The Cask of Amontillado

“The Cask of Amontillado” is one of Edgar Allen Poe’s finest works. His tale of horror involves Montressor, an Italian aristocrat who will stop at nothing to gain revenge upon Fortunato, an arrogant and conceited connoisseur of wine. Poe uses foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism to gain the reader’s interest and to set the suspenseful mood of the story. The first indication of irony is in Fortunato’s name itself. The name means a …

…Fortunato. The final example of foreshadowing is near the end when the catacombs are filled with old human remains. The presence of the bones implies that death is near for Fortunato. Although these are not the only literary devices which Poe used, they are the most relevant and the most obvious. They add to the setting, the mood, and they enhance our image of both Montressor as a diabolical fiend and Fortunato as a fool.