The Cask of Amontillado Questions and Answers
by Edgar Allan Poe

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Based on what you know of Fortunato's character what do you think he is guilty of? 
  Based on Fortunato's behavior in the story, I would think that he is guilty of little more than being an arrogant jerk. Montresor begins the story by explaining that he had borne a "thousand...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Why is the setting in "The Cask of Amontillado" important?
  The setting of "The Cask of Amontillado" is important because of its emotional effect on the reader. Montresor lures Fortunato into the gruesome underground catacombs with the promise of a...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What is the tone of "The Cask of Amontillado"? What words does the author use to create that tone? 
  "The Cask of Amontillado" has an incredibly sinister and creepy tone about it. What's odd for me though is how that tone is delivered. Montresor is the narrator of the story, and he is a...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Study Guide Project: "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe (Summary, Themes, Analysis)
  Poe - The Cask of Amontillado SUMMARY “The Cask of Amontillado” has one of the most straightforward plot lines of all of Poe's tales, though much of the story's detail raises questions left...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  In "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor tells us, "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." What does this mean?
  In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" the narrator, Montresor, vows revenge against Fortunato for some undefined insult. Montresor says, At length I would be avenged; this was...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What happened before the story in "The Cask of Amontillado?"
  We don't get many specifics, but we do get some hints about what happened before the story of revenge unfolds. We learn, for example, that Montresor and Fortunato have known each other for a number...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Name three clever things Montresor does to lure Fortunato into his trap in "The Cask of Amontillado."
  Montresor certainly is ready with his bag of tricks when it comes time to lure Fortunato into the catacombs. First, he introduces the prospect of a rare bottle of Amontillado when it is, in fact,...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  In "The Cask of Amontillado," why does Montresor wait fifty years to confess? How would the timing be significant to the story?
  Montresor was very specific in the beginning to explain that Fortunato had "wronged him" and deserved punishment. However, in order for that punishment to be fair and just to the insults...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  In "The Cask of Amontillado," is the narrator reliable or unreliable, and why?
  The narrator in this story is a bit of a crazed, jealous, spiteful man who ends up bricking his friend behind a wall in order to ensure his death, and, he does it all with panache and enjoyment....

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How is dramatic and verbal irony used to foreshadow Fortunato's eventual demise in "The Cask of Amontillado"?
  Dramatic and verbal irony are both used to foreshadow Fortunato's eventual demise. Dramatic irony occurs when readers know something that a character or characters in a piece of literature does...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Why Does Montresor Want Revenge
  There is no specific reason given for Montresor's actions. He spells out his personal justification in the famous first line of the story: The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What are the passages that show the gradual degradation of Fortunato and Montresor’s friendship?
  The degradation of the men's relationship seems to have taken place even before the events Montresor recounts. Early on, he says that he has borne some "thousand injuries" done to him by Fortunato,...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What are the passages showing that Fortunato is slowly walking into his death?
  One of the first ways we can sense the foreshadowing in Fortunato's death is the destination itself: catacombs. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together on the damp ground...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What passages in "The Cask of Amontillado" demonstrate how Fortunato likes to show off?
  In Poe's classic short story "The Cask of Amontillado," Montressor's enemy Fortunato is depicted as an arrogant, boastful man, who is completely unaware that Montresor is manipulating him in order...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How could you approach writing a letter to the author of "The Cask of Amontillado"?  
  This could actually be a very interesting question and follow-up hypothetical letter. Poe is definitely the author of the short story "The Cask of Amontillado," and he wrote the story using a...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What is the moral concerning seeking revenge too far? What lessons can the reader learn from seeking revenge too far?
  Edgar Allen Poe's story encourages the reader to question the wisdom of taking revenge. When we think about taking revenge"too far," we must also consider if there is such a thing as not going just...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Poe uses a combination of tone, style, and irony to create a truly horrifying tale. Explain how he uses all three literary devices to create his atmosphere, engage the reader, develop his characters, and bring his story alive.
  In Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Cask of Amontillado" the author indeed uses tone, style, and irony to convey a horrifying scenario. In eNotes Guide to Literary Terms, you can find the definition...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  The lead of a short story should catch the reader's attention, identify the main character's introduce the conflict, define the setting and establish the point of view. Does the lead of "The Cask of Amontillado" accomplish all of these things?...
  The first sentence of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" reads: The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne the best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. From...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What moral lessons can we learn from the themes of vengeance and religion? What passages or aspects of the story could support these two ideas during a group discussion? 
  The moral lessons about revenge and religion in the story are implicit, meaning that Poe never tells us directly what to think, but leaves it to us to interpret his meaning. Most critics assume...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Explore how the plot contributes to the central theme. Does the action create a mood or atmosphere that reflects the main theme?
  There’s an old expression: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Bear in mind that “The Cask of Amontillado” is a story set in Italy, touching on aspects of the presumed Italian...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Which details contribute to the single effect in "The Cask of Amontillado?"
  It is important first to understand what is meant by "the single effect." This is a phrase that was coined by Poe himself. He meant that a short story's elements and details should work...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Poe is a master at creating an eerie, suspenseful mood in his stories. What some examples in the text that illustrate this mood?
  In "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe uses rhetorical strategies to create an eerie and suspenseful tone and mood. For example, early in the story, Poe has Montresor challenge Fortunato's expertise by...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
   What is the theme of "The Cask of Amontillado"?
  It's possible that Poe intended this tale's principal theme to be a moral one, that of the wrongness of seeking revenge. If so, however, we would have to account for the fact that the avenger in...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How does setting play a significant role in the story of "The Cask of Amontillado"? The narrator describes the carnival setting, damp vaults, lots of niter, and bones of the dead. How do these contribute to the creation of the setting? Why is the...
  The setting of the carnival provides us with a backdrop in which "anything goes." This time is a celebration of life, particularly of the things that make it all the more luscious and interesting....

