The Cask of Amontillado

Illustration of "The Cask of Amontillado" by Harry Clarke, 1919.
Author	Edgar Allan Poe
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Horror short story
Publisher	Godey's Lady's Book
Publication date	November 1846
Media type	Print (Magazine)

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The Cask of Amontillado

"The Cask of Amontillado" (sometimes spelled "The Casque of Amontillado") is a short story, written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 455 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (531 × 700 pixel, file size: 136 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... A Harry Clarke window Over £1 million was spent in 1922 commissioning a set of Harry Clarke window in the Presentation Sisters convent on Green Street, Dingle. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, literary critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... “Horror story” redirects here. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... During the 19th century, Godeys Ladys Book was a popular United States magazine among women. ... See also: 1845 in literature, other events of 1846, 1847 in literature, list of years in literature. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, literary critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... During the 19th century, Godeys Ladys Book was a popular United States magazine among women. ...

The story is set in 19th century Italy and concerns the deadly revenge taken by the insane narrator on a friend who he claims has insulted him. Like several of Poe's stories, and in keeping with the 19th century fascination with the subject, the narrative revolves around a person being buried alive. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As in "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe tells the story from the murderer's point of view. The Black Cat is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. ... The Tell-Tale Heart is an 1843 short story by Edgar Allan Poe. ...

Plot summary

Montresor tells the story of the night, half a century before, that he took his revenge on Fortunato, an Italian nobleman. Angry over some unspecified insult, he plots to murder his friend during carnival when the man is drunk and wearing a jester's motley. This article describes the festival season. ... Harlequin in motley attire, year 1761 by Maurice Sand Motley refers to the traditional costume of the court jester or the harlequin character in commedia dellarte. ...

He baits Fortunato by telling him he has obtained, out of season, what he believes to be a pipe of Amontillado (a Spanish sherry); he isn't sure, however, and wants his friend's expert opinion on the subject. Fortunato goes with Montresor to the wine cellars of the latter's palazzo, where they wander deep underground in the catacombs. Montresor gives Fortunato more to drink; at one point, Fortunato makes an elaborate, and, to the narrator's eyes, grotesque gesture with an upraised wine bottle. When Montresor fails to recognize the gesture, Fortunato asks, "You are not of the masons?" - Montresor says he is, and when Fortunato, disbelieving, requests a sign, Montresor displays a trowel he had been hiding. A glass of amontillado sherry Amontillado is a variety of sherry that is darker than fino but lighter than oloroso. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... Catacombs Paris Catacombs Rome - entrance Catacombs Rome - entrance (detail) Catacombs Lima. ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... A gardening trowel Trowel used by the Hon. ...

Montresor repeatedly warns Fortunato, who has a bad cough, of the damp and suggests they go back; Fortunato insists on continuing, claiming that "[he] shall not die of a cough." During their walk, Montresor mentions his family coat of arms - a golden foot crushing a snake whose fangs are embedded in the foot's heel - with the motto is Nemo me impune lacessit (No one strikes me with impunity). When they come to a niche, Montresor tells his victim that the Amontillado is within. Fortunato enters, and, drunk and unsuspecting, does not resist as Montresor quickly chains him to the wall. Montresor then declares that, since Fortunato won't go back, he must "positively leave [him]." A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one wounds me with impunity, literally meaning (lacessere = to appeal to, to provoke, to attack): No one provokes me with impunity) is the royal Scottish motto, used historically for the Kingdom of Scotland where it appeared on the Royal Arms of Scotland. ...

Montresor then remorselessly walls up the niche, entombing his friend alive. At first, Fortunato, who recovers from his drunken state faster than Montresor anticipated he would, shakes the chains furiously, trying to escape. The narrator stops working for a while so he can enjoy the sound. Fortunato then screams for help, but Montresor mocks his cries, knowing nobody can hear them. Later, Fortunato laughs weakly and tries to pretend that he is the subject of a joke and that people will soon miss him (including the Lady Fortunato). As the murderer finishes the topmost row of stones, Fortunato wails despairingly "For the love of God, Montresor!" Montresor replies, apparently calmly, "Yes; for the love of God!" He listens for a reply but hears only the jester's bells ringing as he places the last stone. He claims that he feels sick at heart, but dismisses this reaction as an effect of the dampness of the catacombs. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

