Twitch of the Lip (Situational Irony)
In the second act, Harry asks Jackson to sit with him and have a drink so they can discuss "man to man" the awkwardness of the morning. Before agreeing to sit with him, Jackson points out that whenever he leaves 'mister' off of Harry's surname and simply addresses Harry as Trewe, Harry reveals his mild shock with "a little twitch of the lip." In this instance of situational irony, Jackson undermines Harry's expectations by highlighting the hypocrisy of Harry's request given that he is made visibly uncomfortable by Jackson transgressing the servant-employer relationship in any way.
A Little Matter (Verbal Irony)
When discussing Harry's boredom and sense of isolation, Jackson suggests that he could return to England. Harry explains that it isn't as simple as going back, cryptically referring to "a little matter of a brilliant actress who drank too much, and a car crash at Brighton after a panto." In this example of verbal irony, Harry uses understatement when he refers to the tragedy of his wife killing their son in a drunk-driving accident as "a little matter." In reality, the "little matter" is the most traumatic thing that's ever happened to Harry.
You Leave Out the Goats (Situational Irony)
In Act Two, several hours have passed since Harry and Jackson improvised a comedic role-reversed Robinson Crusoe pantomime. Reconsidering his approach to the material, Harry writes a poetic monologue for Crusoe to recite. After he and Jackson go through the material, which expresses the loneliness and grief Harry himself feels, Jackson says, "Touching. Very sad. But something missing. ... Goats. You leave out the goats." In this instance of situational irony, Jackson's comment subverts Harry's and the audience's expectations by disrupting the sober, contemplative mood with a joke about Harry's exclusion of something trivial.
Ellen Played Crusoe, Harry Played Friday (Situational Irony)
At the end of the play, Jackson mimics Harry's ex-wife from behind a photograph of her to help Harry work through his grief and resentment. Harry eventually says that the real reason he wanted to stage the Robinson Crusoe pantomime is that he wanted to get the better of Ellen. In an instance of situational irony, Harry admits that he didn't play Crusoe, as the audience and Jackson had been led to believe. In fact, Harry played Friday while in blackface. Ellen, as the superior actor, played Crusoe, and she howled with laughter at the way Harry looked in his black greasepaint.
