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dramatic irony

/drəˈmætɪk ˈaɪrəni/

1 entry

phrase

/drəˈmætɪk ˈaɪrəni/C1formalart
  • ruЛитературный и театральный приём, при котором зритель или читатель знает больше о ситуации или судьбе персонажа, чем сами персонажи, что создаёт напряжение или юмор.

A literary and theatrical device where the audience or reader knows more about a situation or a character's fate than the characters themselves do, creating tension or humor.

  1. Literary deviceB2formal

    A situation in a story or play where the audience knows more about the events than the characters do, creating tension or humor.

    ruЛитературный приём

    • In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is alive, but Romeo thinks she is dead, creating dramatic irony.
    • The play uses dramatic irony when the hero walks into a trap that the audience has already seen being set.
    • Dramatic irony makes the audience feel anxious because they know the truth the character is unaware of.