Explain how verbal, situational, and dramatic irony are expressed throughout "The Necklace."

Situational irony results when there is a weird coincidence or unfortunate set of circumstances in a given situation.  Situational irony in this story occurs because Madame Loisel really wants to be in the upper class, but because she insists on borrowing the necklace, she ends up in an even lower class than when she started.

Verbal irony occurs when the speaker what is said is opposite of what is meant.  A common type of verbal irony is sarcasm.  In this story, when Madame Loisel sits to dinner with her husband and says, "Ah, the good soup! I don't know anything better than that," she really means that she is unsatisfied with her dinner.

Dramatic irony is a result of the characters not being aware of their situation.  In these cases, the audience is typically more aware than the characters in the story itself.  However, the moment of realization at the end of the story, when Madame Loisel and the audience discover at the same time that the necklace is fake is an example of dramatic irony.  The assumption that it was real is what makes it this type of irony.