Wow, this was so helpful! Our school is closed to the pandemic and my son was reading this story and struggling--so was I. You explained this so well. Many thanks!
This explanation was just what I needed. Trying to write a paper about The Cask of Amontillado and having trouble understanding exactly what was being said, proved difficult. Thank you!!
In the past, the carnival season was also an opportunity for revenge. I had many associates from the Caribbean who talked about people losing limbs and personal possessions. Enjoyed your commentary, great job.
hi Ms.Rebeca, I'm from Philippines taking bachelor of secondary education major in english, your videos helped me a lot in my major subjects to aid abstract literary selections. Please continue to inspire people and love Literature. God bless!
I know that this video was posted a long time ago, but my teacher played an audiobook for the class today, and I was so confused when Montressor was killing Fortunato. I didn't really get how he died, but after watching this video, I understand it a little more, so thank you!
little add, that image of the heel and the snake it taken right out of Genesis. Genesis 3:15 " And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." "
I can’t thank you enough as a mom who is naturally good at math and sciences - for helping my kids with honors English! We watched your videos together nightly last year and my daughter got all A’s’ she understood all the stories on a much deeper level, and you saved her and me so so much time!!!!
I always look for your reviews on short stories before doing my homework! It helps so much to actually understand what I’m reading before writing about it!
Have a middle school son whose been reading Poe in class. I took am a post-grad, but really don't understand Brother Poe very well. I'm a numbers guy. Your discussion really put it all into perspective so I can join my son in conversation about the subject. Thank You.
Fortunato didn’t think it was a joke.. he was praying it was a joke. He knew what was happening. And I got the vibe that he knew why it was happening because he never asked, “what are you doing?” He must’ve felt he deserved it on some level.
I believe you are wrong in 1:50-1:58 Montresor is not an easy man to insult. With the opening sentence, Montresor tells the audience he could handle the thousand "injuries" that Fortunato had given to him. He says when he ventured upon insult, he vowed revenge. One has to put oneself back in that time period. What was the insult that made him so mad? What was the biggest insult one can provide in the nineteenth century? The mockery of your family's name. Montresor is not a bad evil man. He is the head of a household who has been "injured" by Fortunato and who is ultimately put in shame because of the insults Fortunato provides. Several clues are given when he says to Fortunato "You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was." It is possible that Fortunato did something which brought the wealth class of his family down.
And Montresor's coat of arms and motto are kind of hinting to this as well, since they revolve around vengeance. (please ignore my being two years late. Lol I always love a good Poe discussion)
I've always told my students to read this story like a religious mobster story - Montresor is a man of former means, his name and honor are all he has left. He is a lingering remnant of an outdated (pre-capitalist) social strata. Fortunato is a new upstart - successful and respected, but unaware of the unspoken social rules. Injuries may be part of the (political/business) game, but insult goes a step beyond and requires "immolation" (a sacrifice) to set right. This is underscored by Fortunado's drunken/reckless behavior contrasted w/ Montresor's cool demeanor, as well as the religious imagery of the foot/serpent coat of arms (Genesis 3:15) contrasted w/ Fortunato's membership in the Masons (a classic foe of the Catholic church). TL;DR Fortunato has broken class rules set in place by God himself, and it's Montresor's duty to right the wrong, as he says explicitly at the end - "For the love of God."
I agree that money was involved. I always thought that Montresor had once been wealthy and had the respect of all the people in the town, but Fortunato somehow (either perceived or in actuality) robbed Montresor of his wealth and/or station. I see Montresor as a man who fell from grace and had very little left but his pride and his family estate.
Thank you so much for explaining this story. I stopped reading the story and listened to the audio. I was still confused until you explained it in great detail. I appreciate you explaining this story because I was confused at first. I have to write a paper for my homework assignment.
Can anyone answer my question so i have a hw about this and i need help from u guyss soo plss answer •I NEED THE SYMBOL AND IRONY 2 EACH AND THEIR MEANINGS I really need to pass my hw
i really like this work of his, i find that some of poe's work (like the telltale-heart) is overused in schools and being explained over and over. With this story there are new character and i can see why some people like poe's work so much!! Thank you!
