Dramatic Irony: Meaning & Examples

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Learn how to understand, identify, and use dramatic irony in storytelling
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Dramatic irony is one of the most common literary devices—but what is it, exactly? The simplest explanation is that dramatic irony is when an audience learns something before a character does, creating tension and suspense. Once a staple of theatrical tragedies, it now occurs in many genres. Read this guide to learn more about dramatic irony, including examples of its usage in books and movies, and advice for using it in your writing.

What is dramatic irony?

Dramatic irony is a type of irony in which a viewer or reader learns something before the characters in a story do. This causes the audience to experience suspense and anticipation as they await the reveal of this information. It can be used in many genres to create different effects, from fear to humor.

Section 1 of 6:

Dramatic Irony Definition

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  1. The structure of the work creates dramatic irony by giving the reader or viewer information that one or more characters don’t have. This causes tension as we wait for them to learn the truth. Our superior knowledge also makes characters’ words, actions, and feelings take on different meanings. [1]
    • Remember watching a horror movie and begging the main character not to fall for a trap you know the killer set for them? That’s dramatic irony at work.
    • You may hear dramatic irony referred to as tragic irony or structural irony. While tragic irony is a sub-type of dramatic irony, structural irony is interchangeable with dramatic irony.
    • Dramatic irony stems from theater, particularly the tragedies of Ancient Greece, but you’ll find it in any kind of media—from books to TV shows to films.
  2. 2
    Dramatic irony occurs in three stages. The stages are preparation , suspension , and resolution . In the preparation stage, you (the audience) learn something that one or more of the characters don’t know. In the suspension stage, tension builds as you wait for the character(s) to find out the truth. Finally, in the resolution stage, the character(s) learn what the audience has known, and you see the aftermath of the reveal. [2]
    • Suspension is usually the longest stage, keeping you watching or reading to find out when the knowledge is revealed. In many works, the resolution occurs near the end of the story—just before or during the climax.
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Section 2 of 6:

Dramatic Irony Examples in Literature

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  1. 1
    Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare’s tragic romance Romeo and Juliet features a classic example of dramatic irony. The audience watches Juliet drug herself into a death-like sleep in order to avoid marrying Paris so she can then run away with Romeo. However, Romeo doesn’t know she’s faking her death. The audience watches helplessly as he takes his own life in grief, wishing Romeo knew the truth. Juliet then wakes up, sees his corpse, and ends her life. [3]
    • Shakespeare employs dramatic irony by setting up a misunderstanding that the audience is aware of and helpless to prevent, making the main characters’ deaths feel all the more tragic.
  2. 2
    Slaughterhouse-Five Kurt Vonnegut’s WWII novel Slaughterhouse-Five takes dramatic irony to the extreme. The book’s events are presented in non-chronological order as the main character jumps through time, so the audience learns many things before the characters do. Specifically, the reader knows the Allied forces bomb the city of Dresden, but the characters don’t—building tension as the reader waits for the attack to happen. [4]
    • Stories that take place during notable historical events often use dramatic irony, as the reader knows or is reminded of what happened in real life, but the characters must live through it to know. Examples include Titanic , Malcolm X , and Lincoln .
  3. 3
    The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones employs dramatic irony by having a ghost narrator recount the events before and after her death. The main character, Susie, recounts her murder to the reader in the first chapter. The rest of the novel follows her family dealing with the aftermath of her death and wondering what happened. [5]
    • Because you know who the killer is and what happened to the main character, but her family doesn’t, you feel helpless as they struggle to learn the truth. You experience suspense while waiting for the killer to be caught.
    • Dramatic irony puts the reader in Susie’s shoes, as she is similarly helpless, unable to tell her family directly who killed her.
  4. 4
    Othello In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello , the audience frequently hears from the villainous Iago as he lays out his schemes against the titular character in monologues. He deceives Othello into thinking his wife is cheating on him. While the audience knows this is untrue, Othello believes it to be true and murders his wife in a rage of jealousy. [6]
    • In this play, dramatic irony causes the audience to be struck with horror and helplessness. You know Othello’s wife Desdemona is faithful, making her death at Othello’s hands especially tragic.
    • After the murder, you remain in suspense as you wait for him to realize the truth—that he has been manipulated by Iago.
  5. 5
    The Hunchback of Notre Dame While reading Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame , the reader understands that the Roma people are going to the Notre-Dame cathedral to rescue an imprisoned Esmeralda. However, titular character Quasimodo assumes they’re coming to harm Esmeralda and drives her would-be saviors away—thinking he’s helping her. [7]
    • Later in the novel, dramatic irony reoccurs as the reader knows the king’s men are coming to kill Esmeralda, but Quasimodo thinks they are there to save her and tries to help them find her.
    • The mismatch between Quasimodo’s intentions and the reality of his actions heightens the tragedy and drama of the story for the reader.
  6. 6
    Crime and Punishment Early in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment , the main character, Raskolnikov, murders two women. The rest of the novel sees him experience increasing paranoia over being caught. The reader shares his feelings of paranoia due to dramatic irony: you know what he’s done, but other characters are unaware, creating tension over how and when he’ll be found out. [8]
  7. 7
    Oedipus Rex In Sophocles’ tragic play Oedipus Rex , the playwright drops hints that the assassin Oedipus is searching for is himself. While the reader learns early on that Oedipus killed his father (King Laius) and married his mother (Jocasta), Oedipus doesn’t. The dramatic irony makes the reader cringe as Oedipus curses the unidentified killer and pridefully denies it could be himself. [9]
    • Another layer of irony is that a blind prophet “sees” the truth before Oedipus does.
  8. 8
    The Odyssey A less tragic example of dramatic irony occurs in Homer’s epic The Odyssey . The main character, Odysseus, returns to his home in disguise to survey what’s happened in his absence and see if his wife Penelope has been faithful. The reader knows it’s him, but watches as those he encounters interact with him as if he were a stranger.
    • Not only does the dramatic irony create tension as you wait for Odysseus to reveal himself, but it also draws you into Odysseus’s interactions while in disguise. You know the stakes are higher than the ignorant characters believe them to be.
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Section 3 of 6:

