Montresor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and the maid in “The Goose Girl” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm both personify the side dark human nature. In "The Cask of Amontillado", Montresor, the vile narrator, tells the story of how he ruthlessly killed his victim, Fortunato, fifty years ago. In “The Goose Girl,” the wicked maid forces the princess to trade places with her to marry a prince from a distant land. Montresor uses manipulation to exact his revenge; unlike the maid who primarily uses coercion and deception. Montresor managed to commit the perfect revenge while the maid was exposed and punished for her deception. Both stories use different methods to teach different lessons. It is through Montresor's victim, Fortunato, whose weaknesses illustrate the dangers of dependence, pride, and insensitivity, while the maid exemplifies the dangers of deception. Although Montresor and the maid are distinct in many ways, both characters are opportunistic, deceitful, and sadistic in nature. The first similarity between the two characters is that they are both opportunists. In Poe's “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor takes advantage of the fact that Fortunato is drunk at the carnival. He uses this opportunity to lure Fortunato to his palace to carry out his devious plan. Montresor also knows that Fortunato is addicted to wine. He cunningly lures Fortunato by telling him that he has some Amontillado and also gets him even more drunk on the way to the catacombs. Towards the end of the story Montresor states: “I had just laid the first order of masonry when I discovered that Fortunato's intoxication had largely vanished” (...... half of the sheet ..... .W Grimm 411 ) Both Montresor and the maid were actually quite sinister in that they enjoyed making others suffer. In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Poe Montresor is an exaggerated and quintessential character who embodies the devious and vengeful side of human beings. While the maid in "The Goose Girl" by the Brothers Grimm is a classic evil character common in fairy tales. Both characters are comparable in that they are opportunistic, deceitful, and sadistic; they are both good examples of unlikable characters. Although they are presented differently, they clearly teach that the lessons in the stories can apply to everyone, everywhere, and in all situations. Works Cited Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. "The Goose Girl." Kinder- und Hausmärchen. 7th ed.DL Ashliman, trans. Berlin: np, 1857. Print.Poe, Edgar Allan, “The Cask of Amontillado” p 236