Give an example of dramatic irony in the play.

• A. The audience knows about Bunburying and Ernest identities before the other characters, creating irony as they discuss honesty.
• B. The audience learns the truth at the same time as the characters.
• C. The audience is never sure who Bunbury is.
• D. The play presents humor through physical gags only.

Answer: (A)

Dramatic irony is at work when the audience has information the characters do not, and Wilde uses that tension to fuel the humor about honesty. In this play, the audience quickly learns about Bunburying and the two alter egos—Jack’s convenient imaginary invalid friend Bunbury and Algernon’s pretend brother Ernest—before the other characters fully realize they exist. So when characters discuss being honest and straightforward, the audience understands that these conversations sit atop a web of concealed identities and deceptions. The contrast between what the characters claim and what the audience already knows creates the irony, making the witty dialogue land with extra punch.

This is the best answer because it directly ties the humor to the audience’s privileged knowledge of the disguises and half-truths, which is the essence of dramatic irony Wilde is exploiting. The other ideas don’t capture that dynamic: learning the truth at the same moment as the characters isn’t dramatic irony, and the notion that the audience isn’t sure who Bunbury is contradicts what the play reveals early on. Also, relying purely on physical gags misses Wilde’s sharp verbal wit and the hypocrisy exposed through talk about honesty.