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“The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe. Published in 1846, the story follows Montresor, an Italian nobleman who seeks revenge on his friend, Fortunato, for a mortal insult to which the reader is not given access. Famous for its concise structure, “The Cask of Amontillado” is characteristic not only of the Gothic genre but also of Poe’s work in general, focusing as it does on the psyche of a murderer.
The story opens with Montresor, its narrator, explaining that his friend, Fortunato, has brutally offended him. Montresor vows to avenge his friend’s unforgivable affront but has concealed his animosity towards Fortunato so as not to spoil his plans for revenge; Montresor wants Fortunato to know that he murdered him, but not before he finishes the job. In order to pull off this scheme, Montresor decides to exploit Fortunato’s weakness for fine wines.
One evening, Montresor invites Fortunato, who is dressed as a jester for carnival season, to try a bottle of sherry that he has recently acquired. He does so under the guise of confirming that the sherry is in fact Amontillado, a very special liqueur. It works, as Fortunato is eager to try the drink. So when Montresor suggests that Fortunato might be too busy to taste it, and that his competitor, Luchesi, could do so instead, Fortunato insults Luchesi’s palette and insists on trying the sherry.
Donning a black cloak, Montresor invites Fortunato into the vaults beneath his home. In preparation for his scheme, Montresor has told his servants that he would be gone all night and forbidden them to leave, figuring that they would all disobey him and join the carnival as soon as he left. As a result, the house is empty when he arrives with Fortunato.
The catacombs beneath Montresor’s home are damp and full of nitre, a mineral that irritates Fortunato’s cold and causes him to cough. Montresor offers Fortunato a sip of rich, Medoc wine to soothe his cough and offers to call Luchesi instead. Just as Montresor predicted, however, Fortunato insists on continuing. He toasts to the dead, whereas Montresor toasts to Fortunato’s long life.
Fortunato marvels at the size of the catacombs, which contain the remains of Montresor’s large family. They discuss the Montresor arms, which consist of a golden foot crushing a serpent. The crest is also embellished with the Montresor motto: "Nemo me impune lacessit," which is Latin for "No one attacks me with impunity." As the friends walk deeper into the catacombs, Fortunato grows drunk, and the bells on his costume jingle.
As the men walk further, Montresor notes that the level of nitre is increasing, offering Fortunato yet another chance to leave. But Fortunato shrugs it off again and drinks more wine from the bottle, which he discards using a peculiar gesture that Montresor cannot interpret. Fortunato therefore deduces that Montresor is not a member of the Masons, who coined the gesture. Irritated, Montresor insists that he is, showing Fortunato a trowel in his cloak to prove it.
Fortunato, however, does not believe Montresor, who has by now led his friend into a deep crypt, at the end of which is a smaller room lined with human remains. One wall of the crypt contains a granite alcove, where Montresor tells Fortunato the Amontillado is stored. Despite Fortunato’s attempts to steal a glimpse of what’s inside, the light from his torch is too dim to illuminate it.
Once again, Montresor suggests offering the wine to Luchesi, and, once again, Fortunato insults Montresor. This time, he walks drunkenly into the recess, where Montresor quickly chains him to the granite. Fortunato is too surprised to resist and asks about the Amontillado. While Montresor agrees to give it to him, he also begins to wall up the recess using stone and mortar.
Montresor manages to lay the first tier of blocks before Fortunato’s drunkenness wears off. Once it does, Fortunato begins to scream. Slowly, Montresor adds more tiers to the wall, listening for the occasional shake of Fortunato’s chain. After three more layers of stone, Montresor uses his torch to look inside. Fortunato screams, causing Montresor to hesitate, but then he starts screaming along with Fortunato. Soon, the recess grows silent again.
By midnight, only one stone remains unplaced. But before Montresor can complete the wall, he hears Fortunato laughing weakly. Fortunato begs Montresor to stop messing around and free him, but Montresor only mocks him, and Fortunato eventually falls silent, ceasing to respond to Montresor’s calls. The only sound is the jingle of Fortunato’s costume.
Although Montresor feels sick at what he’s done, he blames it on the dampness of the catacombs. Montresor ends his tale by telling the reader that no one has disturbed the crypt in fifty years and by wishing Fortunato a peaceful rest.
3 окт 2023
