What is Irony?
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Irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what is expected. It can be funny, but it can also be tragic. Sarcasm, where the real meaning is the opposite of the surface meaning, can be a type of verbal irony, but it’s not the only type of verbal irony.
In dramatic irony the audience knows what to expect, but the characters on stage do not. Thus the audience knows Juliet took a sleeping potion and isn’t really dead when Romeo discovers her lifeless body, but Romeo does not and kills himself.
Another example of irony that’s less tragic is a child who acts badly to get desert, but is denied desert because he acted badly. Acting badly produces exactly the opposite of the expected result.
Irony is not the same as coincidence. Some people avoid using the word because it is so often misunderstood.
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