A special kind of contrast between appearance and reality – usually one in which reality is opposite from what it seems - is irony.
There are three main types of irony: verbal, situational and dramatic.
Verbal Irony includes sarcasm:
Situational Irony results when something unexpected happens:
Dramatic Irony is present when the audience knows an important detail, and remains in suspense as they wait for the detail to be revealed to the character:
That song's message was about as subtle as a punch in the face.
When John Hinckey attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof windows of the Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Thus, the windows made to protect the President from gunfire were partially responsible for his being shot. (Wikipedia)
In a mystery movie or novel, the audience might know the criminal before the character discovers the truth.
In a love story, the audience could see that two people truly in love are too shy to speak to each other. The suspense results as the audience waits to see if they will ever get together.
"I told you a hundred times, I'm not mad at you!!"
Stores by O'Henry are famous for irony. In The Gift of the Magi, a poor woman sells her long hair on Christmas Eve to buy a gift for her husband. He arrives home and reacts strangely when he sees her. Then they exchange gifts: she bought a chain for his pocket watch, and he bought a set of jeweled combs for her long hair - with money raised by selling his watch.
In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is faking death, and waits to see what happens when Romeo finds her.
In the long, storied history of Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit (founded: Monday), one question has been asked by our readers more than any other. Today, on our five-day anniversary, we will attempt to tackle the biggest Olympic mystery of the Beijing Games: what is Michael Phelps listening to on his iPod?
(by Chris Chase, Yahoo Sports 8-15-08)
Check out this ad for a community college, which ironically contains two written errors:
In films like "While You Were Sleeping" or "Mrs. Doubtfire", a false identity becomes a dramatic irony. Since we know who they really are, entertainment comes from watching the reactions of other people, and suspense builds as we wait to see how their secret will be discovered.
