ABSTRACT
Irony within drama occurs when a dramatic figure deliberately makes a statement which carries more than its surface meaning. Neither Duncan nor Banquo has any idea what the holds for the king and the words carry more meaning for the audience than for the dramatic figures themselves. It is helpful to make a distinction between dramatic irony and irony within drama. In the broadest sense of the term, some form of irony is central to all drama in that meaning is invariably at a deeper level than its surface manifestation. Irony can infuse a whole drama whenever the audience knows the outcome in advance. Drama which is carefully crafted and constructed is more likely to have the potential for irony. Work on scripted extracts in pairs may also be a way of exploring irony in a very simple way using an exercise mode.
