Dramatic irony occurs when a character on stage is not aware of something the audience or reader knows to be true. In Act V, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet, why are the following lines of Romeo in Act V, Scene iii, dramatically ironic?

Question

Dramatic irony occurs when a character on stage is not aware of something the audience or reader knows to be true. In Act V, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet, why are the following lines of Romeo in Act V, Scene iii, dramatically ironic?

Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.
Thou art not conquered. Beauty's ensign yet
Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,
And death's pale flag is not advancèd there.
(1 point)
Responses

Death is associated with a pale flag rather than a black one.
Death is associated with a pale flag rather than a black one.

Unknown to Romeo, Juliet is not really dead.
Unknown to Romeo, Juliet is not really dead.

Romeo hopes against hope that Juliet may still be alive.
Romeo hopes against hope that Juliet may still be alive.

Romeo realizes that the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues will never end.

Answer 1

Unknown to Romeo, Juliet is not really dead. This is dramatically ironic because the audience knows that Juliet is only in a deep sleep, not actually dead, but Romeo believes she is deceased.