What steps does Montresor take to ensure his plan works in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor's murder of Fortunato was premeditated, from the planning of an alibi to making sure the body is never found.

Montresor’s plan was to get revenge on Fortunato during the Carnival for some perceived insult.  We have no idea what the insult was, but it was likely something minor because first of all Fortunato doesn’t suspect anything and second of all, Montresor is clearly deranged.

Montresor makes sure that all of his servants are out of the house, basically giving him an alibi because no one can say whether he was home or not.

There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honour of the time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house.

He knew that telling them this would “insure their immediate disappearance.”  He chose a busy time when everyone would be out partying and no one would ask questions.  Fortunato could disappear from whatever party he was attending and no one would really wonder where he was, because most people would probably be getting drunk and separated.  Also, with people off in costumes no one would recognize either of them.

Montresor also stalked his prey.  He knew enough about Fortunato to know that he loved wine, and that offering him wine would peak his interest.  So he prepared the catacomb and told Fortunato that he had a very special wine that he needed to know about.

I said to him—“My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts.”

He knew that this would pique his interest.  It is also enough of a story to get Fortunado underground, where wine might be stored.  How else do you get a guy to go underground and allay suspicion?   

Montresor leads Fortunato underground into the crypt, where the bones and wines are somehow kept side by side (yuck).  In addition to asking for his advice, he also carefully gains his trust by pretending to care about his health.  He makes jokes about being a freemason, giving a reason for having a trowel.  All of these things, and Fortunado’s drunken weakened state, ensure that the man suspects nothing.

Montresor has prepared the scene before Fortunato gets there.  Otherwise it would take too long.  He has covered his materials with a pile of bones (they are in a crypt!) so it is not obvious when Fortunato first arrives.  Montresor then just sort of guides him in.

In niche, and finding an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered. A moment more and I had fettered him to the granite.

Then Montresor can brick the niche up.  Fortunato is confused at first, and then gets more and more alarmed.  He didn’t suspect anything, and didn’t know Montresor was a maniac.  By the time he figures it out, he is a dead man and it is too late.  Montresor is going to leave him down there. 

In the end, he does say that his heart “grew sick.”  Perhaps some doubts or spurts of conscience?  Maybe.  The end of the story is, “pace requiescat.”  May he rest in peace.  Yet Montresor cannot let him out.  He needs to get away with the crime, and giving in now would be the end of him.  No one will find the body down there.

This is a class Poe story of a madman narrator carefully explaining how clever he is at stalking and killing his prey.  As with many of these killers, his only concern is that he not get caught, not guilt at what he has done.  He wants us to appreciate his cleverness and the fact that Fortunato was asking for it and got what he deserved, for whatever unnamed insult.  Notice that the insult is not named.  The insult itself is not important, just getting away with the murder.

What steps does Montresor take to ensure his plan works in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor understands his prey very well.  He approaches Fortunato when the man is at a carnival, in a good mood and already under the effects of alcohol.  He tempts Fortunato with his favorite wine, and threatens to sell to another, which causes Fortunato to agree to go with Monstresor at that moment.  Montresor has also made sure that his own house is empty, so that no one could see and interefere. 

Does Montresor achieve the revenge he seeks in the first paragraph of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

I'd say yes and NO, and this is why:

At the beginning Montresor says, "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."

By this he means that he doesn't only want to punish and get away with it, he wants to correct a wong done to him. Settling for vengence is not enough. He wants Fortunato to understand why he is being punished and to plead for forgiveness/mercy. He wants Fortunato to realize that Montresor, the man whom he has insulted time and time again, is the superior man.

Montressor does get part of his revenge. He kills Fortunato and gets away with it. But his revenge is incomplete. Just before the last brick is placed, Montressor has been taunting Fortunato, trying to make him plead or scream--that would be satisfaction. Instead, Fortunato remains silent. At this Montresor says, "I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick - on account of the dampness of the catacombs."

Montresor tries to excuse his heart sickness by blaming it on dampness, but the dampness had not bothered him before. His real sickness came from the realiazation that his revenge was incomplete. He did not get the reaction from Fortunato that he craved.

Does Montresor achieve the revenge he seeks in the first paragraph of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

In the beginning of Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor proposes a three-part definition of revenge:

1.  The avenger must punish with impunity.

2.  Retribution must not overtake its redresser.

3.  The avenger must make himself known to the one he punishes.

Certainly, the first part is fulfilled as Montresor boasts that it has been fifty years since his crime, and no one has "disturbed" the masonry that he has laid, enclosing Fortunato into a catacomb wall. (He has also satisfied his family code of honor which is written on the Montresor coat of arms.)

