BIO CHARACTER LITERATURE

IRONY

A definition from the Cambridge Dictionary

A situation in which something which was intended to have a particular result has the opposite or a very different result. The word irony comes from the Greek word εἰρωνεία (eirōneía), which means “dissimulation” or “feigned ignorance.” All forms of irony, whether situational, dramatic, verbal, or otherwise, have an aspect of things appearing to be different than reality.

situational

verbal

DRAMATIC

Situational irony

Romeo & Juliet

William Shakespeare (1597)

Romeo and Juliet love each other, and this gives the audience hope that they will be able to be together by the end of the play. But, when Romeo sees Juliet under the influence of a potion that makes her appear dead, he kills himself. When Juliet wakes up and finds Romeo dead, she kills herself. This is a drastically different outcome than the "happily ever after" ending that you may hope to find in a romance, making Romeo and Juliet's love story a tragedy. Situational irony allows Shakespeare to portray the tragic, complex nature of love. This is also an example of dramatic irony because, unlike Romeo, the reader knows that Juliet is not really dead.

Effects: reader's engagement, understanding, and expectations.

Situational irony

Macbeth

William Shakespeare (1606)

The title character murders the king as a means to an end. But Macbeth soon finds out that he has to keep killing in order to protect his throne. This is an example of situational irony because the situation was meant to put an end to Macbeth’s killings, but in reality, it only exacerbated them.

Effects: reader's engagement, understanding, and expectations.

Verbal irony

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

J. K. Rowling (2003)

“Why were you lurking under our window?” “Yes – yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our windows, boy?” “Listening to the news,” said Harry in a resigned voice. His aunt and uncle exchanged looks of outrage. “Listening to the news! Again?” “Well, it changes every day, you see,” said Harry.”

Effects: reader's engagement, understanding, and expectations.

VERBAL IRONY

Verbal irony is a form of irony in which someone says or writes something that is in opposition to the person’s true meaning. There must be some indication, however, that the speaker does not exactly mean what she or he says. This can be demonstrated through competing information, tone of voice, etc. This makes verbal irony unique as a subset of irony, as it is the only form of irony that is intentional.

• Stepping out into a hurricane: "What nice wheather!"

DRAMATIC IRONY

The situation in which the audience of a play knows something that the characters do not know:

SITUATIONAL IRONY

Situational irony is the irony of something happening that is very different to what was expected. Writers employ situational irony as a literary device for various effects, such as creating a surprise twist or communicate a message or moral.

• A fire station burning down

• Someone posting on Twitter that social media is a waste of time