Do you have any idea about the definition of irony in Literature and its common types? This literary term was present in the English language in the 16th century. The origin of the term irony took place from the French word “irony” and, from the Latin word “ironic”. In turn, the origin of all these terms took place from the ancient greek stereotypical characters known as Eiron. The definition of the term irony took place from the Eiron’s gesture for his enemy wherein; he brought down his opponent by understating the abilities, which is an ironic move.
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What is Irony?
The term irony comes from the Latin word irony, which means “feigned ignorance.”
It is a literary technique used to contrast how things seem and how they are in real terms. That is, between expectation and reality. It is an association of both tragedy and humor.
The main synonyms of irony, as defined by the writers, is sarcasm, coincidence, or ill luck.
Example of Irony
If you miss the bus that you were bragging of not missing in front of your friends is a basic ironic situation.
Common Types of Irony
There are numerous types of irony with different meanings. The contrasting literary techniques have their characteristics and situations that make it unique from the other.
Dramatic Irony (Shakespeare’s Favorite)
Dramatic irony is a type of irony known as tragic irony. In this situation, the readers know a piece of information that the key characters don’t.
An example of dramatic irony is a scene from The Romeo and Juliet in which:-
Two of the characters die, thinking that the other character is dead by taking the poison. In this scene, the audience’s dramatic irony comes into play when they know it all and want them to know the whole story before taking the final action.
Situational Irony (The Irony of Events)
In this type of irony, the reality or truth contradicts the expected outcome.
An example of situational irony from O. Henry’s classic tale, The Gift of the Magi:-
In a scene, the wife cuts off her long hair to sell it for buying a chain for his prized watch. On the other hand, the husband sells his watch to buy his wife a comb for her hair. So, the action of one character undercutting other’s actions is situational irony.
Verbal Irony
In the case of verbal irony, the intended meaning is the opposite of the said statement.
An example of this type of irony is:-
Case 1: Looking at her son’s messy room, Mom says, “Wow, you could win an award for cleanliness!”
Her words are opposite to the intended meaning, giving a touch of verbal irony.
Socratic Irony
This type of irony is not the main type but a bonus irony when a person tries to expose the law in another person’s logic or encourages their logical reasoning.
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