“The Cask of Amontillado”

By Edgar Allen Poe

What’cha know about Poe?

1809-1849

Boston, Massachusetts

Addicted to gambling & alcohol

Married his cousin, Virginia Clemm (13)

Wrote dark, twisted tales

Death is unknown – possibly alcohol, drug, or illness-related

Buried in Old Westminster Burying Ground of Baltimore in an unmarked grave (later moved to the Poe Memorial Grave)

The “Poe Toaster” visits Poe’s grave on birthdays and leaves a ½ filled bottle of cognac and 3 roses

“The Cask of Amontillado”

• For starters… what IS amontillado?• A type of wine!

VocabularyVocabulary• Catacombs

• Long, windy underground burial tunnels

• Virtuoso• A professional

• Impunity• Exemption from

punishment

• Fettered• To restrain

• Connoisseur• A judge of the best

• Gait• A stride of walking, running,

etc.

• Precluded• To prevent the existence of

• Retribution• Revenge

VocabularyVocabulary

• Afflicated• To trouble greatly

• Explicit• Clearly developed

Literary TermsLiterary Terms• Plot

• Sequence of events• “Cask” begins with the

reader learning about the narrator wanting revenge on Fortunato

• Verbal Irony• Sarcasm

• “And I to your long life”• Montressor keeps calling

Fortunato his “friend”

Literary TermsLiterary Terms

• Dramatic Irony• The reader knows what characters don’t

• Fortunato says he will not die of a cough – we know Montresor will kill him

• “Nemo me impune lacessit” – no one attacks me without punishment (Montresor’s family slogan)

• Protagonist• The main character (good guy)

• Montresor

Literary TermsLiterary Terms

• Mood• The way the reader feels while reading a story

• Dark, gloomy, creepy

• Point of View• The perspective the story is told from

• First Person POV (narrator is a character in the story)

CharactersCharacters

• Montresor• Angry, smart, witty, seeking revenge

• Fortunato• Cocky, has money, dressed as a jester (ironic)

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• What is the meaning of the phrase, “A wrong is undressed when retribution overtakes its redresser”?• A wrong is undone with it’s solved by punishment. It is

equally undone when the avenger fails to empathize with the wrongdoer. Revenge is only worthwhile when the wrongdoer feels bad for what they’ve done.

• Why did Montresor seek revenge on Fortunato?• He received many injuries/insults.

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• How did Montresor know that the house would be empty?• He told his servants to stay home during carnival. He

knew they would leave because he told them he wouldn’t be returning until a day later, so they knew they could go out and he’d never know.

• He did this on purpose because he wanted the house empty; if he told them to go out, they would get suspicious.

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• Where had the stone and mortar, used by Montresor to wall up the entrance to the niche, been hidden?• At the far end of the crypt under bones of the dead.

• In your own words, describe the catacombs that Fortunato is led through.• Dar, dusky, moldy, moist

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• Where and when is the story set?• During carnival, possibly in Italy or Spain (not said)

• Why does Montresor make sure Fortunato has drunk a lot of wine?• So he won’t fight as much or realize what’s going on

until it’s too late

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• What is Luchresi’s role in the story?• A wine expert Montresor uses to con Fortunato into

doing what he says; Montresor knows Fortunato won’t allow himself to look “slighted.”

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• What preparations had Montresor made for his revenge?• Carnival night: loud and no one would know who was

missing• Materials: set up and hidden• Alcohol: had it in the tunnel so he could get Fortunato

drunk along the way• Story: used a story about amontillado to lure Fortunato

into the catacombs• Had the house empty

Reading QuestionsReading Questions

• Why does Montresor appear concerned about Fortunato’s health?• He wants to appear friendly to hide his eagerness; he

also wants him to suffer!

• Why did Montresor desire to seek revenge on Fortunato?• Fortunato injured him many times.