Mrs. Warren’s Profession Literary Devices

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

Explanation and Analysis—Divine Sanction:

In the following excerpt from the end of Act 2, Mrs. Warren interacts tenderly with her daughter, though mostly for her own reassurance. She looks to Vivie for confirmation that she was a good mother; then, in a moment of situational irony, she promptly seeks validation from God:

MRS WARREN [fondly] I brought you up well, didn't I, dearie?

VIVIE. You did.

MRS WARREN. And youll be good to your poor old mother for it, won't you?

VIVIE. I will, dear. [Kissing her) Good-night.

MRS WARREN [with unction] Blessings on my own dearie darling! a mother's blessing! [She embraces her daughter protectingly, instinctively looking upward for divine sanction.]

Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque pl

Explanation and Analysis—Private Hotel:

In the following scene from Act 3, Crofts utilizes veiled language and verbal irony as he addresses Vivie, offering to share the truth of Mrs. Warren's profession with her. Though hesitant, Vivie relents:

CROFTS. I'll tell you all about it if you like. I don't know whether you've found in travelling how hard it is to find a really comfortable private hotel.

VIVIE [sickened, averting her face] Yes: go on.

CROFTS. Well, that's all it is. Your mother has got a genius for managing such things. We've got
two in Brussels, one in Ostend, one in Vienna, and two in Budapest.

Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

Mrs. Warren’s Profession: Irony 2 key examples

Definition of Irony