The Cask of Amontillado
by Edgar Allan Poe
Carnival
Carnival
• Carnival is a secular holiday, but it evolved
from the Christian observance known as
Lent.
• Lent is a solemn forty-day period of fasting
prior to Easter.
CARNIVAL
• Traditionally, the fasting during Lent
involves abstaining from eating meat.
• Modern interpretations of fasting may
involve abstaining from anything one
enjoys.
Carn + Val
FLESH (Meat) + FAREWELL
In anticipation of the seriousness of Lent, the
celebration of Carnival evolved.
Participants engage in excessive and extreme
behavior to bid farewell to meat-eating
(and merriment).
What happens during Carnival?
• Carnival is a time of EXCESS and
INDULGENCE.
• BINGEING upon food and alcohol is common.
Partying in the streets and
masquerading are enjoyed.
The combination of alcohol and
costumes creates an atmosphere
where people tend to let down
their inhibitions.
European Carnival traditions
survive in the United States in the
form of Mardi Gras.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is set
during the “supreme madness” of
Carnival.
In such a riotous atmosphere, it is
easy to see how a crime could go
unnoticed.
Lifestyles of the Rich
Circa 1700-1800
The wealthy class enjoyed
indulgences such as
• Gemmary
*the science of gems
Painting
Palazzos (mansions)
•
Fine Wine (vintages)
Vineyards, where the grapes for
producing wine are grown, create
picturesque settings for owners’
estates.
The narrator plans for his revenge
to take place in the catacombs
beneath his estate.
What are catacombs?
Catacombs: Cities of the Dead
At a certain point in European
history, catacombs, underground
burial chambers, became a viable
alternative to cemeteries.
Catacombs are characterized by
extensive tunnels leading to
chambers or recesses where the
dead repose for eternity.
The wealthy could opt for family
catacombs beneath their estates.
The narrator of “The Cask of
Amontillado” carries out his
revenge within the catacombs
beneath his palazzo.
The narrator is able to lure his
victim into the catacombs with
the promise of amontillado, a
fine sherry wine.
(The l’s are pronounced like the
l’s in tortilla.)
The “supreme madness” of
Carnival aside, why doesn’t the
suggestion of a journey to the
catacombs for a taste of wine
seem odd or suspicious to the
victim?
The Storage of Wine
For wines to maintain their best
quality, they need to be stored at
fairly cool and constant
temperatures.
During the time period in which
the story is set, modern electric
refrigeration was not available.
To protect wine collections,
connoisseurs (*an expert judge in
the matter of taste) adopted the
practice of storing wines under
the ground where temperatures
remain ideal year-round.
Basements, cellars, and even
catacombs serve as excellent
storage facilities for the precious
vintages.
Herein, where wine bottles
intermingle with the bones of the
dead, the narrator carries out his
plan for revenge.
• Virtuoso- a person who has good knowledge and
skill in a particular field.
• Motely- a clown’s multi-colored costume.
• Amontillado- a fine sherry wine
• Sherry- a type of white wine
• Roquelaire- a knee-length cloak
• Medoc- a red wine
• Casks- a large barrel-like container (a keg)
• De Grave- another type of wine
• Crypt- underground room or vault used as a
burial place.
• In pace requiescat- Rest in Peace
Edgar Allan Poe
• Author, not the narrator,
of the story.
• Developed characters
whose sanity is
questionable.
• Universally credited
as a significant
contributor to the
development of the short
story as a literary genre.
QUESTIONS?????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=hqSIRsmu7DE