Short Note: Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony

Irony is the use of words whose meaning is exactly opposite of what is said. Dramatic irony is a situation in a play in which a character makes a remark that the audience understands the meaning of but the character does not. Thus, dramatic or tragic irony depends more on the total structure of the play than on the actual words of the characters. Sophocles used dramatic irony with great effect in Oedipus Rex, in which it is found that Oedipus killed his father and married his mother, which the audience knows but Oedipus himself does not. The ironies used in Riders to the Sea build up the tragic atmosphere of the play. When Bartley is about to depart, he inquires about the rope bought from Connemara. This rope was meant for Michael's funeral, but it is now wanted by Bartley, who is going to sea. This filled us with tragic suggestions. We also know that the white boards meant for Michael's coffin will be used for Bartley's coffin, and the cake prepared for Bartley will be used by Bartley's coffin-makers. Bartley puts on the shirt of Michael, which intermingles the living and the dead and suggests the approaching doom of Bartley. When Bartley departs, Maurya forgets to bless him, and Cathleen forgets to give him the bread baked for him. These are ironies that intensify the tragic atmosphere. In the play, the tragic doom of Bartley is created through reverberating ironies.

Dramatic Irony