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Imagery
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—A Shock:
The supernatural elements of the plot, including Jekyll’s secret potion and ability to split his consciousness in two, allow for a kind of situational irony to arise in the last chapters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That Henry Jekyll—a pillar of Victorian society in London—is the murderer of a member of Parliament and a sadistic criminal is an irony in itself. But a more specific example of situational irony is that Hyde’s pull over Jekyll is rooted in the very last place anyone thought to look: within Jekyll himself.
Consider Lanyon’s surprise when he learns the truth, as reported to Utterson:
“ I have had a shock," he said, "and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks. Well, life has been pleasant. […] I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away."
Related Themes:
