The Cask of Amontillado
The Dreams of a Lunatic
Edgar Allan Poe
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Born Edgar Poe January 19, 1809
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Died October 7, 1849
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Orphaned, later was taken in by John and
Frances Allan
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His cause of death remains a mystery
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Married his 13 year old cousin, Virginia Clemm
Summary of CoA
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Narrator is Montressor, the murderer of
Fortunato
Montressor tells the reader that Fortunato has
inflicted a “thousand injuries” upon him, and
that he had no choice but to punish him.
He tricks his “friend” into traveling to his cellar,
where Montressor claims to have a rare
vintage of Amontillado, a variety of sherry.
Montressor is making this confession 50 years
later.
Summary (cont.)
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Fortunato continues to insult Montressor as
they travel down to the vault, where his doom
awaits.
After arriving, Fortunato is too drunk to stop
Montressor from chaining him to the walls. He
then entombs Fortunato before leaving him to
die.
Freud's Interpretation of Dreams
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Condensation: Dreams are compressed into
works that occupy far less space than the
information stored within them.
Displacement: What happens in the dream,
may or may not be directly related to the core
idea of the dream.
The abstract cannot be measured in a dream.
Physical, tangible objects must therefore take
their place.
Why it Matters...
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There are certain aspects of the story that
seem to indicate that perhaps the murder does
not actually occur.
Perhaps the murder, and the other events of
the story, are representations of Montresor's
desires/events in his life, such as a
deteriorating friendship with Fortunato.
CoA as a Dream
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Montresor kills Fortunato after meeting with him during
the carnival season in Italy, when many people are
present. This is a problem, since someone probably
would have seen them together, which would most
certainly arouse suspicion after Fortunato's
disappearance.
The reader is never given a clear answer as to what
Fortunato's offense is. Perhaps condensation is taking
place, where only part of the information is being given to
the audience. After all, even though the murder is
described in great detail, nothing before or after is
mentioned. Only the fact that Montresor is confessing
supposedly 50 years later.
As a Dream
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Montresor is insane, but he has a logical, rational side. He
doesn't murder Fortunato in a rage, but rather sets up an
elaborate plan. Therefore, his revenge must have a motive.
The exclusion of it leaves the room for the interpretation that it
is a dream about the death of their freindship.
Montresor doesn't seem fully convinced that he wants to
murder. Their dialogue contains opportunities to go
backwards: "Come," I said, with decision, we will go back;
your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired,
beloved; you are happy as once I was. You are a man to be
missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill
and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchesi. . ." He
allows Fortunato a chance to avoid his fate.
As a Dream
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"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the
foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs
are imbedded in the heel." - Montresor's coat
of arms The slogan that accompanies it
means “none injure me without impunity.”
While Fortunato has wronged Montresor as a
friend, the coat of arms may serve as a symbol
of his own refusal to let the past lie. Bringing it
up serves as his mind's subconscious
reminding him that his desire is now to crush
the man who wronged him.
Montresor on Freud's Couch
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As an interpreter of dreams, Freud would have
loved to hear this tale of revenge. The dream
world is the perfect place to carry out this
crime, as there would be no real punishment
for an offense that never truly occurred.
Dreams are the one place all of our desires,
no matter how macabre or perverse, may
come true.
Friendship Dying
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The death of Foruntato symbolizes the importance of
the once healthy relationship.
Fortunato's worsening cough represents the cancer
that grows and eventually causes the failing of their
friendship.
Choosing to entomb Fortunato in the darkest parts of
the catacombs shows that Montresor has stored the
memory of his friend in the deepest parts of his heart
and mind. And his confession that no one has
disturbed Fortunato's remains indicate that nothing
has previously brought those events to his mind.
Conclusion
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Montresor may or may not have in fact, killed
anyone.
The lack of details aside from the murder plot
make the tale suspect.
The events of “The Cask of Amontillado” can
easily correlate to the decaying relationship of
two very close friends.