a thesis for the cask of amontillado

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Cask of Amontillado Essay

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72 The Cask of Amontillado Essay Topics & Examples

Writing a theme analysis, thesis statement, or even a topic sentence for The Cask of Amontillado is an exciting opportunity to explore such problems as violence and revenge. Share your opinion on horror fiction with the tips, examples, and topics from our team .

🏆 Best The Cask of Amontillado Essay Topics & Examples

📌 most interesting the cask of amontillado essay topics, 👍 good the cask of amontillado essay questions & titles.

The Cask of Amontillado essay is an exciting opportunity to express your point of view on such problems like drugs and alcohol use, violence, revenge, and share your opinion on horror fiction.

Why Should You Write The Cask of Amontillado Paper?

There are three arguments to choose this short story for your critical review or literary analysis.

First of all, you should acknowledge that Edgar Allan Poe is an inventor of the detective and science fiction genres. He highlighted the worst human features like vindictiveness, drug addictions, fear, etc.

Second, the horror genre is still popular in the modern culture. Scary tales always were an excellent way to express personal and social anxieties over various problems.

Third, Poe’s novels are easy to read but still complicated. You have to focus on details to get the whole picture. Moreover, each time you read the novel you can find new aspects that you might have missed before (Tip: check our The Cask of Amontillado essay examples to find new ideas you haven’t even considered yet).

The Cask of Amontillado Essay Questions

Finding the right paper topic can become a daunting task. That’s why we prepared a bunch of ideas for your The Cask of Amontillado essay topics.

Check them below:

• Why does the author uses the first-person view narration? Think how different the novel could be if it was told from the Fortunato or the third-person point of view.
• Do you sympathize Fortunato or think that he deserved his fate? Explain your opinion.
• Consider writing your The Cask of Amontillado essay thesis on alcohol and alcohol abuse. Could Fortunato escape his fate if he was sober and not addicted to alcohol?
• Compare the revenge and villain in the Poe’s novel to a modern short stories. Would Montresor dare to commit this crime in XXI century? Find analogies in a modern literature and movie production.
• Compare this novel and to Poe’s The Black Cat. Think which novel is the darkest of his writings and provide your arguments.
• Analyse the role of scenery in the plot. Is there a connection between characters’ fate and scenery?
• How our actions and decisions influence our destiny? Analyze why Fortunato decided to taste the amontillado. Could he refuse? Did he have a chance to escape?
• Analyze why trapping Fortunato still not makes Montresor free. Why even 50 years after Fortunato’s death Montresor is still feeling angry.
• Explore the theme of mortality in Poe’s novel. Does it make you think about your own death? Express your thoughts.
• How do the way the murder was commited influences the reader’s comprehension of the story? Would the story differ if Montresor chose another way to kill Fortunado?
• Imagine if Montresor was a woman. How would it change the comprehension of the novel? Are there any signs that Montresor can be a woman?
• Explain, why did Montresor choose family catacomb for a murder. How do you feel about the descriptions of the crime scene?
• Analyze Fortunato’s dressings. Why is he dressed as a fool? Are there features of his character that contradict his image?

Now you have a lot of point to explore in your paper. If you are still not sure how to write The Cask of Amontillado essay outline, you can always check our examples to get inspiration on the topics and paper structure.

