Exposition

During an Italian carnival the narrator, Montresor runs into Fortunato. He offers to share a very nice bottle of Amontillado
(wine) with him. However, this bottle is in his catacomb, it is late at night and Fortunato seems ill.

Conflict

The narrator tells the readers that Fortunato has made a grave insult against him and so he is plotting to get his revenge.
Although, he doesn't tell the reader what Fortunato has done, he makes it know that it is unforgivable.

Montresor lures Fortunato down into the dark and eerie wine vault. As suspense builds Montresor keeps asking if Fortunato
would like to turn back because he seems ill. However, Fortunato continues to drink wine as his cough medicine.

Rising Action

Climax

When they reach their destination there is no Amontillado but there is a hole in the wall. Montresor shackles Fortunato inside
and begins to seal up the wall with bricks.

As the last few bricks are laid Fortunato screams for Montresor to stop but it is too late. Montresor has enacted his revenge by
concealing Fortunato alive.

Falling Action

Resolution

In the end, the narrator walks away with only the sound of Fortunatos jingling jester bells echoing in the tomb. He replaces
the bones of the crypt and exclaims that no one has disturbed them for 50 years. In pace requiescat.

Setting
It is early evening in an Italian city during a carnival immediately preceding Lent.
Characters
.......Montresor, a deranged man who seeks revenge.
.......Fortunato, a haughty wine connoisseur against whom Montresor seeks revenge.
Type of Work
Short story in the horror genre, although careful readers will note that the story contains a great deal of subtle humor. Poe was one of
the developers of the short story as a literary genre. He defined a short story as a narrative prose work that (1) is short enough to be

read in one sitting, (2) takes place in one locale on a single day, (or even in a few hours), (3) centers on a single line of action, and (4)
maintains a single mood. Every word or phrase should contribute to the theme and the mood.
Narration (Point of View)
First-Person Unreliable. Montresor tells the story in the first person, meaning he uses pronouns such as I, me, my, and so on. He is
called an unreliable narrator because he is mentally unbalanced; his narration may be untrustworthy. For example, he could have
imagined that Fortunato wronged him.\

Themes
Revenge
Fortunato had committed many offenses against Montresor, the last one an insult, according to Montresor.
Deception
To lure Fortunato into the catacombs, Montresor deceives Fortunato, telling him he wants to taste some wine to determine whether it
is genuine Amontillado.
Pride
Fortunato readily accepts Montresor's invitation to taste wine and determine whether it is genuine Amontillado, for Fortunato believes
himself to be a great wine connoisseur. So proud is he of his ability that he takes on the challenge even though he has a cough and is
already somewhat drunk.
Author Information
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. After being orphaned at age two, he was taken into the home of a childless
coupleJohn Allan, a successful businessman in Richmond, Va., and his wife. Allan was believed to be Poes godfather. At age six,
Poe went to England with the Allans and was enrolled in schools there. After he returned with the Allans to the U.S. in 1820, he
studied at private schools, then attended the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy, but did not complete studies at
either school. After beginning his literary career as a poet and prose writer, he married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm. He worked
for several magazines and joined the staff of the New York Mirror newspaper in 1844. All the while, he was battling a drinking
problem. After the Mirror published his poem The Raven in January 1845, Poe achieved national and international fame. Besides
pioneering the development of the short story, Poe invented the format for the detective story as we know it today. He also was an
outstanding literary critic. Despite the acclaim he received, he was never really happy because of his drinking and because of the
deaths of several people close to him, including his wife in 1847. He frequently had trouble paying his debts. It is believed that heavy
drinking was a contributing cause of his death in Baltimore on October 7, 1849.
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