Three Main Kinds of Irony in the Cask of Amontillado - Paper Sample

Irony is a common type of literary tool either in fiction or real life. There are three main forms of irony, which include situational irony, verbal, and dramatic irony. Situational irony implies an instance in which an event's outcome contradicts the expectations of the readers or characters. Verbal irony implies a situation in which the narrator or the speaker, does something that means the opposite. Equally, dramatic irony is a type of irony that is expressed through the structure of the work such that the audience might be aware of the situation of which the characters of the work are not aware. Poe is considered a master of irony in his work, especially one particular type of irony at a given time. In this paper, I will argue that the short narrative The Cask of Amontillado is made up of elements of the three main types of irony and how the attitude and the tone of the characters portray the irony in the story.

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The irony in the narrative The Cask of Amontillado is majorly expressed through the story's main themes. The story's main theme is the desire for revenge, which Poe has taken and completely reversed by a persistent irony by establishing an ironic equivalent among Montresor and Fortunato to enhance their virtual identification towards the end (Akbar and Rawa 567). There are also several instances in the story that attest to the use of various types of irony, including Fortunato's name, which appears to be quite ironic (Arntzen n.p). Fortunato's name can be possibly assumed to be fortunate, although as the story unveils, the character does not appear to be fortunate (Akbar and Rawa 567). Generally, the use of irony in the story plays a critical role in engaging the readers to determine the possible outcomes by realizing the difference between the actual and the expected events.

Poe utilizes verbal irony in his narrative The Cask of Amontillado to create suspense, foreshadow the possible end of events, and even add some sense of humor to the story. There is every aspect of verbal irony in Montresor's words, especially when he is worried about the cough of Fortunato and the possible impacts of the walls of the wine cellar that are niter-covered (Akbar and Rawa 568). Montresor tells Fortunato, "You will be ill and I cannot be responsible" (Poe 6). Montresor also acts as if he is concerned about the cough Fortunato and says "We will go back. Your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, and beloved; you are happy, as I once was. You are a man to be missed" (Poe 6). However, Fortunato responds by telling Montresor not to be worried; "The cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I will not die of a cough" (Poe 6). Montresor then supports Fortunato, and then they carry on with their journey. The irony is expressed in how the reader can tell the evil gleam from the gaze of Montresor because he knows how Fortunato will die (Saxton 16).

Verbal irony is also manifested later when Montresor pops a container of wine and pledges to Fortunato, saying, "To your long life" (Poe 6). At the same time, he knows that his demise may be nearer. Verbal irony generally implies that what is expressed by the figure of speech is contrary to what is expected. Hence, there are various instances of verbal satire in the story The Cask of Amontillado, beginning with the protagonists' names, which mean the opposite of what they portray. For instance, Fortunato implies good fortune or someone with luck even though the character in the story is the exact opposite of what his name suggests, and his bad fortune results in his demise. Verbal irony is also evident when Montresor rushes to Fortunato and tells him, "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met" (Poe 4). The irony in Montresor's words to Fortunato is evident in the meaning because he means that he is personally pleased to meet Fortunato and is aware of how he will benefit from meeting him. Fortunato then asks Montresor if he is a Freemason to which he accepts even though what Montresor implies is that he is a mason because he will be burying Fortunato with mortar and bricks.

Another instance of verbal irony is evident when Montresor seems to be worried about the wellbeing of Fortunato as they continue traveling into the catacombs and even tells him "We will go back, your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved, you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me, it does not matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible" (Poe 5). Fortunato then responds, saying, "I shall not die of a cough" (Poe 6), and then Montresor replies that it is true. Nonetheless, it is ironic since Montresor has no intentions, and neither is he concerned about Fortunato's health. The irony is evident to the audience because Montresor's sole intention since the beginning of the narrative is to kill Fortunato out of the desire for revenge.

Another style of irony evident in the story is dramatic sarcasm, which implies that the audience has an awareness of the situations and conflicts, and the resolutions while the characters have no idea. The irony is evident in how Fortunato feels delighted by the taste of rare wine and insists on getting more of Amontillado (Saxton 16). However, the irony of the situation is that Amontillado is a product of the creation of Montresor to deteriorate the health of Fortunato and put him to his unfortunate death, and believes it is in the vaults of the Montresor family. Fortunato even claimed that he almost forgot about the cold, which is ironic because the cold will not affect him since his death is near.

