What are five character traits of Montresor from "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 has insulted him.  He actually describes a “thousand injuries.”  These are not the words of a sane man.

Montresor is also vengeful.  This is not a good combination.  He wants to make sure that he punishes Fortunato for his imagined wrongs, and he has to get away with it.

At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.

To this end, Montresor devises a plan.  He is very cunning, even if he is crazy.  He tells Fortunato that he has a special cask of wine that he needs his opinion on.  He plans to get him underground and then make his move.

Montresor tricks Fortunato into going into the crypt.  He makes sure that Fortunato won’t say no by offering to show another man the wine instead.  He pretends to care about Fortunato’s health.  This reverse-psychology manipulation works very well.  Fortunato takes the bait.

Finally, Montresor kills Fortunato by bricking him into the wall.  Fortunato cannot believe it at first.  He thinks it is a joke.

No answer. I called again --

"Fortunato!"

No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. 

Since Montresor is telling the story fifty years later, we know that he got away with it.  Apparently no one suspected Montresor in Fortunato’s disappearance, and it does not seem as if anyone found the body.  Montresor murdered with impunity.

How would you describe Montresor's character in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor suffers many "injuries" at the hands of Fortunato, but only when he feels that Fortunato insults him does he vow revenge. Montresor is a man of wealth and station and cannot forebear insult. He feels that he must only only punish but "punish with impunity," which has a rather different meaning than the American version: he means he must do it in such a way that he will never be caught and punished. 

He catches Fortunato, his "friend," during "the supreme madness of the carnival season." His speaking of him as his friend is disingenuous, and doing this during the carnival season is the height of mad brilliance: Fortunato is celebrating, like all around him. All is chaos, exemplified by the fact that Fortunato wears motley; that is, he wears a joker's outfit, complete with varied colors and bells on his hat. To die in such an outfit is an added indignity. He challenges his "friend's" connoisseurship of wine by suggesting that another man's is just as good, thereby ensuring Fortunato's compliance in his plan; he knows Fortunato will go to great lengths to prove his superiority as a sommelier of Italian vintages. 

He presses the "compassion" of his friendship by noting that Fortunato has a cold and that going into the vaults would only exacerbate his condition, knowing full well that Fortunato is now committed. Every step fo the way, he is overtly concerned for Fortunato's safety, cautioning him to watch his step as they descend into the crypts, and after hearing Fortunato cough, speaks highly of him and urges him to turn back, because there is still Luchresi who can help him determine whether the cask of wine he purchased is truly Amontillado. Of course, Fortunato responds that he shall not die of cough, and Montresor responds, "True, true...." He is, as he has noted before, smiling inside at the difference between his meaning and how Fortunato understands him. 

Fortunato notes that his vaults are huge, and Montresor reminds him that he has a "great and numerous family" whose motto is "Nemo me impune lacessit"--"No one can harm me unpunished." We may be assured that Montresor is deriving a great deal of pleasure in the double meaning of his words. 

Fortunato points out that he is a mason--that is, a Freemason, a fraternity of men who uphold a system of morality. While the Freemasons were originally built on the craft guilds of stonemasonry, and the trowel is one of their symbols, when Fortunato asks for a "sign" to indicate that Monstresor is also a Freemason, he is asking for a hand sign, a secret way of proving he is one. Instead, Montresor produces a trowel from his clothing, which Fortunato takes for a bad joke. It is a good joke to Montresor, of course. :)

At the end, when he is almost finished walling up Fortunato, he holds up his torch to see how Fortunato is faring. Fortunato screams and Montresor's first instinct is to tremble; he is, after all, in a spooky place and momentarily unnerved. Then he pulls out his sword and pokes about in the enclosure until he realizes that this is not what he planned; no one would discover them and no one would hear Fortunato's cries for help. Thus, he himself screams as loud as an louder than his victim, mocking him. He is, without a doubt, sadistic in the extreme. 

How would you describe Montresor's character in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor narrates “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. The story describes the perfect murder and murderer.  As a narrator, Montresor is not reliable because the reader only receives the information that he provides. 

The story centers on revenge.  Montresor will seek his vengeance through a carefully planned crime. From the first word of the story, Montresor gives his reasons:

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

This seems to be a rather flimsy reason for murder; nevertheless, Montresor will seek his revenge.

