Giovanni and the Friar
The play begins with a conversation between Giovanni and the Friar in which Giovanni confesses his lustful feelings for his sister. The Friar tells Giovanni directly not to pursue these feelings, as they are sinful and will only lead to death. Giovanni decides to twist the Friar's words and to consider his feelings for his sister to be true love that can overtake the place of God (like a false idol). Thus, despite beginning the play with a voice of reason, Giovanni's actions quickly complicate the plot and catalyze a series of violent deaths.
Puttana's Role
When Giovanni and Annabella reveal their incestuous relationship to Annabella's governess and guardian Puttana, she endorses the relationship wholeheartedly and tells Annabella that she should enjoy whichever man she wants. Puttana's support of the relationship is ironic because, at the time, a governess was responsible for a young girl's moral education and was the one who should have prevented such an event from taking place.
Richardetto
Richardetto is disguised as a doctor throughout the entire play. The only person who knows his true identity is his niece, Philotis, who keeps his secret. Richardetto's disguise is an example of dramatic irony, as the audience knows who he is but the other characters do not. Further contributing to the irony is the fact that, if he had arrived without his disguise, Hippolyta may have decided against her pursuit of revenge against Soranzo and therefore been spared by Vasquez.
Bergetto's Death
In one of the most tragic moments of irony in the play, Grimaldi, in an attempt to murder Soranzo and free up the competition for Annabella's hand, mistakenly stabs Bergetto instead. While the audience knows who stands behind the door through which Grimaldi attacks, Grimaldi is left believing that it is still Soranzo coming to meet Annabella for a secret tryst. Bergetto dies, having been a relatively innocuous character up until that point. He is the first casualty of many in the play.
