Sinuhe Flees A Pleasant Life in Egypt (Situational Irony)
The event at the center of The Tale of Sinuhe is imbued with situational irony. Although Sinuhe enjoys a good life as a royal courtier, he abandons his position and flees the country. Sinuhe does not know why he leaves—he is merely overcome with panic at the news of the king's death. In hindsight, he cannot understand why he so thoroughly undermined his own expectations of himself. He remarks that the dream-like moment must have been the result of God's intervention in his life, knowing no better explanation.
A Hero of Retjenu (Situational Irony)
Although the story begins with Sinuhe fleeing Egypt while overcome with bodily terror, he establishes a new life in Retjenu that involves him becoming a fearsome warrior and tribe leader. No longer at the mercy of his body's cowardly panic response, Sinuhe becomes a respected hero in Retjenu, attracting the attention of another warrior. Sinuhe easily dodges the man's attacks and sinks a single arrow into his neck before finishing him off with an axe. The cold-blooded execution is met with celebration from Sinuhe's followers, and he absorbs the challenger's land, people, and possessions, cementing his place as a heroic warrior.
Sinuhe's Royal Burial (Situational Irony)
At the end of Sinuhe's life, the king honors him with the gift of a burial pyramid fit for rulers. In the final lines of the story, Sinuhe comments, "There is no other lowly man for whom the like was done. I was in the favors of the king's giving, until the day of landing came." In this instance of situational irony, Sinuhe is treated in death like a member of the royal family when he began life as a servant. It is only through the benevolence of the king and through God's intervention that Sinuhe receives such an honor.
