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"The Cask of Amontillado"
by Edgar Allan Poe
(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 virtuosospirit.
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
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.
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!
Vocabulary Words
a pipe of:
The
Portuguese word for barrel is pipa. A pipe is, in fact, a large, lengthy barrel
or cask with tapered ends. It's used for aging and shipping wine.
aperture:
An
opening or hole. Today, this word usually refers to the size of the opening in
a lens that lets light into a camera.
flambeau:
A
flaming torch.
Freemasons:
A
worldwide fraternal organization where members are joined together by shared
ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature. Certain aspects of Freemasonry
are not generally revealed to the public. Its members have "secret handshakes"
and other ways to recognize each other.
Read More >
gemmary:
Pertaining
to gems or jewels.
gesticulation:
A
motion of the body or limbs in speaking, or in representing action or passion,
and enforcing arguments and sentiments.
immolation:
to
be killed as a sacrificial victim.
impunity:
Freedom
from any punishment, loss, or consequences.
In pace requiescat:
"Rest
in Peace".
Nemo me impune lacessit:
"No
one provokes me with impunity". This motto appears on the royal arms of
Scotland.
nitre:
Also
spelled "niter". Nitre is a clear or white mineral crystal of
potassium nitrate. It usually is found as massive encrustations and
effervescent growths on cavern walls and ceilings where solutions containing
alkali potassium and nitrate seep into the openings. Niter has been known since
ancient times. The name is from Hebrew néter, for salt
derived ashes. It is also known as Saltpetre.
passes for Amontillado:
A
dry sherry noted for its delicate bouquet, resembling the wine of Montilla,
Spain, from which it derives its name. A blend of pale, dry sherries of the
palma type, it assumes in aging a darker color.
rheum:
A
watery discharge from the mucous membranes especially of the eyes or nose.
roquelaire:
A
knee-length cloak worn especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Also spelled
"roquelaure".
virtuoso:
One
skilled in the fine arts, in antiquities, and the like; a collector or ardent
admirer of curiosities, etc. In music, a virtuoso is a performer on some instrument who
excels in the technical part of his art.
wont:
As
a noun, a wont is a habitual way of
doing something. Pronounced like "want".
wore motley:
To
wear the costume of a "motley fool" or a court jester. This was a
multi-colored outfit and funny hat with bells hanging from it. On most decks of
playing cards, the Joker is pictured in this outfit.
Discussion of Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
1. The Characters: Describe the narrator of
“The Cask of Amontillado.” What do we know about him? What do we not know? Do
you consider him a villain? Feel free to speculate about his motivations for
killing Fortunato, but be sure to support these speculations with textual
evidence!
1b. What other characteristics of Montresor can you
give?
Consider, for instance, what he thinks about
Italians and the way he lures Fortunato into a trap.
Why do you think Montresor told his servants to
stay in the castle during the holiday although he said that he would be absent?
Why wouldn't he just tell them that they were free?
Why does he repeat the name of Luchesi?
2 How is the theme of vengeance addressed in the
story?
3) What other topics / themes can you trace?
4) Can you trace any irony in the above story?
5) When and where do you think Montresor tells his
story?
6) Follow how the tension is built in the plot. How
does Poe use:
1) Design (arranges the events in the story
according to the plan he has in mind in advance)
2) Irony and other devices, such as symbols,
images, tropes (give examples)
3) Suspense
4) What is the climax of the story?
II. In his famous review of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
Twice-Told Tales, Poe writes:
A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale.
If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but
having conceived, with deliberate care, a certain unique or single effect to be
wrought out, he then invents such incidents––he then combines such events as
may best aid him in establishing this preconceived effect. If his very initial
sentence tend not to the outbringing of this effect, then he has failed in his
first step. In the whole composition there should be no word written, of which
the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one preestablished design. And
by such means, with such care and skill, a picture is at length painted which
leaves in the mind of him who contemplates it with a kindred art, a sense of
the fullest satisfaction.
Analyze “The Cask of Amontillado” based on this passage. Does Poe meet
his own literary standards? If so, how? If not, why not?
