Here's how it works:
* The audience is aware of something that a character is not. This creates a sense of suspense and anticipation, as the audience knows what's coming, but the character does not.
* This can lead to humorous or tragic consequences, as the character's actions are often driven by their ignorance of the truth.
Example:
In Shakespeare's *Romeo and Juliet*, the audience knows that Juliet is only pretending to be dead, but Romeo does not. This leads to the tragic climax of the play, as Romeo, believing Juliet to be truly dead, kills himself.
Other literary devices that might be mistaken for dramatic irony:
* Situational irony: A situation where the outcome is the opposite of what is expected.
* Verbal irony: When someone says something but means the opposite.
Key distinction: Dramatic irony is about the *audience's* knowledge, while the other forms of irony focus on the discrepancy between expectation and reality in the story itself.