The Cask of Amontillado

Few revenge tales are told with such chilling composure as Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, first published in 1846. The narrator Montresor, nursing a grievance he never fully explains, lures the wine connoisseur Fortunato deep into the family catacombs during Carnival with the promise of a rare cask of Amontillado. As the two descend past mounds of bones, Fortunato drinks and jokes, oblivious to the fate his host has prepared. Poe builds dread through irony and exact detail rather than gore, and the story’s final act of masonry ranks among the most unsettling passages in American literature. Narrated coolly by the murderer himself half a lifetime later, it is a masterclass in the unreliable voice. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available.