What humorous elements can be found in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

While Poe's narrative is sinister, there is a certain black humor in The Cask of Amontillado. Here are some examples:

• The unfortunate victim of Montresor's revenge is named Fortunato.
• Fortunato is dressed in harlequin, a foolishly appropriate suit for the position he holds.
• Against the feigned objections of Montresor, the coughing Fortunato continues through the catacombs, overriding the objections as he says in a way that amuses Montresor's twisted humor since he knows what will really happen:

"Enough...the cough is a mere nothing, it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." 

• After shackling Fortunato and walling him in, Montresor boasts that for fifty years no one has disturbed the place. With dark humor, he declares, "In pace requiescat." (Rest in peace.)

In addition to this black humor, there are puns, or plays on words, such as the one about Montresor being a "mason" as he means that, like a mason, he will build a wall about his victim. Another pun is on the word "De Grâve," the name of the wine that Fortunato drinks before going to his own grave in the catacombs.

What humorous elements can be found in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The humorous elements in the story would, I think, be uniformly regarded as dark humor, or perhaps sarcasm, knowing what we know of Montresor's intentions and true opinion of Fortunato.

The humor mostly comes from the occasional turn of phrase by Montresor, or an unfortunately comment by Fortunato, both of which are generally foreboding and making light of Fortunato's impending demise. For example, Montresor attempts to get Fortunato even more drunk while in the catacombs, to ensure his compliance with the plan. Montresor drinks to Fortunato's "long life", knowing perfectly well that it won't be very long at all. He also drops little comments like "you are a man to be missed" and the mention of his family motto, which translated means "no one insults me without punishment". 

Perhaps the final point which can be considered humorous is the verbal exchange where Fortunato attempts to determine whether Montresor is a Freemason (a fraternal society commonly referred to as Masons), and Montresor responds by showing him a trowel, a comment tool of masonry, as if he takes Fortunato's term "mason" literally. This is, of course, another foreshadowing of what Montresor intends for him. 

What does the humor add to the story "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The elements of dramatic irony add to the humor of the story.

Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that one of the characters does not.  There is a great deal of humor in this story that makes an otherwise dark tale more fun.  Humor helps to characterize both Montresor and Fortunato.  It also keeps the reader engaged to the very end.

The first example of humor is the way that Montresor messes with Fortunato’s head when he is trying to get him to go into the catacombs.  The scene is quite absurd.  Fortunato is drunk and dressed as a clown, and Montresor is deadly serious but pretending to be friendly.

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

When Montresor tricks Fortunato into going into the catacombs by telling him he has an expensive and rare cask of wine and he is planning to show it to someone else, the reader is sure to chuckle.  The dramatic irony is that we know that Montresor really needs to get Fortunato into that cellar.  He wants to kill him!

Another example of comic relief is the humor regarding the Masons.  Montresor is carrying a trowel, and to explain its presence away he makes a joke about being one of the Masons.

"You are not of the masons."

"Yes, yes," I said; "yes, yes."

"You? Impossible! A mason?"

"A mason," I replied.

"A sign," he said, "a sign."

"It is this," I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire a trowel.

"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let us proceed to the Amontillado."

Masons are actually a very prestigious secret society, and when Fortunato makes the gesture Montresor pretends he understands, and then produces the trowel.  Fortunato actually does belong to the secret society, and so he laughs it off.

By the time we get to the actual bricking up stage, there is a sort of macabre humor in Fortunato’s actions, but we know that Montresor is not kidding.  Fortunato takes a while to become suspicious, but by the time he does it is too late.

Throughout the story humor is created through dramatic irony.  We the reader know what is going on, while Fortunato has no clue. He thinks that he is just out on a harmless outing with a friend, but Montresor manipulates him carefully until he finally succeeds in killing him.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," can you find any evidence of humor in the story?

Although a very disturbing tale of revenge gone too far, there are elements of humor to "The Cask of Amontillado."   First of all, Poe puts the bumbling Fortunado in a jester's outfit.  Court jesters were paid comedians to entertain kings at at all times; typically, they dressed in very bright, absurd outfits in order to be amusing and entertaining.  And, they wore hats that had little jingling bells all over them--so, they jingled as they walked about.  Fortunado's particular hat was "conical," so, shaped like a big cone on his head--very comical.  It is hard not to be amused, in a sad sort of way, picturing Fortunado in this absurd outfit, jingling around in the catacombs.  Poe writes,

"The gait of [Fortunado] was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode."

