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Theme Of Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

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Throughout analysis of Edger Alan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” the readers are able to infer the intentions of the characters through Poe's use of irony. The character Montresor has been insulted by another character, Fortunato. As a result of Fortunato’s insult, Montresor vows to seek revenge on Fortunato by punishing him with impunity during the carnival season. To carry out his plot of revenge, Montresor creates a plan to sneakily rope Fortunato into examining a pipe of Amontillado because Montresor knows Fortunato prides himself on being a wine connoisseur. The Amontillado is supposedly located deep in Montresor's family vault which is where Montresor plans to bury Fortunato alive. Poe implements various examples of verbal irony throughout his story in order for the readers to see Montresor’s devious plan be carried out in a unique way.
The first instance readers notice verbal irony being used is when Montresor indirectly tells Fortunato of his plans to kill him. This occurs when Montresor ropes Fortunato into coming with him to examine his rare pipe of Amontillado. While he is doing this, Fortunato begins to cough and Montresor pretends as if he cares about Fortunato's well-being by saying, “‘My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold in which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre’” (21). Nitre is a substance that is used as a preservative. When Montresor says that the vaults are damp and filled with nitre, Poe wants the readers to know that he is mentioning this to indirectly tell Fortunato that he could kill him in the vaults and nobody would know. This example illustrates verbal irony because Montresor is telling Fortunato he is going to kill him but he is too naive to notice it.
The second occurrence of Poe’s use of verbal irony takes place when Fortunato toasts to the dead surrounding him and Montresor to Fortunato’s long life. While they are venturing through the vaults towards the Amontillado, Montresor presents Fortunato with a bottle of wine after he has a coughing fit. Once Fortunato receives the bottle he says, “‘I drink, to the buried that repose around us’”, and Montresor replies, “‘And I to your long

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