• The Cask of Amontillado The use of irony Poe uses three types of irony in the story as a literary tool that facilitates the readers’ understanding of the friendship that exists between Montresor and Fortunato.
• Symbolic Elements in Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” The name Fortunato is a symbol of the genesis of Montresor’s plan for revenge. The attire is also symbolic of the sacrificial element that applies to Montresor’s revenge.
• Literary Devices in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe As such, Montresor finds his companion’s “transgression” worthy of the cruelest death, and believes that his cause is so right that he deserves to get away with it. Hyperbole There is a sense of this […]
• “The Fall of the House of Usher” & “The Cask of Amontillado”: Summaries, Settings, and Main Themes As the narration progresses, fear arises in the reader or viewer, and finally, something horrific happens.”The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Cask of the Amontillado” share all of the features above, as […]
• Edgar Allan Poe: ”The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” In this discourse two of his famous short stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are studied in an attempt to better understand the use of symbolism, the literary tool of irony, and […]
• The Single Effect in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado The very first words uttered by the author at the start of the story carried the hook necessary to reel the reader into the story with the desired effect.
• Revenge Theme in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe He, therefore, decides to seek revenge, but he wants to be careful in order not to risk his life. Fortunato seems to be fond of wine against Montresor, and he decides to use this as […]
• Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado Although the revelation of the character of Montressor was done indirectly, the fact that he was also the narrator of the story enabled readers to have access to his thoughts and feelings.
• Imagery Use in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe The story utilizes graphical language and imagery in the development of a sense of deceptive and persuasive nature and circumstances in the expansion of the symbolic approach of sustaining a condition of suspense. The imagery […]
• Montressor in The Cask of Amontillado In addition, Montressor said that he was a friend of Fortunato but he seemed to have acted out of character when he assumed the habits and characteristics of a cold blooded killer.
• Irony in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe As the atmosphere of gaiety during the carnival changes to the horror from the catacombs beneath Montresor’s palazzo the reader ascertains that the carnival was a prelude created by the author to admit the drastic […]
• “The Cask of Amontillado” as an Example of Horror Stories The primary specialty for the author is to capture the horror of the soul in its most vivid manifestations, and this task became the basis for one of his stories.
• Literary Elements in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Razor” Nabokov and Poe use literary devices to create meaning, connect with the audience and deliver their message. The protagonists are different, with one of them being static, while another one changes.
• Poe’s Short Story “The Cask of Amontillado” At the time of the trial, Montresor is proud of what he did because it was fair in his eyes. According to this alternative reading of the event, Montresor sees family honor as his adversary, […]
• The Short Story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Poe The question that I had from the research was does Poe use the idea of space to reinforce the theme of betrayal, vengeance, and irony in the short story?
• Carnival Season in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” In this monograph, the author explores the depiction of madness in literary works and specifically Poe’s “The cask of amontillado”. This article in a scholarly journal analyzes the protagonist of Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ […]
• An Epilogue to “The Cask of Amontillado” During the specific day that the trial took place, Montresor, the defendant, entered the courtroom for the verdict to be read.
• Discussion of “The Cask of Amontillado” Fortunato was already drunk by the time he was led to the cask of amontillado. He perfectly lured his victim to the execution place and killed him.
• Epilogue to “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe It is that the murder is a reason for the fifty-two years-old disappearance of the respected Fortunato, and the Montresor’s guild is undeniable”.
• Theme of Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” and Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” However, it is possible that a person artificially invents the cause of his unhappiness and blames the other for this, although the problem might not exist if he had a different attitude to it.
• Evil in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat” The author intentionally uses the first-person point of view in order to reveal their thoughts and highlighting the dread of the happening.
• “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe The plot is told from the first person as the pronoun “I” is used and the story is told in the past tense.
• Edgar Poe and “The Cask of Amontillado” On the day of the carnival Montresor goes looking for Fortunato and finds him a bit tipsy and it is then that he tells him of how he had acquired a rare kind of amontillado […]
• Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher In particular, we may analyze such novellas as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
• Jury Defense and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe As a member of the jury sitting in on the trial of Montressor, I feel it is necessary for me to explain the reasons why the jury came to the conclusion it did.
• Browning’s “My Last Duchess” vs. Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” He is regretful of the dowry he did pay and thinks the Duchess was just pretentious. Fortunato is determined, and despite the sorry state of his friend, he tags him along to his demise.
• Edgar Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Ligeia” His method of murder signifies what he knows of stone masonry, of which he is a member, instead of the Masons, which is a secret organization that Fortunato is a member of.
• Edgar Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” Literature Analysis The main character in “The Cask of Amontillado” is Montresor with Fortunato being a minor character in the short story. Also, Montresor is the story’s narrator, and a lot of details about his character are […]
• Narrative Perspectives in Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” One of the reasons why the story The Cask of Amontillado and the poem My Last Duchess are being commonly referred to, as such that represent a particularly high value, is that the narrative perspective […]
• Mini Anthology: Poe Edgar Allan and Dickson Emily’ Works The other story that Poe Allen has written is “The fall of the House of Usher” whereby the main theme is about the haunted house, which is crumbling and this aspects brings out a Gothic […]
• Dark Humor in The Cask of Amontillado Essay The use of horror and humor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is one of the literary features that the author uses to constructs the story.
• Use of Setting to Create Mood in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Evaluating Symbolism and Irony in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Relationship Between Fortunato and Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Images of Narrators in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Revenge and Mortality in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Unjustified Motive for Murder in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Evaluation of the Role of Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Irony of Lies and Deceit in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Revenge of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• A Dark Mood in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Symbolic Meaning of the Cask in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Vowing Revenge in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Misfortunes of Fortunato in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Literary Devices Used by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Use of Figurative Language as Persuasion in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Vengeful Montresor of “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Psychological Elements in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Irony and Foreshadowing in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Theme of Deception and Revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Revenge Isn’t Sweet Forever: Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Plot of Vengeance in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Theme of Death and Life Experiences in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Perspective of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Analysis of Homicide as a Result of Vengeance in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Sociopathic Killers in “The Cask of Amontillado” by E.A. Poe and “Night of the Hunter” by Charles Laughton
• Repression of Sexuality in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Effects of Foreshadowing on the Plot Structure in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Mental Illness of Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Question of Montresor’s Sanity in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Mortal Sin of Pride in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Negative Effects of Uncontrolled Ego in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Use of First Person Narration in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Pride and Retribution in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Use of Mystery and Darkness in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Aspects and Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat”
• The Portrayal of Revenge, Obsession, and the Fear of Being Buried Alive in “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Nature vs Nurture in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
• The Death Penalty in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Setting and Meaning in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
• The Role of Illnesses in “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• Symbolism, Imagery, and Theme Compared Through the Stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Scarlet Ibis”
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"The Cask of Amontillado" By Edgar Allan Poe

