Brief Overview of The Cask of Amontillado

In The Cask of Amontillado, Poe writes a tale of revenge, murder, and torture. The two main characters are Fortunado and Mortesero. Poe wrote the story in first person point of view, which is Mortesero. His name is not mentioned until the end of the story when Fortunado calls his name. The Cask of Amontillado introduced American literature to a new horror genre. The story is told by Mortesero, who is the psychopathic killer in the story. He is supposedly friends with Fortunado but Mortesero is out for revenge. The revenge or reason for killing Fortunado is never explained in the story, which makes the story even more chilling. The setting is set in the catacombs of Italy at around midnight. Poe describes the setting as "nitrite dripping from the cracks in the walls, with bones and caskets everywhere." The story was a huge hit and had an enormous impact on literature, especially during his time.