example of verbal irony from the movie, Mean Girls.
dramatic irony: explained
situational irony: explained
"The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest--
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men--"
Marc Antony's speech at Ceasar's funeral. He is praising Brutus, but actually chastising him.
Source: Shakespeare, William. Julius Ceasar. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1935. Print.
Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, but the audience knows that she is alive and in a deep sleep. Romeo kills himself and Juliet wakes up to see his dead body. The audience knows what is happening while the characters remain oblivious.
In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’s father only fulfills the prophecy of him being killed by his own son after trying to avoid it and sending him away. This represents situational irony because the effect of the action is the opposite from the intended actions.
