A literary device where the audience knows information that characters in the story do not, creating tension, humor, or pathos through this knowledge gap. The audience can see the full implications of events while characters remain unaware.
Combines 'dramatic' from Greek 'drama' (action) and 'irony' from Greek 'eironia' (dissimulation). The concept was formalized in literary criticism during the 18th century, though the technique was used extensively in Greek tragedy where audiences knew the mythological outcomes but characters did not.
Try Another Word