Lyra’s infatuation with Mrs. Coulter (Dramatic Irony)
Lyra is so excited to meet Mrs. Coulter that she even forgets that her best friend Roger is missing. This is a striking instance of dramatic irony. The reader already knows that Mrs. Coulter is responsible for kidnapping children like Roger. When Mrs. Coulter appears in Lyra’s life she is identified by her dæmon, a golden monkey. Pullman thus leaves no doubt that she is the same person who kidnapped children in the marketplace. Pantalaimon enhances this irony by imitating Mrs. Coulter’s dæmon when he takes the form of a golden monkey.
Lyra’s lack of general knowledge about the world (Situational Irony)
Lyra was raised by the Scholars of Jordan College, some of the smartest and best-educated people in the world. Growing up in such an environment gave Lyra an air of superiority over her peers. It also provided her with some very specialized information about high-level fields of study. However, upon leaving Jordan College, Lyra realizes that she never learned many basic things because the Scholars were too busy with their own studies and research to devote time to her education. That such a privileged learning environment failed to provide Lyra with basic knowledge about the world is an example of situational irony in the novel.
Lyra brings Roger to his death, thinking that she was actually saving him (Situational Irony)
Lyra’s primary goal when she leaves Jordan College is to find and save her best friend Roger. Along the way, she joins forces with others who she believes may help her to fulfill this mission. When Lyra does save Roger from Bolvangar, she is so happy to be reunited that she insists he join her on her journey north rather than returning south with the gyptians. However, Lyra’s actions unintentionally lead Roger to meet the same cruel death that he expected at Bolvangar. The only difference is that this time, Lyra’s own father is responsible for it. This is an instance of situational irony because Lyra’s actions produce the opposite effect from what she intended.
Through the perspective of Mrs. Coulter, Pullman describes the children at Bolvangar as “happy…with their hot drinks and cake” (Verbal Irony).
The children are well aware of the danger that Mrs. Coulter poses to them. Despite the obvious cruelty at Bolvangar, Mrs. Coulter makes an effort to convince herself that she is not mistreating the children there. The description of the children as "happy" is an instance of verbal irony, because clearly, the children are miserable. This use of irony underlines the dishonesty that is central to Mrs. Coulter’s character.