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How do the narrator's spoken remarks to Fortunato compare with his internal feelings for the man in The Cast of Amontillado?
  There is definitely a tension; Montresor makes overtures of friendship and comradery with Fortunato while all the while despising the other man and plotting his destruction. Indeed, it is through...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  In "The Cask of Amontillado," can the character of Montresor consider developed? Why?
  Many of Edgar Allan Poe’s more famous short stories do not rely in the least upon extensive or in-depth character development. Basic characteristics or idiosyncrasies are provided in the opening...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How does Poe develop a sense of suspense in “The Cask of Amontillado”?
  Poe is the master of suspenseful writing and unique plot twists. He develops suspense through the use of setting and the characters. When Montresor begins the story immediately we know we are...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What are the different settings in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe?
  These events take place during "carnival season" in Italy, the two or three weeks just prior to Lent, the forty days leading up to the Easter holiday. This is why there are so many parties and lots...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What is a research proposal for this story?
  The most fruitful avenues for a research proposal on "The Cask of Amontillado" are probably enquiries into the historical background of the story. Here are two possibilities. It is often claimed...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  As they head to catacombs, Fortunato states, “I will die of a cough.“ What is ironic about this statement?
  Fortunato actually says he will not die of a cough. When he starts coughing because of the nitre on the walls of the catacombs, Montresor suggests they go back to upstairs to spare his health. He...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What is the theme of "The Cask of Amontillado"? Describe how Poe makes the theme clear, and explain why his techniques are effective.
  In “The Cask of Amontillado," Edgar Allen Poe’s powerful tale of revenge, the reader sees how an obsession with vengeance can overwhelm a person. When we meet the narrator, Montresor, he is vowing...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What are the three concepts of psychoanalysis? How do they apply to "The Cask of Amontillado"?
  The three parts of psychoanalytic theory are the id, the ego, and the superego. These three parts of the psyche are said to function together to create a living, acting human being. The id is...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Who is the "you" addressed in the first paragraph of "The Cask of Amontillado"? When and why is the story being told?
  There's been much speculation on whom Montresor may be addressing, fifty years after the fact. The second sentence reads, "You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however,...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How do the authors of "The Cask of Amontillado" and "From Beyond" use allegorical elements to create horror? How are the characters allegorical? How does this contribute to the meanings of the works?
  Allegories are stories in which characters, places, or events stand for ideas or events. For example, in medieval drama, a person called Envy might stand for and enact the sin of Envy. Both "The...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What kinds of injuries did Fortunato inflict on Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado"?
  In the opening sentence of Poe's classic short story "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor claims that Fortunato had caused him a "thousand injuries" but does not go into specific detail regarding...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  The Fraternity of the Masons is a long-standing organization whose modern members are involved in many charitable and educational causes. The Masonic Order has always involved many secretive traditions and rituals which, in order to learn, you...
  The short story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe is a tale of revenge. The narrator, a man named Montresor, lures his victim Fortunato deep into the family catacombs beneath his...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Explain how the narator's point of view shapes the action and pacing of "The Cask of Amontillado." Trace the plot and the different aspect of the story and how they are revealed by the narrator.
