NV280.ENG.236.E50W.

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 3.4 Discussion #3: Poe: "Cask of 
Amon!llado"

This is a graded discussion: 40 points possible

due Mar 2

3.4 Discussion #3: Poe: "Cask of

Amon!llado"
8 22

Discussion #3: Poe: "Cask

of the Amontillado"
After reading the story, watch this video reading
of Edgar Allan Poe's "Cask of Amontillado:"
Edgar A. Poe and Vincent Price: The Cask of
the Amontillado.

Be sure to watch BOTH PARTS of the video.

(If you need a written version to follow, use

the story itself as a guide, and/or click on
the CC icon to the right on the screen -
this gives the Closed Captioning option,
which will give you subtitles. The story is a
better source.)

Discuss the experience of hearing and seeing a

short story acted and recited by discussing both
prompts:

1. Is Vincent Price's interpretation close to

what you imagined when you read the story?
2. How does Price convey the sense of
the narrator as unreliable, i.e.: either justified
in his revenge or simply as a madman?
3. Support your responses with specific details
and/or quota!ons from either the video, the
text, or both. Then post at least two replies
to your peers, following the guidelines for
discussions.

Grading
This discussion is worth 40 points: 20 points for
your post and 10 points for each reply. Please
refer to the Discussion Rubrics handout for
informa!on about how discussions will be
graded.

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Madison Waugh 
Feb 7, 2023

Vincent Price's depic!on of The Cask of

Amon!llado was very similar to what I had
imagined while reading the tale. In high
school, we had read it, and I recall imagining a
very similar aesthe!c, dark colors and
candlelight. One of the things that was very
notable in his performance is how, whenever
Fortunado speaks, the light on Price's face
turns a very very saturated red, which I think
lends to how infuria!ng Montressor finds
him, despite not doing anything par!cularly
infuria!ng at the !me. By all means, we
should find the narrator affable - the voice
Edgar Allen Poe writes him with certainly
seems reasonable, and Price ramps that
charisma up significantly in his performance,
which I believe lends further to how
unreliable this narrator is. The u#er calmness
that he uses to describe placing each row of
brickwork, contrasted against the mania that
Price begins to enhance over and over again,
is frightening, and really displays just how
much of a madman Montressor is. Price plays
upon the jovial, calm tone Poe implements
very well, lending a mania to it, a charisma,
that is disturbing to behold. Combined with
the ghost of Fortunado being sheathed in
darkness, his insanity is.. beyond palpable. I
really enjoyed it.

Iman Yahaya 
Saturday

Hey Madison,

I have to admit I imagined a totally

different se$ng from the one in the
video while reading. I imagined it being
more during the day, with no lighted
candles at their first loca!on. But as they
transi!on into the crypt is where I
imagined it to be creepier. It is true that
the performance Price gives adds
personality to the reading. I also agree
with your point about Vincent Price's
ability to switch from calm to a madman
makes the narra!on scarier.

Anisha Kakkar 
Sunday

They way you explained the se$ng was

how I expected it. Since there were no
burning candles at their ini!al loca!on, I
expected it to be more when it was
day!me. I had expected it to be scarier
as they entered the crypt, though. It's
true that Price's performance gives the
reading more personality. I also agree
that Vincent Price's capacity to change
from a controlled person to a crazy
person makes the narra!on more
frightening.

Syed Rafi 
Yesterday

Hello Madison, I enjoyed reading your

perspec!ve on this topic, and it is very
well wri#en. I completely agree with your
analysis of Vincent Price's performance
in "The Cask of Amon!llado." I think he
does an excellent job of portraying the
narrator as both vengeful and
manipula!ve, which makes his ac!ons
towards Fortunato all the more chilling.
The way he lures him into the catacombs
by playing on his pride and then relishes
in his plan is very disturbing and
highlights the narrator's twisted mindset.
Good read look forward to reading more

 Reply

MyHanh Tran 
Friday

Vincent Price's performance of the narrator in

"The Cask of Amon!llado" does a good job of
making the narrator seem like an unreliable
person who may be right to get revenge or
just crazy and it is close to what I imagined
when I read the story.

Price does this in part by the way he uses

tone. At the start of the story, Price's voice is
friendly and warm, giving the impression that
the storyteller is just a nice man telling a
story. But as the story goes on, Price's voice
gets more ominous, which suggests that the
narrator's mo!va!ons may be more
complicated than they seem at first. For
example, when the narrator says, "I must not
only punish, but punish without fear of
retribu!on," Price's voice becomes quiet and
sinister, indica!ng that the narrator's desires
are very troubling.

