step 1: Pose the following question to your students: consider the perspective through which Poe chose to tell "The Cask of Amontillado." What are some possible reasons why he chose to focus on the murderer's point of view?

Step 2: Have student brainstorm in groups. Ask them to think about what would change if the point of view changed and what effect the point of view has on the story (characters, plot, themes, symbols, etc.).

And now for the prompt:

Rewrite "The Cask of Amontillado" from Fortunato's unfortunate point of view. As you work on your piece, be sure to mirror the story with respect to symbols (for example, what imagery and motifs would be significant to the victim in this last moments alive), themes, and other plot devices.

Step 3: [Optional] Students present their stories to the class or in small groups.

(California English Language Arts Standards Met: 9th & 10th grade Reading 1.1, 1.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.11; Writing 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.9, 2.2, 2.3; 11th & 12th grade Reading 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4; Writing 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.9, 2.2.)

Instructions for Your Students

Take two! Feel like " The Cask of Amontillado " is a little one-sided (what with it being told from the murderer's perspective)? Wondering what exactly Fortunato was thinking, feeling, eeking about during the story? Well, here's your chance to set the record straight and retell the story from the perspective of a…um…less crazy person.

Step 1: Consider the perspective through which Poe chose to tell "The Cask of Amontillado." What are some possible reasons why he chose to focus on the murderer's point of view?

Step 2: Write a creative retelling of the story from Fortunato's perspective of being buried alive.

Prompt: Rewrite "The Cask of Amontillado" from Fortunato's unfortunate point of view. As you work on your piece, be sure to mirror the story with respect to symbols (for example, what imagery and motifs would be significant to the victim in this last moments alive), themes, and other plot devices.

Need some help? Check out these Shmoop resources:

• "Cask of Amontillado" narrator point of view
• "Cask of Amontillado" themes
• "Cask of Amontillado" symbolism
• "Cask of Amontillado" quotes
• "Cask of Amontillado" characters: Fortunato

Step 3: [Optional] Present your story to the class or in small groups.

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Advanced Placement (AP) , General Education

As you prepare for the AP Literature exam, one of the things you’ll have to do is become an expert in a few literary works that you can use on the composition portion of the exam. We recommend that you choose four to five notable works with different genres and themes to make sure you can write an amazing student choice essay.

(Actually...practicing analyzing literature will help you on the whole exam, not just the written portion, so it’s a win-win situation!)

But just because these works have to be “notable” with “literary merit” doesn’t mean they need to be boring, too! That’s why we’re talking about Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” as a good choice for your AP exam. Not only is it widely recognized as an excellent piece of literature, it’s got a little of everything: horror! Suspense! A surprise twist! And as an added bonus...it’s short.

To bring you up to speed, we’ll start with “The Cask of Amontillado” summary, then we’ll jump into character and thematic analyses. By the time you finish this article, you’ll be able to write fearlessly about “The Cask of Amontillado” on your AP exam.

A photograph of Edgar Allan Poe.

Historical Background: Who Was Edgar Allen Poe?

Critics consider Edgar Allan Poe  to be the father of the detective story (thanks to “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” which predates the Sherlock Holmes stories by more than 50 years!) and a pioneer of the American short story.

But despite his literary success, Edgar Allan Poe’s life was marked by tragedy. Orphaned just a year after his birth in 1809, Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan (who weren’t blood relatives). Frances Allan and Poe fought often, usually over money, and Poe would flirt with poverty throughout his life...especially after he was cut out of John Allan’s will.

Poe tried to go to college but couldn’t pay for it, so he dropped out. This was a blessing in disguise, since it kicked off Poe’s writing career. Fueled by both his passion and the death of his older brother, Poe moved back to Baltimore to become a full-time writer. There, he married his cousin—Virginia Clemm—who was just 13 at the time of the marriage. (Poe was 26!)

By all accounts, the couple was happy until Virginia’s death thirteen years later. Poe would never recover from her death and would pass away two years later, shortly after turning 40 years old.

Poe’s life might have been short, but his writing has lived on. Although Poe was a poet, literary critic, essayist, short story writer, and novelist, he is most well-known today for his grisly stories of terror and the macabre. Most of Poe’s works fall into the Gothic genre , which is characterized by a sense of terror, doubt, and the uncanny . The genre was incredibly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Poe’s writing would make him one of the best-known writers of Gothic horror.

The Cask of Amontillado Background

“The Cask of Amontillado” is one of Poe’s most famous short stories, and it was originally published in 1846 in Godey’s Lady Book, the most popular periodical in the United States at that time.

Though scholars aren’t 100 percent sure what inspired Poe’s short story, many believe it’s based on a story he heard while stationed at Fort Independence in Massachusetts in 1827. At that time, Fort Independence had a statue of Lieutenant Robert Massie, who had been killed in a sword duel following a card game, on the premises. As legend has it, after Massie’s death, other soldiers took revenge on his murderer by getting him drunk and permanently sealing him in a vault...alive.  

A more popular theory is that Poe wrote “The Cask of Amontillado” in response to his personal rival, Thomas Dunn English , who had written a scathing critique of one of Poe’s novels. “The Cask of Amontillado” skewers elements from English’s novel, 1844, including making references to the same secret societies and subterranean vaults featured in English’s work.

Others believe that “The Cask of Amontillado” was inspired not by a person, but by a widespread fear of being buried alive. Because medicine was in its infancy, sometimes coma victims were assumed to be dead and were buried accordingly, only to awake in their coffins days later. People started inventing easy-open coffins, burial vaults with windows, and even coffins with breathing tubes attached to save people who were prematurely buried. And of course, the fear of being buried alive—only to die in your own coffin—is echoed in the plot of “The Cask of Amontillado.”

Regardless of what inspired Poe to write “The Cask of Amontillado,” the fact remains that this short story remains one of his most famous and enduring works of Gothic terror.

The Cask of Amontillado Summary

Now that you know a little bit about the background of Poe’s short story, let’s take a look at the plot of the text. ( You can find a free, legal copy of “The Cask of Amontillado” online by clicking here. )

The Story Begins

Poe’s short story actually takes place in two time periods . The bulk of the events occur on the night of Carnaval , which is a Western Christian celebration that takes place before Lent. Carnival is a celebration of excess—of food, drink, and fun—before the restriction of the Lenten season sets in before Easter. (In the United States, the Carnival season is better known as Mardi Gras .)

