Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Chapter 26: Aarfy
Explanation and Analysis—Split Personality:
In Chapter 26, after Yossarian's first injury in Rome, he and Dunbar move from bed to bed in the hospital, impersonating other patients, in order to continue lying next to each other. After earlier impersonating Dunbar to Major Sanderson, Yossarian finds himself in the bed of a man named Fortiori. Sanderson, frustrated and believing that Yossarian really is Fortiori, wants the man in front of him to stop the nonsense. In Sanderson's scolding, there is an instance of dramatic irony:
You'd better get a grip on yourself before it's too late. First you're Dunbar. Now you're Yossarian. The next thing you know you'll be claiming you're Washington Irving. Do you know what's wrong with you? You've got a split personality.