Which literary device is highlighted in the Bianca's wooing exchanges?

• A. Verbal irony
• B. Dramatic irony
• C. Allegory
• D. Alliteration

Answer: (A)

Verbal irony shows up when characters say something that means the opposite, or reveals a gap between what they say and what they mean. In Bianca’s wooing scenes, the suitors profess love and praise Bianca in flattering terms, but their real aim is to win her hand and they’re often operating under disguise or with hidden motives. The surface compliments and vows read as sincere on the page, yet the context— disguises, cunning plans, and social games—signals a double meaning that the audience can recognize even when Bianca or the suitors themselves don’t fully reveal it. That double sense is the heart of verbal irony here. It isn’t dramatic irony, which would hinge on the audience knowing a truth the characters don’t; it’s the words themselves carrying ironic meaning within the dialogue. Alliteration may appear, but it isn’t the main device shaping these exchanges, and allegory isn’t at play in this moment.