  This story is narrated from a first-person objective point of view. This means that the narrator uses first-person pronouns like I or we and that he is a participant in the events that occur. It...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What is an example of imagery "The Cask of Amontillado"?
  As a literary device, imagery is: "descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also add symbolism to the work. Imagery...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What are some key elements of the plot of Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Cask of the Amontillado"?
  The main plot of Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado” is easy to describe. Montresor, a wealthy man, feels that he has been insulted by another man named Fortunato. The precise nature...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Discuss whether or not Montresor has a just cause to hate Fortunato. Why or why not?
  We have no evidence that Montresor has sufficient justification for the level of his intense hatred of Fortunato. First, Montresor is not specific about what Fortunato has done to earn his...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How did the plot of "The Cask of Amontillado" progress?
  The plot of "The Cask of Amontillado" unfolds as a flashback. Fifty years have passed since the main events of the story took place. Although we are not certain, it seems that Montresor, the...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Can you please paraphrase paragraph 1? "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...
  Here is my attempt at a paraphrase of Poe's typically nineteenth-century, florid prose into the less elaborated and more scaled-down language of our own age: I had been able, as best I could, to...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Was Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" told using ethos, pathos, or logos?
  Normally ethos, logos, and pathos are synonymous with rhetoric and writing or giving speeches. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was first to categorize these three techniques in the art of...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Identify two examples of how Montresor uses reverse psychology on Fortunato as part of his plan to lure him into the catacombs.
  When Montresor tells Fortunato that he believes he has purchased a large quantity of a rarer Spanish wine called Amontillado, he knows that Fortunato will never believe it is possible and that...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Did Montresor commit a perfect murder?
  At the beginning of Poe's classic short story "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor elaborates on his definition of the perfect revenge. After vaguely describing the ways Fortunato had caused him...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Please provide a thorough analysis of "The Cask of Amontillado."
  An analysis of a short story should contain descriptions of the story's plot, theme, setting, characterization, and style. Here are summaries of these various elements that you can expand upon. In...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  How does Poe create suspense in the inevitable death of Fortunato?
  Poe creates suspense throughout his classic short story by concealing Montresor's plan to murder his enemy, characterizing Montresor as an unreliable, cruel man and cleverly foreshadowing...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  Write an epilogue to "The Cask of Amontillado" in which a case against Montresor comes to trial. In your epilogue, provide the prosecuting attorney’s closing argument, reminding the jury of any evidence that proves Montresor’s guilt. Then provide...
  The defense attorney would surely build a case on an insanity plea. After all, sane people do not typically plot murder against a person who has insulted them. Montresor claims that he had endured...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What are five character traits of Montresor from Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"?  
  Montresor is insane, vengeful, cunning, deceitful, and murderous. Montresor is not in his right mind. He is some kind of psychopath, imagining things that are not real. He imagines that Fortunato...

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• The Cask of Amontillado
  What is the climax of "The Cask of Amontillado"?
  In a story, the climax is that moment of greatest emotional intensity. In "The Cask of Amontillado," it comes when Montresor walls Fortunato up in a niche in the wall of the catacombs and Fortunato...

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