But the story is told in retrospect by the narrator, Montresor, fifty years after the event to an unknown listener (only referred to as “you” in the story). That means that there are actually two different time frames happening in “The Cask of Amontillado.”

Setting the Trap

Readers learn that Montresor is planning to take revenge on his one-time friend, Fortunato. Readers never learn exactly what Fortunato has done to Montresor to push him over the edge, only that Montresor feels he is the victim of a “thousand injuries” and one unnamed “insult” he must avenge. Readers also learn that Montresor has hidden his rage in order to convince Fortunato that they are still friends—which is all part of his plan.

On the night of Carnival, Montresor puts his plan into action. He knows that Fortunato considers himself a wine connoisseur, so Montresor isn’t surprised that Fortunato is already drunk when he finds him in the middle of the Carnival celebration.

Montresor tells him about a pipe, or about 130 gallons, of Amontillado he bought. (>Amontillado is a fine sherry wine.) But now that he has the wine, Montresor is afraid that he was duped. He tells Fortunato that he was on his way to find Luchresi—another wine connoisseur—to help him determine the wine’s authenticity.

Entering the Vaults

Montresor’s ploy works. Montresor knows that Fortunato is full of himself, and the idea that someone could judge the Amontillado pricks his ego. As a result, Fortunato insists on checking the Amontillado himself.

Montresor half-heartedly tries to dissuade Fortunato, telling him that going into the catacombs , or underground vaults where generations of the Montresor family are buried, will worsen Fortunato’s head cold. Fortunato waves off Montresor’s concerns, saying that he “shall not die of a cough,” and he follows him into the vaults to taste the Amontillado anyway.

As the men venture further into the dark, underground passageways, Montresor makes sure that Fortunato keeps drinking. Fortunato asks about the Montresor family’s coat of arms, and Montresor tells him that their family motto is “ Nemo me impune lacessit,” or “no one attacks me with impunity.” Fortunato is so drunk that he misses the warning in Montresor’s words, and instead asks whether Montresor is a member of the masons , a fraternity with an elite membership. Montresor says yes and holds up a mason’s trowel, implying that he’s a literal mason instead.

Fortunato thinks Montresor is joking, and by the time they arrive at the niche where Montresor says he’s stored the Amontillado, he’s too drunk to notice that there’s no wine inside. He doesn’t even resist as Montresor chains him to the wall.

The End of Fortunato

Montresor then reveals the bricks and mortar he has stored in the vault, and he begins to wall up the opening to the niche...with Fortunato chained inside. The process is a long one, and Montresor describes Fortunato’s fearful cries and attempts to pull free from the chains. But Montresor is determined, and he throws a lit torch into the niche with Fortunato before he finishes walling him in alive.

By this point, Fortunato is panicked. He’s screaming for help, but the pair are so far underground that there’s no one to hear him. He tries to appeal to Montresor’s logic, saying that he’ll be missed by “Lady Fortunato and the rest.” Montresor is unmoved, finishes sealing up the vault, and leaves Fortunato there to die.

Montresor finishes his story by telling the listener that there Fortunato’s bones remain, fifty years later.

m ninha/Flickr

“The Cask of Amontillado” Character Analysis

Read on for an in-depth analysis of the major characters in “The Cask of Amontillado.”

Fortunato’s name means “the fortunate one” in Italian, which is ironic given that he ends up bricked within the Montresor catacombs and left to die. This is just one example of the dramatic irony that permeates the short story.

Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that one or more of the characters don’t know. In this case, readers know what Montresor plans to do, but Fortunato remains ignorant. This creates tension in the short story. As a reader, you want to yell at Fortunato to run away, but you can’t. The thrill of “The Cask of Amontillado” comes from knowing exactly what will happen and being powerless to stop it.

Other than the fact that he seems to have wronged Montresor somehow, readers learn very little about Fortunato directly. Everything we know about his character we have to infer from Montresor’s descriptions of Fortunato and his actions.

For example, we know Fortunato thinks he and Montresor are friends, and they likely were at one point. But we also know that Fortunato is “rich, respected, admired, beloved,” and happy, according to Montresor, at least. But he also seems to be egotistical and self-indulgent; he drinks to excess, has no qualms talking badly about other people (like Luchresi), and thinks he’s the best wine connoisseur around.

Ultimately, whether or not Fortunato’s character flaws are enough to warrant Fortunato’s fate is up for readers to decide.

Montresor is the main character of “The Cask of Amontillado,” and the story is told in first person from his perspective. Like Fortunato, readers know very little about Montresor’s backstory outside of what they can infer from the text. For example, Poe implies that Montresor seems to come from money—he lives in a palazzo, which is basically an Italian palace, which has its own crypt.

But Montresor’s actions tell readers even more about his characte r. First, he’s driven by revenge. He doesn’t take insults lightly, and he’s able to nurse a grudge to an extreme degree. He’s also witty—he makes double entendres about Fortunato’s death that the latter never catches—and knows how to plan ahead, too.

But most importantly, he lacks remorse . At the end of the story, Montresor ends with an exclamation, “ In pace requiescat, ” which means “rest in peace.” Montresor is proud of what he’s done...and even prouder that he hasn’t been caught. As a result, his final wish for Fortunato comes across as sarcastic rather than sincere.

All of this together makes readers question Montresor’s role in the story. At the beginning, he seems like he’s the protagonist : he’s a man who’s been terribly wronged looking for revenge. But by the end of the story, it’s not clear whether Montresor is the story’s hero...or its villain.  

Luchresi never appears in the story, but he plays a vital role in Montresor’s plan. Luchresi is clearly one of Fortunato’s rivals, if not in reality, then at least when it comes to his expertise in wine.

Montresor plays this rivalry to his advantage. He keeps mentioning Luchresi’s name to motivate Fortunato and keep him interested in the Amontillado, especially since he’s drunk and his attention keeps wavering. (Keep in mind that Luchresi is an innocent bystander in all of this—Montresor is just borrowing his name and reputation.) Poe uses the mention of Luchresi’s name to remind Fortunato—and the readers—what’s happening.

Unnamed Listener

Like we mentioned earlier, “The Cask of Amontillado” is a story told in retrospect. An older Montresor is speaking to an unnamed listener, recounting how he killed Fortunato in revenge.

Readers know nothing about the listener, only that he’s Montresor’s audience in telling the story. But from an analysis standpoint, the listener is important. It reminds us that Montresor is telling this story to someone else, and in doing so, trying to communicate his personal perspective. It makes readers question whether Montresor is telling the whole truth, too. Was Fortunato really as bad as Montresor says he was, for example? Because the story is told from Montresor’s perspective—and likely with an agenda in mind—readers are left wondering if Montresor’s account is totally accurate.

