word
Dramatic Irony
druh-MAT-ik EYE-ruh-nee
/drəˈmætɪk ˈaɪrəniː/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
dramaticirony
Dictionary meaning
A situation in which the audience or reader knows something crucial that one or more characters do not, creating tension and emotional depth
Examples
- In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, the audience knows Oedipus's true identity long before he does — a masterwork of dramatic irony.
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