The Irony of ‘Dirt’
In the play, ‘Dirt’ has been ironically used to refer to a woman (Ersilia) living with Ludovico who is one of the key characters in the play. Onoria, the property owner, uses the term ‘Dirty’ to refer to Ludovico’s friend. Ludovico is unhappy with the property owner and cautions her against using the indecent term to refer to her friend. For instance, the landlady says:
“I am going to get rid of all dirty!” When asked what she means, she responds: “I mean that kind of woman you are bringing into this house!”
It is ironic to refer to a person living with a tenant as dirt. Making matters worse, this abusive language originates from the landlady.
The Irony of the Spiteful Creature
The spiteful creature in the play ironically refers to Onoria (the property owner) who is stressing one of her tenants (Ludovico). Onoria is rude and arrogant to her tenants. In case she disagrees with a tenant, she asks her to vacate her house. Additionally, she dictates who should visit her tenants. Ludovico refers to Onaria as a spiteful creature: “The spiteful creature!
I am sorry."You no sooner arrive, and there is absurd seen” The reader does not expect the landlady to dictate who should live with the tenant.
The Irony of Old Bitch
The old beach has been used ironically to refer to the evil character in the play called (Onoria). This description helps the reader understand how inhumane Onaria can be. Onaria is disrespectful towards her tenants particularly Ludovico. It is not expected that the property owner can disrespect her clients. Similarly, it is beyond expectation that the tenants should seek permission from the landlady to accommodate their friends in their rented houses. In response to make Ersilia feel at home despite the insults from Onaria, Ludovico says:
"Nonsense, I've been fighting with that old bitch for more than a year. (He indicates the room.) Tied up by all junk it is like a nightmare. You probably thought, well, at the home of a writer you'd find civility, good manners…"
The Irony of the Villa Near the Sea
The ‘villa near the sea’ image is ironically used to refer to a beautiful woman who needs to be rescued as soon as possible. This beautiful woman is Ersilia who is rescued from the hospital by Ludovico, the writer who wishes to translate her story into a novel. He reads an article about the lady and upon discovering she is in the hospital, he decides to bring her home so he can get her full story. He writes:
"Instantly, in all, it is rich detail, oh wonderfully: the oriental setting, the 'villa near the sea' the little girl falling from the terrace; then your dismissal, your trip back, your sad discovery when you arrived….all of it, all, without ever meeting you!"
The Irony of Good Fortune
The ‘good fortune’ in the play is ironically used to refer to a rescuer man who in this case is Ludovico. He rescued a woman (Ersilia) from the hospital after learning about her in the article. No one expects that just reading the article is a reason enough to go and bring a stranger into your house. Ersilia refers to Ludovico as her good fortune because he came to her rescue.