The details about Montresor’s character  are limited:

• His family is wealthy
• He has servants
• His family burial ground is under the house in catacombs
• His family does will seek revenge on anyone who does them harm
• He is a meticulous planner

No others details are given by the author.

Montresor despises Fortunato.  He has observed carefully the weaknesses of Fortunato and planned his revenge from this.  As he entices his drunken victim, Montresor knows exactly what to say to   interest Fortunato. The trip through the catacombs is difficult and disgusting. Yet, Fortunato is willing to prove Montresor has made a foolish decision, and he is a better judge of wine.

Montresor carries out his plan with little or no remorse. As he begins to place the last stone, he admits that he has struggles with it. He has not difficulty with any other stone. This is the only time that he demonstrates any true emotion. When he is finishing the bricking up of the wall that will be Fortunato’s grave, he states:  

I thrust the torch through the remaining aperture and let in fall within.  There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. 

It is more likely that Montresor has a glimmer of regret realizing that he is condemning another human being to his horrific death.

The character of Montresor represents the dark side of human beings who would like to pay someone back for an affront. His answers to Fortunato appeal to the sarcastic side of man.  Knowing the remarks symbolize dramatic irony allows the reader to admire Montresor's witty retorts.

When the reader learns that the story has been told as a flashback, it is obvious that Montresor has carried out the perfect crime.  No one has discovered the body of Fortunato for fifty years. Finally, Montresor has the opportunity to brag about his detailed murder of his foe Fortunato.

How does the point of view in "The Cask of Amontillado" affect Montresor's characteristics?

Because the reader experiences the events of "The Cask of Amontillado" through third person point of view in which the narrator (Montresor) tells his tale to an unknown listener who obviously knows him very well, tje reader is able to better understand, and more fully appreciate the depth of, certain aspects of Montresor's personality and the actions that he takes as a direct result of those characteristics.  For example, Montresor explains his own motive for seeking revenge against Fortunato:

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge...I must not only punish but punish with impunity.  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.

Montresor clearly believes himself justified in exacting revenge, however cruelly, against Fortunato; this indicates a sense of entitlement and conceit.  In addition, Montresor is an excellent assesor of human nature and employs that gift in ensuring Fortunato's willingness to descend into the vaults.  The point of view in this story also enables the narrator to reveal his own shocking enjoyment of Fortunato's reaction to being enclosed within the catacomb wall and the actual act of bricking him in.

How does the point of view in "The Cask of Amontillado" affect Montresor's characteristics?

We have to question what "understanding" it is that we're evaluating: are we looking only at the understanding that Montresor has of the situation, or some kind of objective truth?

Montresor is a classic example of an unreliable narrator, specifically because he never tells us the nature of the offenses that Fortunato has supposedly committed. We do not need to know their nature in order to understand Montresor's anger and his need for revenge; however, we would need to know them in order to understand a more objective perspective. For example, is Montresor's revenge a suitable one for the offenses that have been committed? Can we consider ourselves to be more like Montresor or like Fortunato, on average, given the specific circumstances? Is Montresor a noble avenger or a murdering psychopath? These issues might be answered, but since the evidence that would contribute to them is left unspoken, we are forced to focus only upon Montresor's emotional perspective.

At the least, we are aided in understanding Montresor because we do not muddy his emotional perspective with Fortunato's - we don't know if Fortunato would agree with, or even be aware of, the charges that Montresor has leveled against him. We do get a glimpse of this at the end, when Fortunato's silence makes Montresor "sick at heart" - perhaps indicating a guilty conscience or an excess of empathy that Montresor needs to steel himself against in order to go through with the deed. 

So, I think the focus on Montresor's perspective is meant to help us understand only that perspective, rather than an objective truth.

What is the character of Montresor?

Montresor is an extremely proud man.  It is the fact that he feels so injured and insulted by Fortunato that causes him to seek the most violent and permanent revenge possible: he wants to kill his nemesis.  He is proud of his family motto, "Nemo me impune lacessit," which translates to You will not harm me with impunity.  Montresor feels wronged, and so he cannot maintain his family honor and pride unless he lashes back at the one who he feels has harmed him.