The moral of the story: it is better to have true friends, or no companions at all, than to keep the company of "frenemies". In real life, frenemies are commonly saboteurs. Cases of murder by frenemies are less rare than they should be. Fortunato would have been luckier than some of the real life victims of frenemy murder.
There is no "moral" in this story, and we're never given sufficient justification, or really any at all other than he felt insulted, for revenge of this magnitude. It's just a story; Poe wasn't trying to teach anybody anything.
I was having such a hard time with this and I couldn't understand half of it but this video really helped me visualize what was going on! Thank you so much!
I believe that Montressor's story is being addressed to his confessor/ priest because of the line; you who know my soul so well. Also, the insult Montressor is so aggrieved by is probably because Fortunato black balled him from becoming a Free Mason which would have greatly diminished Montressor's economic and social status. Or possibly Montressor incorrectly believes Fortunato black balled him which would explain why Fortunato tested him with a secret hand signal which to Montressor would have been just another insult from Fortunato, a taunt for not being a Free Mason and Poe used subtle irony by having Montressor use literal masonic skills to kill Fortunato.
Thank you very much. I can't tell how useful this anylisis was for me. Definitely one of the best teachers I've ever payed attention in my entire life.
Thank you for this! I've always had a hard time understanding it since high school because English is not my first language and we'll have this story for our Literary Criticism midterms but then, I found this! I owe you. Thank you!
Have you ever noticed Fortunato's name? It could mean "fortunate". We were talking about this in my ELA class. Think about it, Fortunato is so fortunate of being rich and very respected. In the end, he wasn't so fortunate...
I graduated uni a few years ago but I recently remembered reading the story back in high school so I went on an internet dive and came across your video. Great explanation!
Thank you so much this really helped! You are such a good person helping us even when you do not have to. Some of my current teachers do not even give me the time of day! You made my life just that much better! Thank you I really appreciate it!:)
This was awesome! I have always thought that the line “You who so well know the nature of my soul” coupled with the fifty years might mean that this is a deathbed confession to his priest. He couldn’t die without telling someone, but he does not fear that the priest will reveal his secret to any authorities. Just a theory.
His coat of arms is from Genesis when God tells the serpent that he shall bite God's foot, but His heel will crush him (Christ). This is the central focus of good vs. evil in Scripture.
I think if you revisit the text you will find the curse is the serpent will bruise the heel of the off spring of Adam and Eve, not God's heel, and they will bruise the serpents head.
i tried reading the story for he but i couldn’t understand. This was the best summary on youtube explaining all the small details and keeping it as short as possible
I am writing a paper about symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado" and this a huge help in explaining the story. I am a sophomore in college and although I have read the story once before in high school I still needed some assistance understanding it, especially since my English class is online! Thank you so much!
Teacher Balcárcel, I just loved this story, getting back to a guy ther hurt us," Nemo me impune lassecit". I watch it over and over and I keep loving it. Edgar Alan Poe is my hero.
In regards to the bit about Masonry, Montresor must be from a noble family if they have a coat of arms and there is catholic symbolism throughout the story. Freemasons were usually modernizers, an aspiring bourgeoisie or rising middle class that emerged out of feudalism. They were protestant proto-capitalists who opposed the catholic feudal monarchy and the nobility. It was new money vs. old, basically, middle class vs. upper class. The name "Fortunado" refers to the fortune of the aspiring, while Montresor means "my treasure," as in the both social and economic wealth of the old-order aristocracy which stood in the way of the aspiring middle classes. At the end of the story, we learn that the murder took place half a century before, which would have been the period immediately after the ratification of the Constitution. To be anti Catholic in the 19th century in the United States was to be pro republican government and anti monarchy, so it's likely that mid 19th century readers would have understood Montresor as a symbol of a waning patrimonial aristocracy taking revenge on an up and coming republican modernity. In a symbolic and political sense, the "insult" which inspires Montresor to murder Fortunado would have been the republican revolt against monarchy, which took place throughout Europe and the Americas at the end of the 18th century. In another sense, you can read it as the "insult" of up and coming and inferior social classes challenging the role of the nobility and attempting to replace them. As Montresor is laying the bricks, he ironically refers to Fortunado as "noble," meaning that Montresor had now become the mason and it was Fortunado who would be buried with the nobility he aspired to be like. I'm actually related to Mr. Poe on my mom's side of the family. Half of them are proud of it, the other finds it embarrassing. My grandfather called Poe a "drunken cousin fucker."
