The setting of Poe's gothic story, "The Cask of
Amontillado," is ideal for Montesor's dastardly deeds as it progresses with the evil
intent of the narrative:
- Disguise
during the Carnival
Fortunato,
costumed as a fool in his harlequin, is deceived into coming to Montesor's catacombs
where he keeps the Amontillado about which he pretends to desire Fortunato's opinion.
Montesor dissembles his intentions; he feigns concern for Fortunato's health in the cold
of the catacombs; he, like the revelers, engages in aberrant behavior, although his
differs from what others
do.
- Underground
catacombs
Montesor
lures Fortunato into dark, dank, subterranean regions to taste his Amontillado. With
the intent of burying his adversary alive, the catacombs are the perfect setting as
there are already bones "scattered
promiscuously."
- Arabesque
-winding, narrowing, and darkening of
catacombs
Poe's setting of the
catacombs contain various rooms that narrow and turn, each one more confining and damp.
Like his technique, which he termed arabesque, Poe winds his
narrative, returning to the motif of the dampness and cold of the catacombs. Montesor
repeatedly tells Fortunato, "We will turn back," and declaring that he will call upon
Luchesi. When he shows Fortunato the coat of arms and wields the trowel, Fortunato does
not comprehend the twistings and turnings of Montesor's devious plot, but moves forward
on his own.
- The macabre setting
and actions in the final
room
Montesor
shackles Fortunato and walls him into a small dark place. When Fortunato cries, "For
the love of God!" Montesor answers mysteriously, "Yes, for the love of God!" Without
explanation to the man, Montesor completes his burial of Fortunato, who himself makes no
sound. Montesor tells his tale fifty years later, after no one has learned his
secret.
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