Fortunato Character Analysis

The antagonist of the narrator of "The Cask of Amontillado, who (according to the narrator) mysteriously wronged the narrator years earlier. A lover of vintage wines and carnival attire, Fortunato appears as an eccentric character, suited to the eccentric city of Venice. His fate is sealed when the narrator tells Fortunato that he has bought a special case of Amontillado, a legendary wine. Fortunato's bizarre hyperactive nature is shown in his obsession with the word Amontillado, which he repeats like a chant, but as the narrator gains his revenge by walling Fortunato up into a living tomb in the deepest vault of the narrator’s house, Fortunato's laughter becomes tragic, and then he falls silent.