Irony

Irony, a rhetorical device and literary technique, is used to communicate a meaning being exactly the opposite of what is said or written. There are many types of irony such as: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. The verbal irony is simply described as when a person says something but means another thing (mostly the opposite). The dramatic irony is used in drama when there aresome words or actions that have a meaning that is understood by the listener or audience but the speaker or character do not explain. Finally, the situational irony shows the disparity of intention and result, such as when an action results contrary of what was expected to happen. Irony is used by many authors, such as a literary technique to communicate some ideas (often used as sarcasm), to showa moral or to express some feelings or happenings in a very sarcastic way.
Oscar Wilde, a very recognized dramatist, decided to use irony in the title of one of his plays, The Importance of Being Earnest. This play resumes the power and stupidity of British aristocracy and how lucky is a man (Jack or Ernest, as he used to be called in the city) because of his father’s name. Jack created afictitious name, Ernest, so he could be accepted by a woman, Gwendolen (who wanted to marry a man named Ernest because that named inspired “absolute confidence”), and made her his wife. But before making her his wife he had to be approved by her mother, Lady Bracknell, who married well and who’s first goal is to see her daughter marrying the same way and living as she did. Jack is finally discovered,not naming Ernest and not being of a well-off family. In this play it was very important for Jack to be named as Ernest because that was the name that his love wanted her man to have. Wilde, instead of using Ernest in the title of the play decided to use the word earnest, which means serious and meaningful. But, because of what? Jack needed to change his name, pretend to be an aristocrat, and lie atall in his attempt for marrying Gwendolen. All this reversed, he was discovered, but he was lucky to find his mother and finding out that his real name was not Jack but Ernest. Here is where we notice the two coin’s faces. In one way he was supposed to be serious and tell his entire story at first, with the truth, because he almost loses everything he wanted lying to everybody, especially toGwendolen. But, in the other way he had to demonstrate to Lady Bracknell that he was a meaningful man and that he could give her daughter the life she wanted her to have. So, he was like “in the middle of the sandwich”, but the lesson of the play shows us that we have to be always serious no matter what because we don’t know if we’re going to be lucky every time.
Susan Glaspell, an Americandramatist, wrote strongly in a feminist way, dealing with the roles that women play, or are forced to play, in society and the relationships between men and women. She also decided to use irony in the title of one of her plays, Trifles. This play demonstrate the strong feminist criticism that existed, showing how men thought they were more important and intelligent than women and how they could pass overthem and obtain whatever they wanted. Mrs. Margaret Wright has killed her husband, Mr. John Wright, because of his aggressiveness. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had discovered that she committed the crime and they undertook to hide all the proofs that incriminated Margaret as the killer. But Glaspell gave the final touch to her play with a Mr. Hale’s very ironic phrase: “Well, women are used toworrying over trifles”. This phrase tries to present that women are always worrying about insignificant things, but is very ironic because it was in these insignificant things that they found the clues to solve the crime. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters decided to talk with Minnie Foster, the couple’s servant, so they could understand the motives that led them to the evidence against Margaret, while men...