The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allan Poe
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
An account without an accusation
How did knowing Montresor wanted revenge, without knowing the specific insult, shape your experience of the story?
Keep the conversation going
- What would you want to hear from Fortunato before judging their relationship?
- Which details made you more or less willing to trust Montresor as a storyteller?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
How did knowing Montresor wanted revenge, without knowing the specific insult, shape your experience of the story?
Keep the conversation going
- What would you want to hear from Fortunato before judging their relationship?
- Which details made you more or less willing to trust Montresor as a storyteller?
How does Montresor use the appearance of care to lead Fortunato farther into danger?
Keep the conversation going
- What role does the repeated mention of Luchesi play in their conversation?
- How do the offers to turn back sound different to Fortunato and to us?
What do the exchanges about wine, the Montresor family, and the masons suggest about the two men’s need for recognition?
Keep the conversation going
- How does Fortunato’s confidence in his expertise affect the balance of power?
- What does Montresor seem to want acknowledged about himself?
How does the journey from the carnival into the catacombs change the kind of fear the story creates?
Keep the conversation going
- What do the bells on Fortunato’s cap contribute as the setting grows darker?
- How does the slow description of building the wall affect you differently from a sudden act of violence?
How do you understand Fortunato’s attempt to call the imprisonment a joke?
Keep the conversation going
- What changes when he mentions the people waiting at the palazzo?
- How does Montresor’s repetition of Fortunato’s words affect the final exchange?
What might Montresor want from the person he addresses so long after the killing?
Keep the conversation going
- How do you read his explanation that the damp caused his heart to grow sick?
- What possibilities does the final wish for peace leave open?
How does the ending measure up to Montresor’s own opening conditions for successful revenge?
Keep the conversation going
- What can we tell about whether Fortunato understands why he is being punished?
- What distinction does the story invite between escaping discovery and putting an injury behind oneself?
How does Poe make such a short story so complete, with no word wasted?
Keep the conversation going
- Which detail would you miss most if it were cut?
- How does the story compare with Poe's other tales of guilt and confession, such as "The Tell-Tale Heart"?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.