So, there is Fortunado's outfit that is a bit funny.  Also, Montresor, though not trying to be, is a bit funny at times.  He leads Fortunado through the house, which is empty.  Normally, the house would have been full of servants, and hence witnesses to the fact that he was leading Fortunado down to the catacombs.  How did he get them to leave?  He knew their natures well.  He states,

"I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned."

This is a rather amusing commentary on the situation at hand.  Tell the servants they'd better not leave, which ensured their departure.  In addition to little quips like this, Montresor's very intensity is a bit funny, also in a sad satirical sort of way.  He can't have revenge, he must "punish with impunity."  And, how DARE Fortunado "insult" him!!  The audacity!  Of course the ONLY conclusion to draw is that Fortunado must die a slow, painful, terrifying death.  Yes, that's what a sane human being would conclude....Montresor is so extreme in his hatred and avowal of revenge that it is almost ridiculous.

Those are just a few moments of potential humor in the tale; I am sure that there are many more, but that should get you started.  Good luck!

What are the major points in "The Cask of Amontillado?"

Often, the theme or message of a work of literature is described as its "point." So, in order to answer this question, a closer look at two themes of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" might be useful.

One theme that communicates a specific point about humanity has to do with the human potential to exact revenge. Fortunato has insulted Montresor, and the grudge Montresor bears is a serious one, one that drives him to commit murder. Perhaps Poe is making a point about insults with this exploration of revenge: beware of whom you insult, for you cannot know how deep others' needs for vengeance will run.

Another theme of the short story concerns the notion of hatred. Montresor does not reveal the nature of the insult he has suffered, nor does he discuss details of the history he has shared with Fortunato. The reader is, however, thoroughly aware of Montresor's hatred of Fortunato, an emotion that runs so deep within Montreso's character that he can betray his former friend with ease. Perhaps Poe is making a point about hatred in this characterization of Montresor: beware of whom you befriend, for you cannot know how forgiving they may be when you overstep their boundaries.

What are the major points in "The Cask of Amontillado?"

Major points as in major plot points?  That's really best discussed in the notes on the first link below, although the highlights would include Montressor tricking Fortunato by claiming to have purchased a cask of Amontillado and needing to have it authenticated, Montressor's drunk acceptance and his willingness to follow Montressor into the catacombs beneath Montressor's home, and finally Montressor chaining Fortunato and bricking him into the wall.

Honestly, though, I don't think the plot points are nearly as interesting as the analysis.  Is Montressor trying to brick away some psychosis or defect in his own personality that he has come to associate with Fortunato?  Is he sexually excited by the murder?  What is up with all the religious imagery, and is this a story about man's relationship with god?  This is the interesting part of the story... seriously.  You may want to read a couple of the essays I've linked to below to get an idea of the deeper levels on this story.

What are the major points in "The Cask of Amontillado?"

"The Cask of Amontillado" shows many themes characteristic of Edgar Allan Poe's writing. For example, Poe's dark sense of humor is shown by Montresor's response to Fortunato's question about the Masons; instead of showing a secret sign proving his membership in the fraternity, Montresor shows a trowel, playing on the meaning of "mason" as "bricklayer."

The story also shows Poe's longstanding fear of premature burial, which appears in some of his other works. Montresor claims justification in his actions, but the sheer horror of walling Fortunato up alive in a wine-cellar shows through, even though he delights in the action. In this manner, Poe demonizes Montresor as someone who would commit this ultimate atrocity even while showing the story from Montresor's own point of view.

What are the major points in "The Cask of Amontillado?"

The setting and time of the story seems to in a place like Florence or Venice, Italy, during the 17thC perhaps, and specifically during Carnival.

The narrator, Montresor, has suffered some kind of insult from a man named Fortunato.  We don't know what the insult is, but it is sufficiently bad for Montresor to plan Fortunato's death.  The best punishment, according to Montresor, is punishment "with impunity," that is, not getting caught.   Montresor meets with Fortunato on the street (by design)--Fortunato is dressed as a jester, and Montresor has a silk mask and a black cloak to disguise his identity.

