Examples Of Irony In The Crucible

Just what is it that creates so much suspense in literature? Irony is used numerous times throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Irony is when a character's words or actions contrast with what happens or what is expected to happen, and is often what makes a story so riveting. Verbal, situational, and dramatic are the three types of irony used during this play. Irony is included in The Crucible many times to enhance the reader's experience. Verbal irony is when a character conveys a meaning using words that is the opposite of the actual meaning or when a statement contradicts itself, and is seen multiple times during the play. One example of verbal irony in The Crucible is when Abigail says, "Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it is God's work I do." Abigail claims that she is doing God's work, but in reality she is doing the devil's work by forcing the girls to lie and causing chaos. Another example of verbal irony is when John Proctor says, "Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee." In this quote, John is talking about lying. However, Puritans believed that lying separated a …show more content…
This is shown in the play when Elizabeth lies about why she fired Abigail in order to protect John. Elizabeth was known to be honest, and in Act 3 John claims, "In her life, sir, she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing and them that cannot weep - my wife cannot lie." Another instance of situational irony is Giles's death. Although he was known to be a talkative man, he died because he remained silent. Lastly, John forgetting about adultery when asked to recite the commandments was another example of situational irony. This was ironic because he had committed adultery by having an affair with Abigail. The Crucible contains a great deal of cases of situational