Home > The Cask of Amontillado Summary & Study Guide > Essays and Criticism > "The Cask of Amontillado": Some Further Ironies

The Cask of Amontillado | "The Cask of Amontillado": Some Further Ironies

In the following essay, the author discusses the various effects of Poe's ironic plays on religion "The Cask of Amontillado.''

Although readers of "The Cask of Amontillado'' have long been aware of the ironies that operate throughout to give special intensity to this tale, an awareness of its Roman Catholic cultural and theological materials adds to the irony and transforms clever trick into an episode of horror.

Throughout the entire episode—its planning, its execution, and its confession—Monsieur Montresor made self-conscious use of cunning, plotting, and irony to wreak his revenge. The French nobleman tells his story of the calmly calculated murder of his Italian aristocratic friend...

[The entire page is 887 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...