Montresor is also a very clever man.  He understands people: he knows that if he tells his servants not to leave and that he will be out all night, they will undoubtedly leave immediately.  He also knows Fortunato well enough to know that this man's pride can be used against him: Fortunato will insist on seeing the rare and expensive wine in order to gloat over the fact that Montresor was swindled; he will insist despite the danger to his health and despite the fact that another wine connoisseur is available.   Further, Montresor is careful to think ahead and dress is such a disguise that he cannot be identified later as having been seen with Fortunato.  He seems to think of everything (except the guilt he may feel later on...).

Do Montresor's characteristics justify his actions in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

An unfortuante person who has suffered injustice or cruel treatment in childhood can sometimes grow up to inflict pain on others, but this can only ever explain their evil actions, not justify or condone them. We do not find out if anything has happened to Montressor that far back, only reading about some sort of imagined slight that happened more recently. However Montressor's characteristics come across as  vindictive, analytical, narcissistic and methodical character traits. Also, he is obsessive as we see by his careful calculations about the interment at the end. Perhaps he has become over-sensitized to matters affronting his self-esteem, and that is why he responded in such an over the top way to a small insult.

Do Montresor's characteristics justify his actions in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Nothing can really justify out-and-out premeditated murder, and certainly this is true of Montressor's actions in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." We are never specifically told what act Fortunato has inflicted upon Montressor to cause such a horrific response. We can only assume that it was an insult of some sort, perhaps perpetrated at a much earlier time. Both Montressor and Fortunato are obviously of a higher and wealthier class than the average person, and family or personal honor seems to be at the heart of the matter. Certainly Montressor has planned his revenge well, and he succeeds with the perfect crime. But justification can never really be accorded him; his choice to take personal action instead of through lawful means makes him a murderer and a criminal--nothing more. 

Do Montresor's characteristics justify his actions in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montressor is very much like Fortunado in that he is arrogant. Fortunado is arrogant in that he succumbs to flattery about his knowledge of wines. Montressor's horrifying action stems from an insult to his reputation about being knowledgeable about wines that Fortunado made in a remark to others. Unfortunately for Fortunado, Montressoris a more diabolical person who can plot the demise of another and barely show any hesitation. He is educated in repartee as his constant gibes toward the unfortunate, drunken Fortunado. The plans are made for every possible event that might forestall his plan to do away with the man who insulted him. This egotistical, scheming murderer had no real justification for his actions. No one would ever know what happened to Fortunado except Montressor himself. It was not an act of self-defense or even an eye-for-an-eye revenge. It was arrogance of the utmost.

What kind of person is Montresor?

As the narrator of the tale, Montresor is either confessing or bragging the murder that he committed years ago. This, right away, may be used to measure to what extent he may be a narcissist or a sociopath. He may be a narcissist because it is clear that his narrative is not an act of repentance, but a return to a scene in his life for which he does not take much responsibility, and of which he seems quite proud.

He could also be seen as a sociopath who cannot connect to others, is always alone, unhappy, and whose anger at his own state is transferred onto others, who are happier, or richer, or better suited to life than he is. This being said, narcissist and sociopathic are good descriptors for Montresor. 

Stemming from those two descriptors, come the behaviors expected from those who have those mental conditions. They are all evident in Montresor. He is vengeful, envious, and so egotistical that he cannot let go of Fortunato's supposed insult. 

A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.

Waiting and pre-meditating Fortunato's death makes Montresor also a predator; a cold hard killer so reactive that he does not feel any worry about possible consequences. He has been lucky enough to get away with it. He knows that, too.

It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. 

Stewing over what he feels is "insult", Montresor also comes off as obsessive, petty, and unreliable. Even though first person narrators are often unreliable, Montresor shows that he may very well be also a mad man, for which we cannot ascertain for sure whether his story is based on reality, or on what his mind dictated him at the time.  

What kind of person is Montresor?

Montresor is a character created by Edgar Allan Poe to fulfill a purpose. He must be the kind of man who would commit a terrible murder. Poe has made him intelligent, proud, patient, cunning, deceitful, and cruel. His French name suggests that he is an outsider in the Italian city where he lives, which is presumably Venice. He lives in a palazzo, but he is all alone and has a hard time keeping up appearances and making ends meet. He appears to deal in expensive things like works of art, antiques, jewelry, and gourmet wines. He is an aristocrat but in constant danger of losing his social position if he fails to earn enough money.