Price's facial expressions and body language

are another way he shows that the narrator is
not reliable. At !mes, Price's face twists in
ways that show both physical and mental
pain, which makes it seem like the narrator
may be going crazy. Price also o%en pauses in
the middle of sentences, as if he is trying to
keep his emo!ons in check, which adds to
the feeling of unease and uncertainty.

Price's repeated use of certain words and

phrases also gives the impression that the
narrator can't be trusted. For example, he
stretches out the word "revenge" all through
the story, which gives the impression that the
narrator is obsessed with this idea. Also,
when the narrator talks to Fortunato, Price
puts a lot of emphasis on the phrase "my
friend." This makes the reader feel uneasy
because it's not clear if the narrator really
thinks of Fortunato as a friend or if he's just
using this term to manipulate him.

Overall, Vincent Price's performance does a

good job of making the narrator seem like an
unreliable character who may have been right
to get revenge or may just be crazy.

Anthony Torres 
Monday

Hello MyHanh, How you wrote

about Vincent Price's portrayal of the
narrator in "The Cask of Amon!llado"
effec!vely conveys the character's
unreliability, and it closely matches what
some readers might imagine when they
read the story, was fascina!ng to
read about. Also how Price uses tone,
facial expressions, body language, and
repeated phrases to create a sense of
unease and ambiguity around the
narrator's mo!va!ons. As a result, the
audience is le% unsure whether the
narrator is jus!fied in seeking revenge or
if he is just a madman driven by his own
twisted desires is a great way to put it.

Syed Rafi 
Yesterday

Hello myhanh, Your response is very

interes!ng and precise. I agree with your
analysis of Vincent Price's performance
in "The Cask of Amon!llado." I think his
portrayal of the narrator is really
effec!ve in conveying his unreliable and
possibly mad nature. One thing that
struck me about Price's performance is
how he modulates his voice throughout
the video. At !mes, he speaks in a calm,
almost friendly tone, but then he will
suddenly shi% into a more menacing or
triumphant tone. This creates a sense of
unease and makes the viewer unsure of
what the narrator will do next. Look
forward to reading more of your
discussions!!

 Reply

Iman Yahaya 
Saturday

The interpretation that Vincent Price

delivered was not close to what I had
imagined at all when I read the
story. While reading the story I imagined
two men going back and forth with each
other about an unresolved issue. Vincent
Price’s interpretation gives you a sense
that the narrator is a mad man and how
unreliable he is.

At approximately 2:15 in the first video

where Vincent switches the tone of his
voice and the repetition of “Amontillado”
unveils the psychotic side of the narrator.
That scene gives you a sense of anger
from the narrator toward Amontillado. As
soon as the tone of the voice changes,
the lighting on Vincent Price’s face is
switched to a more fiery red color to
announce that the narrator has set foot
into the madman phase.

The performance Vincent Price gives,

shows you how the narrator is unreliable.
During the scene where they make their
way down to the crypt and Amontillado
begins to cough and the narrator
expresses his concern about his health
and immediately wants to leave the crypt
so Amontillado can get better. Yet the way
he describes the way the pile of bones is
arranged in the walls also makes the
narrator sound like someone who is
capable of killing people and keeping their
bones as souvenirs. All things considered,
the swap of personalities and tone made
the story come to life and even more
interesting.

MyHanh Tran 
Monday

I appreciate your observa!on that

Vincent Price's interpreta!on of the
narrator in "The Cask of Amon!llado" is
somewhat more sympathe!c than some
other interpreta!ons. I agree that Price's
performance emphasizes the narrator's
sense of injured pride and his need for
revenge, which could lead some viewers
to view him as more jus!fied in his
ac!ons. Nonetheless, I think that Price's
use of tone and pacing effec!vely
conveys the sense of the narrator as an
unreliable character, possibly insane, and
his performance remains a classic
interpreta!on of the story.

Braden Holschuh 
Tuesday

I enjoyed your perspec!ve on Vincent

Price's narra!on of "The Cask of
Amon!llado." It's interes!ng to see how
different people can have different
interpreta!ons of the same story. While
you imagined the narrator as two men
going back and forth with each other,
Price's interpreta!on emphasized the
narrator's madness and unreliability.

