“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe has fascinated readers ever since it was published in 1846. The majority of readers have spent time trying to figure out why Montresor murdered Fortunato, and whether he was in his right mind or if he was insane. According to Sigmund Freud, there are three different parts to a person’s personality: the id, the ego, and the superego. By using these we are able to pick apart Montresor’s personality using what Poe has given us as evidence.
The “id” is the unconscious part of the personality and is responsible for the more impulsive aspects of a person’s behavior. Therefore, it is not affected by the outside world. It is also responsible for the biological instincts with which a person is born. The …show more content…
Montresor’s impulse to kill Fortunato was borne out of “the thousand injuries” (Poe, 377) and sparked by insult. “Being a descendant of a powerful aristocratic family, Montresor could not possibly let Fortunato insult him with impunity” (Baraban). Based on the context of the story, Montresor’s grudge was years in the making. It is apparent that supposed slights and insults caused such hate for Fortunato that Montresor became subject to his base desire to kill Fortunato. “This story lays bare the horror of the human heart that nurtures a grudge and reduces a human to less than a beast” (Lee Poe 124). Humans are capable of doing horrific and unspeakable things in order to satiate the impulsive desires of the …show more content…
In order to satisfy his “ego”, he must carry out his plot without anyone knowing, thereby preserving society’s view of him. But his “ego” cannot help but to gloat. “…the narrator confesses in order to display his cleverness, and his scheme to entrap Fortunato reveals both meticulous planning and astute analysis of his adversary” (Kennedy). One of the reasons that Montresor may be confessing is because his scheme was so elaborate and so ingenious that he was successful in carrying out his murderous plan. It is in human nature to want to boast about our accomplishments, whether good or
The “id” is the unconscious part of the personality and is responsible for the more impulsive aspects of a person’s behavior. Therefore, it is not affected by the outside world. It is also responsible for the biological instincts with which a person is born. The …show more content…
Montresor’s impulse to kill Fortunato was borne out of “the thousand injuries” (Poe, 377) and sparked by insult. “Being a descendant of a powerful aristocratic family, Montresor could not possibly let Fortunato insult him with impunity” (Baraban). Based on the context of the story, Montresor’s grudge was years in the making. It is apparent that supposed slights and insults caused such hate for Fortunato that Montresor became subject to his base desire to kill Fortunato. “This story lays bare the horror of the human heart that nurtures a grudge and reduces a human to less than a beast” (Lee Poe 124). Humans are capable of doing horrific and unspeakable things in order to satiate the impulsive desires of the …show more content…
In order to satisfy his “ego”, he must carry out his plot without anyone knowing, thereby preserving society’s view of him. But his “ego” cannot help but to gloat. “…the narrator confesses in order to display his cleverness, and his scheme to entrap Fortunato reveals both meticulous planning and astute analysis of his adversary” (Kennedy). One of the reasons that Montresor may be confessing is because his scheme was so elaborate and so ingenious that he was successful in carrying out his murderous plan. It is in human nature to want to boast about our accomplishments, whether good or