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The title of the story is ironic because fortunato is descending into the wine cellar to find a cask of amontillado, and he ends up in his casket.

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Disturbed, Scared, Suspenseful, Ominous, Somber.

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1. Exposition

"Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and opportunity, to practice imposture upon the British and Austrian millionaires."

2. Conflict (inciting incident)
"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge."

3. Rising Action
"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." - Montresor initially greeting his victim.

"I passed down a long and winding staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together on the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montresors." - Montresor leading his victim to their final resting place in the catacombs.

"It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull torch, endeavored to pry into the depths of the recess. Its termination the feeble light did not enable us to see." - Fortunanato arrives at his tomb, as Montresor gets ready to spring.

4. Climax
In 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. In its surface were two iron staples, distant from each other about two feet, horizontally. From one of these depended a short chain, from the other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to secure it. He was too much astounded to resist. Withdrawing the key I stepped back from the recess.
- Montresor dropping his guise and stepping in for the kill.

5. Falling Action
"It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed it partially in its destined position." - Montresor finishing his plan.

6. Resolution
"I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!" - End of the story and narration.

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What are the main characters names?

What is the setting of the story?

What is the narrator recalling?

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Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

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This represents the brick built around Fortunato, The wine spilt on the bricks showing their desire for amontillado

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The Motley

When Montresor runs into Fortunato on the street, Fortunato is wearing multicolored motley and a cap with bells on it, which is the costume of jesters or fools in the old form of Italian theater known as commedia dell'arte. In the drama to come, Fortunato will be playing the part of a fool

The Vault

As Montresor guides Fortunato to the vault where he supposedly is storing the Amontillado, he guides him through a literal place of death. This is the Montresor family crypt, where members of the family are buried. There is an actual mound of bones in this catacomb. While one could store wine in a crypt—the physical conditions are similar—one would not expect wine that was recently purchased to be stored far, far back in this catacomb. There is wine here, but it is also a place of death, and bringing Fortunato here foreshadows his fate.

The Trowel

The Masons were a widespread fraternal organization that started as a medieval guild (for stonemasons, as the name indicates), but it grew into a more general social organization. There is a long history of anti-Masonic suspicion, and many stories have circulated about it being a secret society and even a mystical one. These attitudes grew so strong in 1826 that the Anti-Masonic Party emerged as a political party in the United States. The paradox here is that Fortunato shows by his hand gesture that he is a member of the organization, but when Montresor shows the trowel, he shows he is (or will act as) a literal mason. However, because Fortunato reads this as a joke, he misses the clue that he'll be entombed alive.

https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Cask-of-Amontillado/symbols/

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Course Hero. "The Cask of Amontillado Study Guide." Course Hero. 29 Dec. 2016. Web. 29 Aug. 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Cask-of-Amontillado/>.

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Course Hero. "The Cask of Amontillado Study Guide." December 29, 2016. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Cask-of-Amontillado/.

Footnote

Course Hero, "The Cask of Amontillado Study Guide," December 29, 2016, accessed August 29, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Cask-of-Amontillado/.

Symbols

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the symbols in Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Cask of Amontillado.

The Motley

When Montresor runs into Fortunato on the street, Fortunato is wearing multicolored motley and a cap with bells on it, which is the costume of jesters or fools in the old form of Italian theater known as commedia dell'arte. In the drama to come, Fortunato will be playing the part of a fool (and he certainly does, missing clue after clue because of his ego).

The Vault

As Montresor guides Fortunato to the vault where he supposedly is storing the Amontillado, he guides him through a literal place of death. This is the Montresor family crypt, where members of the family are buried. There is an actual mound of bones in this catacomb. While one could store wine in a crypt-the physical conditions are similar-one would not expect wine that was recently purchased to be stored far, far back in this catacomb. There is wine here, but it is also a place of death, and bringing Fortunato here foreshadows his fate. Given the strong association of wine with Christian communion, this can also be seen as a dark parody of the Christian story of reincarnation. Jesus was placed dead in a tomb but returned alive. Fortunato, though, is placed in crypt alive and never returns (except in Montresor's memories).

The Montresor Coat of Arms and Motto

The Montresor family has both a coat of arms and a family motto. These details are significant in themselves. They indicate the family is likely well established and noble (a fact that is reinforced by the size of the family vaults and the fact that Montresor has multiple servants). The coat of arms and family motto also have specific meanings. The coat of arms is a golden foot on a field of blue, crushing a serpent that is biting the heel of the foot. A golden foot underscores the family's self-perception: they are incredibly important (to themselves). Crushing the snake indicates how central revenge is to their family.

The Latin motto, Nemo me impune lacessit, means "no one attacks or injures me with impunity." This was the motto of the Scottish royal Stuart family, the motto of the chivalrous Scottish Order of the Thistle, and the motto of several Scottish regiments. Historically, Scotland fought against occupation by the Romans and the English. Some sources trace the origin of the motto to the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, who was killed by members of the Senate more so for his potential actions or threat to democracy than anything he had actually done. Like Caesar, Fortunato's crimes against Montresor remain vague.

The Trowel

The Masons were a widespread fraternal organization that started as a medieval guild (for stonemasons, as the name indicates), but it grew into a more general social organization. There is a long history of anti-Masonic suspicion, and many stories have circulated about it being a secret society and even a mystical one. These attitudes grew so strong in 1826 that the Anti-Masonic Party emerged as a political party in the United States. The paradox here is that Fortunato shows by his hand gesture that he is a member of the organization, but when Montresor shows the trowel, he shows he is (or will act as) a literal mason. However, because Fortunato reads this as a joke, he misses the clue that he'll be entombed alive.

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The Cask of Amontillado Symbols | Course Hero

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Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Learn about the different symbols such as The Motley in The Cask of Amontillado and how they contribute to the plot of the book.

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The Main Characters
1. Montresor
2. Fortunato

Montresor
- Purpose
Montresor serves as the protagonist and narrator.   Montresor retells the story as a final confession apon his deathbed. Montresor initiates the story with anger at Fortunato, a man who constantly wrongs him. This is the story of Montresor's revenge. Montresor is the driving action of the story, all of its events are the results of his murder scheme.
- Development
Montresor's character development is relatively flat. His drive for revenge keeps his motivations steady throughout the story. Montresor's only character development seems to have occurred outside the events of the story, as his retelling is a confessional, which implies guilt or maybe even regret.

Fortunato
Purpose
- Fortunato's purpose is as the victim/initiator of the story. He comes off as naive, stupid, and ignorant, though this might be because he is drunk for most of the story. His actions and behavior serve as the genesis of the story in the way that they provoke Montresor to murder.
Development
- Fortunano also seems to have very little dynamic character development, though this may just be due to the short length of the story. He dies the man Montresor schemed to murder at the beginning of the story.

- Parker