Montresor tells Fortunato that he has obtained a cask of a rare wine, Amontillado, but he isn't sure it's the real thing and he's on his way to see a man named Luchesi who can tell him if the wine is genuine.  Fortunato, a pompous and proud man, tells Montresor that Luchesi knows nothing and that Fortunato will go with Montresor to taste the Amontillado--it's helpful that Fortunato is already slightly drunk.

Montresor, who has made sure his servants aren't at his palazzo, takes Fortunato down into the catacombs under his palazzo, stopping at various points on the way down to sample other wines to make sure Fortunato is as drunk as possible.  Because Fortunato is coughing during their walk in the catacombs, Montresor, expressing an ironic concern for Fortunato's health, suggests that they turn around and go back.  Fortunato, eager to drink the Amontillado, insists that they go on.

They finally reach the lowest level of the catacomb, and Fortunato asks where the Amontillado is.  Montresor replies that it's in the back of a small alcove, and as soon as Fortunato steps into this small room, Montresor shackles him to the wall.  At first, Fortunato, still very drunk, thinks this is a joke, but when Montresor uncovers his mason tools and mortar, Fortunato realizes his peril.

As Montresor finishes the wall, Fortunato begs him for release and then becomes quiet, perhaps mad, for the only response he makes to a question from Montresor is a slight jingling of the bells on his costume.

Montresor has lived up to his family's motto--loosely translated as "no one harms me with impunity"--because he has killed Montresor to repay him for the "insult" mentioned at the beginning of the story.  The Montresor Coat-of-Arms shows a snake biting a foot that is stepping on it--a fitting depiction of how Montresor "bit" Fortunato.  Most important, Montresor has punished Fortunato with impunity--no one will ever look for Fortunato in Montresor's catacombs.

Can you identify humorous elements in the story "The Cask of Amontillado," and what does the humor add to the story?

Edgar Allan Poe's use of irony is rich in his story "The Cask of Amontillado." Elements of black humor draw us into the story and provide moments of suspense even though the narrator, Montresor, strongly hints at the ending of the story from the first sentence. 

First, there is irony and black humor in Fortunato's name. As the target of Montresor's plot for vengeance, he is anything but fortunate. Next, the meeting between Fortunato and Montresor takes place during Carnival. Fortunato is dressed like a court jester. Consider the quote below: 

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. 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.

This is loaded with black humor. It paints a picture in the reader's mind of a stumbling drunken Fortunato, dressed as a court jester, a person who used their wits to earn their living. In this story, Fortunato seems to lack wit and common sense. There is black humor in the fact that both men are so pleased to see each other. Fortunato greets Montresor with excessive warmth, and Montresor says he could not stop shaking his hand because he was so happy to see Fortunato. In the lines following this quote, Montresor tells Fortunato he is "luckily met" while the reader knows he is anything but lucky in this meeting. 

Another humorous element is when Montresor calls Fortunato a quack but says that when it came to his knowledge of wine, he was sincere. 

When Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, he gives Fortunato several chances to change his mind and let him turn back from the catacombs. However, the readers know that he has plotted Fortunato's demise carefully, so he is not really sincere in his admonishment to Fortunato to turn back and take care of himself. His expressions of concern are like a cat playing with a mouse before it kills the poor creature, and in this story Montresor's playing with Fortunato is black humor that heightens the suspense and horror. When Fortunato answers that his cough is nothing, that he will not die of a cough, Montresor answers "True...true" knowing that he has plotted his demise.

Finally, there is an element of black humor when Fortunato gives Montresor the secret sign of the Masons and then ascertains that Montresor is not a part of the secret society because he does not give the sign back. Montresor says that he is a Mason, and Fortunato demands a sign. Montresor produces the trowel he will use to build the wall that will entomb Fortunato.

What is the main point of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

"The Cask of Amontillado" is an exercise in unreliable narration and ambiguity. It is a revenge story in which the wronged party appears much more evil and aggressive than the one who has supposedly done any wrong. Ultimately, the reader is never aware of how justified Montresor is in seeking such a grotesque revenge against Fortunato, and this lack of knowledge is a source of dread and terror because Montresor might very well be killing an innocent man for no good reason.

