Examples Of Irony In The Matrix

Irony In The Matrix

"Throughout human history, we have been dependent on machines to survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony" - Morpheus, the Matrix.This quote is an example of one of the most important topics in The Matrix which was made in 1999 by Andy and Lana Wachowski. The Wachowski’s use irony effectively in the text to attempt to provoke some of our deepest thoughts that we have encountered throughout life. They use theories from some of the most established philosophers who try to link the real world with ‘hyper real’ worlds.

The central theme of The Matrix relates to Neo’s realisation that the apparently ‘real’ world he inhabits is nothing more than a façade- a mere ‘neural interactive simulation’ created by artificially

This role reversal has resulted in artificially intelligent technology taking advantage of the hubris of their creators in order to subvert their control and become the ruling class. In the ‘Desert of the real’ scene, Morpheus describes to Neo how man’s creation of Artificial Intelligence, or ‘AI’, destroyed mankind. Mankind’s hubris resulted in ‘marvell[ing] at [his] own magnificence’ and ‘celebration’ before his downfall. This is a classic example of dramatic irony, as humans were unaware that their actions would result in the demise of their world as they knew it. Morpheus then goes on to portray the invention of AI as a process of ‘[giving] birth’. This is an ironic reversal of the usual connotations of ‘birth’ as positive, natural and regenerative, into the reality of life under the control of the machines, where the process of birth has been destroyed by mechanisation and humans are instead grown in ‘endless fields’. The control of machines over mankind has resulted in a reversed state of ‘slavery’ developing between the humans and the machines. Neo in the ‘Pill scene’ answers Morpheus’ question about whether he believes in fate in the negative, declaring: ‘I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my life’. This is another example of irony, as Neo is at this point unaware of the total lack of control he actually exercises over his destiny. Morpheus enlightens Neo about the reason for his feeling that there is ‘something wrong with the world’. Morpheus states to Neo that the matrix was created to ‘blind you from the truth’. This is an ironic reference to the hubris which was the main cause of man-kinds termination of power. Morpheus than tries to express to Neo that him and the rest of civilisation are‘ slave[s]’ and that they were ‘born into bondage’ and that the matrix is ‘a prison