Vatricide (Verbal Irony)
The combination of "vats" and the ending "-icide" makes Bill's crime (the dwarves accuse him of "vatricide" and hang him for committing "vatricide") into something with greatly overstated significance, implying that it is a form of homicide or murder. Of course, his lack of ambition is not nearly that serious: working less is nowhere near as drastic an action as murder. The dwarves' extreme dedication to their work is emphasized by the fact that they see the vats as anthropomorphic, as embodying life and death itself.
Tending the vats (Dramatic Irony)
Tending the vats and making industrialized Chinese baby food appears as a meaningless and absurd task to the reader, who knows that such products do not appear to have a real market and are absurd, niche items. However, the dwarves are extremely dedicated to producing Chinese baby food and tending the vats infinitely, ironically obsessing over a meaningless, cyclical action that yields ambiguous results. There is also overstatement in their obsession with tending the vats. They take it so seriously that they are willing to hang Bill when he stops working up to their standards, an extreme reaction to a simple occupation.
Paul as the prince (Situational Irony)
Paul rejects his identity as the prince and runs away from it, escaping to a monastery and becoming a monk in order to avoid being the prince. When discussing his "princeliness," he is distracted by the sandwich he is eating. Paul goes against everything that a prince is supposed to be. He is cowardly and refuses his responsibilities, completely subverting what a prince is in a fairytale.
The vodka Gibson (Dramatic Irony)
When Paul drinks the vodka Gibson that Jane offers Snow White, he does not know that it is poisonous. However, the audience knows that Jane is the wicked stepmother/Queen, and therefore is aware that the drink is poison because they are familiar with the original fairytale, in which the wicked stepmother attempts to poison Snow White. The audience knows that because the drink was meant for Snow White, it must be poison.
