Montresor’s family traditions give an implication to his feelings of revenge. He describes his family arms as “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are embedded in the heel” (14). The arms suggest that the Montresor family is strong, so he will crush anyone or anything that attacks him or his family. In the context of the story, Fortunato is represented by the serpent, while Montresor is represented by the foot crushing the serpent. As the serpent injured the foot by biting it, Fortunato injured Montresor by insulting him and his family, and as the foot crushes the serpent in revenge, Montresor will bring his revenge on Fortunato into effect.
Montresor’s family motto insinuates what he is thinking and planning. The motto, “Nemo me impune lacessit” means “No one dare punish me with impunity” (14), which implies that Montresor will not allow anyone to wrong him without being punished for it, nor will he be punished for any actions he takes. This motto demonstrates how strongly Montresor feels about revenge, and he feels that anyone who does him wrong deserves to suffer the consequences.
Montresor put a great deal of thought and work into his act of revenge. Since he has been building up his anger for years, he created a detailed plan as to how he will get his revenge on Fortunato. Montresor made a number of physical preparations beforehand that ensured the success of his plan, including the first necessary step of carving a niche out of the walls of the catacombs with chain and padlock to secure Fortunato, and the second necessary step of carrying a trowel with him to wall up the entrance of the niche.
Besides physical preparations, Montresor was prepared to use Fortunato’s own thoughts against him. Montresor was so familiar with Fortunato’s character and personality that he knew what he needed to get Fortunato in the palm of his hand.
For one thing, Fortunato was viewed as an expert on wine, and Montresor knew that he would not be able resist the temptation of Amontillado. Montresor also knew that Fortunato was not a simple-minded man and would not willingly follow Montresor into the catacombs, and he knew that he needed to influence Fortunato’s judgment. Therefore, Montresor used the Amontillado as bait to lure Fortunato into the catacombs and his death. When Montresor met Fortunato at dusk he said “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day! But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts” (12), knowing that this would capture Fortunato’s attention and he would then be able to lead him wherever he wished.
For another thing, it was necessary to the success of Montresor’s plan that Fortunato remained in a state of intoxication throughout the evening and their journey through the catacombs. Montresor waited until carnival season, because this ensured that Fortunato would have drunk plenty of wines, as Montresor noted when he said “He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much” (12). Throughout the evening Montresor continued to provide Fortunato with wine, and hence Fortunato’s intoxication lingered with him. As it was carnival season, everyone was in costume, thus providing Montresor with the added security of anonymity.
For still another thing, Montresor repeatedly mentions Luchesi, a rival of Fortunato, and suggests that perhaps he should seek his opinion. Montresor states “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi. If anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me” (12). Montresor knew that Fortunato would not allow himself to be surpassed by Luchesi, and that he would consequently demand that Montresor led him to the Amontillado.
Furthermore, there are some other delicate irony, symbolism and foreshadowing in the context of the story. First, the names of the two characters present significant meaning, Montresor is similar to monster, a man whose soul is destroyed by strong desire of revenge, and Fortunato is similar to fortune, a man whose destiny is not as fortunate as his name. Second, the process that Montresor brings Fortunato deep underground into the catacombs is symbolic of the two men on a trip to hell, or perhaps just Montresor taking Fortunato to hell. Third, when Fortunato directly states “I shall not die of a cough,” Montresor says in response, “True” (13), acknowledging the fact that he knows Fortunato will not die of a cough but die of his vanity.
Based on Poe’s “unity of effect” theory, there is no denying that every word or phrase, every detailed description, and every rhetorical device in the short story perfectly echoes its significant theme -- defects in the deeper heart of human being. Through quite a lot of irony and foreshadowing, obvious and subliminal, Poe delves into the mind of his quirky characters and creates an entertaining and intriguing piece of fiction, and eventually gives the reader a feeling of both physical and mental torture.