It should be obvious that in many respects Montresor is like Poe himself. Poe may have written "The Cask of Amontillado" in order to express some of the hatred he felt towards some real person who had offened him. He had numerous enemies because of his petulant nature and his caustic literary criticism. Both Poe and his character Montresor seem like lonely, bitter, unhappy men, and both seem to have been overly fond of liquor.

What qualities does Montresor insist make vengeance successful in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor seeks revenge on Fortunato for an unclear reason. The only thing the reader knows is that Montresor thinks Fortunato has insulted him. 

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

I see four characteristics Montresor insists upon for successful vengeance: 1) he has to lull Fortunato into a false sense of security, 2) he has to punish him, 3) there must be no chance that he will be caught or punished for exacting his revenge, and 4) he has to make sure that Fortunato knows that he is responsible for the act of vengeance. 

First, Montresor says he will not in any way threaten Fortunato. He is willing to wait patiently for the right time to exact his revenge. He waits until Carnival--a time of joviality when he is sure to catch Fortunato unaware and unsuspecting. Then, he explains to the reader that merely punishing Fortunato will not be satisfactory. He needs to punish with impunity--with freedom from punishment. Indeed, he accomplishes this goal as we learn in the last few lines of the story that for fifty years, no one has discovered the body of Fortunato, which is walled up in Montresor's family catacombs. Next, he treats Fortunato with kindness and respect. He is careful to tell the reader that he never gave Fortunato any reason to doubt his intentions. He treats him with kindness and respect, thereby lulling him into a false sense of security. 

Montresor makes it clear that his revenge must be carried out in such a way as to not only avenge the wrongs that have been done to him but essentially get away with murder. He leads Fortunato to the catacombs right in the middle of the carnival, treating him companionably so no witness has any reason to suspect any malice. 

Finally, Montresor makes needs to make sure that Fortunato is alive and fully aware of his murderous intentions before his demise. Like a spider trapping its prey in a web, Montresor traps Fortunato in the vaults, all the while toying with him by expressing concern for his health. He takes advantage of his drunken state, trapping him in a niche at the bottom of the catacombs and chaining him to the wall. Then, he slowly and carefully builds a brick wall with which to bury him alive. 

The evidence for these characteristics of Montresor's revenge can be found in the first two paragraphs of the story: 

"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 to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. 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.

It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my in to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my to smile now was at the thought of his immolation."

What qualities does Montresor insist make vengeance successful in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor knows that it is not enough for him to wreak vengeance on Fortunato; he has to get away with it too. That is why he goes to such extraordinary lengths when committing the dastardly deed. He cannot just grab a sword and run Fortunato through with it, he needs to try something much more elaborate—something that will satisfy his desire for revenge while ensuring that he, and he alone, will know exactly how he did it.

As part of Montresor's revenge plot, he maintains an outward show of friendliness at all times to his intended victim:

It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

By doing this, Montresor ensures that Fortunato will not harbor the slightest suspicion as to what terrible fate lies in store for him. Furthermore, no one will ever suspect Montresor of being responsible for Fortunato's sudden disappearance given the ostensibly amicable relationship between the two men.

What qualities does Montresor insist make vengeance successful in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

According to Montresor, who had, in his own opinion, tolerated Fortunato's insults as long as he could, his revenge would only be successful if he did not receive any punishment for his actions.  In addition, Montresor believed that a wrong

...is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

In other words, Montresor felt that he would have failed as an "avenger" if Fortunato did not suffer from the realization that Montresor was exacting his revenge.  Of course, Montresor was very careful not to reveal his intentions by threatening to take any course of action against what he preceived to be injuries inflicted upon him by Fortunato.

What are Montresor's fears in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor's greatest fear in "The Cask of Amontillado" is that he will be caught during his crime and be incarcerated for murder. So, he painstakingly details every facet of his plot against Fortunato. He fears that his servants may witness his actions, so he makes sure they will be enjoying the carnival festivities instead. He worries that Fortunato may not follow him into the catacombs, so he tempts him with a bottle of rare amontillado. Montresor fears that a quick murder will not do justice for the crimes committed against him, so he concocts a way to satisfactorily torture Fortunato emotionally as well. He worries that Fortunato's cries may be heard, but the depths of the catacombs will solve this problem--as well as any qualms about whether the body will ever be found.

Characterize Montresor. What kind of person is he?

