{"id":20440,"date":"2022-01-11T12:17:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T12:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/?p=20440"},"modified":"2022-04-13T15:05:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T15:05:32","slug":"irony-in-antigone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/irony-in-antigone\/","title":{"rendered":"Irony in Antigone: Death by Irony"},"content":{"rendered":"
Irony in Antigone<\/strong> is written to build up anticipation and give interest to the characters of the plot.<\/p>\n It creates a certain depth and richness to the play and gives the audiences a form of entertainment without deviating from the themes of the Greek classic.<\/p>\n The importance of the layers of irony is that it provides the audience with vast knowledge and creates humor that the characters lack, adding tension between characters and excitement with the onlookers.<\/p>\n There are multiple types of irony in Antigone<\/strong>. Sophocles uses dramatic irony, verbal irony, and situational irony. Playwrights often use satire to portray a situation or event without the character’s knowledge, giving the audience a sneak peek or glance at what’s to come.<\/p>\n This, in turn, is true in the dramatic irony portrayed in Antigone.<\/p>\n Dramatic irony in Antigone is the type of irony present in a situation on stage that the characters are unaware of<\/strong>. Thus, the audience knows something that the characters don’t, which creates suspense and humor.<\/p>\n With this, the audience would feel much more of the plot. In contrast to having only one perspective throughout the play, they would feel less entertained, having the same amount of knowledge as the heroine.<\/p>\n The different perspectives of different characters give about entertainment value, hooking the audience to the core, the primary purpose of dramatic irony.<\/p>\n For example, in the first portion of the play, Antigone voices her plans to Ismene, Antigone’s sister<\/a>, before enacting Polyneices’ burial. At the same time, King Creon<\/a> expresses his decree to punish those who’d attempt to bury Polyneices. Thus the tension between Creon and Antigone exists in the audience before the characters become aware of such.<\/p>\n In Antigone, much of the dramatic irony surrounds issues of gender and the expectations associated with them<\/strong>. This is seen during the investigation of the burial of the traitor\u2019s body. Creon quoted during the violation of his decree that \u201cWhat sayest thou? What living man hath dared this deed?\u201d emphasizing his suspicions of a man.<\/p>\n In this situation, the audience is aware of the gender of the assailant. Yet, Creon perceives it as another, not considering that a woman would be capable of such an independent and rebellious act.<\/p>\n Creon’s view on the subject of women is regarded as a dramatic irony essential for analysis, for the perception of women in ancient Greece vs. the perception of women today is paramount to the development of our society. This analysis is born from the effects of dramatic irony.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A verbal irony, on the other hand, is a form of irony where the character would say something but would mean the exact opposite<\/strong>. This type of irony would often describe or convey emotion.<\/p>\n The audience, in this case, can sense a shift in expression seen in the characters and that they would understand that the characters would feel differently despite the description given. Without it, the plot would be too predictable and bland. The audience would find the characters one-dimensional and would have a hard time relating to such.<\/p>\n The verbal irony in Antigone is seen at the beginning of the play<\/strong>, where Ismene and Antigone monologue and voice their thoughts on their brothers\u2019 deaths. Antigone describes Creon as \u201ca worthy king\u201d despite feeling the exact opposite.<\/p>\n This is considered a verbal Irony in which a character would say something despite feeling the exact opposite. The audience, in this case, since the ironic play on our heroine’s words, border lining sarcasm to an extent.<\/p>\nHow Irony Shaped the Play<\/h2>\n
Examples of Irony in Antigone<\/h2>\n
Dramatic Irony<\/h3>\n
Verbal Irony<\/h3>\n