Types of Irony

Types of Irony

There are many different types of irony including dramatic,verbal,situational and socratic.

Dramatic Irony: A situation in which the audience knows something about present of future circunstances that the character does not know.

Examples of Dramatic Irony in Literature
Dramatic irony occurs in situations where the audience knows something about present or future circumstances that the character does not know. Literature with Dramatic Irony examples can be found in the most famous plays by William Shakespeare.

• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. When Romeo finds Juliet in a drugged sleep, he assumes her to be dead and kills himself. Upon awakening to find her dead lover beside her, Juliet then kills herself.
• Oedipus Rex by Sophocles in which Oedipus searches to find the murderer of the former king of Thebes, only to discover that it is himself, which is known to the audience all along.
• Othello by William Shakespeare. In which Othello blames Desdemona for cuckolding him but the audience knows that he is being deceived by Iago.
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth plans the murder of Duncan whilst feigning loyalty. Duncan does not know of Macbeth’s plans but the audience does.
• The Tempest by William Shakespeare - Miranda does not know that Gonzalo is on the island but her father Prospero, and the audience, does.

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