Montresor is perhaps the most famous example of an unreliable narrator in all of Edgar Allan Poe's fiction. The reader is given no reason to believe Fortunato has actually committed "a thousand wrongs" against Montresor: indeed, Fortunato appears innocent and harmless, a notion emphasized by the jester costume he wears, as he willingly follows Montresor into the catacombs where he will be entombed alive. Montresor uses Fortunato's flaws, such as pride (he knows Fortunato will want to be the one who tastes the Amontillado first rather than a rival wine connoisseur, Luchesi) against him, driving him into the catacombs with little resistance.

The question of Montresor's sanity has often been considered by readers. Is he a madman who has no idea of the gravity of what he is doing? Or is he a sadistic sociopath? Montresor's inability to properly justify his actions suggests madness, but his methods are so well-crafted and intelligent that one could just as easily assume he is a sane man who knows very well the evil he is committing, only he needs to use revenge as a motive to justify himself to his audience. Even Montresor's apparent inability to feel empathy is put into doubt when he feels sick upon hearing Fortunato's bells jingling within his stony prison, though he quickly claims that the damp conditions of the catacombs are the cause and not his guilty conscience.

If there is a main point to the story, then it is arguably this exploration of Montresor's motives and character. Unlike a crime or mystery story in which the reader does not know the identity of the murderer, Poe's story puts the murderer in plain view but keeps his motivation in the dark. The ultimate unknowability of Montresor is the source of the power of "The Cask of Amontillado," keeping it fresh for all the generations of readers who have been chilled by it.

What is the humor in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The humorous elements in "The Cask of Amontillado" are extremely dark and ironic, in keeping with the general tone of the story. One particularly chilling example occurs when the hapless Fortunato starts coughing:

"Enough," he said; "the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough."

"True—true," I replied.

Many a true word spoken in jest, as they say. Montresor knows full well that Fortunato won't die of a cough; instead, he'll die from being walled up alive inside the catacombs. But Fortunato doesn't know this, which makes the above excerpt a particularly good example of dramatic irony as well as dark humor.

A further example comes when Montresor makes a toast to Fortunato's long life. Once again, Montresor is making light of his deadly murder plot without letting on to Fortunato what he's really up to. He knows that if all goes according to plan, Fortunato won't have much time left upon this earth and that this little drink will be his last.

What are some interesting aspects of "The Cask Of Amontillado"?

Your statement is not very specific, but here are a few interesting facts about Poe's classic short story.

It has long been debated where Poe got the idea for the murderous plot conceived by Montresor. Some historians argue that it was based on a quarrel between Poe and several other poets; others claim that Poe used previous Italian writings as inspiration; yet another belief is that the story stemmed from an old Boston legend. In any case, the gruesome yet bloodless murder remains one of the most memorable in all American literature.

There are religious connotations: Montresor is a Catholic; Fortunato is a Mason. Another question concerns Montresor's feelings of guilt--if indeed he had any. Critics argue over this, some feeling that Montresor spent a half century overwhelmed by his act, while others read no guilt whatsoever in Montresor.

Several of the ironies found in the story are inspired, particularly concerning the name Fortunato ("fortunate") and the "motley" jester's garb he wears. Since no time nor setting is revealed by Poe, those facts have always been a subject of debate; most critics believe the story is set in either Italy or Spain in the late 18th or early 19th century.

What is the most interesting or fascinating aspect in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The famous short story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe tells of the attempt of a nobleman named Montresor to exact revenge on a man named Fortunato for some supposed insults. Montresor lures Fortunato deep into his family vaults and leaves him there buried alive. Poe holds the interest and fascination of readers in two related yet distinct ways.

Readers find the elaborate plan of Montresor interesting. He attracts the attention of Fortunato with the promise of some Amontillado, which is a type of sherry that originates in a certain region of Spain. He has emptied his house of the servants so that there will be no witnesses. He continually cultivates Fortunato's trust by inquiring about his health and suggesting that they should leave the damp underground tunnels. He has the chains, the stones, the mortar, and the trowel ready to imprison Fortunato when he finally lures him into the crypt or recess at the end of the tunnel. It is interesting to see how he fulfills his elaborate scheme.

Fascination in the story, however, goes beyond interest. Poe makes the story horrifically fascinating for readers because they can't help but imagine themselves in Fortunato's place. We think, what if such a thing happened to me? What if someone I trusted brought me into an isolated and secret place and then left me to die such a horrible death? It is this fascination with the macabre and the dreadful that attracts readers to horror stories such as "The Cask of Amontillado." We can sense what Fortunato must have gone through without it really happening to us.