Brandon Heyer /Flickr

The 3 Key The Cask of Amontillado Themes

“The Cask of Amontillado" is considered one of Poe’s best short stories, and with good reason: it melds tension, horror, and surprise together masterfully. But what are the messages of Poe’s story? Let’s look at three of major themes of “The Cask of Amontillado” below.

The Unreliability of Perception

Think of a time that you did something you knew your parents would punish you for. When you explained the situation to your parents, how did you do it? More than likely, you tried to downplay your actions (without lying!) to make the consequences a little less severe.

This is a good example of how perspective matters. For your parents, what you did is a serious offense. But if you could just offer a different perspective on things, maybe you won’t be grounded for quite so long!

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” readers are presented with Montresor’s perspective of the story. He tells readers he’s been wronged—for what, he doesn’t say—and paints an unflattering picture of Fortunato. Even though Montresor says he’s rich and well liked, Fortunato’s actions make him seem like a stuck-up, overindulgent idiot.

But is that accurate? Because we only get Montresor’s side of the story, it’s hard to know. It’s up to the reader to decide how reliable, or trustworthy, Montresor is as a narrator. Do we believe him and his argument that killing Fortunato was the only way to have his revenge? Or is Montresor just a cold-blooded killer?

By making the readers ask these questions, Poe draws attention to the idea that people’s individual perspectives on a situation aren’t necessarily 100 percent accurate.

The Danger of Pride

Although Montresor is responsible for Fortunato’s death, the latter has a hand in sealing his own coffin, too.

Even though he’s drunk and sick, the mention of Luchresi’s name triggers Fortunato’s massive ego. The idea that anyone could be better than him—especially Luchresi, who can’t “tell Amontillado from sherry”—drives him to follow Montresor into the catacombs. Despite wanting to kill Fortunato, Montresor gives his victim many chances to turn back. Montresor cites Fortunato’s cough, saying that it might be best to ask for Luchresi’s help instead.

But each time, Fortunato says he wants to push forward because he cannot stand Luchresi getting credit for determining whether the Amontillado is authentic. It’s his pride that makes him want to beat Luchresi, but in the end, it’s his pride that makes him lose.

The Power of Revenge

Perhaps the scariest aspect of “The Cask of Amontillado” is how far Montresor goes for revenge. In many ways, what Fortunato has done to warrant Montresor’s wrath is immaterial; Poe is more interested in how revenge drives a man to extremes.

In this case, it’s clear that Fortunato’s perceived wrongs have dominated Montresor’s thoughts and actions. His plan to kill Fortunato is highly premeditated: he’s clearly put a lot of thought into how he will do it, right down to making sure he has bricks and mortar handy to entomb Fortunato alive.

This is not a spur-of-the-moment, in-the-heat-of-passion action . No, Montresor has thought long and hard about his plan.

Given this, Poe shows readers how powerful the need for revenge can be. N ot only can it drive people to extremes, it can warp their sense of reason, too. After all, short of murder, what insult could Fortunato have delivered to warrant such a gruesome death? Could it be that Montresor’s desire for vengeance, rather than Fortunato's actions, are what allows Montresor to justify murder?

Ultimately, because the whole story is written from Montresor’s perspective, Poe doesn’t give readers any clear answers. But in doing so, Poe also shows how the truth is often obscured by people’s perceptions and motivations.

It’s great that you’re preparing for the composition part of the AP Literature exam, but don’t forget that there’s a multiple choice section, too . Get the skinny on the multiple choice section—and how to ace it!—here.

One of the best ways to practice for any exam is to take practice tests. Did you know that there are practice exams for AP tests, too? Here’s a list of practice tests for the AP Literature exam that you can take to help you study smarter.

Now that you’re well on your way to taking an AP English exam, why not try your hand at some other AP tests? Here’s a comprehensive list of all the AP classes and tests you can take to help earn credit for college.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

I love sharing "The Cask of Amontillado" with my ninth grade students during the first week of school! I am fortunate enough to teach right outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where this not-so-fictional tale occurred. Going over the background of Poe’s time in the military and being stationed at Castle Island brings this dark romantic tale to life. Students love hearing the truth behind the tale. What they love even more is creating and sharing storyboards that show their understanding of the story. With these activities, you can hook your students and teach them the essentials of this gory tale.

Student Activities for The Cask of Amontillado

Essential Questions for “The Cask of Amontillado”

• Is revenge ever justified?
• How do actions have serious consequences for others, even if you aren't aware of them?
• What is suspense, and how is it used in storytelling?
• How do great writers create a mood that readers can feel? How is this evident in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?
• How does Poe use language to create drama?
• How do literary elements affect readers' understanding of a literary work?

"The Cask of Amontillado" Summary

Beware! "The Cask of Amontillado" synopsis below does contain spoilers! This summary is meant to be a helpful recap for students after they have read the story. Or, a useful refresher for teachers to help them decide if they would like to use this short story in the classroom.

What is "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe about?

"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, is a short story inspired by true events that took place on Castle Island, a former military fort off of Boston Harbor, in Massachusetts. When Poe was stationed there as young cadet in the Army, he found a peculiar gravestone. After some inquiry, he learned a story of a man who had been walled up alive. Forbidden by his commander to ever repeat the particulars, Poe took the plot line, changed the setting and characters, and wrote this story.

The story is set in Italy, during the Carnival. The narrator, Montresor, without giving the particulars, explains that he has a grudge to settle with Fortunato, who insulted him. Both men being wine connoisseurs, Montresor lures Fortunato into his catacombs by promising him a fine bottle of Amontillado wine.

As the two men travel into the catacombs, Fortunato has no inkling that his friend will betray him. Fortunato is ill, battling a bad cough. Surprisingly, Montresor urges his friend to turn back. Laden with irony and foreshadowing, Fortunato claims, "I will not die of a cough” and continues with Montresor.

When the men finally reach the base of the crypt, Montresor has bricks and mortar awaiting them. He chains Fortunato to the wall and seals him in alive.

More Storyboarding Activity Ideas for "The Cask of Amontillado"

It is so easy to use our assignment wizard to create your own activity from scratch. All you have to do is: give your assignment a title, add directions, provide a template and send it to your students! You can even use any of the storyboards you see within our activities as examples by quickly and easily copying and customizing them for your intended purpose. Don't forget to look through our thousands of worksheet and poster templates as well! You can add as many templates to an assignment as you'd like!

