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Examples Of Dramatic Irony In Ethan Frome

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Pentheus foolishly suspects that the stranger is weak based solely on his effeminate appearance. The audience is quickly made aware of Pentheus’ ignorance in expecting the conventional, because they know that Dionysus is far from it. The king’s shallowness proves to be fatal when he is convinced to enter the domain of the Bacchae and is brutally killed by them, just as Dionysus had planned. Euripides and many of his contemporaries were masters of dramatic irony. Another example of dramatic irony lies in Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome. The author reveals in the prologue that Ethan remains in Starkville after sustaining a serious injury from a mysterious accident. Although the details are unclear, when Ethan expresses his desire for freedom and a life away from the cold and bitter town, The reader is well aware that he does not get the happy ending he wants so desperately. The most obvious example of dramatic irony present in The Scarlet Letter, is the fictitious friendship between Arthur Dimmesdale and Rodger Chillingworth. Hawthorne reveals early in the novel that the reverend is in fact Pearl’s father. In an exchange between Hester and Chillingworth, he discloses his plans to take vengeance on her lover. Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, remarks “I shall make him tremble” (Hawthorne 71). Once he discovers that Dimmesdale is Hester's former paramour, Chillingwoth attaches himself to the minister like a leech under the guise of friendship. Both Hester and the reader know

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