Dramatic Irony
Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something crucial that a character does not.
Dramatic irony recruits the audience as the one person in the theatre who can see the trap; every innocent line the character speaks tightens it.
Dramatic Irony examples
"Oedipus vows to find Laius's killer; the audience knows he is hunting himself."
— Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
"Romeo drinks the poison because he does not know what the audience knows: Juliet is alive."
— Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
"Othello keeps calling Iago 'honest' while the audience watches Iago lie."
— Othello, Shakespeare
"Duncan praises the castle's pleasant air as he walks into the house where he will be murdered."
— Macbeth, Shakespeare
Spot the Dramatic Irony
Score: 0/0When the audience knows something crucial that a character does not.
"Oedipus vows to find Laius's killer; the audience knows he is hunting himself."
Which work is this from?
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Dramatic Irony: common questions
What is dramatic irony in literature?
When the audience knows something crucial that a character does not. Dramatic irony recruits the audience as the one person in the theatre who can see the trap; every innocent line the character speaks tightens it.
What is an example of dramatic irony?
A classic example is "Oedipus vows to find Laius's killer; the audience knows he is hunting himself." (Oedipus Rex, Sophocles).
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