Dramatic Irony Examples in Film

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  1. Music helps to create dramatic irony in Steven Spielberg’s thriller Jaws . Whenever a shark approaches the unknowing characters in the water, a distinctive musical phrase plays. The audience hears the music and experiences fear and suspense, waiting for the impending shark attack. The characters, meanwhile, aren’t aware of the shark’s presence—often, until it’s too late. [10]
    • The characters don’t hear the musical cue. It’s non-diegetic, meaning it exists outside of the story itself.
    • The camera also sometimes switches to the shark’s point of view, showing the audience where it is in relation to the characters.
  2. 2
    The Truman Show In the film The Truman Show , a man named Truman doesn’t realize his life is being televised and controlled from behind the scenes. The audience knows this from the start and experiences both suspense and comedy as they watch him slowly piece the truth together. [11]
  3. 3
    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs uses dramatic irony to build suspense and tragedy. The audience sees the evil queen prepare a poisoned apple and transform herself into an old woman to trick Snow White. As a viewer, you’re helpless to stop Snow White from trusting the evil queen and eating the poisoned apple. [12]
  4. 4
    There’s Something About Mary In There’s Something About Mary , a character named Ted picks up a hitchhiker who hides a dead body in his car. The police arrest Ted, thinking he’s the murderer. Ted is unaware of the body and thinks they arrested him for giving a ride to a hitchhiker. The result is a comedic misunderstanding where the audience is in on the joke. [13]
  5. 5
    The Cabin in the Woods The horror-comedy movie The Cabin in the Woods uses dramatic irony to set up its premise. The viewer knows the five main characters are being manipulated by scientists for an ancient ritual, but the characters don’t realize it. There are elements of humor and suspense as we watch them succumb to various traps. [14]
  6. 6
    My Best Friend’s Wedding In the romance genre, writers use dramatic irony by letting the audience know a character’s feelings for another before they’ve confessed their love. An example of this occurs in My Best Friend’s Wedding , in which the audience roots for (or cringes at) the main character’s attempts to woo her friend away from his fiancée. [15]
    • You, the viewer, know Jules loves her best friend and that’s why she’s sabotaging his wedding. Other characters either don’t know or only slowly realize this, so they view her actions as confusing or humorous.
  7. 7
    The Lion King Disney’s The Lion King uses dramatic irony to heighten the tension between the protagonist and villain of the story. The audience learns that Scar orchestrated the death of Simba’s father, Mufasa, and made Simba believe it was his fault so only Scar would be left to take the throne. You feel sadness and suspense as you wait for Simba to find out the truth and confront Scar in the climax of the story. [16]
  8. 8
    John Wick John Wick provides a good example of dramatic irony in a thriller. In one scene in the film, the titular character is going to sleep in a hotel. The audience is shown that another character is preparing to assassinate Wick from a nearby rooftop. A distraction causes the assassin to miss his shot and Wick realizes what’s going on, snapping into self-defense mode.
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Section 4 of 6:

Comparing Dramatic, Verbal, and Situational Irony

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  1. 1
    Verbal irony is when someone’s speech contradicts itself. In other words, verbal irony occurs when someone says one thing but means another (often, the opposite of what they say). Characters intentionally create this irony, while the structure of a story creates dramatic irony. [17]
    • For example, if someone is dreading an activity but jokes that they’re super excited, this is a form of verbal irony.
    • A common type of verbal irony is sarcasm , although this isn’t the only form. Sarcasm is inherently negative. Other forms of verbal irony, like understatement, don’t have to be negative. [18]
    • Verbal irony is different from lying. While a liar might contradict themselves, their goal is to mislead others. Employing verbal irony is a way to highlight contradictions clearly, without misleading anyone.
  2. 2
    Situational irony is when there’s a difference between expectation and reality. The reader or audience expects one thing to happen, usually because of common sense. What actually happens defies their expectations and is the antithesis of what was expected. It’s not just that something unexpected happens, but that what happens plays on your expectations. [19]
    • Unlike dramatic irony, situational irony is often revealed to the characters and audience at the same time. The audience doesn’t learn anything before the characters do.
    • One example of situational irony is a baker revealing they’re allergic to flour. Because baking involves regularly coming into contact with flour, you don’t expect them to be allergic or take such a job in light of their allergy. [20]
    • Another common example is a fire station burning down. The place that you’d expect to be invincible to fires experiences one, making the disaster a situational irony.
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Section 5 of 6:

