2.3: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"
- Page ID
- 194034
"Picture of Edgar Allan Poe" in Composition and Literature
Links to an external site. by James Sexton and Derek Soles is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Links to an external site., except where otherwise noted
Directions
Here, you will find Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"
The story is a docx. file. I recommend either printing it our or annotating the digital copy on your computer, or taking notes on the story on a separate piece of paper.
While reading the story, keep these questions/ideas in mind:
- While reading this story, please pay close attention to the author's use of mystery or enigma.
- Do you see enigma being used?
- What kinds of enigma are being used?
- Does it enhance/detract from your enjoyment of the text?
- What about the story do you like?
- What about the story do you dislike?
- What is the evidence that Montresor has carefully planned the murder of Fortunato?
- Why is it significant that the murder takes place during “the supreme madness of the carnival season”?
- Explain the significance of all of the names in the story—Fortunato, Montresor, and Luchresi.
- Summarize in your own words Montresor’s criteria for successful revenge and then explain whether they are met.
- How does the Montresor family coat of arms relate to the events of the story?
- Dramatic irony occurs when there is a discrepancy between what a character seems to be saying and what he or she actually means. For example, dramatic irony occurs when Montresor tells Fortunato that he is “luckily met” because Montresor knows that the meeting will be an unlucky one. Explain some other instances of dramatic irony in the story.
- Explain the circumstances under which Montresor tells his story. Who is the speaker addressing?
Author's Bio:
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Within a year, his alcoholic father deserted his mother and three infant children. When his mother died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia, three-year-old Edgar was adopted by John Allan and his wife. Allan, a prosperous businessperson, spent time in England, where Poe began his education at private schools.
Back in the United States, Allan forced Poe to leave the University of Virginia in 1826 when Poe incurred gambling debts he could not pay. He served in the U.S. Army from 1827 to 1829, eventually attaining the rank of sergeant major. Poe next attended West Point, hoping for further military advancement.
Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Allan died of tuberculosis. Poe angrily confronted his foster father about his extramarital affairs; for this candour, he was disowned. Believing that Allan would never reinstate him as heir, Poe deliberately violated rules to provoke his dismissal from the Academy. In 1835, Poe began his career as editor, columnist, and reviewer, earning a living he could not make as a writer of stories and poems. That same year, he married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, and lived with her and her mother during a period marked by illness and poverty. Virginia died of tuberculosis in 1847. Poe died, delirious, under mysterious circumstances, in 1849.
He perfected the Gothic horror story with “The Fall of the House of Usher” and originated the modern detective story in “The Gold-Bug” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
Essay Topic
As a reminder, your essay topic is: "Does the use of enigma enhance or detract from your enjoyment of a text?
Poe's "Cask of Amontillado"-00:07:26
Links to an external site. by James Sexton and Derek Soles is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Links to an external site., except where otherwise noted.