The Cask of Amontillado is a story that combines horror and humor. The author does that in order to make the story not so horrific for the reader, as the comic effect Poe creates throughout the story alleviates the terror of Fortunato’s death. The humor typical of The Cask of Amontillado may be called pervasive or grotesque, where the author mixes horror and humor to create a comic effect.
The story almost does not contain any humorous scenes, as the author uses mainly linguistic means for humorous effect. For instance, the name of one of the protagonists, Fortunato, is connected with the word fortunate, which signifies good fortune or a lucky person. However, the character’s fate does not match the meaning of his name because it is hard to call the death in the vaults a manifestation of good fortune. Apart from that, Fortunato’s dress also contributes to the comic effect of the story. When Montresor meets him at the beginning of the story, Fortunato wears a court jester costume (Poe). This character is a comic figure, and this image contradicts Fortunato’s grotesque death.
When speaking about Montresor, it is necessary to mention that both his words and actions make the reader see the terrible death that awaits Fortunato as a joke. Through Montresor’s interpretation of the situation, the author makes death seem not as horrific from the beginning of the story till the end. Montresor does not treat seriously all the torments that await Fortunato, which is displayed in his calm manner of immuring him (Poe). It may be considered a manifestation of horror because Montresor’s extreme tranquility when he hears Fortunato’s screams and responds to him makes the reader feel uneasy and think that the character is mad. The image of the vaults also contributes to creating a horror effect in the story. The dark and damp dungeons with bones strengthen the tension and are associated with something terrifying that awaits at the end of the story.
Throughout the story, Poe uses several words and phrases that insinuate the reader to what is going to happen. For instance, the wine Montresor suggests Fortunato drink to lessen his cog is called Medoc (Poe). Readers who know at least something about wine may understand that Medoc is the poisoned wine. Montresor, however, confirms that Fortunato will not die from the cog if he drinks that wine which also contains some black irony since Montresor knows that Fortunato will die but not from the cog.
Apart from the linguistic means, Poe also uses imagery to mix horror and humorous effect and mitigate the terror of the story. The first image that he implements appears at the very beginning of the story when the characters meet. Montresor meets Fortunato in the evening during the carnival season, and the image of the carnival contrasts with the image of the vaults where the main actions take place (Poe). Carnival is associated with life, joy, and happiness. It is a time when people have fun, and so does Fortunato. It is ironic that death awaits him on a day when everybody is happy, and such negative and sad things seem to be far away.
Taking into consideration everything mentioned above, it is possible to conclude that the story The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is a mix of horror and grotesque humor. The comic effect is achieved mainly by different linguistic means but not the actions of the characters. The humor helps the author mitigate the horror in the story, while the latter enables the reader to sympathize with Fortunato because of the death that awaits him.
Work Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Virginia University.