The Cask of Amontillado Flashcards
by Edgar Allan Poe — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Cask of Amontillado
What event is taking place in the city when Montresor encounters Fortunato?
Carnival season -- the streets are full of revelry, which provides cover for Montresor's plan and ensures no witnesses.
How does Montresor lure Fortunato into the catacombs?
He claims to have purchased a pipe of rare Amontillado sherry and asks Fortunato to verify its authenticity, knowing Fortunato's pride in wine connoisseurship won't let him refuse.
What role does the mention of Luchesi play in Montresor's scheme?
Each time Fortunato hesitates, Montresor suggests consulting Luchesi instead, which provokes Fortunato's competitive pride and pushes him deeper into the catacombs.
How does Montresor ensure there are no servants at home when he brings Fortunato to his palazzo?
He told them not to leave the house while he was away, knowing this reverse psychology would guarantee they all left to enjoy the carnival.
What does Montresor use to chain Fortunato to the wall?
Two iron staples embedded in the granite wall of the recess, connected by a short chain and padlock, which he fastens around Fortunato's waist in seconds.
What is the first sign that Fortunato's intoxication has worn off after being chained?
A low moaning cry from the recess, followed by a long silence, then the furious rattling of his chains.
What is the very last sound Montresor hears from Fortunato?
A jingling of the bells on his jester's cap, after Montresor thrusts a torch through the final opening in the wall.
How much time has passed between the murder and Montresor's telling of the story?
Fifty years -- he states that "for the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them."
What is Fortunato wearing when Montresor meets him, and why is it significant?
A tight-fitting parti-striped jester's costume with a conical cap and bells, symbolizing his role as the fool in Montresor's revenge plot.
What is Fortunato's main weakness that Montresor exploits?
His intense pride in his wine connoisseurship -- Fortunato cannot resist the chance to prove his expertise and outdo Luchesi.
What two conditions for true revenge does Montresor outline in the opening paragraph?
He must punish with impunity (escaping consequences himself) and the victim must know who is responsible for his suffering.
How does Montresor describe his behavior toward Fortunato before the murder?
He continued to smile in Fortunato's face, never giving any sign of his hatred, so that Fortunato had no cause to doubt his goodwill.
Who is the implied audience of Montresor's confession?
Someone who knows "the nature of my soul" -- possibly a priest, confidant, or deathbed confessor, though Poe never identifies them explicitly.
Does Luchesi ever appear in the story?
No. Luchesi is only a name Montresor uses as a psychological tool to goad Fortunato's competitive pride.
How does Fortunato's name create dramatic irony?
Fortunato means "fortunate" in Italian, yet he is the most unfortunate character in the story -- lured to a horrific death.
Why does Montresor repeatedly urge Fortunato to turn back because of his cough?
It is a calculated manipulation: the false concern makes Montresor appear caring while exploiting Fortunato's pride, since each warning only strengthens Fortunato's resolve to continue.
What does the story suggest about whether Montresor achieves satisfying revenge?
The fact that he is confessing fifty years later, and his heart "grew sick" at the end, hints that the revenge may not have brought him peace -- guilt or unease has lingered.
How does the carnival setting contrast with the catacomb scenes thematically?
The carnival represents life, freedom, and celebration above ground, while the catacombs represent death, entrapment, and silence below -- mirroring Fortunato's journey from revelry to his tomb.
What is the Montresor family motto, and how does it foreshadow the story's events?
"Nemo me impune lacessit" (No one attacks me with impunity). It directly announces Montresor's philosophy of revenge that drives the entire plot.
Describe the Montresor coat of arms and its symbolic meaning.
A golden foot crushing a serpent whose fangs are embedded in the heel. The foot represents Montresor crushing his enemy, while the serpent (Fortunato) bites back even as it is destroyed.
What is ironic about Montresor producing a trowel when Fortunato asks for a sign of Masonic membership?
Fortunato means the secret fraternal order of Freemasons, but Montresor puns on the literal meaning -- a mason who builds walls -- foreshadowing that he will use the trowel to wall Fortunato in.
How does Montresor's toast to Fortunato's "long life" function as verbal irony?
Montresor knows Fortunato will die within hours, so the toast to his longevity is a darkly ironic performance of friendship concealing murderous intent.
What narrative point of view is the story told from, and how does it affect the reader's understanding?
First-person from Montresor's perspective. This limits the reader to his account alone, raising questions about his reliability and whether the "thousand injuries" were real.
What is a "pipe" of Amontillado as referenced in the story?
A large cask holding about 130 gallons of wine -- a significant and expensive quantity that would represent a major purchase worth verifying.
What is nitre, and why does Montresor keep pointing it out in the catacombs?
Nitre is potassium nitrate (saltpeter), a white mineral crust found on damp stone walls. Montresor uses it as a pretext to show concern for Fortunato's health, manipulating him into insisting on continuing.
What is a roquelaire, which Montresor wears to the catacombs?
A knee-length cloak popular in 18th-century Europe. Montresor uses it to conceal the trowel he will later use to wall up Fortunato.
What does "In pace requiescat" mean, and why does Montresor end with it?
"May he rest in peace" in Latin. It functions as a mock-funeral benediction, giving Montresor the final word over his victim's unmarked grave.
What is the significance of Fortunato's plea, "For the love of God, Montresor!"?
It is Fortunato's last coherent words -- a desperate appeal to mercy and religion. Montresor's echo, "Yes, for the love of God!" mocks the plea, showing he feels no compassion.
What does Montresor mean when he says, "My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so"?
He attributes his nausea to the damp air, but the line suggests a flash of guilt or horror at what he has done -- one he immediately rationalizes away.