Cask Of Amontillado

Foreshadowing the Fate in “The Cask of Amontillado”

In “Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe presents a murderous tale of revenge revealed as the confession of a man who murdered another man over fifty years ago because of an “insult.” During a carnival festival, the murderer led his companion to the catacombs where he buried the man alive. The charter of Montresor lures his victim, Fortunato with the promise of a fine sherry, amontillado. As Poe’s character of Montresor guides the wine connoisseur, Fortunato, Poe symbolically foreshadows the impending murder.

Before even reading the story Poe foreshadows Fortunato’s fate with the title of the story. In the title of Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” the “cask” is short for casket. Casket is the final resting place for many after they die, therefore representing death. The Amontillado is the means in which death is achieved even though not directly but by the luring toward it. The title in its translation means the death of someone because of their attraction toward Amontillado. Elena Baraban, author of “The Motive for Murder in “the Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe”, believes that “the whole imagery of the crypt suggests that the word “Amontillado” is a metaphor” (55) symbolizing the way that Fortunato was killed. With that the title of the story could be foreshadowing the end of Fortunato for the word cask means casket and if amontillado is a metaphor for Fortunato then the title would read “The Casket of Fortunato”.

Poe places much emphasis on Carnival in his story symbolically foreshadowing the fate of Fortunato at every turn. Montresor waited for the Carnival season because it would be the perfect time to strike “during the supreme madness of the carnival season,” (Poe 674). Carnival is known as the time when reality is inverted. The peasants dress up as the hierarchy and can be elected to carnival king or pope. Religion is the main focus point of the land and to obey the laws it sets forth is the highest calling anyone can hope to achieve. During Carnival that too is inverted making religion ignored. Many unreligious acts happen at Carnival in the traditional merrymaking including the law that prevents the killing of another person. This would give Montresor the ability to kill Fortunato without the guilt of betraying his faith. Montresor was, up until Carnival, the oppressed victim of Fortunato. During Carnival, however, that prospect is inverted making Montresor the oppressor of Fortunato. Fortunato’s name means he is fortunate “someone who becomes rich and prominent by chance (Fortune), rather than through personal virtue” (Baraban 52). During Carnival, however, Fortunato loses his luck and becomes unfortunate. Poe further foreshadows Fortunato’s fate by describing the costumes that they wore to Carnival. Costumes are a tradition to Carnival’s inversion on reality. The participants would dress up as someone opposite of what they are. In Fortunato’s case he was dressed with tightly fitted striped dress with a conical cap with bells attached which resembles the outfit of a jester or fool. Fortunato’s costume as a fool is symbolic because he would later be a fool to follow his enemy Montresor to his own demise. Montresor also had a costume that foreshadowed the fate of his victim. Montresor wore a mask made of black silk and a “roquelaire”, or short cloak, witch resembles the outfit of an executioner. The costume of Montresor states that he is not going to tolerate the fool’s insults anymore and kill him. “Having chosen the role of a fool, Fortunato becomes socially inferior to Montresor who is wearing … a costume that makes him resemble an executioner,” (Baraban 54). This continues to show the inversion of what is reality for Montresor is now socially superior to Fortunato.

Carnival also foreshadows the end of Fortunato because everyone was there making noise in their merriment. Carnival is a big celebration for the people of that city and no one would miss it. This would mean that Montresor’s home would be empty of his servants and anyone who would see Montresor and Fortunato go into his palazzo together. The noise that everyone was making plays a part in foreshadowing the demise of Fortunato. Because of the noise no one would hear the screams of the dieing Fortunato beneath the earth.

As Montresor guilds his victim, Fortunato, through his family catacombs, they come to a clear indication that Montresor’s murderous intent, his family coat of arms. The golden foot is the rich Fortunato stepping on the snake, Montresor, who then fatally wounded the foot. Walter Steep author of “the Ironic Double in Poe’s “the Cask of Amontillado”” agrees that Montresor most likely identifies with “the snakeвЂ"Secrecy, cunning, serpentine subtlety,” and Fortunato the foot, “Large, powerful, and very clumsy,” (448). Another way to look at the coat of arms is that Fortunato is the snake wounding Montresor and Montresor is the foot killing the snake for injuring him. Either way the coat of arms shows clearly the intent of Montresor. The motto of the Montresor family is another clear sign of what is planed by Montresor. The motto “Nemo me impune lacessit” (Poe 675), meaning no one wounds me with impunity, is not only a threat but a promise to those who insult the Montresor family, that they will pay. To protect his family honor Montresor must not let the man who wounded him go without punishment. Nathan Cervo, author of “Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado” has another theory on the meaning on the motto. According to Cervo, the motto of the Montresor family is the same as the motto of Scotland originally from the Order of the Thistle:

The Order of the Thistle commemorates a historical event. The Danes were creeping forward in a night raid when one of their party stepped on a thistle. His outcry roused the Scots, who fell upon the Danes with great fury and