Irony Explained — 3 Types of Irony Every Storyteller Should Know (Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic)

What is irony — An overview of all types of irony, including verbal irony, situational irony, dramatic irony, their sub-types, and irony examples.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:05 - What is Irony?
02:37 - Verbal Irony
05:13 - Situational Irony
08:28 - Dramatic Irony
10:48 - Wrap Up

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Irony is just as inseparable from storytelling as it is from life. We see it in our everyday lives but irony is also one of the most misunderstood concepts. That is the goal of this video: to define irony and all its forms so that writers and storytellers can wield it with clarity and precision. So, what is irony? What are the different types of irony and how can they be used across any genre for a multitude of purposes? Let’s get started.

We define irony as when reality is the opposite of expectation or when what is said is the opposite of the intended meaning. Perhaps the biggest misconception about irony is that any lucky or strange or coincidental situation qualifies as ironic. The key thing to remember when thinking of irony is the word “opposite” — if it’s not opposite, it’s not irony. Everything else is bad luck, odd coincidence, or an unexpected surprise. We just defined pure irony but there are many variations we need to discuss.

There are three main types of irony: verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony. And within those main branches, we have sarcasm, understatement, overstatement, Socratic irony, cosmic irony, poetic irony, structural irony, historical irony, and tragic irony. Phew!

Verbal irony covers speech — what we say is the opposite of what we mean. This isn’t the same as lying or being hypocritical, this is an intentionally worded phrase that is meant to be understood as ironic. Sarcasm is when you use verbal irony to criticize or ridicule someone else. Overstatement is using exaggeration to express a thought or feeling and understatement goes the opposite direction to de-emphasize the intended meaning. Socratic irony is used when someone “feigns ignorance” (aka “plays dumb”) to outsmart someone else.

Situational irony is when the opposite of what we expect to happen, happens. Cosmic irony adds a layer of “fate” or “divine influence” to traditional situational irony. Poetic irony occurs when goodness is rewarded and evil is punished in a particularly ironic way. Structural irony is when an entire character and/or story is based on an ironic situation. And historical irony is when hindsight provides an ironic twist on past events.

Dramatic irony also involves a sharp contrast between expectation and reality but, in this case, the audience or reader understands the truth before the characters do. This can create tension and suspense as we wait to see what happens when the characters finally encounter the truth. Tragic irony is simply dramatic irony with tragic consequences — think of Shakespeare’s tragedies like Othello and Romeo and Juliet.
When writers understand the depths and nuances of irony, they can tackle any subject or genre with this exceptionally effective tool.

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VIDEO EDITOR: BRANDON SCULLION
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♬ SONGS USED:

“String Quartet in F Major Second Movement” - Ysae Quartet
“The Slough Pit of Creation” - Carter Burwell
“Peter and the Wolf” - Sergei Prokofiev
“The Wanderer” - Makeup and Vanity Set
“All Star” - Smash Mouth
“Bohemian Rhapsody” - Queen
“Keep Your Eyes On Me” Instrumental - Heather Lee
“To Die For” - Danny Elfman
“Should I Stay or Should I Go?” - The Clash
“White Tiger” - John Carpenter
“Son of a Preacher Man” - Dusty Springfield
“Tannhäuser Gate” - Makeup and Vanity Set
“The First Victim” - John Williams

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