• Create storyboards to show specific causes and effects of events in the story.
• Storyboard the events at Castle Island where Poe got the idea for his story!
• Use a storyboard to show how Poe builds suspense.
• Create an alternate ending to the story with a storyboard that shows and tells the story from a different perspective.
• Complete a storyboard biography of Edgar Allan Poe. (This is a great pre-reading activity!)
• Ask students to create a graphic novel using multiple storyboards that depict the various works of Poe.
• Give students the opportunity to storyboard their answers to "The Cask of Amontillado" Study Guide Questions using images and text, or write their own summary of "The Cask of Amontillado"!
• Want to take Storyboard That offline? Create "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe worksheets with questions and illustrations related to the story.
• Add a presentation to create a "The Cask of Amontillado" interactive project!

Ideas for Post-Reading Activities for "The Cask of Amontillado" for pairs, groups or individuals!

Storyboard That is an excellent tool for students to create fun and engaging projects as a culminating activity after finishing a novel or poem. In addition to our premade activities, here are some ideas that teachers can customize and assign to students to spark creativity in individual students, pairs, or small groups for a final project. Several of these ideas include Storyboard That templates that can be printed out or copied into your teacher dashboard and assigned digitally. All final projects can be printed out, presented as a slide show, or, for an extra challenge, as an animated gif!

• For Groups: Turn Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado", into a short play to reenact the narrative for the class! Use the traditional storyboard layout to plan out your scenes. You can add text to your storyboards, or simply use the cells to visualize each scene of your play.
• Using one of Storyboard That’s board game templates , create a game based on the story for your classmates to play!
• For Groups: Divide the parts of the story amongst your group members. Each member of the group creates a storyboard for their assigned part.
• Using the worksheet layout and Storyboard That’s worksheet assets, create your own "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe worksheet! They can be in the form of a test or a quiz for other students in the class. You can create all kinds of questions such as multiple choice, short answer, and even matching! When you are done, be sure to make an answer key.
• Using one of Storyboard That’s biography poster templates, create a poster about the character or the author. Be sure to include important biographical features such as: place and date of birth, family life, accomplishments, etc.
• Create a book jacket of the story using one of Storyboard That’s book jacket templates. Use Storyboard That art to create the cover, and write a summary of the story on the back, just like real books have!
• Using one of Storyboard That’s social media templates as a starting point, create a social media page for the character or the author! Be sure to think how the character thinks while creating this page.
• Create a scrapbook page made by the character or the author. Storyboard That has lots of premade templates that you can use as is, or change to fit your character’s personality! Check out our scrapbook templates today!

Edgar Allan Poe Lesson Plan

Author study.

Extend and enhance your students' knowledge of Poe and his works by conducting an Author Study . Students can research more about Edgar Allan Poe, read his various stories and poems and make connections to his life and the time period. Students can use storyboards to analyze his work, his style, prevalent themes and more!

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About the Author: Edgar Allan Poe

"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” - Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher" , 1839

Edgar Allan Poe was an American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is internationally known as a literary genius. Some of his most famous poems and short stories, like "The Cask of Amontillado", are dark tales of grief, mystery, macabre and the supernatural.

Some of the most famous works by Edgar Allan Poe in order of their publication are: "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839), "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842), "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1843), "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843), "The Black Cat" (1843), "The Purloined Letter" (1844), "The Raven" (1845), "The Cask of Amontillado" (1846), and "The Bells" (1848). All are considered literary classics today.

Poe was born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. His life was fraught with tragedy from an early age. His father, David Poe, Jr. abandoned the family when Poe was just a baby. Poe's mother, English-born Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was a well-liked actress who tragically died of tuberculosis when Poe was only 3 years old. He carried an image of his mother throughout his life.

Poe was taken in by John Allan, a successful tobacco merchant in Richmond, VA and his wife, Frances Allan. While Poe was sadly separated from his siblings William and Rosalie, he was afforded the opportunity of a good education and was doted upon by Mrs. Allan, who had no children of her own. Poe showed great promise with writing at an early age but was discouraged by his foster father who preferred he go into the family business.

It is said that Poe had a loving relationship with his foster mother but sadly, Mrs. Allan, too, died of tuberculosis when Poe was a young man. Poe had a difficult relationship with his strict foster father. Mr. Allan helped Poe attend the University of Virginia for one year and later the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but otherwise he and Poe had a tumultuous relationship. Mr. Allan did little to help Poe financially and even left Poe out of his will. Despite his talents as a writer, Poe struggled with money, gambling, alcohol, and poor health throughout his life.

Career and Marriage

At the University of Virginia, Poe impressed his classmates with his talents as both a writer and an artist. While away at school, Poe's fiancee, Sarah Elmira Royster became engaged to another. Heartbroken, in 1827, Poe moved to Boston where he published his first pamphlet of poems followed by another volume in 1829 in Baltimore. In 1833, Poe published the short story, "MS. Found in a Bottle" and in 1835, he became the editor of the "Southern Literary Messenger" in Richmond. Having finally found a stable profession, Poe was then married to his much younger cousin, Virginia Clemm.

Poe was known as a harsh and combative critic at the "Southern Literary Messenger" and his stint there didn't last long. His reputation as being antagonistic was well known and he even had a feud with another famous poet of his day, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . Poe bounced around, working for various other magazines and journals and in 1844 he moved to New York City with his wife, Virginia. Despite his numerous publications prior, it wasn't until he published "The Raven" in 1845 that he was finally considered a popular literary star of his day. So much so that Poe's nickname even became, "The Raven". It was published in "The Evening Mirror" where Poe worked as a critic and it became an overnight sensation. While the publication of "The Raven" brought Poe great acclaim and fame, it did not bring him any fortune. In fact, he earned a mere $14.00 for it. Having lived most of his life impoverished despite steadily working, Poe was an advocate for better wages for writers.

When Poe wrote "The Raven" he was foreshadowing the loss of his own beloved. On January 30, 1847, in a tragic twist of fate, Poe's young wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis at the age of 24 - the same age his mother was when she died and the same cause of death as both his mother and foster mother. Poe fell into a deep depression and although he continued to work, suffered poor health, both mental and physical. Poe did manage to write an ode to his lost love called, "Annabel Lee".

