Dramatic irony is an element used in a tragedy. This element creates situations where the audience knows the characters thoughts, personality, or events that have occurred to a character before another character does. The author uses this element to instil fear, frustration, or suspense to the reader. An example of dramatic irony used in the Shakespearean tragedy ‘Othello’ in Act 3, scene III is in lines 170-175 in which Iago says, “ Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the …show more content…
Authors choose themes for a specific purpose. An important theme of the text was jealousy is the root of all evil. An example of Othello’s jealousy in the play is in which he says, “Oh, that the slave had forty thousand lives! One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. Now do I see ’tis true. Look here, Iago, all my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. 'Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, For ’tis of aspics' tongues!” In this scene Iago is telling Othello his thoughts about Cassio and Desdemona, and that he ‘thinks’ they are having an affair. At first Othello didn’t believe him until Iago had proof but when he did Othello raged and stated in the quote that even killing Cassio for ‘what he has done’ is not enough revenge. This element also occurs elsewhere in the play. The theme of the play contributes to the overall effect of the tragedy, the downfall of the hero who ‘loses it