In the short horror story “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe exhibits the mind’s hidden potential for evil both in thoughts and actions. Fifty years after the events occur, Montresor informs us of his venture with Fortunato down to his family’s catacombs. Leading Fortunato to what he thinks is a cask of Amontillado—but what actually is his death—Montresor strongly implies the existence of humanity’s malevolence. Without signs of neither regret nor guilt, Montresor takes it upon himself to chain his friend to the walls of the catacombs. Throughout his text, Poe insinuates the potential of humanity’s hidden evils with the use of irony, first person narration, and other literary devices. Using first person narration, Poe exposes Montresor’s
