The Cask of Amontillado

Is it plausible to find an individual truthful with no concrete evidence or reliability? In addition, should you take someone's word who is not in their full conscious state of mind? In Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Cask of Amontillado", the narrator Montresor, proves to answer these questions with an emphatic "no". Montresor shows the reader that he cannot be a trusted narrator due to his unreliability and lack of motives for his actions. It is difficult to find someone truthful without evidence or a motive, yet alone someone in a drunken state of mind. Montresor, under the influence of alcohol, punishes his old friend without any reasonable motive, which shows the reader that he cannot be trusted in any circumstance.

The story begins with Montresor trying to gain revenge on his old friend Fortunato, who he believes insulted him. The first line of the story states, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge" (127). From the beginning, Montresor has trouble attaining the reader's confidence because he is seeking retribution without a cause. If Montresor gave a respectable reason for seeking revenge, he would have had a better chance to gain respect. Later in the story, Montresor claims to be a "connoisseur of wine" when trying to receive Fortuno's help on a wine tasting matter. First of all, a wine "connoisseur" who is supposed to pass judgments on wine should know not to mistreat wine, and therefore not be drunk. Why did Montresor need Fortuno's help in the first place if he claimed he was "skilful in the Italian vintages?" (127). Furthermore, Montresor explains that Fortunado "emptied" a bottle of "Medoc" (an expensive French wine) which does not seem like something a wine connoisseur would do. Wine is meant to be sipped and enjoyed, not "emptied". As Montresor and Fortunado make their way down to the "wine", Montresor sets a trap and chains his old friend Fortunado to a wall. By this point, Montresor is drunk and has lost all respect and trust from the reader.

From "The Cask of Amontillado's" very first line, Montresor cast doubt upon his story. With no reason for committing a murder in such a gruesome way, the reader can easily view Montresor as insane. Montresor's murder of Fortunato without a probable cause, and his misuse of wine as a wine connoisseur, show that his story can easily be distrusted. A story about punishment without proof, told by the questionably insane and drunken Montresor is enough reason in its own to not perceive it as truthful.