1. Irony in Romeo and Juliet

2. Definition you expect one thing to happen, but the unexpected happens instead 3 types ~Situational ~Dramatic ~Verbal

3. Verbal Irony a character says one thing and means the opposite Ex.) A girl has been bothering her boyfriend to ask her to prom. When he finally does ask, she says, “What a surprise”. Ex.) You get an ugly shirt for Christmas and say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.

4. Situational Irony an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters or reader Ex.) The firehouse burns down. The police station was robbed. The teacher failed the test. The student that didn’t study passed the test. The marriage counselor gets a divorce.

5. Dramatic Irony the audience knows something the characters do not ex.) The audience knows that the girl Romeo is attracted to at the party is a Capulet. Romeo doesn’t know that.

6. Example Lord Capulet and Paris think that Juliet is weeping for her dead cousin Tybalt, and that marrying Paris sooner rather than later is just the cure for her sadness. This is an example of… Dramatic irony: the audience knows the real reason why Juliet is crying: Romeo has been banished.

7. Example Romeo returns to Verona. He find Juliet drugged, in a death-like sleep. He assumes she is dead and kills himself. This is an example of… Dramatic irony: the audience knows the truth – Juliet is not dead, she is just in a deep sleep.

8. Example Romeo and Juliet plan to spend eternity together – just as the stars in the heavens. They do spend eternity together. It's just not the way the audience hoped. This is an example of … Situational irony: they will be together forever, but because they are dead.

9. Example Consider the opening lines of the prologue: “Two households, both alike in dignity.” This is an example of … Verbal irony: the audience realizes that each family is violently competitive – they are actually undignified.