In the last few sentences, Montresor reveals that he has never been caught, and Fortunato's body still hangs from its chains in the niche where he left it so many years before. The murderer, seemingly unrepentant, ends the story by remarking: In pace requiescat (Latin: "Rest in peace"). Captain Andrew Drake (1684-1743) sandstone tombstone from the Stelton Baptist Church Cemetery in Edison, New Jersey Jarvis Andrew Lattin (1853-1941) granite tombstone from Powell Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a permanent marker, normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the...

Inspiration

Amontillado

An apocryphal legend holds that the inspiration for "The Cask of Amontillado" came from a story Poe had heard at Castle Island (South Boston), Massachusetts when he was a private there in 1827.^[1] According to this legend, Poe was told the story of a brawl in which one lieutenant named Drane killed another officer, named Massie, after a disagreement at cards. Some versions of the legend hold that Drane was subsequently buried alive by friends of Massie, but this report appears to be an inaccuracy influenced by Poe's story, as Drane is known to have been alive years later.^[2]. A report of a skeleton discovered on the island may be a confused remembering of Poe's major source, Joel Headley's "A Man Built in a Wall" (1844) which recounts the author's seeing an immured skeleton in the wall of a church in Italy.^[3] Headley's story includes details very similar to "The Cask of Amontillado"; in addition to walling an enemy into a hidden niche, the story details the careful placement of the bricks, the motive of revenge, and the victim's agonizing moaning. Poe may have also seen similar themes in Honoré de Balzac's "Le Grande Bretêche" (Democratic Review, November 1843) or his friend George Lippard's The Quaker City; or The Monks of Monk Hall (1845).^[4] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (305x997, 60 KB) Amontillado Sherry 750 ml I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (305x997, 60 KB) Amontillado Sherry 750 ml I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... In Judeo-Christian theologies, apocrypha refers to religious Sacred text that have questionable authenticity or are otherwise disputed. ... Castle Island is a 22 acre (89,000 m²) major recreation site located in South Boston on Boston Harbor, owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. ... South Boston is a heavily populated neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, located south of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Immurement is a form of execution where a person is walled up within a building and left to die from starvation or dehydration. ... “Balzac” redirects here. ... The United States Magazine and Democratic Review was a periodical published by John L. OSullivan during the mid-19th century. ... George Lippard George Lippard (1822-1854) was a brilliant but erratic 19th century American novelist, journalist, and playwright. ...

Poe wrote his tale, however, as a response to his personal rival Thomas Dunn English. Poe and English had several confrontations, usually centered around literary caricatures of one another. One of English's writings went a bit too far, and Poe successfully sued his editors at The New York Mirror for libel in 1846.^[5] That year English published a revenge-based novel called 1844, or, The Power of the S.F. Its plot was convoluted and difficult to follow, but made references to secret societies and ultimately had a main theme of revenge. It included a character named Marmaduke Hammerhead, the famous author of "The Black Crow," who uses phrases like "Nevermore" and "lost Lenore." This parody of Poe was depicted as a drunkard, liar, and domestic abuser. Poe responded with "The Cask of Amontillado," using very specific references to English's novel. In Poe's story, for example, Fortunato makes reference to the secret society of Masons, similar to the secret society in 1844, and even makes a gesture similar to one portrayed in 1844 (it was a signal of distress). English had also used an image of a token with a hawk grasping a snake in its claws, similar to Montresor's coat of arms bearing a foot stomping on a snake - though in this image, the snake is biting the heel. In fact, much of the scene of "The Cask of Amontillado" comes from a scene in 1844 that takes place in a subterranean vault. In the end, then, it is Poe who "punishes with impunity," by not taking credit for his own literary revenge and by crafting a concise tale (as opposed to a novel) with a singular effect, as he had suggested in his essay "The Philosophy of Composition."^[6] Thomas Dunn English (June 29, 1819, Philadelphia - April 1, 1902) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented the 6th congressional district from 1891 to 1895. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A secret society is an organization that conceals its activities and membership from outsiders. ... Genera Accipiter Micronisus Melierax Urotriorchis Erythrotriorchis The term hawk refers to birds of prey in any of three senses: Strictly, to mean any of the species in the bird sub-family Accipitrinae in the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. ... Infraorders and Families Alethinophidia - Nopcsa, 1923 Acrochordidae- Bonaparte, 1831 Aniliidae - Stejneger, 1907 Anomochilidae - Cundall, Wallach & Rossman, 1993 Atractaspididae - Günther, 1858 Boidae - Gray, 1825 Bolyeriidae - Hoffstetter, 1946 Colubridae - Oppel, 1811 Cylindrophiidae - Fitzinger, 1843 Elapidae - F. Boie, 1827 Loxocemidae - Cope, 1861 Pythonidae - Fitzinger, 1826 Tropidophiidae - Brongersma, 1951 Uropeltidae - Müller, 1832... The Philosophy of Composition is an essay written by Edgar Allan Poe that elaborates a theory about how good writers write when they write well. ...

