by Kerry Michael Wood

Created on: November 15, 2007   Last Updated: January 25, 2012

 "The Cask of Amontillado," by Edgar Allan Poe, blends every variation of  irony. The author crafts a chilling tale of a monster, ironically  named Montresor, beguiling a drunk named Fortunato into tasting a cask of nonexistent wine that he has stored in a catacomb. The names of the central characters are  ironic beyond Montresor being a couple of letters from "Monster." Fortunato means the lucky or fortunate one. Montresor is French for my treasure.

Three Types of Irony

1. Verbal irony involves saying one thing but meaning the opposite. Montresor is committed to the idea of killing Fortunato, so verbal irony drips from every word when Montresor, apparently worried about Fortunato's cough and the effect of the nitre-covered walls of his wine cellar, says, "You will be ill and I cannot be responsible." This is just one of repeated instances of verbal irony.

2. Irony of situation occurs when events turn out the opposite of what would ordinarily be expected. It is ironic that a man of misfortune should be named Fortunato. How fitting it is that the narrator has been able to put up with "the thousand injuries of Fortunato," but when his treasured name or reputation is insulted, he vows revenge. Also, a story titled "The Cask of Amontillado" leads readers to believe that such a wine container must exist. There is a black cat in "The Black Cat" and a pit with pendulum in "The Pit and the Pendulum." In this story, there is ironically no cask of Amontillado.. The murder's taking place during carnival season and the costumes the two men are wearing are also situationally ironic.

3. Dramatic irony is what we feel when we as readers or viewers of a story or drama  know more than the characters or can interpret more accurately what they have to say. When Montresor repeats Fortunato's "Let us be gone," we understand a different meaning than does Fortunato.

The Story

"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." The opening line of the story presents irony of situation. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" is a sentence most all of us remember from childhood. Poe's speaker says the opposite. He has suffered injuries without complaint, but insults he will not abide. He declares his intention to wreak vengeance on unfortunate Fortunato, who has committed some unspecified. Additionally, "a wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes the redresser."

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