What is Dramatic Irony? Comment on the use of dramatic irony in the play Volpone.
Volpone is a notable literary work by Ben Jonson. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Volpone.
Answer
What is dramatic irony? Comment on the use of dramatic irony in “Volpone”. [NU. 2021]
Dramatic Irony is a type of irony that happens in plays or stories. It means that the audience knows something important that the characters do not know. Because of dramatic irony, the audience can see the mistakes the characters are making. It can make the audience laugh, feel tense, or feel sympathy. This technique is often used in comedies and tragedies to create interest.
Use of Dramatic Irony in “Volpone”: Ben Jonson (1572-1637) wonderfully uses dramatic irony in his most performed play, “Volpone” (1606). Dramatic irony makes this play very funny and entertaining. It also helps to show the foolishness of greedy people. In this play, the audience often knows the truth about Volpone and Mosca’s tricks, while the other characters do not. Let us point out some dramatic ironies and their significance.
Volpone’s Fake Illness: In the play, Volpone pretends that he is very sick and about to die. He lies in bed. This is just a part of his scam to loot the legacy-hunters: Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. These greedy people bring expensive gifts for Volpone to impress him, only to be his heir after his death. However, the audience knows that Volpone is not sick at all. The audience knows that Volpone is laughing at the legacy-hunters and deceiving them. This creates dramatic irony. The audience knows the truth, and the legacy hunters do not. The audience laughs at how easily they are fooled.
Mosca’s Tricks: Mosca is Volpone’s parasite servant. He acts as Volpone’s helper. Mosca lies to each of the legacy hunters and makes them believe they are the only heir to Volpone’s wealth. For example, he tells Voltore that Volpone loves him most. He then says the same thing to Corbaccio and Corvino. The audience knows Mosca is lying to all of them. This makes the legacy-hunters foolish and funny. Their excessive greed makes them easy to fool. This dramatic irony also makes the play very entertaining.