Thesis: Montresor is the mastermind behind a deceptive plot to seek revenge on a man named Fortunato.
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the narrator, Montresor, is deceptive, manipulative, brutal, and even naïve to a degree. Montresor is the mastermind behind a deceptive plot to seek revenge on a man named Fortunato. Montresor carefully pulls each string to manipulate Fortunato into walking into a carefully devised trap of inevitable death. It is extremely clear that Montresor will do whatever it takes get revenge on Fortunado.
Montresor understands that Fortunato has a fascination with wine. He knows that Fortunato would not turn down the opportunity to sample a bottle of rare wine called “Amontillado” (A. Charters, S. Charters, 544). Montresor…show more content… With revenge on his mind, Montresor lures an intoxicated Fortunato into the catacombs (A. Charters, S. Charters, 544). As the two characters make the journey, Montresor points out his “coat of arms”. The coat of arms is described as portraying a “huge golden human foot, the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are entrenched in the heel. Underneath the image, the family motto reads "nemo me impune lacessit," which means no one provokes me with impunity. This is clearly a biblical allusion to Genesis 3:15: “he will crush your head and you will strike his heel,” where the "he" references Christ, and the "you" makes reference to the serpent, which is a symbol for Satan (A. Charters, S. Charters, 545). Once they arrive at the spot in which the Spanish Sherry is kept, Montresor asks Fortunato to retrieve the wine (A. Charters, S. Charters, 546). As Fortunato is doing this, Montresor tethers him to the wall (A. Charters, S. Charters, 546). Montresor then encases Fortunato behind a wall of stone (A. Charters, S. Charters, 547). In spite of Fortunato’s cry for help, he is left there to die (A. Charters, S. Charters, 547). Montresor is able to torture and successfully ensure Fortunato’s death without getting blood on his