Question

Which of the following is an example of dramatic irony? A. The characters are purposely hiding important factors from the audience. B. The characters say the exact opposite of what they really mean. C. The audience is more concerned about the characters sinning than falling in love. D. A knight swears loyalty to a newly appointed king, but the audience knows the knight plans to betray the king once he takes the throne.

Answer 1

D. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows certain things that the characters don't necessarily know themselves.

Answer 2

Answer: D. A knight swears loyalty to a newly appointed king, but the audience knows the knight plans to betray the king once he takes the throne.

Dramatic irony refers to a literary device in which the audience or the reader has more information than the characters of the text. It also means that the characters' actions will have a different meaning for the audience than those they have for the characters. In this case, the knight's action is interpreted differently by the king than by the audience, because they possess more information. Dramatic irony is usually associated with theatre, but can occur across all art.