Table of Contents
How are The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart similar?
Similarities: Both of Poe’s short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” involve murder, crime, and mystery. Both stories are told by the murderers in the form of confessional tales. Both victims personally know their attackers and are defenseless in both stories.
What is the theme of the story The Tell-Tale Heart?
The main themes in “The Tell-Tale Heart” are the madness and sanity, the pressure of guilt, and the passage of time. Madness and sanity: the narrator’s attempt to prove his sanity as he explains his meticulous plans for killing the old man only prove his madness.
What does the beating heart symbolize in The Tell-Tale Heart?
As he recounts the tale, the beating heart starts only after the crime has been committed, and gets more and more intense the more he tries to confidently deny his crime. So, the beating heart symbolizes the narrator’s conscience, or his sense of guilt and wrongdoing.
What does the cask symbolize in The Cask of Amontillado?
The word “cask,” a sturdy cylindrical container for storing liquids, and the word “casket,” have the same root. The relationship between the two represents the way in which Montresor tricks Fortunato down to the catacombs and then eventually into what will become his walled-in casket.
How is the black cat and the Tell Tale Heart different?
Differences between the two are in the narrator’s intent in the murders–in “The Tell-Tale Heart” he planned his murder for a long time, stealthily waiting for the right moment, whereas the narrator in “The Black Cat” killed his moment with no forethought, but in a moment of blind rage.
What is the foreshadowing in The Cask of Amontillado?
To build suspense in the story, Poe often employs foreshadowing. For example, when Fortunato says, “I shall not die of a cough,” Montresor replies, “True,” because he knows that Fortunato will in fact die from dehydration and starvation in the crypt. The conversation about Masons also foreshadows Fortunato’s demise.
Why was the book The Cask of Amontillado written?
“The Cask of Amontillado” skewers elements from English’s novel, 1844, including making references to the same secret societies and subterranean vaults featured in English’s work. Others believe that “The Cask of Amontillado” was inspired not by a person, but by a widespread fear of being buried alive.
Why did Montresor want to check the amontillado?
He tells Fortunato that he was on his way to find Luchresi—another wine connoisseur—to help him determine the wine’s authenticity. Montresor’s ploy works. Montresor knows that Fortunato is full of himself, and the idea that someone could judge the Amontillado pricks his ego. As a result, Fortunato insists on checking the Amontillado himself.
Who was Robert Massie in the cask of Amontillado?
Though scholars aren’t 100 percent sure what inspired Poe’s short story, many believe it’s based on a story he heard while stationed at Fort Independence in Massachusetts in 1827. At that time, Fort Independence had a statue of Lieutenant Robert Massie, who had been killed in a sword duel following a card game, on the premises.
Why did Fortunato follow Montresor into the vaults?
Fortunato waves off Montresor’s concerns, saying that he “shall not die of a cough,” and he follows him into the vaults to taste the Amontillado anyway. As the men venture further into the dark, underground passageways, Montresor makes sure that Fortunato keeps drinking.