Back to the full dot-point answer
SingaporeEnglish LiteratureQuick questions
Reading Drama
Quick questions on Dramatic irony and tension explained: O-Level Literature in English
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is dramatic irony?Show answer
Dramatic irony arises when the audience knows something important that a character does not. We might know a letter has been hidden, a trap has been set, or a character's true identity, while a character on stage acts in ignorance. The result is that the character's words and actions take on a second meaning for us, often the opposite of what they intend. Identifying exactly what the audience knows that the character does not is the first step.
What is irony differs from surprise?Show answer
It is worth distinguishing dramatic irony from surprise. Surprise withholds information from everyone, so a twist shocks the audience too. Dramatic irony shares the knowledge with the audience in advance, so the tension comes from watching characters act without it. Surprise hits in an instant; dramatic irony builds slowly, because we see the danger coming and the character does not.
What are vague tension claims?Show answer
Saying a scene is "tense" without identifying the specific technique (withheld information, a threat, a pause) that creates the suspense.
What is q1?Show answer
What is dramatic irony? [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
How does dramatic irony differ from a surprise twist? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Name two techniques a playwright can use to build tension, and explain how one of them works. [3 marks]
Have a question we have not covered?
This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.