Plot in The Cask of Amontillado

Montresor constantly addresses Fortunato as "my friend" and refers to him as "my friend." He is not being ironic. He wants to have everyone think that he and Fortunato are the best of friends. Consequently he has conditioned himself to think of Fortunato as his friend in spite of the fact that he hates him and plans to kill him. When Fortunato's disappearance is discovered there will be a thorough investigation—but no one will suspect Montresor of foul play because the two men were known to be such great friends.

Once again Montresor pretends to think Fortunato is expected somewhere. This time Fortunato gives him the answer that satisfies him and frees him to go ahead with his revenge.

Montresor is fishing for information. He wants to make sure that Fortunato is not expected anywhere that evening. If, for example, Fortunato were expected at home and didn't show up, his wife might send out relatives and servants to find him. Montresor would like Fortunato's disappearance to go unnoticed until the next day at the earliest. By then many people might remember having seen him but would not remember anything else.

The fact that Fortunato is so conspicuously dressed might seem to make Montresor's task harder, but in fact the jester's costume and the cap-and-bells are an asset because Fortunato attracts all the attention and makes Montresor, dressed all in black and wearing a black mask, like a shadow. It doesn't matter how many people remember seeing Fortunato, as long as they don't remember seeing anyone with him on the night of his disappearance.

Poe seems uninterested in explaining Montresor’s reasons for killing Fortunato. The feat of committing a murder without getting caught is itself a large enough problem; Montresor’s motivations, however, are beside the point. The most important details are, therefore, that Montresor has resolved to kill Fortunato from the beginning (“…this was a point definitely settled…”) and that he assumes the reader—his confidant, “who so well know[s] the nature of my soul”—already knows why.

Nitre is another word for the mineral form of potassium nitrate. This mineral is toxic when breathed for extended periods of time or in high concentration. Poe gives Fortunato a severe cold for a purpose, as the nitre makes him cough frequently and keeps him from asking a lot of questions about the Amontillado that Montresor might not be able to answer.

In the beginning of the story, Montresor explains that an essential aspect of revenge is for the victim to be aware of the situation. This means Fortunato must become sober enough to understand that Montresor is taking his revenge upon him. Montresor designs his plot of revenge with this in mind, chaining Fortunato up and then allowing him to slowly realize what has happened.

Rheum is a thick watery discharge from the eyes. Poe uses vivid description in this line to emphasize how intoxicated Fortunato currently is. Notice how Poe continues to use Fortunato’s intoxication to help Montresor set the stage for his revenge.

Notice how Poe abruptly ends one scene and opens another immediately in the next line. The reader is given the impression that the two men arrived at Montresor's palazzo with great haste and without any unforeseen problems such as bumping into a common acquaintance along the way.

Poe sets his story during the carnival season in order to give Montresor the perfect cover for his plan. Like everyone else on the streets of Venice, Fortunato is drunk and in a festive mood, which makes him easier to fool. The carnival also distracts the attention of any bystanders who might otherwise notice Monstresor leading Fortunato to his palazzo.

Fortunato likely knows that Montresor is knowledgeable enough about Italian wines that he would not require expert advice to purchase them. Further, given that Montresor is a French name, Fortunato likely assumes that Montresor does not need his help judging French wines. Therefore, it is plausible that Montresor chooses the Amontillado, a rare Spanish wine, to appeal to Fortunato’s arrogance and lure him into his snare. Fortunato, in turn, does not find it suspicious that Montresor needs his advice about such a rare wine.

Recall the earlier pun regarding Montresor's status as a mason and as a source of dark humor. When the pun is first presented, drunken Fortunato thinks his friend is being a fool. Now the trowel that he thought of as a joke is the instrument of Montresor's ruthless revenge.

Poe uses alcohol as a plot device throughout the story. In this passage, we learn that Fortunato's obsession with wine allows Montresor the opportunity to take advantage of it. Note how Montresor continues to use wine throughout the rest of the story to achieve his gruesome goal.