I agree that the scene at 2:15, where

Vincent Price's tone changes and the
ligh!ng on his face becomes more
intense, is a powerful moment in the
narra!on. It highlights the narrator's
growing anger and obsession with
revenge, which ul!mately leads to his
murderous act. Similarly, the scene
where the narrator expresses concern for
Fortunato's health while also describing
the bones in the walls shows how the
narrator is capable of manipula!ng
situa!ons to suit his own needs and
desires.

Overall, I think Vincent Price's

performance does an excellent job of
bringing out the darker, more sinister
elements of "The Cask of Amon!llado."
While it may not have been what you
imagined while reading the story, it
certainly adds a new dimension to the
text and makes for a compelling listening
experience.

Braden Holschuh 
Tuesday

Sorry Iman, I forgot to include your name

during my response. Again, I think you
had a very interes!ng take on the
narra!on, and I think it is very important
to be able to view things from mul!ple
perspec!ves.

Alannah Cancilla 
Tuesday

Hello Iman,

I thought it was really interes!ng that

you perceived it that way and it shows
just how different it can be interpreted. I
also no!ced that Price would emphasize
the word “Amon!llado” with a crazed
look in his eyes, although I understood it
to be a type of wine instead of a person. I
agree that Price shows the narrator's
unreliability when he expresses a false
sense of concern in the crypt. I think
Vincent Price did a great job using verbal
irony to really display the madness of the
narrator to the audience.

 Reply

Anisha Kakkar 
Sunday

In "The Cask of Amon!llado," Vincent Price

does a wonderful job of portraying the
narrator as an untrustworthy individual who
may be right in seeking revenge or is simply
insane. This impression is consistent with
what I had in mind when I read the novel.
Price's voice is warm and invi!ng at the
beginning of the story, crea!ng the
impression that a narrator is just a good man
sharing a story. But, as the narra!ve
progresses, Price's voice becomes more
threatening, which raises the possibility that
the narrator's inten!ons are more complex
than they ini!ally appear to be. For instance,
Price's voice turns dark and hushed when the
narrator says, "I must not only punish, but
punish without fear of reprisal," implying that
the narrator's demands are extremely
disturbing. Another way that Price
demonstrates the trustworthiness of the
narrator is through his facial expressions and
body language. Price's face occasionally
manipulates in ways that suggest both
physical and mental suffering, giving the
impression that the narrator might be insane.
The impression of discomfort and uncertainty
is heightened by Price's frequent pauses in
the middle of phrases, which appear to
a#empt to control his emo!ons. The narrator
appears dishonest due to Price's constant
usage of specific terms and phrases. For
instance, he constantly uses the word
"revenge" in the narra!ve, giving the sense
that the narrator is focused on the concept.
Overall, Vincent Price's representa!on of the
narrator is effec!ve in giving the impression
that he is an unreliable character who may
have been right in seeking revenge or may
just be crazy.

MyHanh Tran 
Monday

I completely agree with your analysis of

Vincent Price's interpreta!on of the
narrator in "The Cask of Amon!llado."
Price's use of tone, pacing, body
language, and facial expressions
effec!vely conveys the narrator's
descent into madness and obsession
with revenge. The elonga!on of the word
"revenge" and the pauses in the middle
of sentences are par!cularly effec!ve in
crea!ng an atmosphere of unease.
Overall, Price's performance is a
masterful interpreta!on of the character

Anthony Torres 
Monday

I too also agree with your response on

how Vincent Price's performance as the
narrator in "The Cask of Amon!llado" is
spot on in conveying the character's
unreliability and ambiguous mo!va!ons.
His voice, facial expressions, and body
language all work together to create a
sense of unease and uncertainty around
the character, leaving the audience
unsure whether he is jus!fied in seeking
revenge or if he is just a madman driven
by his own desires. Price's use of specific
words and phrases also contributes to
this impression of untrustworthiness,
par!cularly his emphasis on the word
"revenge." Overall, Price's portrayal is
excellent, and it closely matches what I
had imagined when I read the story.

