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Unreliable Narrator
Definition of Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean... read full definition
The Cask of Amontillado
Explanation and Analysis—Let Us Be Gone:
As the narrator slowly bricks Fortunato into captivity in “The Cask of Amontillado,” Fortunato begs to be released in a moment of both dramatic and verbal irony:
But is it not getting late? Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady Fortunato and the rest? Let us be gone.” “Yes,” I said, “let us be gone.” “For the love of God, Montresor!” “Yes,” I said, “for the love of God!”
At first, Fortunato makes his request of the narrator in a lighthearted tone, with the expectation that he will certainly be released to meet the people waiting for them at the palazzo. However, what he does not know is that the narrator has been planning to trap and kill him for the duration of their encounter, making his initially lighthearted plea a moot point and an instance of dramatic irony. In fact, the narrator notes in his recording of the events that he went so far as to ensure the lack of any servants or attendants in the nearby vicinity, to better execute his vengeful plans. Additionally, the narrator’s response to his plea is full of verbal irony. He repeats Fortunato’s words back to him mockingly, with a double meaning: he agrees they should each get going, but the implication is that Fortunato should head to his death while he himself returns to the world of the living. His repetition of “for the love of God!” is the final nail in the proverbial coffin, sealing Fortunato away forever—and himself away from God.
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