Dramatic Irony: Dante’s Inferno
The movie centers around the main character of Jack, a serial killer, who recounts five of his counts to the Roman poet, Virgil, known as Verge, as he passes the nine circles of Hell. It is ironically a metatext of Dante’s Inferno, since a reader with specialized knowledge of Dante can anticipate elements of the film.
Situational irony: No good deed goes unpunished
For his first murder, Jack recounts trying to help a woman on the roadside to repair her flat tire. Her car jack needs repair, so Jack drives her to the blacksmith. However, when they return with the jack and use it on the car, it breaks again. The woman demands Jack to take her back to the blacksmith. Jack is offended by her ungratefulness and so he kills her and stores her body in an industrial freezer he owns.
Situational Irony: Murder and Sophistication
Jack's second murder involves stabbing a widow, Claire, and then proceeding to clean up all the mess he has made. He hides her body in the bushes and manages to avoid the suspicions of a police officer roaming nearby. He stores her body in the fridge as well and begins to send in anonymous letters and photos of his victims to the media, under the moniker, "Mr. Sophistication."
Situational irony: Escaping Hell
When he has finished recounting the murders to Verge, they have arrived at pit leading to the ninth circle and centre of Hell. Jack does not believe himself to be a villain and as such attempts to avoid Hell by taking a staircase away from it but instead he falls into an abyss leading to the deepest pit of Hell.
