1. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

2. “…but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge
“…but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” “The Cask of Amontillado” is the narrator’s account of his ability to carry out a chilling plot of revenge against his offender.

3. Terms to Remember

4. Carnival

5. Carnival
Carnival is a secular holiday, but it evolved from the Christian observance known as Lent.
Lent is a solemn forty-day period of fasting prior to Easter.

6. CARNIVAL
Traditionally, the fasting during Lent involves abstaining from eating meat.
Modern interpretations of fasting may involve abstaining from anything one enjoys.

7. Carn + Val FLESH (Meat) + FAREWELL
In anticipation of the solemnity of Lent, the celebration of Carnival evolved.
Participants engage in excessive and extreme behavior to bid farewell to meat-eating (and merriment).

9. What happens during Carnival?
Carnival is a time of EXCESS and INDULGENCE.
BINGEING upon food and alcohol is common.

10. Partying in the streets and masquerading are enjoyed.

12. The combination of alcohol and costumes creates an atmosphere where people tend to let down their inhibitions.

14. European Carnival traditions survive in the United States in the form of Mardi Gras.

15. “The Cask of Amontillado” is set during the “supreme madness” of Carnival. In such a riotous atmosphere, it is easy to see how a crime could go unnoticed.

16. Lifestyles of the Rich
Circa

17. The wealthy class enjoyed indulgences such as
Gemmary

18. Painting

19. Palazzos (mansions)

20. Fine Wine (vintages)

21. Vineyards, where the grapes for producing wine are grown, create picturesque settings for owners’ estates.

24. The narrator plans for his revenge to take place in the catacombs beneath his estate. What are catacombs?

25. Catacombs: Cities of the Dead

26. At a certain point in European history, catacombs, underground burial chambers, became a viable alternative to cemeteries.

28. Catacombs are characterized by extensive tunnels leading to chambers or recesses where the dead repose for eternity.

30. The wealthy could opt for family catacombs beneath their estates.

31. The narrator of “The Cask of Amontillado” carries out his revenge within the catacombs beneath his mansion.

32. The narrator is able to lure his victim into the catacombs with the promise of amontillado, a fine sherry wine. (The l’s are pronounced like the l’s in tortilla.)

33. The Storage of Wine

34. For wines to maintain their best quality, they need to be stored at fairly cool and constant temperatures.

35. During the time period in which the story is set, modern electric refrigeration was not available. To protect wine collections, connoisseurs adopted the practice of storing wines under the ground where temperatures remain ideal year-round.

36. Basements, cellars, and even catacombs serve as excellent storage facilities for the precious vintages.

38. Herein, where wine bottles intermingle with the bones of the dead, the narrator carries out his plan for revenge.