The Cask Of Amontillado Argumentative

“The Cask of Amontillado” is a story that is exhilarating and keeps you as the reader on the edge of your seat. As a carnival is going on, Montresor is plotting revenge against the man who insulted him for the last time named Fortunato. During the middle of the carnival, Montresor takes the drunken Fortunato to the catacombs and little does Fortunato know what is going to happen. Fortunato is literally walking to his death and he has no idea except for Montresor. Edgar Allen Poe does a great job creating suspenseful moods and uses specific sensory details and creates well thought out dialogs to make a mood that is horrifying and dark.

In the first paragraph of the story, Poe creates a revengeful and angry mood as he has Montresor talk about his anger towards Fortunato. He states that Fortunato has insulted him throughout their acquaintance of knowing each other. “…when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” This quote comes from the first sentence in the paragraph and really sets off the mood of the story to show the anger towards Fortunato. “I must not only punish but punish with impunity.” This quote adds to the fuming mood when talking about how Montresor is going to kill Fortunato without physically harming him.

“It is equally undressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who done the wrong.” In this part of the paragraph Poe begins to create a little bit of a more darkish mood but still holds a lot of anger. This quote means Montresor must not feel anguish and regret when he has done his plan to avenge himself as Fortunato will feel as he slowly begins to suffer. Montresor’s angry and revengeful mood is proven thought the story because of this opening paragraph and these specific quotes.

Throughout the story, Poe uses dialogue as a means of moving the action forward and practicing a gut-wrenching and chilling mood. For example, to make the dramatic irony be used to the best point, Poe created a dark setting in which death was involved. Many times irony was brought up about the death of the murderer from the victim. “‘Enough,’ he said; ‘the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.’” This quote shows an example of dramatic irony for it is true that the cough does kill him. This is a very good example and use of dramatic irony in this story. With such subtleness the author can tell a rather shocking happening in the plot. “Come, let us go” is another quote that shows the dramatic irony. “[T]he severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp.” Montresor keeps insisting to take him back but all Fortunato cares too much about the amontillado.

Dramatic irony is greatly shown throughout the story but especially in the quotes I have picked. The final mood that is presented in this story is the mood that is sinister and dark. In the end of the story, Poe decides to make this part where the mood is climaxed to the max. “…a very good joke, indeed –an excellent jest.” This is when the mood begins to get really dark cause Fortunato is pleading for his life by saying that this only a joke but knows in his head that this is no joke and that he isn’t coming out. “‘Let us be gone.’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘let us be gone.’ ‘For the love of God, Montresor!’ ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘for the love of God!’” This sinister moment is when Montresor is repeating everything Fortunato says in a calm voice to toy with Fortunato’s head. “But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply.” This quote come right after the quotes just used before. Montresor goes a little crazy and doesn’t want to fully except that Fortunato is dead and gone forever.

Throughout the whole story, Poe uses great suspenseful moods. He uses well thought out dialogue to create and set the right mood for the right moment of the story. Though the ending was an unfortunate one, this story is one of the great stories in American literature and arguable one of Poe’s greats.