Irony in the Cask of Amontillado

Irony in the Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe used irony efficiently in his short story “Irony in the Cask of Amontillado “. He used verbal irony to show a contrast between what is said and what is actually meant. He also uses situational irony which is when things turn out to be contrary or intended. Finally he uses dramatic irony which occurs when a reader or viewer knows more about a situation than the characters do. “And I to your long life “(Pg 152) Says Montresor to Fortunato. Montresor is displaying Altruism when in reality he is planning to kill Fortunato. “We will go back; your health is precious, you are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy. As I once was, you are a man to be missed for me it is no match. We will go back; you will be ill and I cannot be responsible”. Montresor is Professing Malevolent intentions in pretending to be concerned in his health because he knows he doesn’t really care. When Montresor says “I vowed revenge “(Pg. 51) he displays Virulent intentions in his hating Fortunato . From the very beginning of the story he knew he was going to get Fortunato but Fortunato obviously had no idea. He uses different types of Guile to lure him in such as when he says “Come we will go back ere it is too late your cough “ Montresor acts as though he is his friend even though he is going to exact retribution. “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met, how remarkably well you are looking today” (Pg. 151) as Montresor mentions in the story Fortunato is wealthy man. Instead of dressing like a man of wealth and means, he had on a tight fitting party-striped dress and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells. In other words the man was dressed like a fool when he should be dressed more appropriately with his kinds of riches. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Irony in the Cask of Amontillado” he demonstrated his grasp of irony in just a few short pages. He efficiently used all 3 aspects of irony: Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic. The reader was kept in suspense until the very end. We saw how Montresor’s plan was carried out against his hated Adversary.

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