How does Edgar A. Poe build up suspense and tension in The Cask of Amontillado?

How does Edgar A. Poe build up suspense and tension in "The Cask of Amontillado"? "The Cask of Amontillado" begins with the narrator introducing Fortunato, with the only details being that he had caused the narrator "a thousand injuries", and that the narrator had "vowed revenge" for this. This instantly creates suspense and tension as we don't actually know what Fortunato has done, and how the narrator will get his revenge. The narrator is named Montresor, though we don't find this out until later on in the story. Both names seem to have a bit of a meaning; Fortunato sounds like 'fortunate', which is ironic considering that by the end of the story, he has been through several unfortunate events. Montresor sounds like 'monster', which is representative of his thirst for revenge. Montresor says he will punish with impunity, leading to further curiosity from the reader, of exactly what he will do. We are then told that Fortunato is oblivious to anything he may have done, and Montresor has made sure it stays that way by continuing to "smile in his face". This, weirdly, creates tension from the fact there is no tension between the two characters. We know whatever his revenge is; it could be quite extreme if Montresor has gone to the trouble of making sure Fortunato doesn't suspect anything. We are given some background information on Fortunato and a little on Montresor.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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