| Irony | The difference between what someone would reasonably expect to happen and what actually does happen. |
| Situational Irony | The outcome of an event is different from what the reader expected, or wanted, to happen. Where actions or events have the opposite result from what is expected or what is intended. |
| Verbal Irony | What is said is different from what is actually said. A contrast betwen what is said and what is actually meant |
| Dramatic Irony | When the audience knows things the characters do not. The people reading the text knows something the characters do not. |
| Situational Irony – Example | When Romeo goes to the Capulet’s party and hopes to see Rosaline and have her fall in love with him, but he falls in love with Juliet instead |
| Dramatic Irony – Example 1 | Romeo and Juliet dance together not knowing the other is from their enemies’ families. The reader knows this. |
| Verbal Irony – Example | “Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed. |
Irony in Romeo and Juliet
July 2, 2019