The tragic irony of Jan
Jan returns home to his mother and sister, hoping to reunite and help them live a better life. All the while Jan is being choked up with his conflicting emotions, his mother and Martha are plotting his death, unaware that it is him. The play ends in a tragic irony with Jan being murdered by his family he wanted to reunite with.
The irony of the end
Martha holds an entire speech to Maria at the end about the senselessness of it all, and encourages her to pray to god to be turned to a silent emotionless stone. Maria follows the advice and calls out to god for help. The old, silent man enters the scene, revealing that he is a symbol of god. He ends the play in a hopeless and ironic “no”.
Dramatic irony-plotting of Jan’s death
At the very beginning, it is revealed that Martha and her mother are plotting somebody’s death. That somebody is revealed to be Jan, their long-lost son and brother, who came back to reunite with them. The reader is aware of the murderous duo’s plan while the clueless Jan is not, which makes this a dramatic irony.
Irony of Jan and his family’s interaction
While Jan is looking for a perfect timing to reveal the truth to his family, the conversations he has with them are ironic because they allude to the truth of their connection. Martha’s constant contemptuous and cold remarks are extremely ironic:
Two women who offer you the standard bed and board can hardly be expected to open their arms to you as well, to welcome you into the family circle.