Regarding the second condition, its fulfillment is questionable since Montresor is still telling this tale "a half century" later, a fact that seems to indicate that he is rather obsessed ("overtaken") with what he has done.  His mental disturbance seems evident, too, in the fact that he has neglected to cite either for Fortunato or for the reader any of the "thousand injuries of Fortunato."

That he has made himself known to Fortunato--his third requirement--is  also apparent since Fortunato has demonstrated his realization of what was being done to him as he cries, "For the love of God, Montresor."  Yet, even with this statement, there is some question as to whether Fortunato knows the reason for Montresor's revenge.  (Of course, the reader does not know, either.)  So, if making oneself known to the victim implies that the victim have both knowledge of the avenger and his reason for retribution, the third condition has not been fully completed.

Once again, Poe's typically unreliable narrator leaves the reader with ambiguity as he/she may doubt the fulfillment of the second condition and debate the third condition of retribution according to Montesor.

Does Montresor achieve the revenge he seeks in the first paragraph of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

I think there is no question that Montresor got the kind of revenge that he wanted on Fortunato.  All we have to do to see that is to look at the criteria he had for a satisfactory revenge.  To me, there are two things that he wanted -- he wanted to not get caught taking revenge, and he wanted Fortunato to know what was happening to him.  Both of those were clearly accomplished.

As far as we know, no one ever suspected what had happened to Fortunato.  And we can clearly see that Fortunato knew what was happening to him and who was doing it.

The question I do have, however, is whether Montresor really enjoyed it as much as he thought he would.

Does Montresor achieve his revenge in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor has been injured by Fortunato many times.  It is the insult that makes Montresor decide that Fortunato needs to die. 

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…

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe details the plans of a man who has been pushed to the edge of “no return.” Montresor will inflict his revenge; and in doing so will not be punished himself.  This is a man who covers all of his bases.  He has planned everything even to the time of the murder which is during the carnival season--the madness of the time will assure that there are no witnesses.

Obviously, Montresor has studied Fortunato so that he could find his weaknesses and be able to lure him down into the catacombs.  Fortunato’s hubris will not allow him to let Montresor use Luchesi to establish the validity of the amontillado.  Although Fortunato is already drunk, the two men head for Montresor’s house and the catacombs. 

Fortunato is dressed for the carnival in a jester costume and a conical hat with bells.  Very little is known about Montresor since he is the narrator of the story.  Only the most necessary information is provided about him.

The catacombs represent a place of the dead where the tunnels hold the remains of hundreds of years of the Montresor family.  The skeletons are mixed along the walls with bottles and casks of wine.  As the two men walk along, the potassium nitrate gives an eerie moldy feeling to the room. Furthermore, the smell invades the nostrils of rotting flesh. 

Finally, the men arrive at the end of the catacombs which opens to a larger vault.  It is here that Montresor quickly shackles Fortunato to the wall.  He then begins to brick up the fourth wall to provide Fortunato with his own crypt. Unwilling to admit any remorse, Montresor does have a brief moment of regret—but then he returns to the task at hand and shoves in the final brick. The final sound from the vault is the shaking of the bells on Fortunato’s hat.

At the end of the story, the reader learns that the entire story has been a flashback. Fifty years later, Montresor explains that Fortunato’s bones have never been disturbed.  He has committed the perfect crime. Yes, Montresor achieved the vengeance that he wanted and with impunity.

Does Montresor's revenge meet the criteria of impunity in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

At the beginning of Poe's classic short story "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor mentions that he vowed to get revenge on Fortunato for causing him a "thousand injuries." Montresor then proceeds to elaborate on his specific criteria for revenge by saying that he must not only punish but "punish with impunity." Montresor is essentially saying that, in order to get revenge, one must punish their enemy without being caught or suffering the consequences of their actions. Montresor also mentions that Fortunato must be aware that he is committing the act of retaliation.

As the story continues, Montresor describes how he cleverly manipulates Fortunato into following him down into his family's catacombs, where he manages to shackle Fortunato to the back wall and proceeds to bury him alive by building a wall around his body. At the end of the story, Montresor tells the audience that, for half a century, nobody has disturbed Fortunato's remains. Montresor is saying that he has successfully gotten away with murder for the last fifty years and has never suffered the consequences of his actions.

According to Montresor's own criteria for the perfect revenge, he has met the stipulations. Montresor has successfully punished Fortunato with impunity because he has not been charged with murder or been punished for his evil deed. Fortunato was also aware that Montresor was responsible for the retaliation.

