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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
Chapter 5: I Am Sent Away From Home
Explanation and Analysis—Stolen Meal:
Dickens uses dramatic irony early in the novel as a way of highlighting young David Copperfield’s innocence and gullibility. For example, when David travels alone to Salem House in Chapter 5, a waiter takes advantage of his good nature and ready willingness to believe everything he is told:
I replied that he would much oblige me by drinking [my ale], if he thought he could do it safely, but by no means otherwise. When he did throw his head back, and take it off quick, I had a horrible fear, I confess, of seeing him meet the fate of the lamented Mr Topsawyer, and fall lifeless on the carpet. But it didn’t hurt him. On the contrary, I thought he seemed the fresher for it.
Related Themes:
Chapter 45: Mr. Dick Fulfills My Aunt's Prediction
Explanation and Analysis—No Disparity in Marriage:
In Chapter 45, Annie explains why she is glad she did not marry Jack Maldon, and her words stick with David for a reason he can't work out. There is dramatic irony in this moment because to both the reader and to the adult narrator, it is obvious why Annie's words resonate with him:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I pondered on those words, even while I was studiously attending to what followed, as if they had some particular interest, or some strange application that I could not divine. ‘There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose’—‘no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.’
Related Themes:
