Montresor, the Cask of Ammontillado, Characterization

The main character Montresor of "The Cask of Amontillado" portrays a man of pride, great intellect and a slight sadistic nature which drove him to his remorseless revenge. He is a static character with multitude traits that reveal themselves as the plot goes along. He is a protagonist dealing with his revenge against a man who has hurt him, the way an insult can. His pride, intelligence, nature and more all show in the plotline. This will stir the mind, to ask; is he insane? Or is he just plain angry?

Montresor's ego has been hurt by Fortunato by a simple insult. His vain and poor way to handle the situation of being insulted shows how he cannot stand to be affronted as said in the beginning "The thousand injuries...I had borne...but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge"(61). His drastic action against Fortunato means he hurt Montresor a great deal with one insult, but coped with the "thousand injuries"? This just goes to show how the slur must have been the final straw. As all traits are somewhat learned, his pride comes from his family. As their motto says to protect you and your family as he reiterates it for Fortunato. He says: "The Montresors ...were a great numerous family."... "And the motto?" "Nemo me impune lacessit" (64). In translation "no one attacks me with impunity" referring to "me'' as the family, if looked on that way. And another factor of his pride is his emphasis on avenging himself as said "At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled...I must not only punish, but punish with impunity" (64). Montresor must do this if he wants a peace of mind, to go on with his life without doubts and regain his pride.

In this short story many readers see him as insane, but others find him intelligent, and other readers find him to be both. Montresor's skills in manipulation show his understanding of a human's weakness. Those weaknesses are their arrogance, and pride which are found in Fortunato: a gullible easy to manipulate target. "... I am on my way to Luchesi...He will tell me-'' "Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry." "And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a match of your own." "Come let us go."... "my friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature..." (62). Montresor honey coats his words to deceive Fortunato into entering his death chamber, hitting all the right spots to make him want even more to enter his trap. His other show of intellect is how he can predict the human reaction when presented under the right circumstances. He illustrates this when he remember that "there were no attendants at home; they had sconded to make merry in honour of time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning... I well knew to ensure their immediate disappearance... as soon as my back was turned" (63). He knew to make sure that his servants are gone, even though he gave explicit orders for the servants to not leave at all. He knows about that the temptation to leave

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