I believe that the murder in Edgar Allan Poe's short
story, "The Cask of Amontillado" is a combination of the pride of both
men.
We quickly suspect that Montresor is insane. He has
decided he must kill Fortunato for some unnamed reason. And we never find out, even by
the end of the story, what insult (real or imagined) Fortunato has paid
Montresor.
Montresor makes it very clear in the story
that his pride is at the root of the perceived insult, as well as
his motivation to murder Fortunato.
The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as
I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed
revenge.
Our understanding of
Fortunato's pride comes first from an observation by
Montresor.
He
had a weak point—this Fortunato—although in other regards he was a man to be respected
and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in
wine.
Montresor, knowing the
personal pride (and enormous ego) Fortunato has regarding his knowledge of wines, uses
the imaginary "cask of Amontillado" to lure Fortunato into the catacombs. His offer to
call upon another "expert" (Luchesi) because of Fortunato's limited free time and his
cold only whets Fortunato's appetite all the more to see Montresor'
treasure.
“My
friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement.
Luchesi—”“I have no
engagement;—come.”“My friend, no. It is not the
engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are
insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre.”“Let us
go, nevertheless. The cold is merely
nothing...
Montresor's
accurate appraisal of Fortunato's pride makes it all the easier to guarantee that the
other man will insist upon accompanying him underground where the imaginary wine is
supposed to be stored. It is also the season of Carnival, and as Fortunato has been
drinking already, Montresor has no difficulty in getting the other man even more
inebriated as they walk so that Fortunato suspects
nothing.
Montresor's injured pride—whatever the
cause—remains his focus for the entire story. When Montresor's
family crest and motto are discussed by the two men, it is easy to see that Montresor's
pride is something he was "fed" as he was growing up. His family's motto
is: “Nemo me impune lacessit” which means "no one attacks me with
impunity." With this piece of information, we can well understand that as long as
Montresor imagines his pride has been injured, he will not forgive and
forget.
In that Fortunato is so easy to manipulate by
playing to his ego indicates what an overblown pride he has. That, and his drinking,
make it impossible for him to think clearly, and he is unable to protect
himself.
Montresor is as predatory as a fox in the company
of chickens: Fortunato is lost as soon as he agrees to go with Montresor. Because each
man has an enormous pride, the murder assuages Montresor's injured pride, and
Fortunato's pride leads him to his doom.
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