Irony Explained 3 Types of Irony Every Storyteller Should Know Verbal Situational and Dramatic

contractor no will not bow to any sponsor irony is inseparable from storytelling some of the best situations what do you mean you people what do you mean you people dialogue tis but scratch scratch your arms off there it isn't and endings are built with it am the father irony also happens to be one of the most misunderstood concepts obviously you're not golfer our goal today is to lay out the three major types of irony their subtypes and how writers can use them to great effect you're writer who doesn't write i'm thinking this is what is irony at the end of the video we'll show you how to download our free ebook covering everything on irony so what is irony irony irony irony is when expectation is the opposite of reality or when what is said is the opposite of the intended meaning irony is not coincidence and it's not just bad luck rain on your wedding day is unfortunate but it's not ironic if your wedding is set in the desert where it hasn't rained in 100 years and then it rains that's ironic irony is derived from the ancient greek irony which means the feign ignorance irony was metaphorized in ancient greek comedies by character type called an iron who outsmarted his opponents by understating his intellectual abilities and down the hallway in other words expectations didn't match reality and this is the core principle behind irony there are three main types of irony each of these main types have distinct subtypes that we'll explain in minute so let's break down our first type of irony verbal irony is when character intentionally says the opposite of what they mean can stay with you please of course really no this isn't simply lying or being hypocritical my god love your skirt where did you get it it was my mom's in the 80s vintage so adorable thanks in those cases the speaker wants the statement to be understood as truth that is the ugliest effing skirt i've ever seen when using verbal irony the speaker intends for the statement to be understood as ironic welcome to earth in wayne's world we have classic scene that is built with pure verbal irony after their low-rent public access show gets their first sponsor listen we need to have talk about vanderhoff the fact is he's the sponsor and you signed contract guaranteeing him certain concessions one of them being spot on the show wayne pushes back against his demands maybe i'm wrong on this one but for me the beast doesn't include selling out at the same time he ironically bows to many sponsors it's your choice yes and it's the choice of new generation wayne says one thing but means another and his cheeky nods to the audience are what makes this verbal irony and not hypocrisy it's like people only do things because they get paid and that's just really sad verbal irony can also be divided into four specific subtypes sarcasm is when character makes an ironic statement to criticize another character did your parents have any children that lived sir yes sir how about they regret that overstatement is when character exaggerates the meaning of what they say understatement is when character minimizes the meaning of what they're saying you're going to need bigger boat and socratic irony is when one character pretends to be ignorant to outsmart others hey dwight hey you want an should have an they're really good hey thought you weren't supposed to eat anything for couple of hours after you've had crowd put in having this new kind of quick drying bonding let's move on to our next type wake up daddy's home situational irony is when the opposite of what we expect to happen happens this is the most common type of irony and it can be used in any story unfortunately the device that's keeping you alive is also killing situational irony adds an extra layer of resonance and even poetry there's nothing more toxic or deadly than human child single touch could kill you the gift of the magi story from 1905 written by henry clearly shows situational irony poor husband and wife named jim and della set out to buy each other christmas gifts della cuts her hair and sells it to wig maker in order to buy jim chain for his pocket watch but jim sold his pocket watch in order to buy set of combs for her hair in this case irony is used to reveal their deep connection and self-sacrifice dela and jim made for each other beyond pure situational irony there are also four different subtypes cosmic irony is when our expectations are altered by fate or divine influence we should be dead man know we was lucky no no no no that wasn't love you know what divine intervention is that means that god came down from heaven and stopped the bullets that's right that's exactly what it means god came down from heaven and stopped these poetic irony aka poetic justice is when goodness is rewarded and evil is punished in some ironic way wish to be not so fast jafar aren't you forgetting something you wanted to be genie you got it everything that goes with it structural irony is when character is unable to comprehend the reality of the world around them what do you think the chances are of guy like you and girl like me ending up together i'd say more like one out of million so you're telling me there's chance historical irony is when hindsight provides an ironic perspective on an action or stance taken in the past so this is the ship they say is unsinkable it is unsinkable god himself could not sink this ship let's move on to our final major type of irony dramatic irony is when the audience knows the truth about situation before the characters do similar to situational irony there is sharp contrast between expectations and reality the difference here is that the audience is aware of this reality before the characters dramatic irony is deployed in three stages preparation as soon as the audience is given this privileged information suspension how long until the characters realize the truth we already know hello and resolution the truth is revealed and the consequences are presented this type of irony can create extra layers of comedy drama or suspense in jaws we have perfect example of dramatic irony it's lovely day at the beach children play in the water with zero idea of what lurks beneath our first clue is the disappearance of the dog then our suspicions are confirmed now we know before any of these characters that they are being hunted while the other two main types of irony have many subtypes dramatic irony has only one tragic irony is simply defined as dramatic irony with tragic consequences romeo if you're still unsure why irony matters in storytelling you don't know what you're talking about it can make us laugh cry hold our breath hello or cheer if you'd like more videos on writing concepts let us know in the comments in the description you'll find link to download our free ebook on irony that dives deeper into the three main types and the subtypes we didn't cover in this video until next time have an an ironically happy day in case don't see you afternoon good evening and good night