Gonda, Maria Luisa Angela V.

BSSED 3104
Stylistic Analysis of The Cask of Amontillado

The short story The Cask of Amontillado is written by Edgar Allan Poe.
Knowing EAP, his style in writing lurks around Goth and death. The story is
written in the first person point of view. The narrator himself is the main character
which is Montresor and as well as Fortunato. The narrator speaks directly to the
reader. That he informs the readers of his intentions towards Fortunato. The story
is about the revenge of the narrator to Fortunato. How he planned Fortunatos death
at the supreme madness of the carnival season. It means no one would be around
when he puts his plans into action. His intentions are the opposite of him showing
concern towards Fortunatos health.
The story shows a dramatic irony where the character is not aware of what
is going to happen to him but readers knows. Montresor has tells the readers of
what his actions and his plans in killing Fortunato. But Fortunato doesnt know his
fate in following Montresor in the catacombs.
Montresor symbolizes revenge THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had
borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. While
Fortunato, despite of its meaning in itallian fortunate, is not so fortunate in his fate
in this story. he doesn know that his going to die in the end. Because of his
egotistical character, saying that he is better than Luchesi and his drunken state, he
suffered his fate of death. The showing of the Montresors intentions in
Fortunatos health is quite the opposite of he really wants. The Amontillado
symbolizes the death of Fortunato.
The narrator stated at the first paragraph of what he suffered in the hands of
Fortunato. He sated all his done and anger towards him. How motivated he is in
killing Fortunato. THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best
could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.. Like Edgars story
The Tell Tale Heart it is his style to first let the audience know of his intentions
before do the deed on killing. The theme of the story is about death and revenge.
The construction of the story has dialogues in it. Though it has minor
characters like addressing the Lady Fortunato and Luchesi, it gives the readers the
impression that though they are the only important characters in the story, the
minor characters lifted Fortunato and Montresors parts. The shortest sentence
only contained 1 word Good!. The longest contains 41 words. Some of the
words used in the story are old English which are unfamiliar to low vocabulary
read. Some are Italian like, 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 are graphological diviations in the story, like 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. There are several repititions of words in the story, like
Ugh! ugh! ugh!ugh! ugh! ugh!ugh! ugh! ugh!ugh! ugh! ugh!ugh! ugh!
ugh! this gives the readers the feeling of the Fortunatos cough.
The level of discourse is in the third level. The addresser 1, author, brings
the message to the addresee1 which is the reader. The second level is the addresser
2 which is the narrator brings the message to the addressee 2 which is the reader.
The third level is where the addresser 3 which is Montresor addresses to addressee
3 which the Fortunato.
The domain of the story is in the field of winery. The medium used are in
form of narration and conversation. Narration because of Montresors speech that
tells a narration about his revenge. The tenor used is formal, because of the words
used is old English. A person with wide vocabulary can understand it.
The story is more poetic than other stories. It is biased because of
Montresors revenge to Fortunato. It is internal. It is complex because of the word
used in it. It is hard to understand. Because of that it is rhetorical.