In “The Cask of Amontillado,” the victim walled up by Montresor is Fortunato.
Poe’s 1846 story follows Montresor, who claims that Fortunato has committed a series of insults and injuries. During Carnival, Montresor lures the intoxicated Fortunato into the family catacombs by promising him a taste of rare Amontillado wine. The wine is a trick: Montresor chains Fortunato inside a niche and builds a wall across its entrance.
Fortunato is sometimes confused with Luchesi, another wine expert mentioned in the story. Luchesi never appears in the catacombs; Montresor invokes his name to provoke Fortunato’s pride and make him insist on judging the wine himself. Montresor, meanwhile, is the narrator and murderer, not the victim.
The story was first published in Godey’s Lady’s Book in November 1846. Its ending reveals that fifty years later, Fortunato’s remains are still undisturbed. The title refers to Amontillado, a type of sherry used as bait.