Montresor is an extremely proud man; he is also very clever and manipulative.  At the beginning of the story, he exaggerates the number of injuries he had sustained at the hands of Fortunato, as if to justify his murder.  He says, 

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge [....].  At length, I would be avenged; this was a point definitely settled [...].  I must not only punish but punish with impunity.  A wrong is redressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.

His pride will not allow him to labor any more under the insults with which Fortunato has apparently assaulted him.  He must seek revenge, and it must be done in such a way that he can never be punished for it (or else it doesn't really qualify as revenge because he'd be harming himself in the process).  Montresor feels that he must live up to his family motto: "No one harms me unpunished."  He clearly feels a great deal of family pride, as he tells Fortunato, "'The Montresors [...] were a great and numerous family.'"  Because Montresor speaks in the past tense, here, we might assume that his family is no longer as great or numerous as it once was, and this might be another reason why he feels so strongly about honoring the family by upholding their motto.  

Further, he thinks he knows just how to move forward with his plan to exact his revenge "with impunity," and he very nearly does achieve it.  He is quite cunning while preparing a trap to catch Fortunato, ironically, with Fortunato's own pride.  Montresor says,

It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will.  I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

He wants to be sure that his auditor understands how craftily he proceeded with his plan.  Montresor tells us that Fortunato has one weak point, and though he never names it directly, we can assume that it is Fortunato's own pride, especially in his talent and taste as a wine connoisseur; Montresor says that "in the manner of old wines, [Fortunato] was sincere."  Montresor rather brilliantly exploits this one weakness in order to exact his revenge.  He engages Fortunato's pride by telling him that he bought a type of rare wine and that he was looking for another local expert to help him confirm the wine's identity, so to speak.  Fortunato cannot turn down an opportunity to showcase his talent (or rub Montresor's nose in his likely error).

What Montresor doesn't count on, however, is his own guilt.  He planned for everything except the way his own conscience might punish him.  It seems that, even though he was never formally punished for Fortunato's murder, his guilt has lingered for some half a century and this, perhaps, has actually been his punishment.  The fact that Montresor seems to be an old man now, on his deathbed, confessing the sins which still weigh heavily on his conscience, tells us that the murder has stayed with him.  He is telling this story to one who he says, "so well know[s] the nature of [his] soul," and the final Latin line that translates to "rest in peace," seems to support this reading as well.  Further, when he describes his feelings after he'd walled Fortunato in, he says, "My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so."  This, again, sounds like someone trying to convince himself not to feel guilty, that his actions were warranted, even justified, and there is really no reason to convince ourselves that we shouldn't feel guilt if we already don't.

Thus, Montresor is quite proud, and very intelligent...just not quite as intelligent as he believes himself to be because he failed to account for the way a guilty conscience could punish him for the remainder of his life.

What are the likeable traits of the narrator, Montresor, in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

While Montresor is a twisted puppy, I do appreciate his flair for the dramatic. He is truly an artist, though his canvas, so to speak, is grotesque. He doesn't simply take a dull revenge but goes all out to make it as flamboyant and horrible as he possibly can. Who can forget his black silk mask, his flaming torch, or, in the final scene, the bone-strewn chamber with the niche where he chains Fortunato to the wall? Who can shake the memory of Fortunato screaming desperately behind the almost-completed wall while Montresor shouts back even louder, his cries echoing through the catacombs? This is no ordinary murder.

I also admire his honesty in telling the story so completely fifty years after the fact. Though he tries to hide from himself the remorse he might have felt, such as rationalizing away the heartsick feeling he has when Fortunato's screams stop, he tells the story convincingly, so that, macabre as it is, we believe it.

What are the likeable traits of the narrator, Montresor, in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

This is sort of sick, but I find that I like him because of the way that he takes revenge on Fortunato in such a clever way.  I don't exactly think that it was right for him to kill Fortunato (since I don't know what Fortunato did to him) but I just find the cleverness of the plan (and the poise with which he carries it out) appealing.

I feel this way because it just seems like a guy who could come up with a plan like that would be a good friend to have.  It seems like it would be interesting to talk to someone who can be that creative.  If he had just gone and shot Fortunato in the back, I wouldn't like him as much as I do, even though I know intellectually that what he did to Fortunato was way worse than shooting him.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," how do Montresor's traits and emotions express the story's theme?

