A murderer without a conscience.

Prof. Osborne

English 1302

Texas Wesleyan University

What happens when a friend betrays another? An association supposed to be pure and untouched by the evils of the world, diluted by jealousy and anger. A deep-seated resentment against someone is not unusual in literature, but the lengths at which Montresor goes to in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” justifies his vendetta is a rare occurrence. Moreover, he does this without any visible signs of inner turmoil. It is hard to imagine living with the knowledge that someone has taken the life of another person. Shakespeare wrote a whole play about the guilt a nobleman turned conspirator feels in the Scottish play. So, why doesn’t the narrator of this story not feel any guilt for murdering his friend? Is it true that guilt is the sign of weakness a person who carries on with his/her task without conviction feels? Or is it just the result of the ringing in the back of people’s head when they know that what they did is in reality absolutely wrong?

One possible way of explaining Montresor’s inability to summon even an ounce guilt is his incompetence to form a genuine human relationship with the people around him. Right from the start his ideas of self-importance precede everything else. The thoughts running through his mind are either a revenge fantasy or the shame of supposed insult that Fortunato brought upon his family. It is also important to note that Montresor’s cautious as well as somewhat emotionally aloof personality compels him to pull his guards up when interacting with others in a social gathering. However, a greater display of abandon is expressed when he is pondering upon his intentions in solitude. Poe intricately structures his ability to hide behind a mask and pretend as if nothing happened fairly early on in the story. It is one of the distinctive characteristics that Montresor possesses, therefore, worth examining in detail:

“It is understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my want, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (219).

This passage has inevitably validated many critics and analysts alike on the opinion they held about the conflict in the story. Rehana Whatley, for instance, harshly stated that Poe failed to emphasize that Fortunato and Montresor were friends. This beginning opened the way for Montresor to pass careless comments that implied the impending death of Fortunato in the end. She simply describes the hate Montresor carries as “…the source of his pain, and misery” (Whatley). It is throughout the unfolding of the circumstance that the readers come to know about the meticulous details Montresor had arranged for to slay Fortunato. From his knowledge of the servants’ disobedience to the predictable annoyance Fortunato feels at the mere mention of Luchresi, all are few examples that come up to highlight Montresor's presence of mind.

While Fortunato was an impulsive man who took decisions instinctively that is visible when he could not believe that Montresor would invite Luchresi over him to drink the fine Amontillado, Montresor is the more methodical and vigilant towards his approach towards his life. All he wanted was to hurt Fortunato the same way he had unknowingly hurt him. Montresor did not care for his friend’s life and knew that the act of trapping him in the catacomb would end his life. In an analysis by Whatley, she mentioned that “Montresor’s mind is crystal clear as he leads his friend calculatedly to his catacombs” (Whatley). This statement not true since this cruel act by Montresor reeks of a distorted vision of human life. This decision taken with a malice intent is what some would call a depraved-heart murder. An article in times.com described depraved-heart murder as, “…the form that establishes that the willful doing of a dangerous and reckless act with wanton indifference to the consequences and perils involved…” (Rotham). In Montresor’s case, it is evident that the blurred ideology of class and social status removed him of any shred of humanity which is fundamental for any neurotypical person.

Throughout the plot against Fortunato, Montresor does not demonstrate any sense of regret whether it is before, during and or even after committing the crime. Some psychological analysis can be utilized to explicate this sin. First of all, Montresor displayed multiple signs of being a psychopath. This word is used quite liberally nowadays, but not every criminal can be categorized as mentally unstable. However, most criminals with malice are constituted in two pop-psychological brackets: sociopath and psychopath. A sociopath vastly differs from a psychopath. They get their antisocial personality from the surroundings they exist in, whereas psychopaths tend to be intrinsic. A well-known psychologist Dr. Scott Bonn has assumed most psychopaths to be “well-educated, holding steady jobs.” Obviously, Montresor appeared as a wealthy gentlemen, who seemed knowledgeable and was born into a great family. Also, both Fortunato, as well as Montresor, have a great “connoisseurship in wine”.

Another key factor that justifies Montresor to be a psychopath is his idea of revenge and the criminal plan that he had set up in accordance to when, where, and how it was going to occur. This obsessively keen detail to attention does ring a few warning bells. Additionally, he had also done intense research on the victim’s personality and weaknesses. Dr. Bonn already clarified that psychopaths tend to plan everything in details and try to minimize risks for themselves. In a seemingly disturbing incidence of Andrei Chikalito the murder case of “The Monster in Rostov” people came to know that he had planned the event for twelve years to kill fifty-five peoples. This time taken for intensive planning makes them “…learn to mimic emotions, despite their inability to feel them, and will appear normal to unsuspecting people” (“How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath”). Likewise, Montresor plays with his victim like a toy, whose interest in wine lures him into the dark catacombs. Most psychopaths commit their crimes in smooth and calm ways since they are very manipulative and appear trustworthy ("How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath"). Fortunato had no doubt about his friend and the way he was going to die. He made his perfect plan with “Amontillado” as the bait and a third person Luchresi as a catalyst to further strengthen and pull the victim towards his goal. They go deeper and deeper to Montresor’s vault, where the poor drunken Fortunato finally awakens to realize himself tethering into the wall. He starts to scream and it suddenly gives Montresor hesitancy. Is it a thrill of the killer? A conscience in him is recalling? No psychopaths have a significant failure to feel remorse. In case they get caught, their only regret is not being careful enough or blame the defense lawyers ("How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath"). As being determined a psychopath, Montresor just hesitates for a while to see how much life left in his victim, like any other cases in reality shown. He hesitates to enjoy the screaming, enjoy his “mission accomplished”. The sign of a psychopath in him is also shown at the ending of the crime when unfortunate Fortunato stops making noise and stays in silence. “My heart grew sick” was the thought of Montresor is genuinely without any guilty. It can be said that he had run out of the enjoyment when he made an end to his cat and mouse game when his prey was growing weak, and he has nothing to torture.

In conclusion we can say that, any person who shows a neurotypical behavior would not react the way Montresor did. It is already proven than he displayed many hints of psychopathic behaviors. In addition to that his lack of remorse at the end of his friend’s life, his large ego got in the way of attaching oneself to basic human relationship. Every relationship has its ups and downs but that does not mean that people can go around murdering other people without complete justification.

Works cited

"How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Rotham, Lily. “What is ‘Depraved-Heart Murder’?” Times.com. 7 May. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Whatley, Rehana. “Confessions Within a Confession: Poe’s Brave New World In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’”,

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado” Godrey’s Lady Book Nov. 1846: Print

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