1. Dramatic Irony - "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles:
* The Situation: Oedipus, the King of Thebes, seeks to find the murderer of the previous king in order to lift a plague from the city. Unbeknownst to him, he is the murderer himself.
* The Irony: The audience is aware that Oedipus is the culprit, but he remains oblivious throughout the play. This creates a sense of suspense and tragic inevitability as we watch him unknowingly pursue his own downfall.
2. Situational Irony - "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry:
* The Situation: A young couple, Jim and Della, are desperately poor but deeply in love. They each sacrifice their most prized possession – Della's beautiful long hair and Jim's gold pocket watch – to buy each other Christmas gifts.
* The Irony: Their gifts, though lovingly chosen, are now useless because they have sacrificed the very things the gifts were meant to adorn. Their selfless actions ironically lead to a bittersweet and poignant outcome.
3. Verbal Irony - "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde:
* The Situation: The play revolves around two young men, Jack and Algernon, who each create a fictitious alter ego – Earnest – to escape social obligations and indulge in frivolous pursuits.
* The Irony: Throughout the play, characters use language that is the opposite of their true intentions. For example, Jack claims he has a younger brother named Ernest who is constantly getting into trouble, but this brother is merely a fabrication. This witty use of verbal irony fuels the comedic nature of the play and highlights the characters' superficiality.