Set In Italy During The Carnival Season, Edgar Allen Poe’S

Set in Italy during the carnival season, Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado tells a story of revenge after a slanderous insult damages the narrator’s prestigious reputation. To stage this plot, Poe uses a variety of settings to convey a sense of dread and impending doom. These settings not only pull the audience into Poe’s world, they serve as important plot devices—often foreshadowing future events. Additionally, these settings convey a message to readers, allowing them to better understand the story and the imagery Poe uses to set the scene. Setting is the time and location in which a written work is set as well as the encompassing mood and atmosphere. â€Å"The setting of literature is the time and place in which the story takes†¦show more content†¦De Grà ¢ve, which means â€Å"grave† in Italian, alludes to death. The same wine is symbolically served to Fortunado by Montresor while the pair venture into the catacombs (17). Carnival season during evening provides readers with a sense of mystical imagery. As dusk is about to fall, mystery is in the air and gives readers an unearthly feeling. Traditional Italian carnivals are documented to have taken place since the fifth century. These celebrations were meant to make the most of the last few days before the fasting period of Lent. During this time, to keep the lower classes from protesting the inequity of life, wealthy men were only allowed to publicly wear their jewelry during holidays and carnival. This law catalyzed the tradition of the outrageous disguises with outlandish decorations. Festivities allowed freedom of expression as everyone followed in the grandeur of costumed dress. Carnival season was peaceful and fights seldom broke out. Masks erased all distinctions and barriers brought on by social class as the public escaped from the conformity of daily life (The Tradition of Carnival in Venice). The party of carnival is loud and bustling amidst i ntoxicating celebration with everyone disguised in costumes hiding their identities and motives. In this scene, Fortunato dresses as a jester, while Montresor adorns himself with a mask and dark cape (Poe 14). Poe makes these costume choices to outwardly indicate the intentions of the men. He shows hisShow MoreRelatedA Rose For Emily And Gothic Literature1212 Words   |  5 Pagesromance? In literature, stories with these characteristics are classified as gothic literature. For example A Rose For Emily by Emily Faulkner is Southern gothic literature as the setting is specific to the south while The Cast of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe is gothic literature. In A Rose for Emily, Emily and the community are stuck in the old ways of the South as they attempt to avoid the inevitable changes happening around them. In the end, Emily dies and the community is shocked to find herRead MoreTerm Paper Edgar Allan Poes Infatuation with Death1498 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allan Poes Infatuat ion with Death Ralph Emerson once wrote, Talent alone cannot make the writer. There must be a man behind the book. Edgar Allan Poe acquired the ability to write Gothic horror through the tragedies that existed in his life. At three years old Poe lost his mother and father. Grief and sadness overwhelmed Poes childhood and eventually his literary style. By temperament and mournful personal experience, Poe was drawn into the contemporary cult of death (Kennedy