Edgar Allan Poe is known for some of the most terrifying stories ever written in time. He worked with the natural world, animals and time to create a chilling literature. Two most notable thrillers are “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Poe was infatuated with death, disfigurement and the dark characteristics of the world. He could mix characters, setting, theme and mood in such a way that readers were automatically drawn to reading. Both of these stories have the same main aspects in common. The narrators of both works are similar in several ways stories contain obvious psychological imbalances in the narrators, " -its central character or narrator is so psychologically obsessed with a mysterious phenomenon that everything in the story irresistibly revolves around it..." (May, Charles E.) There really isn't no motive for the old man's murder; only his eye can't stand it. He repeats himself often, trying to assure the reader, and himself, that he is of sound mind; leading to the belief that he may not be psychologically stable. In “The Barrel of Amontillado” the narrator can also be considered a madman for the way he plays with his victim. Montressor tells Fortunato that they should return home because "his health is precious." This conversation is ironic because Montressor doesn't really want to protect Fortunato's health, but kill him in the catacombs. Both narrators are proud of their murders and brag about them in the stories. Not only are the narrators similar, but the settings are also similar once the murders occur, both locations of the victims are buried in a dark place with no escape route. I...... middle of paper ...... tedBaraban, Elena V. "The Motive for Murder in 'The Cask of Amontillado'." Rocky Mountain Review 58.2 (Fall 2004): 47-62. Rpt. in Criticism of short stories. vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literary resources from Gale. Network. December 7, 2010. Benton, Richard P. “The Cask of Amontillado: Overview.” Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literary Resources from Gale. Network. December 3, 2010.Chua, John. "An Overview of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'." Gale online encyclopedia. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literary resources from Gale. Network. December 7, 2010, May, Charles E. “The Tell-Tale Heart: Overview.” Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literary Resources from Gale. Network. 7 December 2010.Valiunas, Algis. "No to Poe." Commentary 127.1 (2009): 42+. Literary resources from Gale. Network. 7 December. 2010.