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THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled-- but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who had done wrong.

It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

He had a weak point--this Fortunato--although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians have the virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and opportunity, to practice imposture upon the British and Austrian millionaires . In painting and gemmary gemmary , Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere. In this respect I did not differ from him materially;--I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could.

It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley motley . He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand.

I said to him--"My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts."

"How?" said he. "Amontillado? A pipe? Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!"

"I have my doubts," I replied; "and I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price without consulting you in the matter. You were not to be found, and I was fearful of losing a bargin."

"Amontillado!"

"I have my doubts."

"And I must satisfy them."

"As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me--"

"Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry."

"And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a match for your own."

"Come, let us go."

"To your vaults."

"My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement. Luchresi--"

"I have no engagement;--come."

"My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre nitre ."

"Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing. Amontillado! You have been imposed upon. And as for Luchresi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado."

Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my arm; and putting on a mask of black silk and drawing a roquelaire roquelaire closely around my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo palazzo .

There were not attendants at home; they had absconded absconded to make merry in honour of the time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. The orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned.

I took from their sconces two flambeaux flambeaux , and giving one to Fortunato, bowed him through several suites of rooms to the archway that led into the vaults. I passed down a long and winding staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together upon the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montresors.

The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.

"The pipe," he said.

"It is farther on," said I; "but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls."

He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum rheum of intoxication.

"Nitre?" he asked, at length.

"Nitre," I replied. "How long have you had that cough?"

"Ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!"

My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes.

"It is nothing," he said, at last.

"Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as I once was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi--"

"Enough," he said; "the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough."

"True--true," I replied; "and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you unnecessarily--but you should use all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc medoc will defend us from the damps.

Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mould.

"Drink," I said, presenting him the wine.

He raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused and nodded to me familiarly, while his bells jingled.

"I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose around us."

"And I to your long life."

He again took my arm, and we proceeded.

