Irony in Act 1 of Macbeth
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: Irony in Act 1 of Macbeth
Pages: 11
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Macbeth
Question – Discuss the irony in Act 1, Scene 4.
Irony is very commonly used in literature. It is when something totally different from what was happened takes
place. Irony is of three main broad types-verbal irony, dramatic irony and irony of situation. Verbal irony or
sarcasm refers to the situation where the character deliberately means the opposite of what he or she is saying.
Irony of situation or circumstance refers to a situation when the opposite of what is expected happens. Dramatic
irony is the most commonly used one in plays. It refers to a situation when the reader is aware of the truth of the
situation or the significance of what the writer is saying or even the consequences but the protagonist himself is
not. We find a lot of irony profound in Shakespeare’s plays like Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and even
Macbeth. In Macbeth, the entire scene 4 of the first act is drenched in dramatic irony mainly on Duncan’s part and
at his expense.
Duncan talks of the previous Thane of Cawdor upon whom he bestowed his full trust and confidence. This to some
extent shows how naïve Duncan is and how easily he trusts people. He is deeply saddened at the betrayal by the
previous Thane of Cawdor but little does he know how treacherous the newly appointed thane is going to be.
Duncan comments that ‘There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face./He was a gentleman (previous
thane) upon whom I build/An absolute trust’. This is very ironic. Duncan is stating how it is hard to see the secrets
of a persons mind by just looking at the persons face and it is this moment that the new thane Macbeth enters.
Duncan is so blinded and innocent that he fails to see through Macbeth’s evil designs. He is herald...
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essay irony, essay irony in huck finn, irony essay examples, irony essay ideas, irony essay topics, irony essay
titles, irony essay introduction, irony essay on the lottery, irony essay on oedipus the king, irony essay
conclusion