Short Essay Poe
This short essay will focus on the “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, in particular, his use of dramatic irony and the tragic disparity of awareness we, as the reader, are privy to. Poe uses irony to cast a sarcastic undertone over his dark story and create a personal, almost fraternal relationship between the narrator and the reader.
Poe establishes this relationship in the story’s opening referring to the reader directly as ‘you, who so well know the nature of my soul’ (Poe). The dramatic irony that then follows postulates a double audience. Fortunato hears but does not understand this irony, yet we, as the reader and an apparent confidant of Montresor as suggested by the aforementioned quote, are aware of both meanings and Fortunato’s incomprehension.
It is this ironic tone that proceeds to perpetuate a sarcastic, light, almost comedic description of a truly horrendous deed. Perhaps through this familiarity, Poe is suggesting that we, as readers, also share Montresor’s unremorseful, sociopathic view of committing murder. As the story progresses, Fortunato, unaware of his malicious intent as we now are, accosts Montresor with excessive warmth. Montresor comments ironically that he was ‘so pleased to see him, I should never have done wringing his hand’ (Poe). We, as the reader, know this to be untrue and this is an example of the personal relationship Poe is establishing between narrator and reader. Poe continues this ironic flattery, ‘My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day’ (Poe). So begins this tragic disparity of awareness rife throughout the story. Fortunato has no comprehension that Montresor’s flattery is false and that he indeed intends to kill him, yet we as the reader do.
After Fortunato is stopped by a coughing fit, Montresor pleads with his ‘poor friend’ (Poe), to go back as he ‘will be ill’ (Poe). Fortunato responds ‘Enough…I shall not die of a cough’ (Poe), ‘True, true’ (Poe)
Poe establishes this relationship in the story’s opening referring to the reader directly as ‘you, who so well know the nature of my soul’ (Poe). The dramatic irony that then follows postulates a double audience. Fortunato hears but does not understand this irony, yet we, as the reader and an apparent confidant of Montresor as suggested by the aforementioned quote, are aware of both meanings and Fortunato’s incomprehension.
It is this ironic tone that proceeds to perpetuate a sarcastic, light, almost comedic description of a truly horrendous deed. Perhaps through this familiarity, Poe is suggesting that we, as readers, also share Montresor’s unremorseful, sociopathic view of committing murder. As the story progresses, Fortunato, unaware of his malicious intent as we now are, accosts Montresor with excessive warmth. Montresor comments ironically that he was ‘so pleased to see him, I should never have done wringing his hand’ (Poe). We, as the reader, know this to be untrue and this is an example of the personal relationship Poe is establishing between narrator and reader. Poe continues this ironic flattery, ‘My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day’ (Poe). So begins this tragic disparity of awareness rife throughout the story. Fortunato has no comprehension that Montresor’s flattery is false and that he indeed intends to kill him, yet we as the reader do.
After Fortunato is stopped by a coughing fit, Montresor pleads with his ‘poor friend’ (Poe), to go back as he ‘will be ill’ (Poe). Fortunato responds ‘Enough…I shall not die of a cough’ (Poe), ‘True, true’ (Poe)