The grotesque playfulness of the narrator allows Poe to tease out the latent horror of his theme in "The Cask of Amontillado." For instance, Montesor, who has "vowed revenge" states that when he is "accosted with excessive warmth" by Fortunato, he

was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

As his "own fancy grew warm with the Medoc," Montesor playfully asks Fortunato if he is a mason, waving a trowel in the air as he demonstrates his pun.  Continually, Montesor, much like a cat playing and torturing a mouse, feigns concern for Fortunato's health by acting as though they should turn back instead of completing his nefarious plan. But, his gothic arabesques completed, Montesor fetters his victim and walls him in.

Thus, the psychological horror of this tale of revenge parallels the physical is Poe's pattern of "arabesque," as he termed it.  The various turnings and returnings in Poe's story develop the horror and cause it to crescendo at the ending with the narrator's perverse "Yes, for the love of God." In a final insanely playful remark Montesor says after he hears the jingling of the unfortunate enemy, "My heart grew sick--on account of the dampness of the catacombs."  With no remorse for his act, Montesor proudly states that for a half of a century no one has disturbed Fortunato's tomb' his revenge is complete.

In "The Cask of Amontillado," how do Montresor's traits and emotions express the story's theme?

Since the primary themes of "The Cask of Amontillado" are revenge and madness, the emotional makeup of the narrator Montressor certainly seems to fit the bill. He is completely obsessed with his carefully plotted act of revenge upon Fortunato. His sanity has to be questioned, since the unnamed offense seems not to have been equal to the final result, and Montressor takes pleasure in his act of vengeance and in the suffering that Fortunato must endure when he realizes the true nature of the visit to the catacombs. Montressor's cold heart is exposed in his calculating and ruthlessly unsympathetic treatment to his one-time friend.

How does Montresor's insanity reflect Poe's theme in The Cask of Amontillado?

The main theme presented in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is revenge. The protagonist of the story, Montresor, opens the story telling of his dreams of revenge on Fortunato for the past fifty years. One can tell from this, that Montresor is certainly a little off based upon a fifty year grudge.

Montresor has the murder of Fortunato planned down to the most intimate details. He plans for the "abduction" to take place during carnival; this is a time where all are able to put on "masks" and not face typical scrutiny. This is very ironic given Montresor is masking his insanity with a different mask.

The behavior of Montrseor is the most telling regarding his insanity. Readers are never told what Fortunato did to bring on the revenge deemed so necessary by Montresor. This alone speaks to his insanity. What could be so bad that would merit death? Unfortunately, one never finds out. The fact that Montresor's revenge lies in an act omitted, one could assume that the thought of revenge alone, over fifty years, is what led Montersor to his insanity.

In the end, Montresor bricks Fortunato up in the catacombs of his families' property. Montresor, after his revenge has been enacted, he joins in Fortunato's screaming. It seems that his insanity has reached its breaking point.

The theme of revenge reflects Montresor's insanity given the period of time which he has struggled with the "injuries" Fortunato has placed upon him. Knowing that it took fifty years for Montresor to enact this revenge, one can only assume that it has eaten him up for the entire time as well. Montresor had no other choice but to "go" insane.

What are the villanous characteristics of Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

In "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor wants revenge.  The reader is unclear as to what the final insult was that unknowing Fortunato committed, but it pushed Montresor to become a maniacal killer. 

Montresor's family motto states that his family will attain revenge but with impunity.  This simply means that Montresor will have to plan the perfect crime, thus, no one will know that he has murdered Fortunato. Monstresor will get his vengeance. 

Prior to meeting Fortunato, Montresor has made detailed plans to carry out his crime.  It will take place during the carnival when everyone is busy and the places are crowded.  No one will be paying attention to anything in particular. In addition, he will use reverse psychology by telling his servants to stay at home; therefore, he knows that they will slip away, and he will have his home to himself. 

Although it is not shown or told in the story, with his determination to carry out his plot, Montresor has gone down into the catacombs and placed everything needed to chain up his victim and wall him up in his eternal grave.

Montresor further establishes his cleverness when he tricks Fortunato into accompanying him down into the catacombs to taste the wine.  Montresor must have spent time studying his victim because he knows that Fortunato will come and also that he will have drunk wine and will want to drink more 

Montresor's acting skills are honed as well. He feigns concern for Fortunato when he has a coughing spell. He tells him that he knows that he will not die of a cough, knowing exactly how he will die. Despite the continued insults of Fortunato about his family, Montresor is able to keep his cool demeanor in tact and continue on with their journey. 

