The short story "The Cask of Amontillado," by Edgar Allen Poe, depicts a horrific act of revenge performed by Montresor against his noble Fortunato who insults him. This revenge leads to Fortunato's death. The story paints a picture of terror and retribution. Poe uses a variety of fictional elements to reveal Montresor's dark nature and the concept of revenge.
             In "The Cask of Amontillado," the dark side of human nature is exemplified through the character of Montresor. He is a vengeful and manipulative person. His vengeful nature is obvious when he says, "I must not only punish but punish with impunity" (Poe 297). This shows that Montresor is carrying out his plan for revenge. Moreover, his pride makes him unable to bear the idea of being insulted by Fortunato. Montresor wears a "mask of black silk" (Poe 293), which indicates that he wants to conceal himself to do his devious plan. On the other hand, Fortunato wears "a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells, "(Poe 292) which shows his foolish nature. Therefore, Montresor is able to manipulate Fortunato and persuades him to see the cask of amontillado by insisting on bringing another man who is also a wine specialist. Montresor says, "As you are engaged, I'm on my way to Luchersi [...] he will tell me" (Poe 293). This frustrates Fortunato and makes him insist on proceeding to the amontillado. Furthermore, Montresor is a cold person and feels no guilt. Fortunato is screaming in the darkness, and Montresor just sits down and waits for him to stop screaming. Stephen Peithmen writes, "If there is any doubt that Montresor is mad, consider how he echoes Fortunato scream for scream, shrieking even louder than his victim."(174)
             The central conflict in the story is an external one, which is between
             Montresor and Fortunato. The conflict
             ...