SETTING
• SETTING: THE PLACE AND
TIME THAT A STORY TAKES
PLACE
• THE SETTING OF THIS STORY
IS IN ITALY, DURING THE
EARLY 1800S.
• MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE STORY TAKES PLACE DURING
CARNIVAL SEASON, AT NIGHT IN THE MONTRESOR FAMILY
CATACOMBS.
PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST
• PROTAGONIST: MAIN CHARACTER, OFTEN HERO OF THE
STORY
• THE PROTAGONIST OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS
MONTRESOR.
EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOT A HERO, HE IS STILL THE MAIN
CHARACTER.
•
• ANTAGONIST: CHARACTER AGAINST THE PROTAGONIST,
OFTEN VILLAIN OF THE STORY
• THE ANTAGONIST OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS FORTUNATO.
• EVEN THOUGH FORTUNATO IS THE VICTIM IN THE STORY, HE IS
AGAINST THE PROTAGONIST.
CONFLICT
• CONFLICT: STRUGGLE
BETWEEN OPPOSING
FORCES
• THE STRUGGLE THAT
EXISTS IN “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO” IS MAN
VERSUS MAN BECAUSE IT
IS MONTRESOR AGAINST
FORTUNATO.
PLOT POINTS
• EXPOSITION: INTRODUCES THE CHARACTERS, BACKGROUND,
AND SETTING
• INTRODUCED TO MONTRESOR, WHO TELLS US THAT HE WANTS TO GET
REVENGE ON FORTUNATO.
• LEARN THAT FORTUNATO’S WEAKNESS IS HIS PRIDE.
• RISING ACTION: EVENTS WHICH LEAD TO THE CLIMAX OF THE
STORY
• MONTRESOR LURES FORTUNATO INTO HIS CATACOMBS BY SAYING HE
HAS SOME AMONTILLADO THAT HE WANTS LUCHESI TO TASTE.
• AS THEY WALK THROUGH THE CATACOMBS, FORTUNATO COUGHS OFTEN
AND MONTRESOR KEEPS SUGGESTING THAT THEY TURN AROUND.
PLOT POINTS
• CLIMAX: THE HIGHEST POINT OF ACTION IN THE STORY; THE
TURNING POINT IN THE STORY
• MONTRESOR SUDDENLY CHAINS FORTUNATO UP IN A CRYPT.
• FALLING ACTION: EVENTS IN THE STORY THAT LEAD TO THE END
OF THE CONFLICT
• MONTRESOR BEGINS WALLING UP THE ENTRANCE TO THE CRYPT.
• FORTUNATO REALIZES WHAT IS HAPPENING AND TRIES TO STOP
MONTRESOR, BUT TO NO AVAIL.
• DENOUEMENT/RESOLUTION: THE END OF THE CONFLICT
• MONTRESOR FINISHES WALLING OFF THE CRYPT’S ENTRANCE, WHICH
WILL RESULT IN FORTUNATO’S DEATH.
FLAT AND ROUND CHARACTERS
• FLAT CHARACTERS: ONLY A FEW
THINGS ARE KNOWN ABOUT FLAT
CHARACTERS
• ROUND CHARACTERS: MANY
CHARACTERISTICS ARE KNOWN
ABOUT ROUND CHARACTERS
• BOTH MONTRESOR AND FORTUNATO
ARE ROUND CHARACTERS IN “THE
CASK OF AMONTILLADO.”
STATIC AND DYNAMIC CHARACTERS
• DYNAMIC CHARACTERS:
CHANGE DURING THE COURSE
OF THE PLOT
• STATIC CHARACTERS: DON’T
CHANGE DURING THE COURSE
OF THE PLOT
• BOTH MONTRESOR AND
FORTUNATO ARE STATIC
CHARACTERS IN “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO.”
NARRATION AND POINT OF VIEW
• NARRATOR: THE "VOICE" THAT SPEAKS OR TELLS A
STORY
• MONTRESOR IS THE NARRATOR.
• UNRELIABLE NARRATOR: A STORYTELLER WHO FAILS
TO SEE THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EVENTS IN THE
STORY, OR ISN’T COMPLETELY TRUTHFUL
• HE DOESN’T EXPLAIN THE “INSULT”
• HE MIGHT HAVE PANGS OF CONSCIENCE
• THE POINT OF VIEW USED IS FIRST PERSON.
• WE ONLY KNOW MONTRESOR’S THOUGHTS BECAUSE
HE IS TELLING THE STORY.
MOOD AND TONE
• MOOD: THE ATMOSPHERE OF A LITERARY WORK
INTENDED TO EVOKE A CERTAIN EMOTION OR FEELING
FROM THE READER
• THE MOOD OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS
SUSPENSEFUL, DREAD, AND ANXIETY.
• TONE: THE ATTITUDE A WRITER TAKES TOWARD THE
READER, A SUBJECT, OR CHARACTER
• THE TONE OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO” IS EERIE, CREEPY,
AND DISTURBING.
SITUATIONAL IRONY: FORTUNATO’S NAME
• HIS NAME IS IRONIC BECAUSE HE
IS NOT FORTUNATE IN HIS
INTERACTIONS WITH
MONTRESOR, WHICH LEAD TO HIS
DEATH.
• HIS DEATH IS THE OPPOSITE OF
WHAT WE MIGHT EXPECT FOR
SOMEONE WHOSE NAME IMPLIES
GOOD LUCK OR FORTUNE.
DRAMATIC IRONY
•DRAMATIC IRONY: THE
AUDIENCE OR THE READER
KNOWS SOMETHING THAT
A CHARACTER DOES NOT.
• FORTUNATO DOESN’T
KNOW HE WILL BE KILLED,
BUT THE READER DOES.
ALLITERATION
• ALLITERATION: THE REPETITION OF
CONSONANT SOUNDS IN WORDS THAT
ARE CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER,
TYPICALLY OCCURS AT THE BEGINNING
OF WORDS
• DESCRIBING THE MOLD: “THE
WHITE WEB-WORK WHICH
GLEAMS FROM THESE CAVERN
WALLS”
• THE “W” SOUND IS REPEATED.
FORESHADOWING
• FORESHADOWING: HINTS OR CLUES OF EVENTS THAT HAVE YET TO
OCCUR.
• THE FOLLOWING ARE STRONG EXAMPLES OF FORESHADOWING FROM
THE STORY:
• THE DESCENT INTO THE CATACOMBS AND REFERENCES TO THE SKELETONS.
• MONTRESOR CALLS HIMSELF A MASON AND SHOWS FORTUNATO HIS
TROWEL.
• THE MONTRESOR FAMILY MOTTO IS “NO ONE ATTACKS ME WITH IMPUNITY.”
• THESE EXAMPLES OF FORESHADOWING ARE CLUES THAT HE IS
PLANNING SOMETHING HORRIBLE FOR FORTUNATO.
SYMBOLISM
• SYMBOL: A PERSON, PLACE, OR THING
USED TO REPRESENT SOMETHING ELSE.
• MONTRESOR’S COAT OF ARMS
SYMBOLIZES HIS REVENGE AGAINST
FORTUNATO’S INSULT.
• FORTUNATO = FOOT
• MONTRESOR = SNAKE
• FORTUNATO’S CLOWN COSTUME
SYMBOLIZES HIS FOOLISHNESS.
THEME
• THEME: CENTRAL IDEA OF A
PIECE OF LITERATURE,
SOMETIMES CALLED THE MORAL
OF THE STORY, OR THE LESSON
• ONE THEME OF “THE CASK OF
AMONTILLADO” IS THAT
REVENGE WILL CONSUME YOU.