Love's Labor's Lost

by William Shakespeare

Love's Labor's Lost: Situational Irony 1 key example

New! Understand every line of Love's Labor's Lost.
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Act 5, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Jack hath not Jill:

After the death of the French king, the women immediately begin packing and preparing to return home. The comedy thus ends in a funeral rather than a wedding, contrary to the expectations of both the audience and the characters. Berowne sums up this instance of situational irony:

BEROWNE
Our wooing doth not end like an old play.                                                                 
Jack hath not Jill. These ladies’ courtesy                                                                                   
Might well have made our sport a comedy.