Since he believes there is perversity in Fortunato he tells Fortunato to turn back knowing all the time that he will not. Part of the way into the trip Montresor tells Fortunato, “No one attacks me without paying dearly”(151). Poe is using foreshadowing to tell the reader that something bad is to happen to Fortunato. This is just after Fortunato drank another bottle of wine, so he does not even realize what this statement means. “The Cask of Amontillado” is ironic in subtle ways that may be hard to pick up. When Montresor offers Fortunato something to drink Fortunato, “the victim drinks to the buried, and the murderer drinks to Fortunato’s long life”(Mabbott item 30). This is very ironic because Montresor is about to kill Fortunato even though he just toasted to his long life. Fortunato is about to join all of the dead that he just toasted to. The name Fortunato is unmistakably ironic because it is so closely related to the word fortunate and the name Fortuna. Fortunate means having good luck and Fortuna is the Roman god of fortune. Another use of irony is that this murder happened during the carnival season when everyone is having fun and not worrying about anything. Fortunato is even wearing “motley” (149) which is a clown costume to convey the fun of the time. During this grim time, “Fortunato, although immobilized, races to meet Death with only a jingling of the bells on his clown’s hat”(Cervo 156). It is very ironic that Fortunato dies while wearing one of the funniest costumes that is at the carnival. Redd 7 Imagery plays an important role in the story. Montresor says, “The vaults are insufferably damp”(150). This lets the reader know what the vaults feel like. This could also refer to the damp feeling that the reader and Fortunato will later have in the story. Poe explains the scene of the crime, “Its walls had been lined with human remains...
