Give examples of various kinds of irony.

In literature, there are three kinds of irony. Here are their definitions with some examples:

Verbal irony: this occurs when a character says one thing but actually means another. Often, this verbal irony takes the form of sarcasm. For example, saying that something is "great," when, in fact, it is a really terrible or silly idea. Similarly, in "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator says that he was kind and loving to the old man in the last week of his life. This is ironic because the narrator spent that week plotting the old man's murder. This is, therefore, the very opposite of being kind and loving.

Dramatic irony: this occurs when the reader of a story knows something ironic that the character does not. In Romeo and Juliet, for example, when Romeo comments that Juliet still looks alive when he sees her in the tomb, the audience knows she appears this way because she actually is alive.

Situational irony: this occurs when the opposite of what we expect to happen actually happens. For example, in Macbeth, Macbeth kills King Duncan and takes his throne because he believes that being king will satisfy him and his wife. In reality, being king makes him miserable and paranoid, and sends his wife mad, making it the very opposite of what he expected.