Cask of amantilado Essays - The Cask Of Amontillado, Fortunato

Cask of amantilado Essays - The Cask Of Amontillado, Fortunato Cask of amantilado Literary Analysis Through the character of Fortunato in ?The Cask of Amontillado,? Edgar Allan Poe illustrates that hubris, or great pride or arrogance, is a major flaw in a person?s character. Fortunato is a character who always makes fun of one of his friends and doesn?t realize that it hurts his feelings. He is very arrogant in that he doesn?t care about the feelings of others. In the end his hubris turns out to be his tragic flaw and leads him to his downfall. The particular friend in question whose feelings were hurt is the narrator of this short story, Montresor. His friend Fortunato keeps insulting him but Montresor always puts on a smile. He then reveals that he doesn?t smile because of his jokes. He smiles because he is secretly plotting different ways of bringing about Fortunato?s downfall. Along with Fortunato?s great arrogance concerning other people?s feelings came a great love for drinking. This too played a vital role in his death. These were the days of great and boisterous carnivals in their city. This is when Montresor made the plan for Fortunato?s death. Montresor was not an arrogant man the way Fortunato was. He was a smart man and he knew what Fortunato?s flaws were. Fortunato?s arrogance and great pride as well as his love for drinking are what made Montresor?s plan possible. During the carnival Montresor approaches Fortunato and tells him that he has in his possession a large crate of Amontillado. Amontillado is a very expensive and rare type of wine. The Italians were very fond of their wine and Fortunato in particular considered himself to be a master of recognizing different types of wine. He had a huge ego and as soon as he heard of the possibility of Amontillado in Montresor?s possession he needed to see it and taste it right away. Montresor lights a fire under Fortunato?s ego by saying: "As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi. If any one has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me." Luchesi is another wine taster in the city. Fortunato replies with: "Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry." Then, when they progressed deep underground Fortunato developed a cough and Montresor offered to take him back so he could rest: "Come," I said, with decision, we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchesi" Fortunato replied: "Enough," he said; "the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." Fortunato was too full of pride to go back and he was too drunk to realize what Montresor was trying to do. Montresor in the end has no trouble chaining Fortunato to a wall and sealing him shut since he was so inebriated. In the end, his pride and drunkenness brought about his own downfall.