The Cask of Amontillado

What phrase in the first paragraph is an example of a hyperbole?

"...the thousand injuries..."

What is it about Montresor that makes him an especially effective enemy to Fortunato?

Montresor is a friend of Fortunato (keep your friends close and your enemies closer)

Clever tricks Montresor uses to lure Fortunato into his "trap."

* He waits until Fortunato is intoxicated at the carnival.
* He plays "hard to get" with Fortunato when asking about an expert's opinion on wine.
* He pretends to care about Fortunato's cough.
* He uses reverse psychology to persuade him to come with him into the catacombs.

Where is the story set?

The story is set in Italy during Carnival

Foreshadowing in the story

"...the cough is mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough." -Fortunato
-OR-
"And I [drink] to your long life." -Montresor

What was Poe's intention behind the names of the two main characters? (Fortunato and Montresor)

Fortunato = fortunate (irony)
Montresor = monster (villain )

What is amontillado?

Amontillado is a fine, red, Spanish wine.

Montresor gives Fortunato a Medoc (a sip of wine) and also drinks some himself. What is the real reason for Montresor drinking the Medoc, too?

The real reason Montresor drinks is because he knows what he is about to do to his "friend"

What makes Montresor hesitant at the end of the story?

Montresor hears Fortunato screaming as he is chained to the wall.

"I passed down a long and winding staircase, requesting him (Fortunato) to be cautious as he followed," is an example of what literary device?

What is: IRONY

What did Montresor pull out of his cloak when he and Fortunato were discussing the mason pun?

He had a trowel: a mason's tool for building.

Where is the mood shift in the beginning of the story?

The mood at first is comical, cheerful, exciting as the two men are at the carnival. The mood shifts to creepy, mysterious, dark after Montresor puts on a disguise & they head for the catacombs..

Why did Montresor want revenge on Fortunado?

That is not revealed in the story. All we know is that he felt insulted.

Why wasn't Fortunado alarmed by Montresor carrying a trowel?

He was too intoxicated.

What is ironic about the setting of the story?

A murder takes place during Carnival.

When Fortunado says, "I shall not die of a cough" this is an example of______________.

Irony

The following is an example of ___________. "We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux to glow than flame."

imagery

Fortunato's clown hat and costume is symbolic of what?

He is a fool to get caught in Montresor's trap.

Montresor is an especially effective enemy to Fortunato because he acts like what?

a friend

Montresor's coat of arms (family shield)

"A huge human foot d'or (of gold), in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent (snake) rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel."

Themes in the story

revenge, deception or betrayal, pride

unreliable narrator

not believable based on characters or the situation

reliable narrator

believable based on characters or the situation

Who is the author of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Edgar Allen Poe

What is the setting of the "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Venice, Italy - during carnival season

What is the conflict in the "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor wants revenge on Fortunato for insulting him.

Who are the characters in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Montresor
Fortunato

What is the theme of "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Be careful what you say; revenge

What is the resolution of the "The Cask of Amontillado?

Montresor kills Fortunato

What are Montresor & Fortunato connoisseurs of?

wine

Why is Montresor seeking revenge on Montresor?

Fortunato almost insults him

Where does Montresor meet up with Fortunato?

the carnival

What is the mood of the story?

dark, ominous, foreboding

Why is the narrator happy to meet Fortunato?

Everything is going according to plan.

Why does Montressor warn Fortunato about the air in the vaults?

He does not want Fortunato to become suspicious.

Montressor walls up Fortunato in a niche in the wall of the catacombs.
A. Exposition B. Rising Action C. Climax
D. Falling Action E. Resolution

C. Climax

The reader learns Montressor feels that Forunato insulted him.
A. Exposition B. Rising Action C. Climax
D. Falling Action E. Resolution

A. Exposition

Montressor shares with the reader that for at least 50 years nobody has disturbed Fortunato's bones.
A. Exposition B. Rising Action C. Climax
D. Falling Action E. Resolution

E. Resolution

Fortunato follows Montressor deep into his catacombs, despite heavy foreshadowing of
Fortunato's doom.
A. Exposition B. Rising Action C. Climax
D. Falling Action E. Resolution

B. Rising Action

Fortunato laughs nervously at what he hopes is a joke by Montressor.
A. Exposition B. Rising Action C. Climax
D. Falling Action E. Resolution

D. Falling Action

Which character's thoughts and feelings are shared with the reader?
A. Fortunato
B. Montressor
C. The unnamed narrator

B. Montressor

Which of the following themes is exemplified in the story?
A. Montressor buried Forunato alive.
B. Always follow your instincts and do what you feel is best in life.
C. Vengeance can drive individuals to perform extreme acts.
D. One's ego can cause great misfortune in one's life.

