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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 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Chapter 3: Diagnosis and Treatment
Explanation and Analysis—Like All the Others:
After Dr. Wharton removed tissue from Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge or consent, the samples were carried to George Gey’s lab. The transfer itself was routine—something that had happened many times before with other patients’ cells. While Gey remained optimistic, his staff had grown jaded. Every human culture they had ever tried had died quickly, and there was no reason to think this sample would be different. This moment exemplifies dramatic irony, where the audience knows a truth the characters do not:
A resident took the dish with the samples to Gey’s lab, as he’d done many times before. Gey still got excited at moments like this, but everyone else in his lab saw Henrietta’s sample as something tedious — the latest of what felt like countless samples that scientists and lab technicians had been trying and failing to grow for years. They were sure Henrietta’s cells would die just like all the others.
Related Themes:
