Types of Irony Commonly Used in Literature
If you want to add a certain drama and flair to your writing, it is a good idea to use irony in your writing. What is irony though? How will it improve your writing? With this article, we will know what irony is, and the types of irony that could be used in literature.
What is irony in literature?
Irony is a literary device that is used to create tension or drama in a story. The key component to writing irony, is to create a contrast between how things seem and how things really are. Here are the types of irony, and some examples of how they were used in literary works.
· Dramatic Irony
This type of irony is often in plays and movies. The key concept of dramatic irony is that the audience knows key knowledge about a specific character’s actions and motivations. This means only the audience will know what will occur in the story, while the characters do not know.
Examples:
In the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar, the title character Julius Caesar goes to the senate, not knowing that they plan to assassinate him. The members of the senate fear that he plans to make himself a king and abolish the senate. The key irony of the play is that the audience knows that Caesar goes to his death. Yet another irony in the play, is the fact that Caesar’s assassination set in action a series of events that led to Rome becoming a full empire, and the senate losing a great deal of their power.
· Verbal Irony
Verbal irony happens when the speaker says something that is totally opposite to his intentions. A majority of verbal irony is used to understate or overstate a situation.
Examples:
There is a part in the Shakespearean play of Macbeth, where the character Lennox tells Macbeth that he heard screams of death at night. To which Macbeth agrees with the line, “Twas a rough night”. Lennox thinks that Macbeth agrees with him, however, the line underplays Macbeth’s actions that night, wherein he murdered the king in his sleep.
· Situational Irony
Situational irony is a type of irony that occurs when the result of a situation, is completely different from an expected result. These are often used in comedies, because the unexpected situation could lead to a lot of laughs. However, situational irony could also be used to set off tragic events in a story.
Examples:
While situational irony is often used in comedy shows, they have also been used in age old stories such as Oedipus Rex. The situational irony in Oedipus Rex follows the overall story of Oedipus, who was abandoned as a child, because of a prophecy. The prophecy stated that he would kill his father the king and marry his mother. To prevent this from happening, the kind sends the infant Oedipus away to die. However, the infant is saved, and is eventually adopted by another king. He soon grows up, and unwittingly kills his father in a random fight years later. He also marries his mother afterwards.
· Socratic Irony
Socratic irony is a type of irony wherein a character feigns ignorance in order to expose another character’s ignorance. This type of irony was named after the Greek philosopher Socrates, who was known for his quick wit and deep and incisive questions.
Examples:
A great example of Socratic irony is Director and Actor Sacha Baron Cohen’s film Borat. In the film, he portrayed Borat, and acted boorish and ignorant. However, the more he talked with people, the more he highlighted how ignorant and boorish other people were.
Conclusion
Irony is a great way to enhance your writing, however, you should know the key characteristics of the literary device, and how to use them properly in your writing. With this article, you’ll at least know the types of irony in literature, and how to properly use them.
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