Poe was known to have abused alcohol and was said to have looked pale and sickly in the days leading up to his death. It is unknown the exact cause of Poe's death. Some suspect foul play, others believe that it was actually rabies that led to his early demise. He was found delirious and semi-conscious on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland and died in the hospital on October 7, 1849 at the age of 40. Poe's final words were, "Lord, help my poor soul."

Edgar Allan Poe is remembered as a singular talent of imaginative storytelling. His works helped define the Romanticism and American Gothic Literary Movements of his time and he is recognized as one of the first authors of detective fiction . His works continue to influence many books and movies today. Despite his sorrowful life, his legacy lives on.

Read more in our Picture Encyclopedia entry on -Poe}">Edgar Allan Poe !

How To Develop an Understanding of Gothic Writing

Introduce different types of writing, foster interest, examine the characters, symbolism and imagery, write and reflect, frequently asked questions about the cask of amontillado, why is the story titled "the cask of amontillado", who are the main characters in “the cask of amontillado”, what is the reason behind montresor’s revenge on fortunato, what is the main theme of the story, try 1 month for.

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Writing Prompts about The Cask of Amontillado

• 🗃️ Essay topics
• ❓ Research questions
• 📝 Topic sentences
• 🪝 Essay hooks
• 📑 Thesis statements
• 🔀 Hypothesis examples
• 🧐 Personal statements

🔗 References

🗃️ the cask of amontillado essay topics.

• The theme of revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The use of irony and foreshadowing in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The symbolism of the catacombs in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The psychological aspects of the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The unreliable narrator in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The significance of the title “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The impact of revenge on the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The theme of betrayal in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The significance of the Montresor family motto in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe.
• The role of pride and ego in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The role of trust and deception in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The atmosphere and setting in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The theme of guilt and remorse in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The exploration of human nature and its dark side in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The role of irony in the resolution of “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The theme of obsession in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The theme of death and mortality in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The role of alcohol as a motif in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The influence of Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life on “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• The role of manipulation and persuasion in “The Cask of Amontillado.”

❓ The Cask of Amontillado Research Questions

• How does Edgar Allan Poe utilize irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” to enhance the narrative?
• What is the psychological profile of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” to enhance the narrative?
• How does the motif of confinement and imprisonment play a role in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• How does the theme of revenge manifest in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• How does the use of setting contribute to the atmosphere and mood in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• How does Edgar Allan Poe depict the theme of obsession in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• What role does alcohol play in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• To what extent is the narrator reliable in recounting the events of “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• How does Poe explore the theme of guilt and remorse in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• What are the gothic elements present in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• How does the use of foreshadowing contribute to the suspense and tension in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• What are the possible influences from Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life on “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• What are the symbolic elements present in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• To what extent does fate or destiny play a role in the events of “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• What are the lasting impacts and legacies of “The Cask of Amontillado” in the realm of literature?

📝 The Cask of Amontillado Topic Sentence Examples

• The theme of revenge drives the plot and characters in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” highlighting the destructive power of vengeance.
• Through the expert use of irony, Edgar Allan Poe creates a suspenseful and chilling atmosphere in “The Cask of Amontillado,” leaving readers questioning the true intentions of the narrator.
• Symbolism plays a significant role in “The Cask of Amontillado,” as Edgar Allan Poe employs various symbolic elements to deepen the narrative and explore themes of deception and mortality.

🪝 Good Hooks for The Cask of Amontillado Paper

📍 autobiography hooks on the cask of amontillado for essay.

• As I reflect on the pages of my life, there is one haunting tale that continues to grip my memory—an unforgettable encounter that parallels the chilling events of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.”
• In the annals of my existence, there exists a chapter that bears an eerie resemblance to the psychological descent depicted in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” leaving an indelible mark on my soul.

📍 Statistical Hooks for Essay on The Cask of Amontillado

• According to a recent survey, “The Cask of Amontillado” ranks among the top 10 most widely studied short stories in high school literature curricula, highlighting its enduring popularity and educational significance.
• In a statistical analysis of reader responses, over 80% of participants reported feeling a sense of unease and suspense while reading “The Cask of Amontillado,” indicating the story’s exceptional ability to evoke emotional reactions.

📍 Question Hooks about The Cask of Amontillado for Essay

• What are the psychological motivations behind Montresor’s vengeful actions in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
• In what ways does the carnival season setting contribute to the overall atmosphere and symbolism in “The Cask of Amontillado”?

📑 Top The Cask of Amontillado Thesis Statements

✔️ argumentative thesis samples on the cask of amontillado.

• In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator’s meticulous planning and execution of revenge highlights the dangerous consequences of allowing vengeful emotions to overpower reason and morality.
• Through the use of symbolism and irony, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” serves as a cautionary tale, illustrating the destructive nature of obsession and the depths to which a person can descend when consumed by a desire for retribution.

✔️ Analytical Thesis Examples on The Cask of Amontillado

• By employing a chillingly unreliable narrator, atmospheric setting, and elements of Gothic literature, Edgar Allan Poe masterfully crafts “The Cask of Amontillado” to explore the themes of obsession, manipulation, and the torment of a guilty conscience.
• “The Cask of Amontillado” serves as a prime example of Edgar Allan Poe’s adeptness at crafting Gothic literature, as he skillfully weaves together elements of suspense, horror, and psychological depth to explore the dark and complex facets of human nature.

✔️ Informative Thesis on The Cask of Amontillado

• Through the exploration of revenge, symbolism, and psychological manipulation, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” serves as a chilling examination of the darker aspects of human nature.
• By employing elements of irony, foreshadowing, and setting, Edgar Allan Poe crafts a suspenseful and psychologically intricate narrative in “The Cask of Amontillado,” inviting readers to delve into the mind of a vengeful protagonist.

🔀 The Cask of Amontillado Hypothesis Examples

• “The Cask of Amontillado” reflects Edgar Allan Poe’s personal experiences with betrayal and his contemplation of revenge as a means of emotional release.
• The use of irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” serves to emphasize the unstable mental state of the narrator and highlights the blurred boundaries between sanity and madness.

🔂 Null & Alternative Hypothesis about The Cask of Amontillado

• Null Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between the theme of revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado” and the character development of Montresor.
• Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant relationship between the theme of revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado” and the character development of Montresor, as evidenced by the symbolism, dialogue, and actions portrayed in the story.

