The Cask of Amontillado (Poe): Difference between revisions

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The Cask of Amontillado

1846

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: A man sought revenge on another for an insult by luring him into catacombs under the pretense of verifying a wine's authenticity. He then chained and sealed him inside a niche, leaving him to die.

A man named Montresor sought revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato, for an unspecified insult.

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.

🙎🏻‍♂️

Montresor — narrator; cunning, manipulative, and vengeful.

🥴

Fortunato — wine connoisseur; prideful, easily manipulated, and intoxicated.

Montresor devised a plan to lure Fortunato into his family's catacombs under the pretense of verifying the authenticity of a cask of Amontillado, a rare and valuable wine. Fortunato, a known wine connoisseur, eagerly agreed to accompany Montresor to his vaults during a carnival celebration.

Upon arriving at the catacombs, Montresor led Fortunato deeper into the underground chambers, passing through walls of human remains and damp, nitre-covered walls. Despite Fortunato's persistent cough, Montresor encouraged him to continue, offering him more wine along the way. Eventually, they reached a small, hidden recess in the catacombs.

Montresor quickly chained Fortunato to the granite wall and began to seal him inside the niche with bricks and mortar. As the intoxication wore off, Fortunato realized the gravity of his situation and pleaded for his release. Montresor, however, continued to build the wall, taunting Fortunato with his own cries for help.

For the love of God, Montressor!

Once the wall was nearly complete, Fortunato laughed nervously, suggesting that it was all a joke and that they would laugh about it later. Montresor agreed, but continued to seal the niche. Fortunato's final plea was for the love of God, to which Montresor echoed the sentiment but received no response. Montresor called out to Fortunato one last time, but only the jingling of his carnival bells answered.

Montresor finished sealing the niche and left Fortunato to die in the catacombs. For fifty years, no one disturbed the hidden tomb, and Montresor's revenge remained a secret. In pace requiescat!

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 | Title = The Cask of Amontillado
 | Author = Edgar Allan Poe
-| Genre = short story
+| Literary form = short story
 | Year of publication = 1846
 | Microsummary = A man sought revenge on another for an insult by luring him into catacombs under the pretense of verifying a wine's authenticity. He then chained and sealed him inside a niche, leaving him to die.
-| Wikidata = Q1130590
-| Wikisource = Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination/The Cask of Amontillado
 }}
 {{Start of text}}
-Montresor, the narrator, had been insulted by Fortunato and decided to seek revenge. He planned his vengeance carefully, ensuring that he would not be caught or suspected. Montresor knew that Fortunato was a wine connoisseur and used this knowledge to lure him into a trap.
-{{Character
+A man named Montresor sought revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato, for an unspecified insult.{{Quote
+| Text = The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.
+| Context = Montresor, the narrator, explains his motivation for seeking revenge on Fortunato. This quote is from the beginning of the story, setting the stage for the events to come.
+}}{{Character
 | Name = Montresor
-| Description = narrator; seeking revenge on Fortunato for an unspecified insult; cunning, manipulative, and vengeful
+| Description = narrator; cunning, manipulative, and vengeful
 | Emoji = 🙎🏻‍♂️
-}}
+}}{{Character
-One evening during the carnival season, Montresor met Fortunato, who was already intoxicated.
-{{Character
 | Name = Fortunato
-| Description = wine connoisseur; victim of Montresor's revenge plot; prideful, easily manipulated, and intoxicated
+| Description = wine connoisseur; prideful, easily manipulated, and intoxicated
 | Emoji = 🥴
-}}
+}} Montresor devised a plan to lure Fortunato into his family's catacombs under the pretense of verifying the authenticity of a cask of Amontillado, a rare and valuable wine. Fortunato, a known wine connoisseur, eagerly agreed to accompany Montresor to his vaults during a carnival celebration.
-Montresor told him that he had acquired a cask of Amontillado wine but had doubts about its authenticity. He mentioned that he was on his way to consult another wine expert, Luchresi, to verify the wine's quality. Fortunato, eager to prove his superior taste and knowledge, insisted on accompanying Montresor to his vaults to examine the wine himself.
+Upon arriving at the catacombs, Montresor led Fortunato deeper into the underground chambers, passing through walls of human remains and damp, nitre-covered walls. Despite Fortunato's persistent cough, Montresor encouraged him to continue, offering him more wine along the way. Eventually, they reached a small, hidden recess in the catacombs.
-{{Quote|
+Montresor quickly chained Fortunato to the granite wall and began to seal him inside the niche with bricks and mortar. As the intoxication wore off, Fortunato realized the gravity of his situation and pleaded for his release. Montresor, however, continued to build the wall, taunting Fortunato with his own cries for help.{{Quote
-"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge."
+| Text = For the love of God, Montressor!
+| Context = Fortunato pleads with Montresor as he realizes he's been trapped in the niche. This quote occurs near the end of the story, when Fortunato's fate is sealed.
 }}
-Montresor led Fortunato to his family's catacombs, where the supposed cask of Amontillado was stored. As they descended deeper into the catacombs, Montresor offered Fortunato more wine, further impairing his judgment. Eventually, they reached a small niche in the catacombs where Montresor claimed the Amontillado was hidden.
+Once the wall was nearly complete, Fortunato laughed nervously, suggesting that it was all a joke and that they would laugh about it later. Montresor agreed, but continued to seal the niche. Fortunato's final plea was for the love of God, to which Montresor echoed the sentiment but received no response. Montresor called out to Fortunato one last time, but only the jingling of his carnival bells answered.
-Once inside the niche, Montresor quickly chained Fortunato to the wall and began to seal him inside by building a brick wall in front of the niche. Fortunato, now realizing the danger he was in, pleaded for mercy and tried to convince Montresor that it was all a joke. Montresor, however, remained resolute in his plan for revenge and continued to build the wall.
+Montresor finished sealing the niche and left Fortunato to die in the catacombs. For fifty years, no one disturbed the hidden tomb, and Montresor's revenge remained a secret. In pace requiescat!
-As the wall neared completion, Fortunato's pleas turned to desperate cries for help. Montresor, feeling a momentary pang of guilt, hesitated but ultimately continued with his plan. He finished the wall, sealing Fortunato inside the niche, and left him to die.
-{{Quote|
-"For the love of God, Montresor!" "Yes," I said, "for the love of God!"
-}}
-Montresor then covered the newly built wall with a pile of bones, hiding any evidence of his crime. He revealed that for fifty years, no one had discovered Fortunato's fate, and his revenge had been carried out with impunity.
 {{End of text}}