Common Examples of Situational Irony

Satire and irony are two closely interrelated concepts though there exists a difference between them. Irony is a literary device that is created through the deliberate use of language that is contrary to the truth. Satire is the use of humor, wit, exaggeration or irony to expose a weakness of the society.

Definition: There are three types of irony: verbal, situational and dramatic. Verbal irony occurs when a speaker’s intention is the opposite of what he or she is saying.

• A fire station burns down.
• A marriage counselor files for divorce.
• The police station gets robbed.
• A post on Facebook complains about how useless Facebook is.
• A traffic cop gets his license suspended because of unpaid parking tickets.
• A pilot has a fear of heights.

If you’re watching a movie about the Titanic and a character leaning on the balcony right before the ship hits the iceberg says, “It’s so beautiful I could just die,” that’s an example of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don’t.

A knight swears loyalty to a newly appointed king, but the audience knows the knight plans to betray the king once he takes the throne. – is an example of dramatic irony. A knight swears loyalty to a newly appointed king, but the audience knows the knight plans to betray the king once he takes the throne.

Dramatic Irony in Romeo and Juliet

• Example #1: pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life… (
• Example #2: Whose misadventur’d piteous overthrows.
• Example #3: This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
• Example #4: Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye.
• Example #5: Alas poor Romeo!
• Example #6:
• Example #7:
• Example #8:

Why are Romeo’s last words also ironic? We know that Juliet is faking her death. The irony that Romeo gave was that she was not dead but he thinks that she is dead but she is not. They are so ironic because he had a dream that he was going to kiss her and she will wake but he dies.

Terms in this set (5)

• Paris tells Friar that Paris and Juliet will be married on Thursday.
• Juliet says she would rather die than marry Paris.
• Juliet tells her father that she will marry Paris and be forever ruled by her father.
• The Capulets and the nurse are joyful while Juliet is taking the potion.

Tybalt

With Juliet, she uses the advice from Friar Lawrence to fake her death in order to be able to live a happy life with Romeo. The fact that she herself dies at the end of the play is ironic because she specifically didn’t want to die by faking her death.

Romeo is talking about his dream where he is dead and Juliet kisses him back to life. This is very close to the friar’s plan for Juliet. She will pretend to be dead and it will be Romeo who revives her. It is ironic that Romeo would have this dream just as Balthasar is bringing him the news of Juliet’s death.

Mercutio’s death in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is ironic because he has not attached himself to either the Montagues or the Capulets and does not take part in their feuding and fighting. Romeo declares that his love for Juliet has made him effeminate, and that he should have fought Tybalt in Mercutio’s place.

Mercutio refers to his wound as “a scratch” immediately before telling his page to “fetch a surgeon.” His ordering the boy to get a doctor lets the audience know that he realizes his wound is much more serious than a scratch. Mercutio says one thing and means the opposite; therefore, he employs verbal irony.

Tybalt is to blame for Mercutio’s death, because Tybalt is the one who stabs him with his rapier: “Tybalt under Romeo’s arm thrusts Mercutio in and flies” (lines 89-90).

The evidence shows that Juliet is responsible for her death as well as Romeo because Romeo believed her fake death was real and died for her as she would have for him. Overall, Juliet is most responsible because of her desperation for Romeo’s love and her doubts.

Friar Lawrence

The Friar will give Juliet a potion to make her appear dead. After drinking it, her family will lay her apparently lifeless body in the Capulet tomb. The potion will last for 24 hours, during which time Friar Lawrence will send news to Romeo. He only hears that Juliet is dead and leaves for Verona immediately.

Romeo goes to the tomb and realises he can’t live without Juliet. He takes the poison and dies next to her. Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo dead. She then kills herself with Romeo’s dagger.

Fate is responsible for Juliet’s death. Friar Laurence blames the “lamentable chance” (Act 5 3, line 146) of “an unkind hour” (Act 5.3, line 145) for the fact that his plan has failed and Romeo has killed himself.

Nevertheless, Friar Laurence decides to marry Romeo and Juliet in the attempt to stop the civil feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. When Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt and flees to Mantua, Friar Laurence attempts to help the two lovers get back together using a potion to fake Juliet’s death.

What does the Friar discover in lines 140–146?  The Friar finds blood “which stains / The stony entrance of this sepulchre” (lines 140–141) along with “masterless and gory swords” (line 142). In other words, he finds blood at the entrance to the tomb, along with bloody, abandoned swords.