Edgar Allen Poe is famous for his wide range of short stories. His stories are often always filled with extreme suspense. The readers of his stories often find themselves questioning what the character’s eventual fate will be. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” a man named Fortunado has insulted the main character, Montresor, on multiple different occasions.
As a man of extreme honor, Montresor plots Fortunado’s demise in retaliation. During the course of the story, Fortunado is lured by Montresor into Italy’s catacombs and is murdered by him. Throughout the story, Poe’s stylistic devices create a suspenseful atmosphere.
Throughout “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe creates an atmosphere of uncertainty. As Montresor and Fortunado are traversing the catacombs, Fortunado states that “I shall not die of a cough.” Poe’s detail creates a feeling of angst. The detail also foreshadows Fortunado’s eventual fate. As they are walking through the labyrinth, Montresor states that his family motto is “nemo me impune lacessit.”
The quote means “no one provokes me with impunity.” The detail represents Fortunado’s situation. He has insulted Montresor, so he will not escape punishment. At a recess in their expedition, Montresor drinks to Fortunado’s “long life.” The alliteration demonstrates how Montresor has masked his evil intentions with kindness. Poe’s writing style creates an atmosphere of uncertainty toward the eventual fate of Fortunado.
Poe’s story is filled with tension. As Fortunado begins to cough, Montresor states that they should turn back, ad that Fortunado’s health is “precious.” Poe’s diction displays the veil Montresor has put up to hide his malignancy. Montresor’s secret motive is masked with concern.
After Montresor is insulted by Fortunado, he states that he must not only punish, but punish with “impunity.” The author’s diction demonstrates the depths of Montresor’s anger. Montresor plans to punish Fortunado in a way that there will be no retaliation. Throughout the story, Poe hints at the true magnitude of the revenge Montresor has plotted.
The author creates a sense of unease. At the beginning of their trip, Montresor puts on his “mask of black silk,” and leads Fortunado down into the catacombs. The detail hints at the evil deed Montresor is about to commit. It represents the blackness of his heart in choosing this forsaken path, which will eventually culminate in the murder of Fortunado.
As they are walking, the intoxicated Fortunado does a “grotesque” movement. Poe’s diction suggests the grotesque outcome that will happen when they reach the “amontillado.” The diction foreshadows Fortunado’s entombment at the hands of Montresor. Poe’s stylistic devices work together to create unease in the reader.
Edgar Allen Poe is considered famous for his horror stories. They made him one of the greatest short story writers of his time. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe uses stylistic devices to create an atmosphere of extreme suspense. What will be the eventual fates of the two main characters, Montresor and Fortunado, is left ambiguous until the very end. Through the “Cask of Amontillado,” Poe has created one of the most suspenseful short stories of all time.
