How does the title "The Cask of Amontillado" relate to Poe's story?

The cask of Amontillado to which the title refers can be related both to the characters’ pride as connoisseurs of wine and to the ruse by which the protagonist, Montresor, lures Fortunato to his doom. Amontillado is a type of wine similar to sherry. The cask can be considered symbolic of the narrator’s reasons for killing the other man, as both are illusory: the cask does not exist, and the nature of Montresor's complaints is never firmly established.

In Edgar Allan Poe’s story, the narrator’s exact relationship to his antagonist, Fortunato, is not provided. Montresor feels that the other man’s behavior has become so unbearable that he sees no other recourse but to take his life. One point of shared interest between the two men is that they take pride in being connoisseurs of wine. Fortunato also maintains that his appreciation of fine wine is superior to that of Luchesi, another acquaintance. Because the narrator understands Fortunato’s vanity, he has figured out how to use that quality against him.

The narrator tells Fortunato that he believes he has a cask (or “pipe”) of the rare wine in his vaults, and easily lures him into the deep cellars by asking his opinion. Fortunato is so eager to reach the wine that he disregards the drafts and fumes, pressing the narrator to continue when he pretends concern for his health. Once Fortunato reaches the end of the passage and the narrator chains him to the wall, he finally realizes he has been fatally fooled:

“The Amontillado!” ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from his astonishment.

He has finally realized that the wine does not exist, yet he—like the reader—does not understand why Montresor has decided to kill him.

What are the archetypes in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"?

An archtype is defined as...

...an original model of a person...upon which others are copied...universally recognized by all.

Edgar Allan Poe is considered by many to be the father of the detective story—because of stories like "The Purloined Letter." This was an example of one of what Poe called...

...‘‘tales of ratiocination,’’ which helped define the conventions used in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories...

At the same time, the abiding popularity of Poe rests undoubtedly in his mastery of the horror story—like an early Hitchcock or Stephen King. Poe's stories are masterpieces of the macabre and remain highly anthologized in high school and college textbooks.

As a master at creating chilling horror stories, Poe was responsible for creating the archetype for some of the most interesting and frightening villains ever put to paper. One of these fascinating "psychopaths" is Montresor in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."

Montresor is archetypal of the criminal sociopath—the "Trickster" and the Devil: he harbors no guilt for his plan to kill his victim—or regret afterward.

Montresor concisely states that he has been insulted by Fortunato, though he never specifically mentions why. This might be the case to puzzle the reader, but I believe (because Poe was such a genius) that no reason given because there is no reason...it is a result of his insanity. He notes...

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

(Fortunato allegedly has hurt Montresor many times.) In the second line, he addresses his audience, writing to those (a group—not "he") who know him; in sharing this narration, he seems unafraid of censorship for what he has done. Soon after, however, he admits that he cannot risk being caught. The ideal outcome is to punish, but not be caught.

I must not only punish but punish with impunity.

It is erratic that he announces to others he will have revenge, but now notes that secrecy is absolutely necessary. This may be another sign of Montresor's lunacy. He is also maniacally cunning: he plans each step carefully so as not to alert his victim:

...neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will.

The depth of Montresor's hatred is evident in his ability to smile in Fortunato's face while dreaming of his demise.

I continued...to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

Montresor wants Fortunato dead and wants him to suffer. Montresor is the archetype of a madman—calm and sane to the onlooker.

Fortunato is the classic fool. In countless horror movies, there is the sacrificial lamb, going to his/her death even as the audience knows he should not open the door, get out of the car, or go outside—but he still does.

Fortunato has a weak spot:

He prided himself on his connoisseur-ship in wine.

His first instinct tells him that Montresor cannot be right:

Amontillado, A pipe? Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!

He ignores it. Fortunato is egotistical:

Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry.

(Fortunato infers that he is the expert.) He is also inebriated:

He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much.

And even though he is walking unsteadily, Fortunato drinks more:

A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps.

Montresor is the criminally insane murderer; Fortunato is the silly fool.

What are some allusions in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

Early in the text, Montresor explains that the events he relates occur during "the supreme madness of the Carnival season." The Carnival season takes place just prior to the Lenten season, and it is celebrated by Catholics all over Europe but most especially in Italy. Technically, it is the period of time between January at the end of Epiphany (the twelfth and last day of Christmas) and the day before Ash Wednesday (when Lent begins), also known as Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras). The last week of this period, however, is the most raucous. There are public celebrations, and people dress in costumes for big parties and parades. This is why, in the story, Fortunato is dressed as a jester, and it is also why Montresor can put on a mask and long cloak without drawing attention to himself. He would just appear to be in costume as so many other people are, and masks are very common and popular during Carnival.

