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Definition of Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean... read full definition
Act 4, Scene 3
Explanation and Analysis—Parrolles the Cat:
Parrolles finds himself being interrogated in Act 4, Scene 3, completely unaware that his captors are his colleagues in disguise. The dialogue here features dramatic irony and verbal irony to depict Parolles’s deceit and foolishness. The Second Lord quietly mocks him to Bertram:
SECOND LORD (aside): This is your devoted friend, sir, the manifold linguist and the armipotent soldier.
BERTRAM (aside): I could endure anything before but a cat, and now he’s a cat to me.
The Second Lord’s statement to Bertram, lauding Parolles as a "manifold linguist" and an "armipotent soldier," is steeped in verbal irony. These words are sarcastic, highlighting the discrepancy between how Parolles wants to be seen and how he actually is. The audience, who know more about Parolles’s true nature than Bertram does, can recognize the irony of “manifold linguist” (someone who speaks a lot of languages) and “armipotent soldier” (someone who’s a powerful fighter). The audience's knowledge that Parolles is unknowingly conversing with his allies creates the dramatic irony; his unawareness of the situation at hand and his misplaced alarm at his situation make the scene very funny.
Bertram’s reference to Parolles as a "cat" also emphasizes the new distrust that he has for him. By calling him a “cat,” Bertram points to his realization of Parolles’s deceitful character. Calling someone a “cat” in the Early Modern period meant that you thought they were sly and self-serving. Bertram can bear “anything but a cat,” because he hates cowardice and dishonesty. This reflects how Bertram now sees Parolles as cunning and untrustworthy.
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