Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a story about revenge and the workings of the .
twisted mind of a man who is fixed on it. In this short story, there are many examples of .
symbolism and foreshadowing. The theme that is prevalent is man's domination of his .
fortune which has been unkind to him. .
Edgar Allen Poe utilizes the characters, Montressor and Fortunato, to represent .
two distinct psychological entities in his short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." .
Montressor, who represents the human emotion of revenge, portrays an angry man who .
will stop at nothing to seek revenge on his friend, Fortunato, who insulted and humiliated .
him. Fortunato, on the other hand, represents the human emotion of pride. Because he .
insists that he is the only one who can tell the difference between "Amontillado and .
Sherry," he ultimately sets himself up for his own demise. .
Montressor, like many villains who prey on the faults and weaknesses of their .
victims, realizes early on in his plot to kill Fortunato, that his friend's passion for wine .
will be the most effective way to seize him down into the vaults where he intends to bury .
him. He nonchalantly mentions to Fortunato that he has purchased a bottle of wine at the .
carnival, but is unsure if the wine is Amontillado or an imposter. He tells Fortunato that .
he is going to ask Luchresi, a proclaimed vintage wine connoisseur, to decipher the type .
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of wine in the bottle. Montressor knows that Fortunato's pride will not allow him to let .
Luchresi test the wine. Fortunato insists that he is the only one that can accurately tell .
what type of wine was purchased, and therefore insists on tasting the wine himself. .
Montressor acts surprised by his friend's decision and even acts sympathetic towards .
Fortunato's failing health issues, but deep down he knows that his plot is working exactly .
as he had anticipated.
Characters like Montressor who portray the human emotion of revenge often .