Poe's choice of Amontillado as the wine with which Montresor tempts Fortunato also works as an allusion because it requires some prior knowledge if one is to understand fully the conversation between the two men before they descend into the vaults. Montresor tells his nemesis that he's purchased a very large quantity of Amontillado, and he knows that the prospect of being the one to tell him that Montresor has been taken advantage of will be too tempting for Fortunato to pass up. Amontillado is a Spanish sherry wine which is somewhat rare and costly because of its complex aging process. Apparently, Montresor chooses to lie about purchasing this wine because Fortunato would know that he paid a hefty sum for the pipe, believing it to be Amontillado, and this would heighten Fortunato's sense of superiority that much more. Knowing how proud the man is, Montresor knows that Fortunato will never pass up the opportunity to: tell Montresor he was wrong and purchased a lesser quality wine erroneously; to gloat over the fact that Montresor would have overpaid so much, believing he was purchasing the rarer sherry; and lord his own superior wine knowledge over Montresor, attempting to shame Montresor with his costly mistake.

What are some allusions in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

ALLUSIONS IN EDGAR ALLAN POE'S "THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO"

An allusion is a literary figure of speech that makes a brief "reference to, or representation of, a place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication." The term is often mistaken for what is otherwise a "simple reference." There are several examples of allusions in "TCOA."

• "He prided himself on his connoisseur-ship in wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and opportunity, to practise imposture upon the British and Austrian millionaires." -- The mention of the "British and Austrian millionaires" is an allusion to the subjects whom the Italian wine experts aim their verbal expertise.
• "It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend." -- This alludes to the annual carnival (presumably in an unidentified Italian town), which occurs throughout many parts of the world.
• “ 'I forget your arms.' ”
  “ 'A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.' ”
  “ 'And the motto?' ” '
  " 'Nemo me impune lacessit.' " -- Poe alludes here to both the Montressor coat-of-arms and the family motto.
• “ 'Then you are not of the brotherhood.' "
  “ 'How?' ”
  “ 'You are not of the masons.' ” -- An important allusion in the story, Fortunato is asking Montressor (by flashing a secret sign) if he is a member of the Freemasons, a secret brotherhood. Although Montressor claims that he is a member, he is not; instead, in an ironic twist, he holds up a trowel in response to the hand sign displayed by Fortunato. The trowel is a masonry tool--the one which will seal Fortunato's doom.

What are some allusions in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

“The Cask of Amontillado” was Edgar Allan Poe’s last short story.  The setting of the story is Italy in the eighteenth Century.  The narrator is the pre-meditated, homicidal maniac Montresor.  His victim is the presumptuous connoisseur, Fortunato.

Historical aspects of the story-

Carnival of Venice

The story takes place during the carnival season.  This was an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival ends with Lent, forty days before Easter on Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. 

The primary setting for the story begins at the carnival scene. The carnival involves parades, entertainment, music, and parties.  Particularly important are the masquerade balls in which the participants must dress in costume to be able to be a part of the celebration.  Mischief and pranks were a part of the carnival; the primary rule was anything goes at the Carnival.

Montresor planned his murder for this specific time.  His reasoning was clever.  He knew his servants would slip away from his house and then it would be empty.  Fortunato would be dressed in costume, so no one would recognize or witness him leaving the carnival with Montresor.  In addition, the chaos of the carnival would again discourage anyone noticing that the two men were leaving the party.

The Catacombs

The second of the store occurs in the catacombs underneath the house of Montresor. The catacombs provide this imprisonment part.

The catacombs were first begun in about the second century AD.  It was at this time that the first large scale catacombs were excavated. Originally, they were made outside the cities. The catacombs were underground cemeteries with narrow winding tunnels normally about eight feet high with the sides dug out to hold the bodies.  

Poe made the catacombs in the story under the house of Montresor. According to history the catacombs were dug in various places throughout the cities.  For example, in Rome, there were probably sixty catacombs to serve all of the citizenry of the city.

Free Masons

Fortunato continues to insult Montresor as he walks to his catacomb grave.  He asks Montresor if he were a mason and if he could give the secret sign.

He [Fortunato] threw the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not understand. 

‘You do not comprehend?’ He said.

‘Not I,' I replied.

‘Then you are not of the brotherhood.’

‘How?’

‘You are not of the masons.’

‘Yes, yes,’ I said.

‘You? Impossible! A mason?’

Another insult to Montresor.  Apparently, Fortunato would never learn.

The Freemasons are a secret group still a part of society today.  The admission to the group was by invitation from a present member.  The initial modern group may have been founded in 1515 in London. 

Very few documents have been released so that historians could study the background of the society.  The original members were workers in freestone, sandstone, or limestone.  The major employer of the masons was the royalty. 

