Study Guide: “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
Answer the questions below and on the pages following as you read the story and after you have completed it. Also note and important information discussed or given in class.
1. Why does the narrator, Montresor, want revenge? ______
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2. What event is going on in the town the night the story takes place? ______
What condition is Fortunato in when Montresor comes across him?______
3. What does the narrator mention he’s bought? What is he say he is unsure of regarding it?
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What interest does the narrator share with Fortunato? ______
How does Montresor get Fortunato into the catacombs? ______
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4. What is a catacomb? ______
In this story, what else is it used for? ______
5. What does the name “Fortunato” suggest? ______
What does the narrator’s name, Montresor, mean? ______
6. According to Montresor, what does he have to get his revenge without experiencing?
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continued on reverse…
7. In the paragraph beginning, “ ‘Come,’ I said, with decision…” what comparison does Montresor make between his own life and that of Fortunato?
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What may be suggested here about the specific reason Montresor seeks revenge on Fortunato?
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8. Part of the story’s horrifying effect comes from Poe’s use of irony. What does the reader know that Fortunato does not know about why he has been invited into the vaults?
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9. Which of Montresor’s comments to the unsuspecting Fortunato are ironic—that is, which ones mean something different from what they seem to mean?
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Which seem to foreshadow Fortunato’s eventual fate?
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Which add to the suspense of the story?
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10. When did you figure out what Montresor was up to?
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continued on next page…
11.What specific steps has Montresor taken to ensure that his plan works?
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12. What happens to Fortunato at the end of the story?
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13. To whom could Montresor be talking, fifty years after the murder, and for what reasons?
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14. What do you think of the way the story ends? Consider this question: Do writers have an obligation to punish murderers for their fictional crimes?
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15. Most people assume Montresor is a man. Why?
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Could Montresor be a woman? Why or why not?
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continued on reverse…
Would it change the way you think about the story if Montresor were a woman? Explain.
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16. Looking at Poe’s biography, what elements in the story may have been influenced by the author’s life experiences?
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Using the chart below, identify two key events in the rising action, the event that marks the climax, and one event in the falling action.