🧐 Examples of Personal Statement about The Cask of Amontillado

• Reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe was a gripping and thought-provoking experience for me. The story’s exploration of revenge and the intricate web of deceit woven by the protagonist fascinated me, prompting me to reflect on the darker aspects of human nature and the consequences of unchecked emotions. It served as a powerful reminder of the power of storytelling and how literature can challenge our perspectives and provoke deep introspection.
• As a student, studying “The Cask of Amontillado” exposed me to the genius of Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. The story’s masterful use of symbolism, irony, and suspense captivated me, leaving me on the edge of my seat and craving for more. It not only entertained me but also sparked a curiosity to delve deeper into the psychological complexities of the characters and the underlying themes. This literary journey has broadened my understanding of storytelling and its ability to engage readers on both an intellectual and emotional level.
• To Live but Die Inside: A Lamentable State of Montressor in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Between theory and narrative : a mask as a hermetextual artefact in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Devil’s in the Details: A Characterization of Montresor in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• On Memory, Forgetting, and Complicity in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Reader’s Response – “The Cask of Amontillado”

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A Summary and Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘The Cask of Amontillado’ is one of Poe’s shorter classic tales. It was first published in 1846 in a women’s magazine named Godey’s Lady’s Book , a hugely popular magazine in the US in the mid-nineteenth century. (The magazine had published one of Poe’s earliest stories, ‘The Visionary’, twelve years earlier.)

‘The Cask of Amontillado’ is one of Poe’s ‘revenge stories’, and the way he depicts the avenger’s psychological state is worthy of closer analysis.

Plot summary

First, a quick summary of the plot of ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, which is our way of saying ‘those who wish to avoid spoilers please look away now’. The story is narrated by the murderer, Montresor, who takes revenge on a fellow Italian nobleman, Fortunato, during the carnival season.

Fortunato, drunk and dressed in motley, boasts that he can tell an amontillado from other sherry, and so Montresor lures his rival down into Montresor’s family catacombs, saying that he has some amontillado for Fortunato to taste. Fortunato finds the descent difficult, thanks to the nitre in the catacombs, which exacerbate his bad chest.

Montresor plays on Fortunato’s inherent sense of pride in his knowledge of wines, by telling him that, if Fortunato cannot make the journey into the catacombs, they can turn back and Montresor can give the wine to Luchresi, another nobleman, instead.

Of course, this only makes Fortunato even more determined to be the one to taste the amontillado, and so they two of them keep going. When they arrive down in the catacombs, Montresor having plied his enemy with Medoc wine, he chains his drunken rival to the wall and then proceeds to wall him up inside the family vault, burying the man alive.

Fortunato at first believes it to be a jest, but then realises that he has been left here to die. Fifty years later, Montresor says that the body of Fortunato is still there in the vault.

Why does Montresor want revenge on Fortunato? This is where we see Poe’s genius (a contentious issue – W. B. Yeats thought his writing ‘vulgar’ and T. S. Eliot, whilst praising the plots and ideas of Poe’s stories, thought the execution of them careless) can be seen most clearly in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.

For Montresor has every reason to confide to us – via his close friend, the addressee of his narrative, who is our stand-in in the story – his reason for wishing to kill Fortunato. But instead of getting a clear motive from him, we are instead given a series of possible reasons, none of which quite rings true.

It may be that Poe learned this idea from Shakespeare’s Othello , where the villainous Iago’s reasons for wishing to destroy Othello’s life are unclear, not because Iago offers us no plausible reasons for wishing to cause trouble, but because he offers us several , the effect of which is that they all cancel each other out, to an extent.

This is made clear in the opening words of the story:

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled – but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk.

Immediately, we are given an insight into the motive for the crime, but there is a sense that Montresor  wants  his crime – which he almost views as a work of art – to be acknowledged and even appreciated, in a strange way, by the victim. In other words, as Montresor explains, he wants Fortunato to know who has killed him (and why), but he wants to make sure nobody else finds out:

I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

That opening sentence is like a literal enactment of the familiar phrase, ‘to add insult to injury’. This provides a key clue to the motivation – shaky and vague as it is – of Montresor. His revenge is not motivated primarily by any tangible harm that Fortunato has done him, so much as a sense of resentment, a way Fortunato has of making Montresor feel inferior.

There are several clues offered by Poe in the story which suggest this as a plausible analysis of Montresor’s character and motivation. First of all, there is Fortunato’s name, suggesting fortune (wealth) but also being fortunate (luck), two qualities which don’t tend to enamour people to you, even though one’s possession of one or both of them hasn’t necessarily harmed anyone else. As F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby , put it: ‘Nothing is as obnoxious as other people’s luck.’

Although ‘Montresor’, the narrator’s name, suggests literally a ‘mountain of treasure’, the fortunate Fortunato still has the edge: as we know from such stories as Lawrence’s ‘The Rocking-Horse Winner’ , money is worth little without luck, for luck is how one acquires more money (though hard work doesn’t go amiss, of course). Another clue comes when Montresor fails to interpret a gesture made by Fortunato:

He laughed and threw the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not understand.

I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement – a grotesque one.

‘You do not comprehend?’ he said.

This taut, clipped conversation continues, as Poe deftly outlines the underlying reasons for the animosity that exists between the two men. In short, Montresor fails to understand the significance of the gesture Fortunato performs, leading Fortunato to suspect that Montresor is not a mason. Montresor insists he is, but Fortunato is having none of it:

‘You? Impossible! A mason?’

Fortunato asks Montresor for a sign that he really is a freemason:

‘It is this,’ I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire a trowel.

‘You jest,’ he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. ‘But let us proceed to the Amontillado.’

This moment suggests a further underlying reason for Montresor’s desire for revenge: Fortunato insults him by belittling him and reminding him that he is not part of the same ‘club’ as Fortunato.

It may be that Montresor – his name perhaps suggesting acquired wealth rather than first-rank nobility like Fortunato (who has inherited his wealth and name by being ‘fortunate’ enough to be born into the right aristocratic family) – is not quite of the same pedigree as Fortunato, and so has had none of the advantages and benefits that Fortunato has enjoyed.

Poe makes his point by some subterranean wordplay on mason : Fortunato refers to the freemasons, that secret elite society known for its mutual favours and coded signs, gestures, and rituals, but Montresor’s trowel suggests the stonemasons, those artisans and labourers who are not aristocrats but possess great manual skill.

This pun is confirmed later in the story by Montresor’s reference to the ‘mason-work’ when he is walling his hapless rival up inside the catacombs.

‘The Cask of Amontillado’ can be productively linked – via comparative analysis – with a number of other Poe stories. Its murderous narrator links the story to ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘ The Black Cat ’; its focus on revenge and the misuse of alcohol links it to ‘Hop-Frog’; the alcohol motif is also seen in ‘The Black Cat’, while the use of jester’s motley also suggests a link with Poe’s other great revenge tale, ‘Hop-Frog’, where the title character is a jester in the employ of a corrupt king.

The live burial motif is also found in Poe’s story ‘ The Premature Burial ’ and ‘ The Fall of the House of Usher ’.

9 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’”

There is something very odd about this story – the title emphasises the ‘amontillado’ which the murderer uses as bait for his victim, and the victim dreamily repeates the word as if it refers to something very unusual and precious. But unless there is something special about this cask – and no one suggests that there is, it could just as easily be the kind of wine you can buy in Sainsbury’s – and I frequently do, to use in cooking. And there is the dismissal of the man who ‘cannot tell Amontillado from sherry’ – but actually of course Amontillado is sherry. And it’s not an ‘Italian wine’ but Spanish. Did Poe know all this? is he implying that the two are not the aristocrats they seem and claim to be, but a pair of drunken louts? or did he use the name because it sounded exotic, without knowing what it was…

I think he used the whole ‘Amontillado is sherry’ thing as a joke. Fortunato and Montresor are an awful lot alike, after all. Even there names mean the same thing.

This is one of my favorite Poe stories and a fantastic analysis!

Thank you! It’s one of my favourites too – and there are plenty of fine stories to choose from :)

Nobody likes a clever dick, do they?

Sent from my iPad

Iago–yes, that is very clear intertextuality. I’ll bring that in with my Othello unit with my seniors.

Reblogged this on Greek Canadian Literature .

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• Pingback: Μια περίληψη και ανάλυση του Edgar Allan Poe για «το βαρέλι του αμοντιλάδο» – worldtraveller70

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• Poe's Short Stories

Edgar Allan Poe

• Literature Notes
• "The Cask of Amontillado"
• Edgar Allan Poe Biography
• About Poe's Short Stories
• Summary and Analysis
• "The Fall of the House of Usher"
• "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"
• "The Purloined Letter"
• "The Tell-Tale Heart"
• "The Black Cat"
• "William Wilson"
• "The Pit and the Pendulum"
• "The Masque of the Red Death"
• Critical Essays
• Edgar Allan Poe and Romanticism
• Poe's Critical Theories
• Cite this Literature Note

Summary and Analysis "The Cask of Amontillado"

"The Cask of Amontillado" has been almost universally referred to as Poe's most perfect short story; in fact, it has often been considered to be one of the world's most perfect short stories. Furthermore, it conforms to and illustrates perfectly many of Poe's literary theories about the nature of the short story: that is, it is short and can be read at one sitting, it is a mood piece with every sentence contributing to the total effect, it is a completely unified work and while it is seemingly simple, it abounds in ironies of many kinds. Finally, every line and comment contributes to the totality or unity of effect that Poe sought to achieve.

The plot is quite simple. The first-person narrator, whom we later discover to be named Montresor, announces immediately that someone named Fortunato has injured him repeatedly and has recently insulted him. Montresor can stand no more; he vows revenge upon Fortunato. The remainder of the story deals with Montresor's methods of entrapping Fortunato and effecting his revenge upon the unfortunate Fortunato. Foremost is the fact that Montresor has never let Fortunato know of his hatred. Accordingly, one evening during carnival time, a time when much frivolity and celebration would be taking place, Montresor set his fiendish, mad plan into motion with full confidence that he would never be discovered. In fact, at the end of the story, we, the readers, are certain that his atrocity will never be discovered.

Knowing that Fortunato considered himself a great expert, or connoisseur, of fine wines, and especially a devotee of a sherry known as Amontillado, Montresor flattered him by obsequiously asking his opinion on a newly acquired cask of Amontillado. He tantalized Fortunato with the rare liquor, even pretending that his vaults where the wine was stored had too much dampness and "nitre" for Fortunato's afffiction. However, Fortunato was determined to taste the wine and insisted on being taken to Montresor's home. Montresor complied while wrapping himself in a cloak to make sure that he would not be recognized. Earlier, he had let all of the servants off for the night, using the excuse of the carnival; in this way he would avoid arousing Fortunato's suspicions and would also prevent anyone from witnessing the atrocity he planned to commit. Apparently, Montresor had been planning this revenge for a long time and, ironically, had chosen carnival time as the setting for this most horrible type of crime. Amid the gaiety of the carnival, he was sure he would avoid any possibility of being detected.

As they descended into the vaults, Fortunato walked unsteadily and the "bells upon his cap jingled" as they descended, creating a further carnival atmosphere or a joyous time, a time which will ironically end soon with the living death of the unfortunate Fortunato.

As they passed deeper into the vaults, the nitre caused Fortunato to cough constantly, but he was drunkenly determined to continue. At one point, however, Montresor paused and offered Fortunato a bottle of Medoc wine to help ward off the cold and the fumes of the nitre. This seemingly kind act, of course, carries undertones of the most vicious irony, since what appears to be an act of kindness is only an act performed to keep the victim alive long enough to get him to the niche where he will be buried alive.

Fortunato drank the Medoc and once again became boisterous and once more "his bells jingled." Fortunato toasted Montresor's buried ancestors, and Montresor returned the toast to Fortunato's "long life." When Fortunato noted how extensive the vaults were, Montresor told him that he heard that the Montresors "were a great and numerous family." Then, in his drunkenness, Fortunato says that he has forgotten what Montresor's coat of arms looks like. This statement, at the time of the story's setting, would be yet one more of the many blatant insults for which Montresor hates Fortunato. He states that his family's coat of arms has on it "a huge human foot d'or [foot of gold], in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" and that the family motto is " Nemo me impune lacessit " (No one attacks me with impunity). Thus, both the motto and the coat of arms imply that the entire Montresor family history is filled with acts of revenge.

As the two men proceeded further along the tunnels, the cold and the nitre fumes increased, and Fortunato asked for another drink. Montresor gave him a bottle of De Grave, which Fortunato emptied and then tossed the bottle into the air with a certain symbolic gesture. At this point, Fortunato was sure that Montresor didn't understand the gesture because it belonged to the secret order of the masons — an order that Fortunato was certain that Montresor couldn't belong to, thus flinging Montresor another insult and, unknowingly, bringing himself closer to his living death. Fortunato then showed him a sign of the masons — a trowel, which he brought with him. This is, of course, a double irony since the trowel is not only an instrument used by real masons (bricklayers, stone masons, etc.), but it is one of the emblems of the Masonic Order, and in this case it will become an instrument of Fortunato's death — shortly after he implies that Montresor is not good enough to be a member of the Masonic Order. In only a few minutes, it will be seen that Montresor is indeed a superb mason.

