Dramaticoccurs
when characters in a story are unaware of things known by the reader, thereby creating suspense
or humor. In the case of 's "," we know from the very first paragraph that Montresor,
the narrator, seeks vengeance for the unspecified "thousand injuries" inflicted upon
him by Fortunato. However, Fortunato remains blissfully oblivious to Montresor's malice until
the end of the tale, meaning that many of the two characters' statements take on different
meanings when viewed from the perspective of Fortunato or from the perspective of readers. Here
are three examples:
When Montresor first brings up the cask, he tells
Fortunato, "My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature." Fortunato accepts
this compliment blindly, but readers know that Montresor is lying through his teeth.
Shortly thereafter, the two have this conversation:
"Enough," he said; "the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I
shall not die of a cough.""Truetrue," I replied . .
.
Here, Montresor's agreement that the cough won't be
fatal sounds to Fortunato like simple acknowledgement. Yet readers understand that Montresor
knows the cough won't kill Fortunato, because Montresor plans to
kill Fortunato long before the disease has time to turn deadly!
A third example occurs when Montresor describes his coat of arms, "A huge human
foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the
heel." Fortunato takes the statement at face-value as a factual description of the
Montresor family crest. But readers know that Montresor believes that he represents the foot
stomping upon the snake that is Fortunato, an inference supported by a Latin motto that
translates to "no one attacks me with impunity." Moreover, in a second layer of irony,
readers know that Montresor is obsessed and murderous. In all likelihood, they see
Montresor, not Fortunato, as the treacherous serpent biting at the heel.
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