What steps did Montresor take to ensure his crime's success in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

It should be pointed out that throughout his narrative Montresor refers to Fortunato as "my friend," "my good friend," and "my poor friend," altogether about a dozen times. This is Poe's way of showing the reader that Montresor has also been thinking about what will happenafterhe has walled Fortunato up in the niche and left him to die. Fortunato is a prominent ditizen. His disappearance will be a source of wonder to his wife, to his relatives, to his friends, to the citizens, and to the authorities. There will be an ongoing investigation for months. Not only will the police be asking questions, but his friends and relatives will be making their own inquiries. Montresor does not want to be the subject of the slightest suspicion. He has gotten into the habit of referring to Fortunato as his friend, and the habit has become so strong that he continues referring to him as such even as he is leading him to his death--and not only that, but he is referring to him in his narrative as his friend, his good friend, and his poor friend fifty years after the murder. This is another example of the things Montresor did to make sure his crime was a success. Nobody will suspect Montresor because they will take it for granted that the two men are the best of friends. Montresor himself will have to pretend to be greatly concerned about his friend's disappearance and keep asking questions about him until the matter is finally forgotten, even if that takes years.

Did Montresor achieve his desired revenge in "The Cask of Amontillado"? Provide three reasons.

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.

Only two of the three criteria of Montesor in "The Cask of Amontillado" have been met for revenge: 

(1) Montesor has accomplished the revenge he wants because he has punished his enemy, Fortunato by walling him into the catacombs to die, and he has punished with impunity since he is telling the story years after the fact. 

(2) Montesor's matter-of-fact account indicates that he is satisfied with his revenge, so the retribution does not seem to overtake him.  His satisfaction is denoted by his final words, "In pace requiescat!"

However, it is questionable whether Montesor has "made himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong."  For, Fortunato misses Montesor's clues and seems "too astounded to resist" when Montesor tethers him to a wall.  As Montesor places brick upon brick, Fortunato utters shrill and loud screams, but never a protest about any past behavior or a question about why Montesor walls him in. Finally, Fortunato sadly, desperately ventures a laugh:  "Ha!...a very good joke ineed--an excellent jest.  We will have many a rich laugh about it..."  Fortunato only believes his entombment is some sick joke of Montesor's.  Then, he pleads, "For the love of God..." as though begging to know the reason for the narrator's behavior.  Thus, it cannot be concluded that the avenger has made himself felt as such to Fortunato, the third condition.

What details suggest Montresor carefully planned his revenge in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

The fact that Montresor had the materials for bricking Fortunado up shows that he prepared.

Montresor makes it clear that Fortunado insulted him many times, over time.

THE THOUSAND INJURIES of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.

He also says that he planned this revenge carefully so he would not get caught.  You can see evidence of this extreme forethought and planning in the fact that he waited for carnival season and made sure Fortunado was drunk.

Montresor produces a trowel from “beneath the folds” of his cloak.  He makes a joke out of it, pretending to be a Mason, so Fortunado does not realize what is going on.  By the time they get deeper down into the catacombs, it is too late.

… I busied myself among the pile of bones of which I have before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche.

Montresor had these supplies carefully hidden, and had the trowel with him.  He had planned the murder to the last detail.  He was interested not only in getting revenge, but also in getting away with it.  For Montresor, getting away with the murder was just as important as the murder itself.

What does Montresor have in store for Fortunato in Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado"?

We don't know, of course, exactly what fate Montresor, the narrator, has planned for Fortunato, but there are several indications that, whatever it is, will be very bad for Fortunato.

From the point at which Montresor tells us that he could take anything from Fortunato except the "insult" that has created such a sense of vengeance in Montresor, we sense that the Fortunato's punishment might be fatal, in part because Montresor appears to be unhinged by his desire for revenge.

When we consider the precautions Montresor has taken to make sure no one sees him and Montresor together--Montresor is wearing a cape and mask, and he has made sure his servants are not at his palazzo--we have to conclude that his revenge will be permanent and fatal.  As Montresor and Fortunato descend into the catacombs under Montresor's palazzo, and Montresor makes sure that Fortunato is drunk by the time they get to the deepest part of the catacomb, murder can be the only option--the only question is how.

In a small alcove, Fortunato is tricked into wearing some shackles, which he tries to laugh at, but even he is getting a bit worried.  After he's shackled, Montresor uncovers the mason's tools he has stored down in the catacombs and begins to build the wall that will close in Fortunato forever.

Because the catacombs are rarely visited, the likelihood that Montresor's crime will be discovered is nil, so Montresor has lived up to his family's motto--"No one does harm to me with impunity."