 Reply

Anthony Torres 
Monday

Vincent Price's interpreta!on of Montresor in

"The Cask of Amon!llado" is widely regarded
as one of the most memorable and effec!ve
portrayals of the character. Price's
performance captures the sinister and
manipula!ve nature of Montresor, as well as
his underlying madness and instability. Price's
interpreta!on is not necessarily what
everyone would imagine when reading the
story, but it is certainly a valid and powerful
interpreta!on. Price conveys the sense of the
narrator as unreliable in several ways. One
way he does this is by using a tone of voice
that is at !mes charming and at other !mes
menacing. For example, in the beginning of
the video, Price speaks in a cheerful tone
when Montresor greets Fortunato, giving the
impression that he is a friendly and harmless
person. However, as the story progresses,
Price's tone becomes increasingly dark and
ominous, crea!ng a sense of unease and
tension.

Another way Price conveys Montresor's

unreliability is through his body language and
facial expressions. At !mes, Price's facial
expression seems almost manic, as if
Montresor is on the brink of losing his mind.
For example, when Montresor is describing
how he will exact his revenge, Price's eyes
widen and his smile becomes more sinister,
conveying the sense that Montresor is a
madman.

Finally, Price's portrayal of Montresor

emphasizes the ambiguity of the character's
mo!ves. Montresor's revenge may be seen as
jus!fied by some readers, given Fortunato's
perceived insults to Montresor's family name.
However, Price's performance suggests that
Montresor's revenge is mo!vated more by his
own twisted desires than any sense of jus!ce.
For example, when Montresor says, "I must
not only punish but punish with impunity,"
Price delivers the line with a hint of sadis!c
pleasure, sugges!ng that Montresor enjoys
the act of revenge for its own sake. Vincent
Price's interpreta!on of Montresor is a
powerful and effec!ve portrayal of the
character's madness and unreliability. He
uses his voice, body language, and facial
expressions to convey the sense that
Montresor is both a jus!fied avenger and a
madman driven by his own twisted desires.

Alannah Cancilla 
Tuesday

Hello Anthony,

I agree that Vincent Price’s interpreta!on

is not what many might imagine, but it is
definitely very powerful and eye-
opening. I originally believed Montresor
felt a sort of guilt towards the end, but
a%er watching Price’s interpreta!on, I
was convinced he was insane. I thought
it was interes!ng that you men!oned the
flip between Price’s tone throughout the
story as I no!ced it as well. However,
even when Price spoke cheerfully, I s!ll
had a feeling of uneasiness. I also felt
that Montresor was portrayed to be
sadis!c, especially towards the end when
Price made it clear that he felt no
remorse.

Iman Yahaya 
Yesterday

Hey Anthony,

I agree with you that Vincent Price’s

performance is effec!ve in a way that it
highlights many things about the author.
Your statement about how Price’s
interpreta!on that Montresor wanted
revenge not for a jus!fied reason but for
his own pleasure is absolutely true. While
reading the text, you will not be able to
see it that way un!l you watch Vincent’s
performance. This shows that there are a
lot of things that we missed while
reading the text but watching the video
reveals a lot of details. Your last
paragraph gave me a new perspec!ve
about the author because it just shows
that he was more of a madman than I
thought.

 Reply

Alannah Cancilla 
Tuesday

Vincent Price's interpreta!on was somewhat

similar to what I had visualized while reading
the story up un!l the end. I didn't imagine the
narrator to be as cynical as he was portrayed
at the end of Price's interpreta!on. When I
first read the story, I sensed a feeling of
regret from the narrator a%er Fortunado had
gone silent. The narrator states, "My heart
grew sick on account of the dampness of the
catacombs", and then adds, "I hastened to
make an end of my labour". I originally
correlated the feeling of sickness and the
need to rush as a sign of disgust towards
 what he had done. A%er listening to Vincent
Price's interpreta!on, it was understood that
the narrator did not feel this way at all and
the men!on of sickness due to the
catacombs was quite literal.

Vincent Price did an excellent job portraying

the narrator as unreliable. However, I would
argue that he wanted the narrator to come
across as more of a madman rather than
jus!fied in his ac!ons. Price conveyed this
through his tone of voice, facial expressions,
and verbal irony. Throughout the story, Price
gives the audience the impression that the
narrator is nonchalant about what he is
doing. He uses a lighter tone of voice, many
casual hand gestures, and smiles frequently. It
especially stood out to me when he laughed
and said he was pleased to see that
Fortunado, "had on a !ght-fi$ng par!-
striped dress, and his head was surmounted
by the conical cap and bells." His excitement
is emphasized to show the insanity and
obsession of the narrator. Price also shows
this through the use of verbal irony as he
notes that Fortunado, "should use all proper
cau!on", because of the nitre when he should
really be cau!ous of the narrator's inten!ons.
Towards the end of the story, the narrator's
madness is shown to be certain as Price
pauses between, "My heart grew sick", and,
"on account of the dampness of the
catacombs." I believe Vincent Price wanted to
emphasize that the narrator had no regrets or
emo!ons toward his ac!ons.

