Sophocles’ “Oedipus The King” has been enjoyed by audiences and readers for over two thousand years in part because he so skillfully incorporates symbolism, irony and paradox into the play. Sophocles uses symbolism to help the reader further appreciate the plot of the play. Perhaps the most infamous symbolic act committed in all of literature ...
Sometimes I get frustrated with the constant and seemingly omnipresent misuse of certain words and phrases in the [American] English language. First and foremost, thanks in part to Alanis Morissette’s biggest hit, “Ironic,” irony has been one of the most widely misunderstood and misused words in the English catalog. It’s evident that the vast majority ...
Two additional facets of fictional works are irony and symbol. While not as pervasive as elements such as plot and character, irony and symbol are tremendously important. Both allow writers to compress a great deal of meaning into a brief space. Both require our deliberation of we are to appreciate and enjoy their full range ...
In Twelfth Night William Shakespeare shows what dramatic irony is all about, oblierating the 21st century misconceptions about what irony really entails, by having just one character, Viola, be aware of the irony of the situation taking place around her. Dramatic irony is demonstrated through the fact that an audience would know Olivia has fallen ...