Poe may have also been inspired, at least in part, by the Washingtonian movement, a fellowship that very passionately promoted temperance. The group was made up of reformed drinkers who tried to scare people into abstaining from alcohol. Poe may have made a promise to join the movement in 1843 after a bout of drinking with the hopes of gaining a political appointment. "The Cask of Amontillado" then may be a "dark temperance" tale, meant to shock people into realizing the dangers of drinking.^[7] The Washingtonian movement (Washingtonians or Martha Washington movement) was a 19th century fellowship founded in 1838 by four suffering alcoholics in a bar in Baltimore, Maryland. ... A cartoon from Australia ca. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Publication history

"The Cask of Amontillado" was first published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book^[8] which was, at the time, the most popular periodical in America.^[9] It was only published one additional time during Poe's life.^[10] During the 19th century, Godeys Ladys Book was a popular United States magazine among women. ...

References

1. ^ *Bergen, Philip. Old Boston in Early Photographs. Boston: Bostonian Society, 1990. p. 106
2. ^ External link
3. ^ Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, editor. Tales and Sketches: Volume II. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 2000. p. 1254
4. ^ Reynolds, David F. "Poe's Art of Transformation: 'The Cask of Amontillado' in Its Cultural Context," as collected in The American Novel: New Essays on Poe's Major Tales, Kenneth Silverman, ed. Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN 0521422433 pp. 94-5
5. ^ Silverman, Kenneth. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. Harper Perennial, 1991. p. 312-3
6. ^ Rust, Richard D. "Punish with Impunity: Poe, Thomas Dunn English and 'The Cask of Amontillado'" in The Edgar Allan Poe Review, Vol. II, Issue 2 - Fall, 2001, St. Joseph's University.
7. ^ Reynolds, David F. "Poe's Art of Transformation: 'The Cask of Amontillado' in Its Cultural Context," as collected in The American Novel: New Essays on Poe's Major Tales, Kenneth Silverman, ed. Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN 0521422433 p. 96-7
8. ^ Sova, Dawn B. Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z. Checkmark Books, 2001. ISBN 081604161X p. 45
9. ^ Reynolds, David F. "Poe's Art of Transformation: 'The Cask of Amontillado' in Its Cultural Context," as collected in The American Novel: New Essays on Poe's Major Tales, Kenneth Silverman, ed. Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN 0521422433 p. 101
10. ^ Edgar Allan Poe — "The Cask of Amontillado" at the Edgar Allan Poe Society online

Thomas Ollive Mabbott (1898-1968) was born and raised in New York City. ... The Life and Times of Cotton Mather, by Kenneth Silverman. ... The Life and Times of Cotton Mather, by Kenneth Silverman. ... The Life and Times of Cotton Mather, by Kenneth Silverman. ...

External links

• "The Cask of Amontillado" - Full text of the first printing, from Godey's Lady's Book, 1846
• The Cask of Amontillado, found online at Ye Olde Library
• The Cask of Amontillado at American Literature
• Full text on PoeStories.com with hyperlinked vocabulary words.
• Free-to-download MP3 dramatisation of the story (Yuri Rasovsky)