The “Guild” or “fellowships” had a basis in the Old Testament. The intention was to teach the members moral and social virtues.  Throughout its history, the lodges have been entirely male.   The members were sworn to secrecy in an effort to make the body more selective. 

The meetings and group correctly meet as a lodge. The members later were not just brick workers, but whomever the group felt was worthy of being a member.  The rituals of the group included secret handshakes, gestures, and aphorisms that had to be memorized.

What Poe poem shares a theme with "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The tow most prevalent themes in Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" are revenge and atonement/forgiveness. While many of Poe's short stories contained themes similar to these, it can be rather difficult to find a poem which shares either of the themes as well.

That being said, if one were to add the theme of solitude, alienation, or mystery one could easily find a poem which matches the theme. Based upon this, one could use Poe's poem "Spirits of the Dead" to mirror the themes from "The Cask of Amontillado."

The poem speaks to the fact that once one is dead, no one will be able to hear them or help them. The dead are forced to be silent, much like Fortunato. The poem also mentions illness, again similar to the sickly Fortunato,"To thy weariness shall seem / As a burning and a fever."

In the end, the poem speaks to the mysteries associated with the dead. This could mirror the short story based upon the fact that Fortunato's disappearance will be a mystery to those who know him and will miss him.

What links Edgar Allan Poe's death to "The Cask Of Amontillado"?

In a Socratic Seminar, the key is to focus on questions that can be discussed rather than questions that have right answers. For example, you don’t want to ask what Montresor’s family crest looked like. Yes, it’s important, but it has one right answer. Instead, you could ask a question about the crest. For example, what does the crest tell you about Montresor?

In regards to Poe’s death, there are many options. His death is very mysterious. I have included an interesting link. You can ask questions related to the themes of “Cask of Amontillado” such as: Do you think Poe was a vengeful man?

Consider these questions:

Do you think Poe has some history with revenge?

Do you think Poe was a murderer?

Since it is a Socratic Seminar, feel free to use your imagination! Try to begin with open-ended questions. Here are some question stems:

Do you think ….?

What would you do in this situation if ……?

Was ___________ right or wrong to ……?

What inspired Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Fortunately, we have fairly substantial evidence that Poe may have read a work by Reverend Joel Tyler Headley titled Letters from Italy (1845) in which Headley recounts an incident eerily similar to the central event of "The Cask of Amontillado," and, more important, facts suggest that Poe read parts or the whole of Letters from Italy.  We know, for example, that one of Reverend Headley's Letters appeared in The Columbian Magazine in August, 1844, which also printed Poe's article "Mesmeric Revelation," and that Poe sent copies of this issue to at two friends.

Reverend Headley's account of an incident in San Giovanni, Italy, includes a victim, from the aristocratic class,  being walled-up alive--later, dying of suffocation--for some transgression against a group of men who were also aristocrats.  The original account in Letters from Italyindicates that, as the victim was almost covered up in the wall, "a stifled groan . . . and all was over."

That Headley's account inspired Poe is evident in the plot elements of "The Cask of Amontillado"--both Montresor and Fortunato are part of the aristocracy; one man has seriously offended the other; the punishment consists of being walled up in Montresor's catacombs; and the last thing Fortunato does is quietly jingle the bells on his jester's costume as he gives up all hope that Montresor will relent, very similar to the "stifled groan" in Headley's account.

The significant difference between the two is that Headley's account is straight-forward and unimaginative and lacks the gothic plot elements--the luring of Fortunato into the catacombs; getting Fortunato drunk; the fact that the Montresor family motto is about revenge--all of which create a sense of doom in Poe's story.

What are the main ironies in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

Irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what you would expect. One irony is that Montresor decides to kill Fortunato during the Carnival, which is meant to be a happy occasion. This is one of the reasons Fortunato doesn’t suspect anything. He is drunk on wine and dressed up in a silly outfit. He is having a good time, while Montresor is planning a murder.

The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

Another irony is that Montresor is accusing Fortunato of doing something terrible to him, some “thousand injuries,” when Montresor is actually the bad guy. Whatever Fortunato did seems insignificant compared to murder.

There is also some verbal irony used in the story. Verbal irony is when words or usage seem to contradict each other in a sentence. For example, Montresor says, "I must not only punish but punish with impunity." It is ironic Montresor only feels he has successfully punished someone if he gets away with punishing the person without being punished himself.

It may be considered creepy, but it is also ironic how happy Fortunato is to see Montresor and how happy Montresor is to see him.

I said to him—"My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. 

Finally, there is Fortunato's name. His name indicates he should be fortunate, but he is about to end up murdered and bricked into a wall for at least fifty years. Most people would not consider that a lucky fate.