How to Use Dramatic Irony in Your Story

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  1. Look to plays, books, and movies that use dramatic irony to great tragic or humorous effect. Take note of when the audience or reader learns the information, how it makes them feel before the reveal, and how the reveal impacts the story. Look for patterns and use these to inspire your own reveal.
  2. 2
    Consider how dramatic irony works with your genre. Across genres, dramatic irony is used to differing effects. [21] Consider what kind of story you’re writing and how dramatic irony could work within it. For example, if it’s a horror story or a tragedy, use dramatic irony to build suspense and feelings of helplessness. More examples are below.
    • In tragedies, dramatic irony makes the audience feel helpless and frustrated because their knowledge could help the characters avoid their horrible fates—if only they knew the truth sooner.
    • In horror stories, dramatic irony builds suspense and anticipation as the audience waits for victims to unwittingly encounter traps or attacks that the audience knows are coming.
    • In comedies, dramatic irony sets up funny misunderstandings, allowing audiences to laugh at characters when they experience confusion or humiliation as a result of knowledge that hasn’t been revealed yet.
    • In romances, dramatic irony increases tension when the audience is aware of one character’s feelings for another, but doesn’t know when or if they’ll confess their love.
  3. 3
    Use structure and point of view to set up dramatic irony. For instance, tell your story from the villain’s point of view to create dramatic irony by letting the audience know what evil awaits the heroes. If you’re writing from an omniscient point of view, structure certain events so the reader learns things before the characters do. [22]
    • Dramatic irony isn’t always what’s best for the story. In some moments, it’s okay to keep information from your reader or audience as well as the characters so the shock of a reveal hits them unexpectedly. [23]
  4. Think about the best time to reveal the information to the characters that the audience already knows. Find a balance between creating suspense and keeping the plot flowing at a normal pace. Too much unfulfilled anticipation could cause readers to disengage. [24]
    • In a tragedy, the characters often don’t find out the truth until close to the end of the story. In other works, the reveal may come shortly after the audience learns the information, such as in a horror film where we see the killer only moments before the victim does.
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Section 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. 1
    How is dramatic irony different from foreshadowing? Foreshadowing is another literary device. When foreshadowing occurs, readers get a hint that something will happen, but they aren’t necessarily given information that the characters don’t have. [25] Foreshadowing can be vague and overlooked, while dramatic irony requires the audience to pick up on information.
    • For example, in Bram Stoker’s Dracula , the villagers fear Dracula and the scenery near his castle is dark and spooky, foreshadowing that something dangerous is lurking. However, readers don’t learn that he’s a vampire before the characters do.
  2. 2
    Why do writers use dramatic irony? Writers use dramatic irony to pull readers into their stories and generate suspense and other emotions. When used well, dramatic irony makes even a predictable plot point powerful because of how the reader’s advanced knowledge informs their processing of it.
    • A reader may also stay invested in a story because of dramatic irony, as they wait for key information to be revealed to all the characters.
  3. 3
    How do you identify dramatic irony? Look for moments in a book, film, play, or TV show where you learn something before the characters do. It could be a character’s motives, their hidden feelings, or an event happening that not everyone is aware of. If you were in suspense waiting for this information to be revealed, it’s probably an instance of dramatic irony.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/dramatic-irony
      2. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/dramatic-irony/
      3. ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/examples-dramatic-irony
      4. ↑ https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/slaughter/plot-analysis/
      5. ↑ https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-lovely-bones/chapter-1
      6. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/
      7. ↑ https://www.skillshare.com/en/blog/guide-to-dramatic-irony-with-dramatic-irony-examples/
      8. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/dramatic-irony/
      9. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/dramatic-irony/
      1. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/
      2. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/dramatic-irony/
      3. ↑ https://www.skillshare.com/en/blog/guide-to-dramatic-irony-with-dramatic-irony-examples/
      4. ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/examples-dramatic-irony
      5. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/dramatic-irony/
      6. ↑ https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/my-best-friends-wedding-julia-roberts-25-year-anniversary
      7. ↑ https://www.nfi.edu/dramatic-irony/
      8. ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-dramatic-irony-literary-device-definition-examples-and-tips-for-employing-dramatic-irony-in-writing#71pS9XIqapHGKYqb6XIA6Z
      9. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/
      10. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/
      11. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/situational-irony
      12. ↑ https://storyembers.org/how-to-evoke-humor-tension-and-sorrow-with-dramatic-irony/
      13. ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-dramatic-irony-literary-device-definition-examples-and-tips-for-employing-dramatic-irony-in-writing#1ij1hka7IghTKiU5hRtiSK
      14. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/#section1 https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/
      15. ↑ https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/dramatic-irony-examples-definition-77379/
      16. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/foreshadowing

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