A Friend Who Wants Revenge The Cask of Amontillado is a story of revenge. Fortunato and Montresor are very close friends, but something breaks them apart. This something was far-more worse than any joke or trick. It was insult that Fortunato made towards Montresor. The relationship that Fortunato and Montresor have is unique because both men are different from each other, but yet very similar.
Fortunato means to be favored by fortune. This definition is very true because Fortunato has been blessed with an abundance of wealth. Fortunato has a lot of family and many friends. He also seems to be sick. Fortunato has a very terrible cough which he disregards and says,” It is nothing” (749).
Fortunato is very subconscious. His ego sounds like it runs his life. Fortunato is the type of person that is and always has to be better then anyone else. For example,” Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry” (748). Fortunato says this because he believes that if Luchresi tells the difference between the two liquors then Fortunato will have failed.
The one quote that explains Fortunato fully is,” Come 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 missedBesides there is Luchresi” (749). Unlike Fortunato Montresor is not loved, respected, or will be missed.
Montresor at one point in time seemed to be similar to that of Fortunato. Montresor had lots of family and just as many friends as Fortunato. Unfortunately something happened. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured insult I vowed revenge” (747). Fortunato seems to have hurt Montresor in many different ways. Montresor has disregarded all other things that Fortunato has done except for the one and only insult that Fortunato has made towards Montresor.
For this reason alone, is why Montresor seeks vengeance. Montresor does in fact get revenge. Montresor guides Fortunato through the long, dark hallways of his wine cellar. When these two gentlemen reach the end, Montresor locks Fortunato up in chains and builds a wall around Fortunato. When Montresor finishes building the wall, he says,” In pace requiescat” (752)! This phrase means, may he rest in peace. Fortunato and Montresor have numerous similarities.
These two men can be seen as intimate friends. Both Fortunato and Montresor share the love of old wines. Poe says,” in the matter of old wines he,’ meaning Fortunato.’ Was sincere. In this respect I,’ meaning Montresor,’ did not differ from him materially” (748). This affection of wine is displayed perfectly because the whole reason Fortunato went with Montresor was to taste the Amontillado. Both of these men were from the upper-class society.
This is understood because of the elegant language that the two men use and also the way Montresor and Fortunato speak of expensive wines or merchandise. The extensive family history of these two men also suggested that they had a lot of money. Fortunato and Montresor had far many more differences than similarities. The main difference was that Montresor was keen and sharp, but Fortunato was gullible and innocent. Montresor is seen as sharp because he lead Fortunato to believe that he has a barrel of Amontillado. Throughout the whole story Montresor uses reverse psychology on Fortunato.
The first use of reverse psychology is,” 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” (748). Montresor tells this to Fortunato because he knows that Fortunato will want to go with Montresor to taste the Amontillado. It works because Fortunato says,” Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry” (748).
Montresor in turn murders Fortunato instead of letting him taste some Amontillado. Fortunato is gullible because he really believes that Montresor has a barrel of Amontillado. This innocence leads to Fortunato’s death. Fortunato is a real easygoing guy.
Everyone likes Fortunato except for Montresor. Montresor, on the other hand, seems to have lost everything due to Fortunato. Montresor keeps to himself and only has one person that will be a friend, Fortunato. The relationship between Fortunato and Montresor is unique because the differences of the two men out weigh their similarities.
Fortunato and Montresor would be very good companions if both would not be as stubborn. Both men believe that they are better then everyone else. This feeling eventually leads to the death of Fortunato. Montresor used his keen and sharp mind on Fortunato’s innocent and gullible mind to trick Fortunato into coming with Montresor into the wine cellar to commit the ultimate sin, revenge.