"These vaults," he said, "are extensive."

"The Montresors," I replied, "were a great and numerous family."

"I forget your arms."

"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel."

"And the motto?"

" Nemo me impune lacessit nemo ."

"Good!" he said.

The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled. My own fancy grew warm with the Medoc. We had passed through long walls of piled skeletons, with casks and puncheons puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs. I paused again, and this time I made bold to seize Fortunato by an arm above the elbow.

"The nitre!" I said; "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. Come, we will go back ere it is too late. Your cough--"

"It is nothing," he said; "let us go on. But first, another draught of the Medoc."

I broke and reached him a flaçon of De Grâve. He emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed with a fierce light. He laughed and threw the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not understand.

I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement--a grotesque one.

"You do not comprehend?" he said.

"Not I," I replied.

"Then you are not of the brotherhood."

"You are not of the masons."

"Yes, yes," I said; "yes, yes."

"You? Impossible! A mason?"

"A mason," I replied.

"A sign," he said, "a sign."

"It is this," I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire roquelaire a trowel.

"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let us proceed to the Amontillado."

"Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the cloak and again offering him my arm. He leaned upon it heavily. We continued our rout in search of the Amontillado. We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame.

At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this manner. From the fourth side the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size. Within the wall thus exposed by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or recess, in depth about four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It seemed to have been constructed for no especial use within itself, but formed merely the interval between two of the colossal supports of the roof of the catacombs, and was backed by one of their circumscribing walls of solid granite.

It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull torch, endeavoured to pry into the depth of the recess. Its termination the feeble light did not enable use to see.

"Proceed," I said; "herein is the Amontillado. As for Luchresi--"

"He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend, as he stepped unsteadily forward, while I followed immediately at his heels. In an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche niche , and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered. A moment more and I had fettered fettered him to the granite. In its surface were two iron staples, distant from each other about two feet, horizontally. From one of these depended a short chain, from the other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to secure it. He was too much astounded to resit. Withdrawing the key I stepped back from the recess.

"Pass your hand," I said, "over the wall; you cannot help feeling the nitre. Indeed it is very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I will first render you all the little attentions in my power."

"The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from his astonishment.

"True," I replied, "the Amontillado."

As I said these words I busied myself among the pile of bones of which I have before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche.

I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man. There was then a long and obstinate obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the fourth; and then I heard the furious vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for several minutes, duing which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh tier. The wall was now nearly upon a level with my breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux over the mason-work, threw a few feeble rays upon the figure within.

A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied. I reapproached the wall. I replied to the yells of him who clamoured. I re-echoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer grew still.

It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eight, the ninth, and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed it it partially in its destined position. But now there came from out the niche a low laugh that erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded by a sad voice, which I had difficulty in recognizing as that of the noble Fortunato. The voice said--

"Ha! ha! ha!--he! he! he!--a very good joke, indeed--an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo--he! he! he--over our wine--he! he! he"

"The Amontillado!" I said.

"He! he! he!--he! he! he!--yes, the Amontillado. But is it not getting late? Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady Fortunato and the rest? 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!"

But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew impatient. I called aloud--

"Fortunato!"

No answer. I called again--

No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat! requiesat

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The Cask of Amontillado

by Edgar Allan Poe (published 1846)

THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity . A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont , to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation . He had a weak point -- this Fortunato -- although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and opportunity, to practise imposture upon the British and Austrian millionaires. In painting and gemmary , Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere. In this respect I did not differ from him materially; --I was skillful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could. It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season , that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley . He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand. I said to him --"My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado , and I have my doubts." "How?" said he. "Amontillado, A pipe? Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!" "I have my doubts," I replied; "and I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price without consulting you in the matter. You were not to be found, and I was fearful of losing a bargain." "Amontillado!" "I have my doubts." "Amontillado!" "And I must satisfy them." "Amontillado!" "As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me --" "Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry." "And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a match for your own. "Come, let us go." "Whither?" "To your vaults." "My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement. Luchresi--" "I have no engagement; --come." "My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre ." "Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing. Amontillado! You have been imposed upon. And as for Luchresi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado." Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my arm; and putting on a mask of black silk and drawing a roquelaire closely about my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo . There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honour of the time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned. I took from their sconces two flambeaux , and giving one to Fortunato, bowed him through several suites of rooms to the archway that led into the vaults. I passed down a long and winding staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together upon the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montresors. The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode. "The pipe," he said. "It is farther on," said I; "but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls." He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication. " Nitre ?" he asked, at length. " Nitre ," I replied. "How long have you had that cough?" "Ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh! --ugh! ugh! ugh!" My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes. "It is nothing," he said, at last. "Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi --" "Enough," he said; "the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." "True --true," I replied; "and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you unnecessarily --but you should use all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps. Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mould. "Drink," I said, presenting him the wine. He raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused and nodded to me familiarly, while his bells jingled. "I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose around us." "And I to your long life." He again took my arm, and we proceeded. "These vaults," he said, "are extensive." "The Montresors," I replied, "were a great and numerous family." "I forget your arms." "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure ; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." "And the motto?" " Nemo me impune lacessit ." "Good!" he said. The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled. My own fancy grew warm with the Medoc . We had passed through long walls of piled skeletons, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs . I paused again, and this time I made bold to seize Fortunato by an arm above the elbow. "The nitre !" I said; "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. Come, we will go back ere it is too late. Your cough --" "It is nothing," he said; "let us go on. But first, another draught of the Medoc ." I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave . He emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed with a fierce light. He laughed and threw the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not understand. I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement --a grotesque one. "You do not comprehend?" he said. "Not I," I replied. "Then you are not of the brotherhood." "How?" "You are not of the masons ." "Yes, yes," I said; "yes, yes." "You? Impossible! A mason?" "A mason," I replied. "A sign," he said, "a sign." "It is this," I answered, producing from beneath the folds of my roquelaire a trowel. "You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let us proceed to the Amontillado." "Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the cloak and again offering him my arm. He leaned upon it heavily. We continued our route in search of the Amontillado. We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame. At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this manner. From the fourth side the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size. Within the wall thus exposed by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or recess, in depth about four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It seemed to have been constructed for no especial use within itself, but formed merely the interval between two of the colossal supports of the roof of the catacombs , and was backed by one of their circumscribing walls of solid granite. It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull torch, endeavoured to pry into the depth of the recess. Its termination the feeble light did not enable us to see. "Proceed," I said; "herein is the Amontillado. As for Luchresi --" "He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend, as he stepped unsteadily forward, while I followed immediately at his heels. In an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered. A moment more and I had fettered him to the granite. In its surface were two iron staples, distant from each other about two feet, horizontally. From one of these depended a short chain, from the other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to secure it. He was too much astounded to resist. Withdrawing the key I stepped back from the recess. "Pass your hand," I said, "over the wall; you cannot help feeling the nitre . Indeed, it is very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power." "The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from his astonishment. "True," I replied; "the Amontillado." As I said these words I busied myself among the pile of bones of which I have before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche. I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man. There was then a long and obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the fourth; and then I heard the furious vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for several minutes, during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh tier. The wall was now nearly upon a level with my breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux over the mason-work, threw a few feeble rays upon the figure within. A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs , and felt satisfied. I reapproached the wall; I replied to the yells of him who clamoured. I re-echoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer grew still. It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed it partially in its destined position. But now there came from out the niche a low laugh that erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded by a sad voice, which I had difficulty in recognizing as that of the noble Fortunato. The voice said-- "Ha! ha! ha! --he! he! he! --a very good joke, indeed --an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo --he! he! he! --over our wine --he! he! he!" "The Amontillado!" I said. "He! he! he! --he! he! he! --yes, the Amontillado. But is it not getting late? Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo , the Lady Fortunato and the rest? 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!" But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew impatient. I called aloud -- "Fortunato!" No answer. I called again -- "Fortunato!" No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat !

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