Thank you so much ma'am I have an essay to do on this short story and I didn't have a single clue what it was about in detail but you helped me so much!!!!!!
SixMinuteScholar tahnks so much im a freshman and I took it in literature and didnt understand a thing you helped me a lot keep doing what u do thnx u saved me
Thank you for your interpretation. I am well out of high school but I am starting to work my way through the classic great American Literature. This one definitely gave me a fright before bed last night. My final thought is perhaps he is telling another victim before they die. He relives his first kill when he tells his next kills. Just a thought. He seemed very much like a serial killer having his first kill.
Wow.. this was a very in-depth and interesting way of describing "The Cask of Amontillado". I'm glad I found this, because my high school is doing the play, and cast me as Montresor. This video really helps me understand the play more, thank you, I appreciate it. And please, keep making videos! :)
Thank you for your review of the story. I looked up many words to be sure I fully understood them in the context they were used. I thought I understood the story but your explanation called to my attention things I had not really locked on to. I am going to do an interruptive reading of this story at my Toastmasters Club and you have helped my prepare for that. Thank you, thank you thank you.
as I know this video is quite a few years old it seriously helped me! Currently taking English 102, mainly a lit class and I will definitely be coming back to your page!
very glad to have listened, already knew what the story meant but i could just tell you were going to explain very nicely, charming voice to match a charming face
Thank you! I read this twice before seeking You tube help, to no avail. But hearing your explanation helped me understand it better. I read it a third time- much better! Thank you!!!
Outstanding. Great info and entertaining. I agree with you. I think the hero of the story wanted to brag and figured he was too old and the deed was to old for anyone to come and arrest him. I like how you compared a cask of that wine to something cool on ebay. Now there's a story: "The Special Ebay Item". (used to lure a transgresser to go bankrupt)
Your assessment of the family crest is backwards. The foot is the insult, the snake which is being crushed is getting back for this insult by biting the heel that steps on there honor. It also is a point by Poe that Montrasoui is a cold blooded serpent.
SixMinuteScholar With that exception the post is perfect. And even that is not actually that far off, I only know that point because I have dune much study when it comes to family crests, and there are a number of families that share part of the one at hand. And they all have the same general feeling. Also your other Videos are quite nice as well.
William Moore Honestly, it seems like the image can be interpreted in both ways. Either one seems to work in describing the actions of the narrator of the short story.
Roku Jones Indeed. But the context of the story implies that its the snake that represents the family. Sense the point of the crest is that you can step on the snake, but you will be bitten.
This video really helped me get a better understanding of the story. I do enjoy Poe, but I am not the strongest reader, so I have a hard time understanding his writing easily. Thanks for making this video!
Good job Rebecca. Poe's ability at writing was so smacking at genius it was easy for the reader to get lost and lost ability to interpret....even a simple story such as this. What with the vocabulary and such - which is so exquisite - the reader at time needs an interpreter to sort it all out. Again, good interpretation.
wtf at people who dont understand what happens in this short story given im 30, but i read this short story when i was 13. This video (along with re reading the original) shed some new light- i though fortunato was always a drunk, i didnt understand their squab over the freemasonry bit, and the coldness over the narrators baiting.......very cool vid/explanation one thing that gets me, fortunato seems like a cool guy, were never given the explanation what it was that broke the camels back for the narrator. Given how easy it is to piss him off it coulda been some innocent remark. An innocent remark you or I could have made, to a person whose listening to a whole different frequency
Maybe we're to understand that Fortunato died of the illness that he was playing down, thus depriving Montessori of revenge since Fortunato was not actually killed by him, but by illness. Great video. Thank you
thank you so much for being so detailed, and alive in describing this to us, this is much more interesting listening to you explain it in comparison to my profressor
At school we watched a audio on it and everything was very confusing at fist, but this video was so helpful! Thank you so much. My big test on Monday will be so much easier now that I understand the concept better.
Thank you! You really have a gift for making stories come alive and simplifying them for clueless people like myself.:) I'm wondering... Why didn't Montresor describe the "thousand injuries" of Fortunato? Is it possibly because Montresor is over-exaggerating these insults in order to justify his revenge?
