The Cask Of Amontillado William Shakespeare - 1450 Words

Melanie Bottini Ruiz-Velasco English 221 Final Paper 17 December 2014 The Cask of Amontillado: Shakespeare in American Literature There are a few names in literature which represent the ability to captivate an audience with suspense and gloom. Though masters of different genres, Edgar Allen Poe and William Shakespeare both embody this unique ability. One of Poe’s work in particular resembles the beauty and darkness that is found in Shakespeare’s tragedies. In the intriguing short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† two wealthy gentlemen from an Italian, wine-loving village go off to find a barrel of expensive medium-dry sherry to share amidst a happy carnival, and the stakes rise when one of the men betrays his friend, chaining and trapping him deep in the catacombs. The jolly and fun-loving Fortunato is assumed to be unfortunately slowly killed by the narrator, Montresor. The relationship between these two men and the struggles presented throughout the entire first-person recollection of the fictional Montresor created by Edgar Allan Poe uses many of the literary elements that are promin ent in William Shakespeare’s revenge tragedies. The most basic elements of this story have direct connections and references to the Bard’s works and style. The story is set in an Italian town amidst a drunk and merry festival. Fortunato is wearing bells and a conical hat, compared to a jester in his lighthearted celebratory nature. In contrast, Montresor is a manipulative and spitefulShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Cask Of Amontillado 1533 Words   |  7 PagesMujahid Ali Syed Professor Herbert English 2 4/9/15 Much Ado About Amontillado â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a story centralized on a man’s burning desire to achieve a pure state of revenge. The imagery in this story is of great importance as it is integral to the plot of the story. In addition, the symbolism of the surroundings and objects in the story play a huge role in how the story unfolds and takes shape. Also, arguably the most dynamic literary device in the story is irony as it maintainsRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe852 Words   |  4 Pagesand his own gloomy mind. On the basis of A Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart, we can deduct that despite the uniqueness of Poe’s works there are some recurring elements in Poe’s short-stories. Generally, if anyone wanted to write a Poesque short story, here are the ingredients: a fine case of murder, a big spoonful of madness and a pinch of revenge. Despite Edgar Allan Poe being one of the inventors of detective fiction, the Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart are not about detectionRead MoreTerm Paper Edgar Allan Poes Infatuation with Death1498 Words   |  6 Pagesliterary style. By temperament and mournful personal experience, Poe was drawn into the contemporary cult of death (Kennedy 111-33.) In his shocking and lurid tales of horror, The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe reveals his obsession with death and suffering through the development of his characters and the shocking situations he exposes. The introduction of Poes famous short story, The Masque of the Red Death illustrates theRead MoreAlliteration In Leda And The Swan By Ray Bradbury1852 Words   |  8 PagesBurn it.† The reference to the books Little Black Sambo and Uncle Tom’s Cabin show allusion (Bradbury 57). Ambiguity: is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning (Literary Devices). Example: The poem â€Å"Leda and the Swan† by William Yates states, â€Å"Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.† The words â€Å"caressed† suggest that Leda gives consent to the bird, but the words â€Å"helpless†Read MoreLiterary Comparison Theme Essay example1528 Words   |  7 PagesLiterary Theme The Cask of Amontillado is an 1846 short story by Edgar Allan Poe, which gives an account of Montresor, a man who executes a plan of vengeance against his friend, whom he claims insulted him. As the narrator in the story, Montresor provides a vivid image of his plan to lure Fortunato to his death, which ends in the eventual live burial of Fortunato. The theme of revenge is the most prominent element of this story, which enables the reader follow the narrator’s character, thus gainingRead MoreEssay on Revenge In Two Literary Works1593 Words   |  7 Pagestheme is cleverly built upon throughout Hamlet; with it being the driving force behind three of the key characters in the play. Revenge is a frighteningly vicious emotion, which causes people to act blindly and without reason. In Poe’s, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, Montresor enacts revenge for reasons unknown. Hamlet in contrast, has all the motive in the world to complete his task; yet he constantly hesitate s. The text reveals that the need for revenge creates a stranglehold on the genuine emotionsRead MoreAnalysis of Poes Successes and Failures in Poetry and Fiction1745 Words   |  7 Pages and his word choice was poetic and sonorous, drawing lengthily upon the use of the gloomy o and r sounds to effect a feeling of melancholy. The same effect is found in his fiction as well for example, in the name of Montressor of The Cask of Amontillado and in the name of the cat Pluto in The Black Cat. However, Poe desired to write more seriously on literature and its state in 19th century America but his essays, while praiseworthy, made little impact on society. As Malcolm Bradbury assertsRead MoreEmily Bronte s Hamlet And Wuthering Heights 1307 Words   |  6 Pagestragedy was founded on the Elizabethan stage with Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy in 1587. This play created the revenge theme in English literature. Then William Shakespeare, influenced by Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, wrote his tragedy, Hamlet (between 1599 and 1602.) Most scholars argue that the revenge tragedies of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries proceeded from Roman Tragedies. There are some protocols of Revenge in literary works which are often madness, murders, or a ghost ofRead MoreMajor Movements Of Poetry : Poetry, Comedy, Ode And Lyric Essay1383 Words   |  6 Pagesa common practice. †¢ Romantic Poets – The Romantic period was based on the work of seven poets. It was rooted in heartfelt, personal expression. It is regarded as one of the greatest movements in poetic history. It began in the late 1790s with William Blake and ended with Lord Byron’s demise in 1824. †¢ American Transcendentalists (1836-1860) – The transcendentalists, which included poets such as Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne, organized a cohesive movement againstRead MoreSimilarities Between Edgar Allen Poes Life and His Literary Works1357 Words   |  6 Pagesreceived a strict boarding school education. He enjoyed the challenges this school brought to him. William Wagenknecht says that in Poes later story, William Wilson, about a man who struggles with the concept of good and evil, the good character was based on Edgars happy times in England.(15) With Poes newfound wealth, he immersed himself in the arts. He would often quote Cervantes or Shakespeare and add that he was envious of their literary genius. At the tender age of fifteen, someone offered