Vocabulary
This word means bold, daring confidence — even when it might be considered rude or disrespectful.
audacity
This is the creature that Dickinson's poem describes without ever naming it directly.
Montresor lures Fortunato by mentioning he has acquired a pipe of this rare and expensive wine.
Amontillado
When the reader knows something a character doesn't — like the reader knowing Montresor's plan while Fortunato happily follows him — this is called…
dramatic irony
Fortunato's name ironically means this in Italian — making his fate especially cruel and darkly humorous.
Lucky / Fortunate
This word describes someone who is wise, clever, and shows sound judgment.
sagacious
'The grass divides as with a comb.' This comparison using the word 'as' is an example of this literary device/figurative language.
simile
Montresor repeatedly mentions going to see this rival wine expert — not to actually visit him, but to provoke Fortunato's competitive pride.
Luchesi
The perspective from which a story is told. In 'The Cask of Amontillado,' Montresor tells the story himself, making him the…
narrator
This is Fortunato's specific weakness that Montresor exploits — his pride in being an expert on this subject.
Wine (fine wine)
This word means punishment given in return for a wrong — exactly what Montresor plans for Fortunato.
retribution
The speaker says they feel this for 'several of nature's people' — warmth and friendliness — but NOT for the snake.
cordiality
In paragraph 24, Montresor told his servants NOT to leave — knowing they would do this instead, conveniently emptying the house.
Sneak out / Leave anyway
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a mental picture. 'The whip-lash unbraiding in the sun' is a strong example of this.
imagery
Montresor says he must 'punish with impunity.' This means his revenge must be carried out without this.
Risk / Punishment / Consequence
***DAILY DOUBLE**
This word describes something very plain, strict, and without comfort or decoration — like the cold stone vaults.
austere
**DAILY DOUBLE**
The outdoor grassy, boggy setting creates a place where this happens to the snake, making it feel mysterious and startling.
The snake appears and disappears suddenly
Montresor builds this, tier by tier, sealing Fortunato in the recess of the catacombs. It is made of stone and mortar.
A wall (masonry)
**DAILY DOUBLE**
A narrator whose account may be biased, incomplete, or dishonest. Montresor is a classic example of this type of narrator.
When Fortunato says 'Ha! ha! ha! — a very good joke indeed!' as Montresor walls him in, this describes Fortunato's emotional state.
denial/disbelief
This word from the story means to take revenge or punish someone for a wrong — Montresor says 'At length I would be ______.' (this is NOT one of Mr. Wood's vocabulary words)
avenged/vengeance
'Without a tighter breathing, / And zero at the bone.' These final lines most powerfully suggest this emotion in the speaker.
fear/terror
**DAILY DOUBLE**
The Latin phrase 'In pace requiescat,' which ends the story, translates to this — and reveals Fortunato has been entombed for fifty years.
Rest in peace
Hints or clues early in a story about what will happen later. Montresor's repeated offers to 'go see Luchesi instead' serve this narrative purpose.
foreshadowing
**DAILY DOUBLE**
If the story were rewritten from Fortunato's point of view, this crucial piece of information would most likely be MISSING.
Montresor's plan for revenge / his true intentions