Can you explain the story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe,   Montresor proves to be a master manipulator.  Everyone in the story comes under the spell of Montresor including the reader.  With succinct planning, Montresor achieves the perfect crime.

The setting of the story is during the carnival season in Italy sometime in the eighteen century.  The narration is first person point of view with Montresor, the protagonist, as the narrator.

From the first words of the story, the reader is aware that Montresor has plans for Fortunato.  Fortunato has wronged Montresor in many ways; however, when he insulted him, Montresor decided to seek revenge.

Montresor selects a time to commit a crime when everyone will be dressed in a costume.  The citizens will be drinking and celebrating.  Montresor lives in a large house with a catacomb beneath it.  The catacombs were used as tombs for the bodies of family members.  This is where the crime will be committed.

His extensive plans include using reverse psychology with his servants.  He tells them to absolutely not attend the carnival knowing that this will assure that they will slip away from the house.

In this time period, European families had a coat of arms and a motto to represent the philosophy of the family.  Montresor’s motto stated: Punish with impunity. This meant that revenge may be gained as long as no one knows about it.This was exactly what Montresor intended.  He would gain his revenge from Fortunato without being punished for his crime.

Montresor encounters Fortunato who is dressed like a court jester. He asks Fortunato to taste some wine to see if it is the rare “amontillado.” Fortunato had already been drinking; he is ready to go with Montresor to taste the wine.

The men go to the catacombs and proceed to find the wine.  They pass through the cool, humid tunnel which is lined with skeletons and bones.  There were also barrels and bottles of wine placed along the way. 

Fortunato has a coughing spell as the walk through the tunnel.  Montresor gives Fortunato some wine to relieve the cough.  Fortunato states:

The cough is a mere nothing: it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.
 Montresor responds: ‘True-true.’

When they arrive at the end of the tunnel, Montresor is able to shackle Fortunato to the wall with little trouble.  Montresor pulls out a trowel and begins to wall up the place where Fortunato sits recovering from his shock.  He begs and pleads with Montresor not to do this to him. 

Montresor continues to place brick after brick to seal off Fortunato.  When he comes to the last brick, Montresor has a twinge of conscience.  He hears nothing from Fortunato except the shaking of the bells on his jester’s cap.  He pushes in the brick.

In the end of the story, the reader learns that fifty years have passed.  The body has never been discovered. This is the first time Montresor has mentioned the crime.  His final words are In pace requiescat! Rest in peace!

The story is full of irony. Fortunato’s name implies good fortune although this not what happens to him.

Montresor’s family motto takes on new meaning when it is learned that the crime has never been discovered.

The costume of Fortunato would indicate a fun and happy time. Yet, it becomes his shroud.

Many critics have written that this is an exemplary short story in plot, characters, dialogue, and literary devices. 

Can you simplify the story of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

"The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe.  The story only contains two main characters: Fortunato and Montresor.  Initially you do not know that the narrator's name is Montresor because the story is told in first person.  

At its root, "The Cask of Amontillado" is a revenge story.  The reader is told that Fortunato has hurt the narrator.  To make matters even worse, Fortunato has insulted Montresor.  Gasp!  That's totally a good reason for revenge by murder, right? 

Montresor seeks out Fortunado at a party, where he finds Fortunato already drunk. So what does Montressor do?  He tells Fortunato that he has a rare cask of Amontillado down in his cellar.  Fortunato is very excited to see it and/or get a taste of it.  

Montresor leads Fortunato deeper and deeper into his wine cellar/crypt all while getting Fortunato even more drunk.  Upon reaching the end of the cellar, Montresor leads Fortunato into a little alcove/hole in the wall and chains him to the wall.  Then Montresor starts to wall up the hole brick by brick.  Fortunato begs and pleads for his life, but it all falls on deaf ears.  Montresor finishes the block work and leaves Fortunato there to die.  At the very end of the story, Montresor tells his readers that it has been 50 years and no one has found out yet.