The Punishment must fit the crime. In "The Cask of Amontillado", Montresor, pontificates that the punishment must fit the crime as demonstrated in his family motto, "No one assails me without impunity." Montresor wholly interprets the insult of Fortunato as a mortal crime; therefore Fortunato must pay with his life-no other punishment would be satisfactory. To the reader, this may seem overly harsh, but can only imagine effects of this insult on Montresor. While this …showed first 75 words of 1013 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1013 total…burned alive, it was also not uncommon to beheaded, drawn and quartered, and various other methods of dispatching justice. Based on today's standards we would call these punishments cruel and usual but in the time period were perfectly acceptable. So while most would see this story as a description of a murderous act I see it as a repayment of a crime committed. The criminal justice system available at this period in time may agree.