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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 41: Two Visitors
Explanation and Analysis—A Burning Mind:
After the attack at the theater in Chapter 40, Father Salví rushes after Ibarra and María Clara. The priest cannot bear the thought of a romantic interaction between them. It seems like he is nobly preserving Christian morals, but in fact Salví is in love with María Clara. The description is made with dramatic irony, as the townsfolk think Salví is righteous while the reader knows he is acting in his own self-interest. The narrator alludes to Salví's thoughts:
The priest went off, unaware of the crowd's presence. He beheld in front of him the handsome bust of a maiden, asleep, breathing softly, her eyelids shaded by long lashes that formed gracious curves like those of Raphael's Virgin. The tiny mouth smiled. Everything about her breathed virginity, purity, innocence. That face was a sweet vision in the middle of white bedclothes, the face of a cherub amid clouds.
His imagination saw more sights . . . and who can write what a burning mind can imagine!
Salví chases after the couple and eventually sees María Clara, ill on the porch with Aunt Isabel. Salví gazes upon her and finds her totally beautiful. She looks like the Virgin Mary, as Rizal alludes to a depiction of her by the Renaissance artist Raphael, who was known for painting women with especially long eyelashes. The real image of her on the porch becomes abstract as Salví comes to see her like a "sweet vision." Then, the narrator alludes directly to Salví's impure thoughts: "His imagination saw more sights," as his vision of her purity and beauty turns into more explicit imaginings in his "burning mind."
The townsfolk and the powerful institutions take this to be a noble act in defense of Catholic teachings; the newspaper calls it a "sublime act" to "prevent an unhappy occurrence to his flock." But in fact, as the narrator implies to the reader by showing Salví's thoughts, this was anything but true. This creates a moment of dramatic irony.
Related Themes:
