“I’m being ironic. Don’t interrupt a man in the midst of being ironic, it’s not polite.”
By definition, ‘irony’ is the contrast between what appears to be truth on the surface and its true reality. And whether it be for comedic or dramatic effect, it is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s arsenal and has evolved in a number of different ways over the years. Tragic irony is one such example of how irony has diversified, but what exactly is it? Join us here at What We Reading as we run you through what dramatic irony is, some of its best examples and when the best time to use it in your writing is!
What Is Tragic Irony?
Tragic irony is a form of dramatic irony. It is when the audience is aware ahead of time that a tragedy is going to happen.
What distinguishes tragic irony from dramatic irony is how the lack of information a character has compared to the audience is the thing that leads to a dramatic event.
An example of tragic irony would be a man drinking a glass of wine. Readers know that the wine has been poisoned, but he doesn’t. The audience then has to read on and prepare for his death which they know is inevitable at this point.
Examples Of Tragic Irony
Tragic irony is a tool used by writers to build suspense by utilising information handed to a reader. Because things have to end tragically for a character, it is most commonly used by authors in genres of fiction like romance, historical fiction, sci-fi and thrillers.
Ultimately, a tragic irony comes when there is a huge difference between the outcome of an event, and what was expected. Think of Romeo and Juliet, where if either one of the two lovers had just waited a few moments longer, neither of them would have taken their own lives believing the other to be dead. The tragedy is given extra weight with what the ramifications of the two lovers’ deaths mean for the Montagues and Capulets and their feud.
A tragic irony can also be multiple events taking place simultaneously that are not necessarily related, but are coincidental – an example of this would be a ship sinking on its maiden voyage. This example would be seen as paradoxical, or an example of sardonic humour.
Tragic Irony Origins
The origins of tragic irony have been long-debated by scholars over the years, however, some historians claim it lies in ancient Greek mythology. The story of Odysseus and his victory over Troy in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ is one of its first examples. But, its first mention comes in Aristotle’s Poetics where he defines tragedy as having two types: “A tragic” and “Clyptic”.
One of the first known examples of dramatic irony is in Sophocles’ play “Oedipus Rex”, and the story of Oedipus.
As a literary device, irony is one of the most effective tools for installing a feeling in a reader other than the intended reaction. It generally comes from a discretion between a literal and figurative meaning of a situation.
A tragic irony can have negative consequences in a situation that also has positive consequences. For example, a story where a protagonist becomes rich through unscrupulous means, only to die from a mugging before they can spend any of it.
Tragedies have so often been hard to comment on, however, modern trends have seen them thankfully brought back into the limelight. Too often readers and characters put all their focus on the negativities of the tragedy, rather than seeing any of the positives.
Matt Haig explores a lot of this in his 2020 book, The Midnight Library.
Final Thoughts
It can be hard seeing the differences between tragic irony and an ironic tragedy. But, there are two key points that keep the two separate.
Tragic irony is when something terrible happens, but a reader can see why it had to occur due to some other event or circumstance.
An ironic tragedy has no reason or justification for the bad thing happening and generally evokes more sympathy towards the character involved.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
