Preview

The Cask of Amontillado vs. the Tell-Tale Heart

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
723 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Cask of Amontillado vs. the Tell-Tale Heart
The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask Of Amontillado, both written by Edgar Allan Poe in the 18th century, are two tales that shows how Poe focused on the dark and mysterious. Both stories being written by the same author has a few similarities however there are also some differences. The narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart begins by persuading the reader that he is not mad, simply because he feels that his senses have been sharpened and he was ever so wise enough to stalk his victim throughout the night at midnight without being suspected of it. He also stated more than once that he was nervous. Mean while, Montressor in The Cask Of Amontillado seemed to be very confident . He is some what arrogant that he would be able to follow through with his plans of revenge on Fortunato. As the story continues in The Tell-Tale Heart, while trying to claim his sanity he explained just how much he was disturbed by the eye of an old man. "Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!"(The Tell-Tale Heart,1984,paragrapgh 2). With that being said the narrator had no rational reason to commit such a crime. In Contrast, Montressor thinks that Fortunato is very deserving of his death due to the "thousand injuries" that Fortunato has committed. However, this story doesn’t reveal exactly what wrong was done to Montressor. Similarly, both stories involve elements of death where the narrators harm another human being. Montressor and the Narrator who seems to be some kind of caregiver of the old man in The Tell-Tale Heart are both considered the antagonists in the stories and were both conveyed through the murderer 's perspective. “ The use of a deranged first-person narrator amplifies the dramatic impact of the tale and this takes place through the story 's visual, aural, and poetical dimensions. Because he sees the crime carried out from


Cited: "Explanation of: 'The Cask of Amontillado ' by Edgar Allan Poe." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2000. LitFinder. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. "Explanation of: 'The Tell-Tale Heart ' by Edgar Allan Poe." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2010. LitFinder. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. Tibbett,Amelia.(January 29, 2008).Literary analysis: Irony in "The Cask of Amontillado," by Edgar Allan Poe

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The tell-tale heart” were written by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts. Poe was known as a poet, editor, literary critic, and his tales about mystery. Two of his famous stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-tale Heart”, has a setting in the mid 1800’s, were narrator in each stories killed another character, hid their victims and leaving no evidence behind, both tragic stories. But both of these stories don’t end the same, one of these stories, the murder gets away, and the other faces his consequences.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Delaney, Bill. "Poe 's THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO." Explicator 64.1 (2005): 39-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 144 – 148.…

    • 826 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The "Tell-Tale Heart" is an American classic. The teller of Poe’s tale is a classic unreliable narrator. The narrator is not deliberately trying to mislead his audience; he is delusional, and the reader can easily find the many places in the story where the narrator’s telling reveals his mistaken perceptions. His presentation is also deeply ironic: the insistence on his sanity put his madness on display. The first paragraph alone should provide fertile ground for readers to find evidence of his severe disturbance. The effect of this story is powerful and successful.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    with similar subject matter, because the murderer tells the reader how he commits his crime. Poe leaves the reader with many questions. The story, according Baraban, centers around the mystery of why Montressor feels compelled to kill. The reader must first answer other questions to make this determination. Has Montressor truly fulfilled his desire to avenge Fortunato…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell Tale Heart are stories written by Edgar Alan Poe. In those stories we have evidence of two different ways to be killed, one of them with irony to consciously accept to go down your final destiny and the other one with surprise at night while sleeping in your bed. Both murderers killed their victims, and told us in a first person narrative how and why they committed the murders. However, should we believe everything they said about what happened in the stories? In order to have a better picture we need to break down the facts of the murderers (Montresour and The Narrator). Montresour studied his victim before the act, while the Narrator waited for the easy chance to kill. Montresour planned a trick to hide his emotions until the end while the Narrator was a slave of what he was feeling. In both crimes there was a…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The police, who were called by concerned neighbors, ask him a series of questions before he finally goes mad due to the hallucinated sound of the old man's heartbeat under the floorboards and confesses his crime. Betrayal, in both stories, causes characters to go down a road of punishment and revenge. In “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the stories show us that betrayal can lead one down a path of punishment and revenge. “The Cask of Amontillado” uses irony to show this, while “The Tell-Tale Heart” uses suspense. Betrayal can lead one down a path of punishment and revenge.…

    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allan Poe, we learn of a man named Montresor who seeks vengeance on an acquaintance, named Fortunato. The reason for Montresor seeking revenge is brought on by Fortunato causing him “thousand injuries” and insulting him. As a result, Montresor plans to bury Fortunato alive. This plot leads the reader into an experience of horror, just as many other stories by Poe do. Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his gothic horror writing, tales of mystery, and the macabre. His stories use clear symbolism with muted irony. This dark story by Edgar Allan Poe is made more interesting by the irony he uses to increase tension, enhance horror, and communicate the theme.…

    • 633 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Cask of Amontillado

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe was a master of the horror genre and The Cask of Amontillado was no exception. This was the story of what may have been a perfect crime. Narrating events that took place fifty years before, Montresor, a wealthy Frenchman, began the tale by explaining that Fortunato, a fellow wine connoisseur, after a series of unknown events insulted him. Although Montresor never states what this insult was, he was angry enough about it to premeditate Fortunato’s murder. Montresor’s true goal lay not only in revenge, but also in escaping punishment for the crime. The central idea of The Cask of Amontillado is about freedom: with freedom to make choices, some people choose revenge and will go through whatever means necessary to exact it.…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    C&C Edgar Allen Poe

    • 514 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe wrote two different short stories about simple murders in his lifetime. One was titled “The Cask of Amontillado” while another was named “The Tell-Tale Heart”. These two stories share very distinct similarities such as similar plot lines and literary styling. However, even with the similar plots in the two stories, they do both express two contrasting themes that are prevalent throughout the stories.…

    • 514 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Cask of Amontillado

    • 2029 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," is a story of revenge to the highest degree. This theme is evident in the first sentence, "the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." The suggestion of vengeance is repeated several more times in the opening paragraph. Poe gives us a view at premeditated murder from the details in his story told through the eyes of Montresor. While he carefully removes unnecessary parts of the story, Poe elaborately and vividly relates this bone-chilling tale of revenge while keeping his audience waiting for more. The theme of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is reprisal and he uses all the elements of fiction (plot, setting, characters, and theme) in illustrating this theme to his readers.…

    • 2029 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Cask of Amontillado

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Irony and symbolism are tools used in writing to convey individual messages throughout the story. It is Edgar Allan Poe 's intense use of symbolism and irony throughout the Cask of Amontillado that gives this short story its suspense and horror filled theme.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Cask Of Amontillado

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is known for his tales and poems worldwide. He creates tales of terror, mystery, imagination, and suspense. However, this short story was about revenge and secret murder. “The Cask of Amontillado” is about a man named Montresor who wants to seek revenge against a man named Fortunato, who has insulted him many times. He…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Montresor Revenge

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” has an overbearing theme of spiteful, cunning revenge. Throughout the majority of the short story, the Narrator and Protagonist’s dialogue, tone, and actions all do their part in showing just how much sadistic pleasure he takes in enacting his sweet, succulent revenge. The entirety of the story is laced with this kind of vengeful, sinister dialogue, and it makes for an interesting and entertaining read.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" is the story of a man named Montresor who decides to seek revenge against a man named Fortunato who has insulted him. He meets Fortunato at a carnival, lures him into the catacombs of his home, and buries him alive. Edgar Allen Poe creates a dark and foreboding mood in his story "The Cask of Amontillado" through the use of vivid imagery, dark setting, and a revengeful tone.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays