Irony in Act 1 of Macbeth Essay

The Oxford Dictionary of English defines irony as a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character 's words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character. Irony― the difference between appearance and reality ―is a literary device evident throughout all literature as either situational irony, dramatic irony, or verbal irony. Surprising readers, situational irony contradicts the expected outcome of the story. For example, the audience of the Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, expect that Harry Potter will defeat Voldemort, the evil lord, by killing him; however, they are thrown off guard when it is revealed that Harry Potter must allow Voldemort to kill

Through the soliloquy, the audience gains insight into Macbeth’s innermost thoughts. He names multiple reasons as to why he should not kill King Duncan, noting that Duncan is his guest, kinsman and a good king. He also admits that the only motive he has is the “Vaulting ambition” residing inside of him. Here he names his own hamartia, his fatal flaw, and acknowledges that to give in and commit such a deed, would result in his “deep damnation”. While still undecided on the matter, Lady Macbeth enters, and, seeing his indecision she decides to manipulate him into the decision that suits her; for after all, she is almost if not as ambitious as her husband. By questioning his manhood, his bravery, even their marriage, she successfully leads him to make the choice to kill the king. We now must realise that although the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s taunts were a catalyst for Macbeth’s treachery, they never force him to make these errors in judgement; it must have been something that was already inside of him that caused him to decide this. There must have been some inherent evil already a part of his character.

Irony is a technique that uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. For example, dramatic irony is a type of irony which is shown in the first Shrek movie. Fiona loves Shrek but only Donkey and the audience know. In this situation, dramatic irony is being created because the character Shrek does not know that Fiona loves him but the audience does. The short stories “The Lottery” the reader may find both situational and dramatic irony that both create the ironic ending.

Irony and foreshadowing are literary devices used in literature. Foreshadowing is when an element in the story is used to hint an event that will occur further along in the story. There are many different types of Irony. One of these is dramatic irony, which refers to when a character thinks something is true yet the audience know the actual truth of the situation. Another type of irony is

An example of dramatic irony is when Fortunato tells Montresor not to worry about his health and that “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I will not die of a cough” (POE 238) Montresor then replies, “True–true.” When the reader reads this, they see that Fortunato is clueless of Montresor’s true plan is and while he tells Fortunato he will be all right. That he will not die, he is planning to kill him. This is dramatic because we as the reader feel a sense of sorrow because we know the truth about what will

King Duncan was an honest king favored by many. His generosity is shown when he titles Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. King Duncan proclaims, “No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth” (Shakespeare 8). King Duncan is munificent, but gave Macbeth this title because he cares for the people of Cawdor. He is a fair KingKing since he did this for the better of the people. Morality is proven in the play after King Duncan is rewarded for his great actions. After King Duncan’s death Macbeth states, “So clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taKing-off” (Shakespeare 20). King Duncan was virtuous and was rewarded by being honored and well respected by everyone including his murderer. He was very

Irony, a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. Throughout Night there is use of situational and verbal irony. This use of irony keeps the reader interested. The use of irony causes the reader to know things that the characters often are not aware of.

In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, an important character is Macbeth. The writer develops the personality of said character throughout the play using contrast, dialogue, actions, thoughts, and commentary. Through this the audience is able to observe the personality transformation Macbeth undergoes throughout the course of the play.

Irony is defined as “a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character:”(“Irony” Entry 3. Oxford Dictionary. November 5th, 2015, Web.) In literature, irony can be used to foreshadow situations about to occur. Irony is a literary technique that can be expressed in 3 different ways. There is Dramatic irony, Situational Irony, and Verbal Irony. Situational irony is defined as, “irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.” ("situational-irony."(Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 05 Nov.

-Dramatic Irony is when the words and actions of the characters in a work of literature are known to the audience or reader, but they are not known to certain characters in the story. The reader or audience has a greater knowledge of many of the characters themselves.

According to the classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does Macbeth do this?

King Duncan has been invited into Macbeth’s home, to dine and enjoy himself. He expects to have a great time and is ridiculously thankful, yet what makes this ironic is the fact that the hostess that he is praising is conspiring to kill him-he will be murdered that night. This represents the duplicitous nature of Macbeth, as the outward nobility of his character is contrasted greatly to his true spirit.

A reoccurring theme in the play Macbeth is the use of ironic events. Irony is an unexpected occurrence that takes the audience by surprise and generally means the opposite of what is expected. These contradictory events enhance the plot of a story and create suspense. Irony is portrayed multiple times in this play and is known for making the play so amusing. Unexpected incidents throughout the plot occur in scenes involving the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth’s crimes committed to become king, and the back-and-forth changes in the mindset of Lady Macbeth.

Every day people experience ironic situations. Whether it is the bus leaving early when someone is already running late for work or an obstetrician missing a delivery because she is in labor; irony happens. Poetry is life in the form of art, and without irony, it would not be as interesting or relatable. “Irony in poetry occurs when a discrepancy exists between two levels of meaning or experience… Skillfully used, irony is a powerful way of making a pointed comment or manipulating a reader’s emotions” (445). Be it situational irony where the situation itself is opposite a reader’s expectation, verbal irony where a poet manipulates tone to say something opposite of what the words say or dramatic irony which is when the reader sees something

Dramatic Irony is the result of information being shared with the audience but withheld from one or more of the characters.