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Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Key Examples in Cry, the Beloved Country
Book II, Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis—Kumalo’s Apology:
Through dramatic irony, the novel’s tension peaks in Chapter 25 as James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo meet. Kumalo visits Margaret Jarvis’s home one afternoon to ask about Sibeko's daughter and, more importantly, seek forgiveness:
Jarvis knew this was not rudeness, for the old man was humble and well-mannered, so he came down the steps, saying, Are you ill, umfundisi? But the old man did not answer. He continued to tremble, and he looked down on the ground, so that Jarvis could not see his face, and could not have seen it unless he had lifted the chin with his hand, which he did not do, for such a thing is not lightly done.
Related Themes:
