Edgar Allen Poe, born on January 19, 1809, is one of the greatest American writers of all time. “The story of Edgar Allen Poe’s life remains one of the most disputed and slandered in the pages of American biography, despite conscious attempts to revise the story and rehabilitate the life. Decadence and immorality, in the form of alcoholism, opium addiction, and his relationships with women, and prolific production, as a journalist, editor, poet, reviewer, critic, and fiction writer, have been emphasized as characterizing his brief life” (Lent 3). Poe’s many writings were greatly affected by his problems in life and his experiences. One such short story is “The Cask of Amontillado.” The main character, Montresor, who is vengeful, intelligent, and fakes sincerity, causes the death of Fortunato.“The Cask of Amontillado” starts out with Montresor, the narrator, saying, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Simply by reading the first sentence of the story, it is easy to see that Montresor is vengeful and plans to get “revenge” on Fortunato. Montresor also has a coat of arms which is, “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel,” with a motto of, “Nemo me impune lacessit,” which stands for no one attacks me with impunity. The coat of arms and the family motto both suggest retribution. The arms symbolize Montresor and Fortunato, Fortunato stepping on Montresor, the snake, and Montresor getting even with Fortunato, the foot.Not only is Montresor vengeful, he is also very intelligent in his actions. In order to bring Fortunato into the wine cellars, Montresor had to make sure that “there were no attendants at home.” Montresor tells the reader, “They had absconded to ...
