The Cask of Amontillado Group

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kitten458
kitten458
Student
Graduate School

What is the setting of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

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Posted by kitten458 on Friday October 24, 2008 at 5:30 AM and tagged with setting, the cask of amontillado.

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  1. michael336 Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Poe leaves the setting ambiguous, but internal clues point toward a Southern location, whether in Europe or America. The names "Montresor" and "Fortunato" are from one of the Latin languages (Spanish, French, or Italian), and so could indicate the city is set in one of those countries. American writers of the time had a fascination with southern Europe (as did the British), and it was frequently used as settings in Romantic and Gothic works.

    The fact that there was a carnival also indicates Mardi Gras, usually celebrated in predominantly Catholic locations. New Orleans in the US is an obvious choice for that one, but other Mediterranean locales would also answer.

    As with much in this story, Poe leaves much unanswered.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/cask-amontillado

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    Posted by michael336 on Friday October 24, 2008 at 5:52 AM

  2. yellowstang50
    yellowstang50 Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    A solid analysis of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" cannot ignore the catacombs as an important detail comprising the setting of this precisely-designed story. To me, this detail of the catacombs suggests Italy, especially since many other details, including names, the coat of arms, etc. draw one's mind to Europe.  In Montresor speaks directly about Italians. The setting is most certainly Italy.  If one accepts Italy as the setting, then one may also be inclined to see the religious references in the story, including catacombs, Freemasons, "For the love of God," etc.  The only legal religion in Italy?  Roman Catholicism. This detail would indicate a possible time as well -- Fat Tuesday.  Montresor wants to complete his sin -- the act of murder -- before Lent begins. Poe was a genius.

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    Posted by yellowstang50 on Friday October 24, 2008 at 10:10 AM


  3. rawana Student
    High School - 11th Grade

    In the story “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allan Poe, a maddened narrator, Montresor, plans to get revenge on a friend, Fortunato, for some unexplained injustice. The readers learn that Montresor lures him into the catacombs to try a cask of amontillado and then seals him away to die there. This plot, though relatively straightforward, leads the readers into an experience of horror. The story’s setting contributes greatly to the increasing atmosphere of horror, as Poe’s treatments of time and place cause the readers to predict, to fear, and tremble in the unfolding action.

    The physical time in “The Cask of Amontillado” produces an element of tension and foreboding to the story. The selection of the time and place also played a significant role in the story. The festival gives Montresor an excellent opportunity not only to appear in disguise, but to locate his inebriated companion and lure him into his deadly lair. According to Womack, Poe introduces us to a familiar carnival atmosphere of indulgence that one can today associate with Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Carnival is the time of celebration and happiness for everybody and for Fortunato to enjoy the pleasures of the season with These long passages and side tunnels with hollowed-out cavities along the walls stretch out like hidden cities of the dead. .

    in a brief way:

    (It is early evening in an Italian city during a carnival immediately preceding Lent).   

    Sources:
    http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/5775.html

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    Posted by rawana on Saturday October 25, 2008 at 8:39 PM