As they continued their journey, we discover that there are numerous catacombs of long deceased relatives. Thus, they have progressed to the place of the dead where Fortunato will spend the rest of his existence — ironically, alongside the relatives of a man who hates him with an unbelievable intensity. At one of the catacombs, Montresor led Fortunato into a small crypt, or niche, which was "in depth about four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. Montresor told Fortunato that the Amontillado was inside.

When Fortunato stepped inside, he ran into the granite wall, and Montresor quickly locked him to the wall with a chain. Fortunato was too drunk to even realize what was going on, much less resist his imprisonment.

Very quickly, Montresor uncovered a "quantity of building stone and mortar" and began to "wall up the entrance." With only the first tier completed, Montresor heard deep moans from within, and by the time he had laid the fourth tier, he "heard the furious vibrations of the chain." Resuming his chore, he completed three more tiers. Suddenly there was "a succession of loud and shrill screams" from inside the crypt and, at first, Montresor was momentarily frightened and then he delighted in joining in with the screams. Then there was silence.

By the time Montresor had finished the last tier, with only one more stone to be put into place, there came a long low laugh from within. Then Fortunato's voice called upon Montresor to put an end to this joke. Finally, Fortunato pleaded " For the love of God, Montresor ," a request which Montresor mocked by repeating the phrase. Then Montresor looked through the remaining opening with his torch and could see nothing, but he did hear the jingling of Fortunato's bells as he laid the last stone in place. For fifty years, he tells us, no one has disturbed the peace of this place.

As noted in this discussion, the story abounds in ironies. The name of the victim, Fortunato, meaning "the fortunate one," is the first irony. Then, too, the entire situation is ironic — that is, the most terrible and gruesome deeds are executed in a carnival atmosphere of gaiety and happiness; Montresor is using the atmosphere of celebration to disguise the horribly atrocious act of entombing a man alive.

The reader should, perhaps, at one point ask himself who is Montresor, and, then since Montresor seems to be apparently addressing someone, the reader should ask himself whom Montresor is talking to (or writing about) and why. Since the deed was committed some fifty years ago, and at the time of the deed Montresor could not have been a young person, he must now be very old. It could be that he is talking to one of his descendants, or else making his last confession to a priest. After all, from what we can glean from the story, Montresor, in spite of the reputed insults of Fortunato, came from an ancient, perhaps noble family, and he is also a person of considerable taste (in gems, in paintings, in wines, and in other matters), and it is evident that he possesses considerable intelligence, albeit a type of diabolical intelligence. In his plan to entomb Fortunato in the Montresor catacombs, he was clever at the right time; his planning was perfect. Remember that he anticipated letting the servants off at a time that would not arouse suspicion since it was carnival time; clearly, his entire plan of revenge was contrived with such perfection that Montresor had to be an exceptionally gifted person. But then, again, the question arises: How could a gifted person imagine insults of such magnitude so as to cause him to effect such a horrible revenge?

Informing the entire story is the nature of an insult that could evoke such a well-planned, diabolical scheme of revenge. If indeed there was an insult of such magnitude, then is Fortunato unaware of it to such an extent that he would accompany the person that he has insulted into such a dreadful place? Or was he simply drunk with the carnival madness that was occurring throughout the city? The reader, of course, is shocked by the diabolical efficiency of the murderer, and also by the fact that Montresor has lived with impunity, and also, ironically, his victim has rested in peace for fifty years.

The double and ironic viewpoint continues on every plane. When Montresor met Fortunato, he smiled continually at Fortunato, who thought he saw a smile of warmth and friendliness, when in reality, the smile was a satanic smile in anticipation of Fortunato's entombment. Likewise, Montresor's first words to him were "you are luckily met." The ironic reversal is true: Within a short time, Fortunato will be entombed alive.

Likewise, when Fortunato drinks a toast to the people buried in the catacombs, he little knows that he is drinking a toast to his own impending death. The same is true when Fortunato insults Montresor concerning the masons — both a secret, honorable order which requires close scrutiny for a person to become a member and, of course, an honorable trade, a tool of which Montresor will use for a most dishonorable deed.

In general, this story fits well into Poe's dictum that everything in a well-written story must contribute to a total effect. The constant use of irony — the drinking of the wine to warm Fortunato so that he can continue his journey to his death, the jingling of the bells announcing his death, the carnival atmosphere versus the atrocities, the irony of Fortunato's name, the irony of the coat of arms, the irony in the unintentional remarks (or were they?) that Fortunato makes, saying that he doesn't remember what the Montresor coat of arms is, and later when he sneers at the possibility that Montresor could be a mason (and the irony connected with the type of mason which Montresor actually becomes) — all of these and many more contribute to the complete unity of this perfect short story.

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The Cask of Amontillado

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What does the repetition of the word “Amontillado” convey in the story? How does its repetition play into the text’s extended metaphor?’

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In what ways does Montresor put on a performance throughout the text? What effect does this performance have?

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Edgar Allan Poe — Cask Of Amontillado Essay

Cask of Amontillado Essay

• Categories: Edgar Allan Poe Revenge

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Published: Mar 5, 2024

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In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado," the character Montresor meticulously plans and executes the murder of his acquaintance Fortunato. This act of revenge is carried out with calculated precision and [...]

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," situational irony plays a crucial role in creating suspense, tension, and ultimately a shocking twist in the story. This literary device involves a situation where the outcome is [...]

In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado," the character Montresor commits a heinous act by luring Fortunato into the catacombs and ultimately burying him alive. Many readers may wonder why Montresor would go to [...]

Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee" is a hauntingly beautiful poem that delves into themes of love, loss, and mortality. The poem explores the narrator's deep and undying love for his deceased lover, Annabel Lee, and the lengths he [...]

“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe is a morbid story about the change the narrator undergoes and the gruesome and disturbing nature of his behaviors. Through the narrator’s development in the story, his behavior can be [...]

The short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a truly fascinating story that when read, it comes across as heavy and fearful as well as mysterious. The theme of the story points to getting revenge by [...]

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