Proving himself heartless, Montresor listens to the begging of Fortunato to be let go.  

'Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady Fortunato and the rest? Let us be gone.'

'Yes, I said,' Let us be gone.'

'For the love of God, Montresor!'

'Yes, I said, for the love of God!'

There came forth only the jingling of the bells. 

There is a brief hesitation, but not enough to keep him from pushing in the final brick and sending Fortunato to his death. There has to be evil lurking in Montresor's heart to damn someone to this kind of death for just an insult. 

The plan worked for Montresor since the reader knows that after fifty years Fortunato's body has been undisturbed. 

How does Montresor's understanding influence the themes in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Revenge is an important theme in the story, and much of the plot hinges on Montresor's understanding of this concept. Montresor understands revenge, which he understands as striking back when you are injured, as follows: make sure to plan your revenge in great detail so that you are not caught, and make certain the person you are punishing knows it is you who are doing the punishing.

Montresor follows through very carefully on his idea of a just revenge. He makes sure no third party could look back and connect him with Fortunato's disappearance. He plays on Fortunato's vanity to lure him into a dark catacomb and keeps him drunk and off-balance the whole time they are down there. Montresor also makes sure his servants are out of the house so that there will be no surprise witnesses to his act. He brings all the supplies he needs to wall up his victim. At the end, he makes sure it is clear to Fortunato exactly what he is doing to him. 

Beneath the theme of revenge lies the theme of justice. Montresor plans and executes his revenge very carefully, but he does not seem to question whether his punishment is just. He never explains what Fortunato has done to him to justify such as fate. All Montresor notes is that he has borne a "thousand injuries." What are these injuries? Is any injury so heinous that it justifies leaving someone all alone in a cold, dark, moldy place to slowly die of starvation and dehydration? 

Montresor appears to have become so obsessed with revenge that he has lost any sense of proportion. He lacks moral understanding and a moral compass. Rather than fit the punishment to the crime or forgive and forget, Montresor lets his blind desire for revenge overtake his reason and compassion.

Because Montresor's revenge is so extreme and cold-blooded, we as readers are drawn to question the very idea of revenge and how anger nursed in silence can grow out of control.

What is the quality of the revenge that Montresor seeks in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

I'm wondering if bev2 is asking about whether the revenge exacted by Montresor fits Fortunato's crime. In my classroom, we discussed this issue and it was determined that the revenge has a rather barbaric and particularly sadistic quality to it. Since we do not know what "insult" Fortunato committed, we can only assume that it was equally heinous, or that Montresor is insane. I hope this helps.

How does the plot of "The Cask of Amontillado" reflect 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 national character, by Poe, a non-Italian. Why Italy? The early reference to rich tourists, the English and Australians, is likely a clue if one has the context that, post-Italian Renaissance, it would have been common for privileged college-age youth make their pilgrimage to Italy on what was known as the Grand Tour, a Romantic rite of passage for the cultured person and the aspirant, with the object being immersion in the classical architecture, the huge troves of painting and visual art, and the refined Italianate atmosphere.

But, by the same token, the resplendence of Italy was a thing long since faded. There is a decadence now, in place of its former (while still residual) cultural greatness. Montressor indicates the pretense of those who would humor these wealthy tourists, as custodians of a faux-connoisseurship. The exception is, of course, wine, something the natives genuinely appreciate.

But, even when plotting a murder, it can be argued that nostalgia dictates a certain decorum. Even if one’s relations with friends or business associates is essentially two-faced, a surface lack of respect is unforgivable. Psychological needs are an expression of that person’s reality, even if the social construct or expectations for such things are really hollow and irrelevant.

So the theme, beyond mere revenge, is played out in Montresor’s bitter entrapment. It might be expressed as revenge with sidebars of nuance and complication; human nature is turned against itself. One man is offended, and the other—through his weakness—provides the weapon.

As they descend the catacombs, the tension ratchets upwards. Carnival is an opportunity to set man’s nasty shadow-self free. If an aggressor wishes to exploit human weakness, there’s more than enough cover for a dark deed.