There's lots of irony in this story, but nothing compares to this. The name of the man who is being led to his own death while getting roasted by the man responsible is named Fortunato. This of course means fortunate.

This is a reference to the great catacombs of Paris, which are built very similarly to the caverns described in this story. ANother thing to note is that a most of the catacombs have never been explored, much like the part of the tunnels that Fortunato is about to be buried in.

The fact that Montresor used reverse psychology to ensure that none of his servants would be around to witness his crime just demonstrates how much thought has gone into his plan. Montresor has taken every step possible to get away with murder, which will ensure that he is around to enjoy his revenge. This also shows Montresor's ego as well, as he is confident enough in his own head to believe that what he expects to happen will happen. It also demonstrates that young people have been the same since at least the 1840s (they all leave to go to the carnival when explicetly told not to).

This line is almost critiquing the legal system, as Montresor is arguing with the principle of stopping a criminal from performing the same crime again (thats what the legal system attempts to do). This essentially means that Montresor wants to be the one to punish Fortunato (he wants to be the judge, jury, and exocutioner).

Unredressed means not made up/not set right. In this line Montresor expresses how revenge doesn't work if the person getting revenge dies. Revenge tales during the time that this was written often end with both the person seeking revenge and the supposed "wrongdoer" dying at the end of a story. The narrator expresses at the very beginning of this tale that he isn't going to let that happen. Essentially Montresor is saying that revenge only works if you live long enough to enjoy it after it's done.

This seems to be one of the few moments in this story where Montresor feels some kind of remorse for what he's doing. Whatever Fortunato did to him could not have possibly been bad enough for him to bury a man alive. That's why I think that one of the main themes in this story is the prevelance of the male ego. Both Fortunato and Montresor have egos. Fortunato is more overt in the expression of his however, as he is shouting, wearing a ridiculous costume, and drinking heavily. Montresor has a much more understated hubris, as he has been planning for the demise of Fortunato in the shadows for a long time. Burying someone alive simply because they "insulted" you (granted we don't really know what that means) is a level of ego that Fortunato doesn't even come close to replicating. This is even more interesting when you consider that Montresor takes advantage of and is disgusted by Fortunato's ego throughout the whole story. It's almost as if he doesn't see the irony in doing this to him. The self-righteous attitude of Montresor is facinating.

Poe was a notorious drinker, but he often renounced alchohol and understood that it wasn't a good thing. Alchohol was a major reason for his death and caused him to lose several important oppurtunities throughout his life. Similarly to "The Black Cat", the person drinking in these stories is not portrayed as very smart or good-natured. In this story, Fortunato litterally walks into his own tomb while being insulted because he loves wine. I beleive that this might've been Poe's way of showing how alcohol can lead people down dark paths, but that they won't realize until it's too late.

The "Red Death" is a ficticious disease created by Poe that bears a striking resemblence to a real disease known as tuberculosis. The disease is most known for causing a cough that is more often than not laced with blood. The "Red Death" causes bleeding from the pores along with a few other symptoms that are also emblematic of tuberculosis. The timing of the writing of this story makes sense when we add this context as well, as Poe filed for bankruptcy this very same year while he cared for his sick wife and mother-in-law. They had tuberculosis.