In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the story’s narrator, a nobleman named Montresor, describes his revenge against fellow noble Fortunato. Angry over numerous injuries and an unspecified insult, Montresor resolves to avenge himself without being caught, and also to make sure that Fortunato knows he is responsible. Montresor invites Fortunato to sample amontillado that he has ostensibly purchased without proving its authenticity. Intrigued by the promise of fine wine and having already drunk enough to impair his judgment, Fortunato follows him into the Montresor family vaults, which also serve as catacombs. However, there is no amontillado; Montresor instead lures him into a trap, entombing him alive within the catacombs. At the end of the story, Montresor reveals that fifty years have passed since he took revenge and Fortunato’s body has not been disturbed.
First Appearance “The Cask of Amontillado” in Godey’s Lady’s Book (November 1846)
First Publisher Godey’s Lady’s Book
Appearance List Collections: Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1923). Radio: Anthology series The Weird Circle (1944). TV: Suspense (October 11, 1949), Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (May 24, 1959). Film: Histoires extraordinaires à faire peur ou à faire rire… (1949), Tales of Terror (1962). Comics: Crime Suspenstories #3 (1951), Classics Illustrated #84 (1951), Classicos De Terror #1 (1960). Opera: Julia Perry’s The Bottle (1953).
Description In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the story’s narrator, a nobleman named Montresor, describes his revenge against fellow noble Fortunato. Angry over numerous injuries and an unspecified insult, Montresor resolves to avenge himself without being caught, and also to make sure that Fortunato knows he is responsible. Montresor invites Fortunato to sample amontillado that he has ostensibly purchased without proving its authenticity. Intrigued by the promise of fine wine and having already drunk enough to impair his judgment, Fortunato follows him into the Montresor family vaults, which also serve as catacombs. However, there is no amontillado; Montresor instead lures him into a trap, entombing him alive within the catacombs. At the end of the story, Montresor reveals that fifty years have passed since he took revenge and Fortunato’s body has not been disturbed.
