The Cask of Amontillado

"The Cask of Amontillado"

By Edgar Allan Poe

1st published November 1846

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Situational irony: when the opposite of the expected takes place

Verbal irony: when the opposite of what is meant is said; not
necessarily sarcasm

Dramatic irony: when the reader/audience knows something
characters in the text do not know

Indirect
Characterization

Say

Think

Effect on Otherson others

Actions

Looks

Point of View (Perspective)

1st person: There is a narrator who is telling the story. "I, me, we"

2nd person: Directions or instructions are 2nd person "you"

3rd limited: Not a part of the story, 3rd limited can only report what is
seen or heard, like a camera. No internal thoughts or feelings "they"

3rd omniscient: Also not a part of the story, 3rd omniscient is "all-
knowing" & can report on characters' thoughts/feelings/motivations

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC.

Manipulating Time to Build Suspense

Authors manipulate time in multiple ways to create
tension in a text.

Pacing is the deliberate slowing down or speeding up
of portions of a text to increase the tension.
Flashbacks are transitions from the current
chronological flow of the text to previous events. There
are two types of flashbacks—those that recount events
that happened before the story started and those that
take the reader back to an event that already
happened but that the character is considering again.

In "The Cask of Amontillado", as with many Poe stories,
the events have already happened & the narrator is
recounting them to...someone.

Review

• Point of View: 1st person= narrator, uses I, limits perspective to one person but

gives some insight into their thoughts & feelings, never to be trusted entirely

• Characterization: Use STEAL to find evidence for what kind of person a

character is portrayed to be in a text

• Setting: Time & place provides context, establishes mood, furthers plot,

advances theme. Pay attention because they matter.

• Irony: Verbal (saying the opposite of what is meant) Situational (the opposite of

the expected happens) & Dramatic (we know things the characters don’t) are
all present in this text

• Elements of Suspense: limit the p.o.v, ask a question & delay the answer, use

dramatic irony, use the setting to establish the mood

Please open Actively Learn...

We are going to listen to an audio recording, complete with sound effects,
of the text of "The Cask of Amontillado". The link to the audio is also
included in our Actively Learn assignment, so you can listen again if
needed.
There are 3 multiple choice questions throughout the text, and one
extended response at the end. Please follow along as we read. I will be
pausing regularly to ask questions, explain elements, & provide
clarity. While we read, consider:
How is Montresor developing as a character throughout the text? What
is your evidence? How does he advance the plot & develop the theme?
How does Poe build suspense throughout the text?

Closure

• Thoughts? Reactions? Why do you think we are reading

this story 174 years after it was first published?

• Traits of Montresor

• Deceptive
• Manipulative

• How did Poe build suspense throughout the text?

• Limited p.o.v, narrator talking about revenge
• Unsuspecting victim (dramatic irony)
• Slow pacing until climax, then super-fast (catches

victim & audience off guard)