The irony of Ellidyr
Ellidyr is a close friend of Taran and Gwydion. Taran, Ellidyr, and Gwydion go on a dangerous journey to find the Black Cauldron sword. The three friends intend to destroy the sword to bring peace to their area. King Arawn uses the sword to create a dangerous immortal army that kills people who oppose his rule. Ironically, after finding the sword, Ellidyr steals it before his friends can destroy it successfully. Ellidyr wants to be the new hero. Unfortunately, Ellidyr fails to control the sword's fury, and it kills him before he becomes the new hero.
The irony of King Morgant
At first, King Morgant promises to help Gwydion and Taran to repossess King Arawn's magical sword and destroy it. Ironically, When Taran and his friends steal the sword; King Morgant becomes a traitor and vows to kill all of them. King Morgant wants to use the sword to gain more power. When Taran and his friends refuse to surrender the sword, King Morgant threatens to kill them and recreate them as immortal slave soldiers. Consequently, King Morgant is a traitor because he goes against his promise of helping Taran to destroy the sword.
The irony of heroism
The majority of the characters in the novel want recognition, power, and influence. For instance, most characters want to be heroic in everything they do because that gives them a sense of pride. Characters like King Arawn, Ellidyr, and King Morgant want nothing less than gain celebrity status and heroism. Ironically, Taran shows contradictory behavior. Despite being the person behind the successful destruction of the Black Cauldron Sword, he refuses to be called a hero. According to Taran, heroism is not about honor and glory. Taran believes that friendship and peace are more important in life than heroism.