Dramatic irony is also evident when Fortunato acknowledges Montresor as his friend when the audience is already aware that Montresor is not an associate but an enemy with murderous intentions. Fortunato also drank and toasted those buried in the catacombs without any knowledge that he was about to go in that direction. Montresor's face tells him he is a mason is equally ironic because he means soon he will be burying him with brick and mortar. Therefore, dramatic irony is significantly used in the story to make the narrative more appealing. Fortunato never felt that his demise was often contemplated because he believed Montresor was his dear friend and the imaginary Amontillado was all he thought (Wei 94).

Another type of irony evident in the narrative is situational irony, which implies the unexpected outcome of the audience's events. The first aspect of situational irony in the story comes with the misinterpretation of the word "cask," which implies "barrel of wine." However, a casket is used in the narrative to mean a coffin. Fortunato expresses his belief that he will eventually access a “cask of wine” when he, in reality, meets his casket (Wei 94). Situational irony is also evident in the name Fortunato's misinterpretation, which is Italian for "Fortunate" or "Lucky." However, the character does not portray any luck and instead ends up as a prisoner in the catacombs. Fortunato is an embodiment of situational irony because it does not portray the character's personality as would have been expected by the readers (Saxton 16). Montresor also embraces Fortunato with a smiling face, which he keeps for a long time even though he is the mastermind of Fortunato's death.

Another instance of situational sarcasm is when Fortunato inquires Montresor if he is a craftsman, and Montresor acknowledges and even displays him a trowel as proof. However, Montresor says "With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche" (Poe 9), meaning that he uses the trowel to construct walls that will help entomb Fortunato forever. There is also an unexpected turnout of events when Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall even though it would be thought that his intention was to lead him to the Amontillado, which is a fake illusion. "A moment more and I had fettered him to the granite….withdrawing the key I stepped back from the recess" (Poe 8). After fulfilling his desire for revenge, Montresor does not appear to be worried about the felony he has just committed but rather appears concerned about what would be the weather outcome outside the catacombs (Min 57). Situational irony is also evident when the readers realize that Montresor informed his servants that he would not be home; hence they are not supposed to stir until then, raising suspicion among the readers (Min 57). The instance is an example of situational irony because Montresor uses reverse psychology to ensure they are not home when he comes with Fortunato.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado, is made up of several ironic instances, and the attitude and tone of the characters portray the irony in the story in various ways. Montresor, who is the protagonist in the story, appears to have been offended severally by Fortunato and acts ironically by showing friendship to him as he plots his revenge. The desire for revenge is one of the major themes in the story and the avenue through which various ironic circumstances are revealed. Montresor plots his revenge and entices Fortunato, who is drunk, to the underground catacombs by promising to let him have the taste of Amontillado wine, which is kept in the catacombs. The irony in the narrative is revealed in how Fortunato is lured to his death with the illusion of Amontillado wine's cask. Montresor chains him and constructs a wall hence burying him alive. The whole interaction and the context of Montresor and Fortunato's conversation are ironic and present various instances of unexpected turnout of events.

Work Cited

Akbar, Nadia Ali, and Rawa Jawad Khadim. "Irony in The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Good Man is Hard to Find by Mary Flannery O'Connor." Basic Education College Magazine For Educational and Humanities Sciences 33 (2017): 567-578.

Arntzen, Elysia. "The Cask of Amontillado." (2018).

Min, Y. U. "The Ironic Double of Sin and Revenge: Concept of Revenge in Edgar Allen Poe and Nathanial Hawthorne." Studies in Literature and Language 18.2 (2019): 55-60.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The cask of Amontillado. The Creative Company, 2008.

Saxton, Audrey. "The Devil's in the Details: A Characterization of Montresor in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism 10.1 (2017): 16.

Wei Yuan. "Gothic Qualities in The Cask of Amontillado." Overseas English 18 (2018): 94.