C. Vengeance can drive individuals to perform extreme acts.

Is Montressor dynamic or static?
A. Dynamic
B. Static

B. Static

Who is the protagonist?
A. Fortunato
B. Montressor

B. Montressor

Who is the antagonist?
A. Fortunato
B. Montressor

Fortunato

Which of the following applies to the setting of the story?
A. Carnival season
B. Catacombs
C. 1800's
D. All of the above

D. All of the above

Montresor knows Fortunato's weakness (or character flaw) is
A) his ego C) his health
B) his knowledge of Italy's history D) his wealth

A) his ego

Fortunato's costume of a jester is important to note because
A) He often jests about his knowledge of wine.
B) He is foolish about going into the catacombs with his severe cold.
C) Montresor plays him for a fool.
D) All of the above.

D) All of the above.

"A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed
when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong."
What does this mean?
unredressed = not set right retribution = repayment avenger = one who takes revenge
A) It's wrong to undress around a vengeful person who feels equally wrong.
B) People who obsess over revenge are unable to achieve satisfactory vengeance if the
one they despise doesn't suffer.
C) An insult is not forgiven unless the retribution is in the millions of dollars.
D) Redressing an avenger makes the wronged feel unredressed if the injury was severe.

B) People who obsess over revenge are unable to achieve satisfactory vengeance if the one they despise doesn't suffer.

While acting the mason, Montresor pauses to listen to a noise that lasts for several
minutes so that he might "hearken to it with the more satisfaction." This act leads the reader
to infer that he
A) might be capable of committing other atrocities.
B) has a weak heart and needs a rest.
C) is afraid he might become haunted by Fortunato's ghost.
D) will return to his position as a model citizen.

A) might be capable of committing other atrocities.

"The thousand injuries of Fortunado I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured
upon insult, I vowed revenge" (62).
Based on this quote alone, it is clear that the story's point of view is
A) 1st person D) 3rd person omniscient
B) 2nd person E) 3rd person objective
C) 3rd person limited

A) 1st person

Montresor removes any potential external conflicts before the story starts. Which of the
following is not one of these?
A) freeing his home of servants
B) attaching a padlock and chain to a wall
C) obtaining a real cask of Amontillado
D) hiding a trowel in his cloak

C) obtaining a real cask of Amontillado

The conflict around which the entire story revolves is
A) man versus nature C) man versus self
B) man versus society D) man versus man

D) man versus man

Montresor's coat of arms is decorated with a blue background, upon which a huge,
golden human foot crushes a serpent whose fangs are biting its heel. This symbol indicates
that the family
A) wears only snakeskin boots as they crush their opposition.
B) prides itself on its ability to obtain revenge on those who hurt them.
C) act on vengeance only out of bare necessity.
D) has blue (royal) blood and a lot of gold.

B) prides itself on its ability to obtain revenge on those who hurt them.

The word that best describes the mood of "The Cask of Amontillado" is ____.
A) Suspenseful C) Hysterical
B) Depressing D) Dramatic

A) Suspenseful

Montresor vows revenge because Fortunato
A)Threatened him C) Attacked him
B) Humiliated him D) Insulted him

D) Insulted him

Which aspect of the carnival season is most important to the events of the story?
A) Hundreds of people attend the event
B) It is a time of wild madness and excess
C) People wear fantastic costumes in the streets
D)The damp weather this time of year causes colds

C) People wear fantastic costumes in the streets

Why does Montresor warn Fortunato about the air in the vaults?
A)Montresor wants to make sure that Fortunato does not suspect his motives.
B) Montresor wants to discourage Fortunato from entering the vaults.
C)Montresor wants to avoid responsibility for Fortunato's death.
D) Montresor wants to warn Fortunato that death is near.

