There is a distinct difference between "suspense" and "surprise," and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I'll explain what I mean: We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let's suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, "Boom!" There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence.
Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!"
In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed.
Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!"
In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed.
Agent Krill: Director Hill is gonna kill us.
Agent Kurdle: Not if we redeem ourselves first. I've got a hunch. I think Daredevil might be a blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen...
Krill: We're really terrible at this job, you know that?
Agent Kurdle: Not if we redeem ourselves first. I've got a hunch. I think Daredevil might be a blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen...
Krill: We're really terrible at this job, you know that?
— Thor (2014) #11
Clark Kent: Mister Wayne! Clark Kent, Daily Planet. What's your position on the bat-vigilante in Gotham?
Bruce Wayne:...(smirks)
Bruce Wayne:...(smirks)
— Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (trailer)
"Simply put, dramatic irony is when a person makes a remark, and someone who hears it knows something, which makes the remark have a different, usually unpleasant, meaning. Uh, for example, if I were to say, 'I can't wait to eat this almond cookie,' but there were people around that knew the almond cookie was poisoned, that would be dramatic irony. For that reason, when we hear Uncle Monty tell the children 'I promise you, no harm will come to you in the Reptile Room', we should be on guard for the unpleasant arrival of dramatic irony."
— Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)
Flash Thompson: He's no Spider-Man.
Michelle "MJ" Jones: What is it with you and Spider-Man?
Flash: What? He looks out for the neighborhood, he has a dope suit, and I really respect him!
(Peter walks into the room)
Flash: 'Sup, dickwad?
Michelle "MJ" Jones: What is it with you and Spider-Man?
Flash: What? He looks out for the neighborhood, he has a dope suit, and I really respect him!
(Peter walks into the room)
Flash: 'Sup, dickwad?
Little Bear starts eating berries out of Sal's mother's bucket, so the mother says, "Sal, stop that," but of course it's not Sal.
— Cassandra Gelvin on Blueberries For Sal, Dont Read This To My Kids
Lisa: If I didn't know better, I'd say Lily orchestrated this whole thing.
Lynn Sr.: Oh, don't be silly, sweetie; she's just a baby.
Lily: (winks)
Lynn Sr.: Oh, don't be silly, sweetie; she's just a baby.
Lily: (winks)
— The Loud House, "Any Given Sundae"
"I wish you could speak."
— Roberta to her brother, who, unbeknown to her, is a Brainy Baby, Sesame Street
"I wonder where she is. She didn't eat a thing."
— Old Woman, Loving Reaper (she's dead)
"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
— Abraham Lincoln, midway through the most famous speech in American history
Mr. Queen thought Drama Queen was a very good actress.
"You're brilliant!" he said. "You really looked like you were fast asleep."
Leo and Mrs. Queen giggled. Drama Queen went red in the face.
"Sshhh!" she hissed. She didn't want her dad to know that she really HAD fallen asleep in the middle of the play.
"You're brilliant!" he said. "You really looked like you were fast asleep."
Leo and Mrs. Queen giggled. Drama Queen went red in the face.
"Sshhh!" she hissed. She didn't want her dad to know that she really HAD fallen asleep in the middle of the play.
— Bang On The Door, "Drama Queen: Stage Struck"
