Dramatic Irony in Act 4

Dramatic Irony plays a very important role in Romeo and Juliet. Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows information that a character or characters do not know. It is used to create drama within the audience. It may intrigue the audience of a play or novel because they wish they could tell the character the information that remains unknown to them. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony very effectively in his play Romeo and Juliet by inflicting many different emotions on the audience.

 One example of dramatic irony in the play is when Lady Capulet walks into Juliet's chamber to find her dead on her bed."O me, O me! My child, my only life! / Revive, look up, or I will die with thee! / Help, help! Call help" (IV. v. 20-22). Lady Capulet is weeping at the apparent death of her daughter. However, the audience knows that Juliet is not actually dead, she just took a potion that makes her appear dead for 2 days. In Act IV scene i, Juliet and the friar are having a conversation about how Juliet would rather die than be married to County Paris. The friar offers a solution in the way of a sleeping potion of sorts. If she appears dead to her family, she will not have to marry Paris. Only Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and the audience know that this conversation happened. Leaving poor Lady Capulet traumatized by her daughters death. This use of dramatic irony causes much compassion among the audience for Lady Capulet. They wish they could tell her that her daughter's death is a fluke, but the audience is not able to have any affect on her.

Another example of dramatic irony in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is during Act IV scene i, Juliet is crying. Paris, not knowing the true reason for her depression thinks, "Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt's death" (IV. i. 6). I think that this use of dramatic irony has more of a comedic effect to it. Paris thinks that the reason for Juliet's sadness has to do with the death of her relative when really Paris himself is the one invoking her melancholy. Paris believes that Juliet truly loves him as he says to Juliet "So will ye, I am sure, that you love me" (IV. i. 26). Juliet's true feelings are revealed to the audience when she has a private conversation with Friar Lawrence. Juliet states that:

O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris.
From off the battlements of any tower,
Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk
Where serpents are; chain me with roaring bears,
Or hide me nightly in a charnel house,
O'ercovered quite with dead men's rattling bones,
With reeky shanks and yellow chapless skulls;
Or bid me go into a new-made grave
(IV. i. 77-84)

 Juliet and Paris' feelings for each other are contradicting. This comedic use of dramatic irony has the audience quietly laughing behind Paris' back.

As you can see, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to inflict many different emotions on his audience. He uses it to get his audience involved in the story and to play with their emotions whether it makes them happy or sad. If you would like to learn more about Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony, check out this cool link.

Sources

Grass Roots Rockford. dramatic irony. Photograph. n.d.

Mcgoodwin. leighton3. Photograph. n.d.

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." Prentice Hall Literature Timeless Voices,          Timeless Themes. Eds. Bowler, Ellen, et al. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print.