A) Montresor wants to make sure that Fortunato does not suspect his motives.

The skeletons in the walls of the catacombs are the remains of
A) carnival merrymakers.
B) Monstresor's ancestors
C) Montresor family enemies.
D) Monstresor's disobedient servants

B) Monstresor's ancestors

Which quotation best illustrates Montresor's true character?
A) "A draft of this Medoc will defend us from the damps."
B) "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking
today."
C) "I must not only punish but punish with impunity."
D) "And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a match for your own."

C) "I must not only punish but punish with impunity."

How are Montresor and Fortunato alike?
A) They share an interest in fine wine.
B) They have an affection for each other.
C) They both have respect for Luchesi.
D) They both have a revengeful nature.

A) They share an interest in fine wine.

Which literary device did the author rely upon when naming the character "Fortunato"?
A) Mood C) Plot
B) Tone D) Irony

D) Irony

What type of irony exists in the following statement by Montressor?
"I drink. . . to your long life" (64).
A) Dramatic
B) Situational
C) Verbal

C) Verbal

Describe the setting of the room?

dark
midnight
dreary

Describe the speaker

mysterious
suspense
sad suffering
lose of love

What does the narrator expect to find when he opens the door?

a visitor, Lenore

What does he find instead?

Darkness there and nothing more

What is his first reaction to the Raven?

amuse
smiling to have company (glad)

When the Raven first says "Nevermore" what is the speaker's guess as to why?

he though it was the birds name

What is his next guess as to why the Raven is saying "Nevermore" ?

someone taught him the word (to torture the speaker)

The theme of the Raven is best described as the pain of_______________?

loss of love

We can infer from the ending of the poem?

he will never escape from suffering, despair, or sadness

What does the Raven symbolize?

obsessive mourning

Which word in the first stanza is an example of onomatopoeia?

tapping

What does the speaker feel when he first thinks that Lenore may be at his door?

hope and terror (scared)

Paraphrase lines 55-56

that the Raven only spoke one word

List 3 verbs that show what the poem's narrator is doing in the first stanza

napping
pondered
nodded

The narrator of the poem is sad because his lost love is dead. What is her name and how does he try to escape his sorrow?

Lenore, by reading

What fills the narrator's heart with terror in stanza 3?

the movement of purple curtains

What does the narrator see when he first opens the chamber door (stanza 4)?

darkness

In stanza 7, the Raven flies into the narrator's chamber, where does the Raven perch?

bust of Pallas over the chamber door

What is the Raven's only answer to the narrator's questions?

Nevermore

In stanza 12, the narrator sits down in front of the raven, what is the narrator thinking as he looks at the bird?

he was trying to figure out why the bird kept saying "Nevermore"

As the poem progresses, the narrator becomes more and more furious with the raven. Why does he become so angry?

because the Raven never answered his questions and he kept saying "Nevermore"

Where is the raven at the end of the poem (stanza 18)? What does the raven's presence tell the reader about the narrator's grief?

still sitting, he will keep suffering

Edgar Allan Poe is famous for using symbolism in his stories and poetry. How could the raven be symbol in this poem? What clues does Poe give you to imply that the raven is a symbol rather than a little creature?

raven = sadness
death
bird of prey

Poe is also famous for using allusions in his writing. Use your glossary of literary terms to define allusion. The find and write down two examples from "The Raven". Next to each example you provide, write down the type of allusion it is (literary, mythological, biblical, etc.).

allusion = bus of Pallas
Night's Plutonian share

both are myth

How would you describe the atmosphere created by the setting? Which images in the beginning of the poem create this atmosphere?

based on the mood of the narrator

Poe was born when and where

January 19, 1809 in Boston

Describe poes parents

Father abandoned him and mother died

Poes father occupation

Actor

What happened with many of the women Poe was related to that were younger?

They died

Two institutions of higher learning that Poe attended?

UVA and west point

Why was Poe kicked out of the University of Virginia?

Gambling

What name did Poe take when he enlisted in army?

Edgar perry

Poe was referred to as the "master of

Macabre

What genre is Poe famous for creating

Horror

Poe is considered father of

Modern detective story

What place in New York still today honors Poe?

Edgar Allan Poe park in the Bronx

What city take claim for Poe as their son