Braden Holschuh 
Tuesday

Hello Alannah,

Thank you for your insigh&ul analysis of

Vincent Price's narra!on of "The Cask of
Amon!llado." I agree with you that while
Price's interpreta!on was similar to your
ini!al visualiza!on of the story, it differed
in the portrayal of the narrator's
emo!ons at the end.

Price's interpreta!on emphasized the

narrator's lack of remorse and his true
insanity, which was evident in his tone of
voice, facial expressions, and verbal
irony. You correctly pointed out that
Price's use of a lighter tone of voice,
casual hand gestures, and frequent
smiling highlighted the narrator's
nonchalant a$tude towards his ac!ons,
making him seem like a madman. I found
it par!cularly disturbing when the
narrator laughed and expressed his
pleasure at seeing Fortunado dressed in a
par!-striped dress with a conical cap and
bells, as it emphasized the narrator's sick
and twisted obsessions.

Addi!onally, Price's use of verbal irony

was very effec!ve in conveying the
narrator's unreliability. He o%en said one
thing but meant another, as was the case
when he warned Fortunado to be
cau!ous of the nitre, when in reality, he
should have been cau!ous of the
narrator's inten!ons.

 Reply

Braden Holschuh 
Tuesday

Firstly, regarding Vincent Price's narra!on of

"The Cask of Amon!llado," I think he does an
excellent job of bringing Poe's macabre tale
to life. His voice has a sinister quality that is
well-suited to the story's dark and foreboding
tone. Price's narra!on also emphasizes the
narrator's sense of superiority and his desire
for revenge against Fortunato. For example,
in the opening lines, Price reads, "The
thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as
best I could, but when he ventured upon
insult, I vowed revenge." The way he
emphasizes the word "insult" conveys the
narrator's seething anger and resentment.

Regarding the second prompt, I think Price

effec!vely conveys the sense of the narrator
as an unreliable character. Throughout the
story, the narrator's true mo!ves and
inten!ons are called into ques!on. At !mes,
he seems like a man consumed by his desire
for revenge, while at other !mes, he comes
across as unhinged and possibly mad. Price's
delivery helps to highlight this ambiguity. For
example, when the narrator says, "My heart
grew sick; it was the dampness of the
catacombs that made it so," Price's voice
takes on a slightly manic quality, sugges!ng
that the narrator may be losing his grip on
reality.

In conclusion, Vincent Price's narra!on of

"The Cask of Amon!llado" is a haun!ng and
effec!ve interpreta!on of Poe's classic tale.
His voice captures the story's dark and
foreboding tone, while also highligh!ng the
ambiguity of the narrator's character.

 Reply

Syed Rafi 
Yesterday

The unreliability of the narrator is

successfully communicated through Vincent
Price's performance. He presents the narrator
in the video as someone who is extremely
vindic!ve and cunning. For instance, the
narrator informs Fortunato when they first
meet that he has an unique cask of
Amon!llado that he wants Fortunato to
sample. He then uses Fortunato's pride to
en!ce him deeper into the tunnels by
threatening to ask a different expert if he
does not like the wine. This demonstrates the
narrator's willingness to employ dishonesty to
obtain his goals.

Vincent Price's speech accentuates the

narrator's increasing sense of sa!sfac!on as
he executes his plan throughout the en!re
video. When he finally chains Fortunato to
the wall and starts to wall him up, there is a
sense of perverse glee in his voice. He seems
to enjoy leading Fortunato deeper into the
catacombs. This shows that the narrator is
actually ac!ng insanely rather than just ac!ng
out of a desire for vengeance.

For example, in the scene where the narrator

describes his plan to wall up Fortunato, he
says: "I placed my hand upon the solid fabric
of the catacombs and felt sa!sfied. I looked
around triumphantly and smiled to myself."
He may not be fully sane based on the way
he takes pleasure in his own scheme and
expresses no regret for what he did.

In conclusion, Vincent Price's portrayal of the

narrator is true to the text, and through his
performance, he successfully depicts the
narrator's unreliable and poten!ally insane
nature.

 Reply

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