In Act 3 of “Macbeth”, dramatic irony occurs many times. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters in the story don’t. One example of dramatic irony is when Banquo suspects that Macbeth is apart of king Duncan’s death. Banquo says, “And I fear thou played’st most foully for ‘t.” (3.1.1-2) Banquo pretends that he doesn’t suspect anything when he is around Macbeth because he doesn’t want Macbeth to know he is suspecting anything. The dramatic irony is that we knew Banquo has suspicions about Macbeth, but Macbeth doesn’t know that. Another example of dramatic irony is when Macbeth is encountering the presence of Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth says to the ghost, “Or be alive and dare me to the desert with thy sword.” (3.3.103-104)
