"- Contract or no, I 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, huh?"
- Dialogue...
"- Tis but a scratch. - "A scratch"? Your arm's off.
And endings are built with it.
"- I am your father. - No!"
- Irony also happens to be one of the most misunderstood concepts.
"- The f*ck is this?
- Obviously, you're not a 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 are a 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, uh. 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 Eirōneía,
which means to feign ignorance.
Irony was metaphorized in ancient Greek comedies
by a character type called an Eiron
who outsmarted his opponents by understating his intellectual ability.
"- And down the hallway, I have another..."
- 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 a minute.
So let's break down a first type of irony.
Verbal irony is when a character intentionally
says the opposite of what they mean.
"- Can I stay with you? Please.
- Of course. - Really?
- No."
- This isn't simply lying or being hypocritical.
"- Oh, my God. I love your skirt. Where did you get it?
- It was my mom's in the eighties.
- Vintage. So adorable.
- Thanks."
- In those cases, the speaker wants the statement to be understood as truth.
"- That is the ugliest F-ing 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 a 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 a talk about Vanderhoff.
- The fact is, he's the sponsor,
and you signed a contract guaranteeing him certain concessions,
one of them being a spot on the show."
- Wayne pushes back against these 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 a 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 a character makes an ironic statement to criticize another character.
"- Did your parents have any children that lived?
-Sir, yes, sir. -I'll bet they regret that."
- Overstatement is when a character exaggerates the meaning of what they're saying.
"- I'm the king of the world."
- Understatement is when a character minimizes the meaning of what they're saying.
"- You're going to need a bigger boat."
- And Socratic irony is when one character pretends to be ignorant to outsmart others.
"- Hey, Dwight. You want an M&M?
You should have an M&M. They're really good.
- Hey, I thought you weren't supposed to eat anything for a couple of hours
after you've had a crown put in.
- They have 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 you."
- Situational irony adds an extra layer of resonance
and even poetry.
"- There's nothing more toxic or deadly than a human child.
A single touch could kill you.
- One. Two.
- Boo!"
- "The Gift of the Magi" a story from 1905 written by O. Henry
clearly shows situational irony.
A poor husband and wife named Jim and Della
set out to buy each other Christmas gifts.
Della cuts her hair and sells it to a wig-maker
in order to buy Jim a chain for his pocketwatch.
But Jim sold his pocket watch in order to buy a set of combs
for her hair.
In this case, irony is used to reveal their deep connection
and self-sacrifice Della 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.
"- Die you motherf*ckers!
- We should be dead, man.
- I know we was lucky.
- No, no, no, no. That sh*t wasn't luck.
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 stop these motherf*ckers."
- Poetic irony aka poetic justice
is when goodness is rewarded
and evil is punished in some ironic way.
"- I wish to be an all powerful genie!
Yes! Yes!
- Not so fast, Jafar. Aren't you forgetting something?
You want to be a genie.
You got it.
- What?!
- And everything that goes with it.
- No!
- Phenomenal cosmic powers...
Itty bitty living space."
- Structural irony is when a character is unable to comprehend
the reality of the world around them.
"- What do you think the chances are of a guy like you and a girl like me
ending up together?
- I'd say more like one out of a million.
- So you're telling me there's a 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 isn't sinkable.
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 a situation before the characters do.
Similar to situational irony
there is a 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 has 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 a perfect example of dramatic irony.
It's a 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're 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, do you?"
- It can make us laugh.
Cry.
Hold our breaths.
- "Hello." - Or chair.
If you'd like more videos on writing concepts, let us know in the comments.
In the description, you'll find a 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 unironically happy day.
"- In case I don't see you.
Good afternoon.
Good evening.
And goodnight."