A man with a vendetta against Fortunato because of an unexplained wrong Fortunato committed against him long ago. The narrator goes to great lengths of manipulation to secure his revenge, showing cunning and intelligence. But the undescribed original wrong, and the narrator's frantic effort to get Fortunato to react in some way as he walls him into a living tomb, raises questions about the narrator's motives, and whether there was even an original wrong in the first place.
Narrator (The Cask of Amontillado) Quotes in Poe's Stories
The Poe's Stories quotes below are all either spoken by Narrator (The Cask of Amontillado) or refer to Narrator (The Cask of Amontillado). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Cask of Amontillado
Quotes
I must not only punish but punish with impunity. 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.
Related Characters:
Narrator (The Cask of Amontillado) (speaker), Fortunato
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Narrator (The Cask of Amontillado) Character Timeline in Poe's Stories
The timeline below shows where the character Narrator (The Cask of Amontillado) appears in Poe's Stories. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Cask of Amontillado
The narrator of "Amontillado" begins by telling us about his friend, Fortunato, who had ‘injured’ him many times over...
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...show up foreigners, but Fortunato’s appreciation for Italian vintages is sincere. This is an interest the narrator of "Amontillado" shares. And suitably, it was in a drunken state that Fortunato appeared to the narrator,...
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The narrator of "Amontillado" is very excited to see him and tells him about a predicament he has with...
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The narrator of "Amontillado" tells him not to worry, that he is going to visit another expert, Luchesi, and...
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They arrive at the narrator’s house, which is empty of servants, as the narrator of "Amontillado" had expected. He had told them to stay in the house, but he had said...
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The narrator of "Amontillado" suggests they drink some Medoc to protect them from the elements. Fortunato proposes a toast...
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The narrator of "Amontillado" describes how the nitre is increasing as they go further in. They are now under...
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The narrator of "Amontillado" mentions Luchesi again, but Fortunato is determined to go ahead. He disappears with his torch...
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The narrator of "Amontillado" now goes to the pile of bones and digs about until he finds some building...
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At midnight, the narrator of "Amontillado" has almost finished the wall. There is just one brick to place, but as he...
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