Literary Elements: Analysis of “Cask of Amontillado”
Learning Target: I can demonstrate my understanding of literary devices such as hyperbole, irony, imagery,
plot, foreshadowing, and symbolism while analyzing “The Cask of Amontillado.”
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Date: ________________
“The Cask of Amontillado” Analytical Reading Guide
Directions: Answer the following questions using COMPLETE, THOUGHTFUL SENTENCES. You may need to
answer questions on notebook paper.
1. Which of the following claims could be best argued with support from the text,
The Cask of Amontillado?
a. Claim #1: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
b. Claim #2: Alcohol will always lead to one’s demise.
c. Claim #3: Revenge is necessary and well-deserved.
d. Claim #5: The “real” crime is getting caught.
e. Claim #4 (create your own): ______________________________________________________
2. Find at least two specific quotes (evidence) in the text to support the claim you chose.
3. Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration to make a point. Look at the first paragraph. What phrase used
by the narrator is an example of hyperbole? Write down the full sentence that includes the hyperbolic
element. Does this line make you more sympathetic or less toward the narrator/murderer? Why?
4. Fortunato, who has been out drinking and enjoying Carnival, is wearing a clown’s hat. Symbolically,
why is this an interesting-and appropriate-costume choice by Poe?
5. To whom, do you suppose, is Montresor telling this story? Upon what evidence do you base your
assumption? Supply the quote to support your answer.
Literary Elements: Analysis of “Cask of Amontillado”
6. Name three of the many clever things Montresor does to lure Fortunato into his trap.
7. How did Montresor ensure that no servants would be around to witness the crime?
8. Poe uses several elements of foreshadowing. Write down (or paraphrase) two lines that foreshadow
the grisly event at the end of the tale.
9. Locate and write down a line that includes verbal irony. Explain why this is verbal irony?
10. Locate and write down a line that includes dramatic irony. Why is it dramatic irony?
11. Reread the section of the story that describes the Montresor family’s coat of
arms. Draw a picture of it in the box in the right margin of this page.
Symbolically, why is this an appropriate image for our narrator?
12. Is Montresor a reliable or unreliable narrator? Explain your answer.
13. Identify the climax of the story. Cite the line(s) in your answer. Evaluate its effectiveness—does it
meet the “requirements” of a climax? (If so, how? What characteristics of a climax does this scene
have?)
Literary Elements: Analysis of “Cask of Amontillado”
14. Find an example of imagery. What effect does it have on the story, and on the reader’s experience?
15. Find examples of irony used in the text.
Type
Definition of what it is
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
Dramatic Irony
Example(s) found in the story:
Literary Elements: Analysis of “Cask of Amontillado”
16. Montresor acts as judge, jury and executioner of Fortunato. Is there any crime/offense that Fortunato
could have unwittingly committed that would make Montresor’s rage seem reasonable to you? Do
you think individuals are ever justified in taking justice into their own hands? In a well-developed
essay, explain your argument, using at least two specific claims to support your opinion. Acknowledge
the opposing side (viewpoint) of your argument, with your response.
You may draft your ideas below, but your final copy should be edited and typed.
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Literary Elements: Analysis of “Cask of Amontillado”