And last point (lol) the wider you make the "irony" gap, the more comedic or tragic you make your story.
Example:
Gladiator
A renowned army commander, revered by Ceaser as more worthy than his own son, is forced to fight for his life as a Gladiator slave. (Note the massive gap between being a highly revered military commander, almost chosen by Ceaser himself to rule Rome, having to fight for scraps in the colosseum as entertainment. If he had already been a slave it wouldn't have been as interesting or tragic. What makes it so tragic is how far he had to fall).
But you can do the same thing to write a comedy.
Legally Blonde
"A dumb blonde bombshell tries to prove her worth by getting her degree at Harvard Law."
Tragedy is almost always a huge fall while comedy is almost always a huge rise in status.
Example:
Gladiator
A renowned army commander, revered by Ceaser as more worthy than his own son, is forced to fight for his life as a Gladiator slave. (Note the massive gap between being a highly revered military commander, almost chosen by Ceaser himself to rule Rome, having to fight for scraps in the colosseum as entertainment. If he had already been a slave it wouldn't have been as interesting or tragic. What makes it so tragic is how far he had to fall).
But you can do the same thing to write a comedy.
Legally Blonde
"A dumb blonde bombshell tries to prove her worth by getting her degree at Harvard Law."
Tragedy is almost always a huge fall while comedy is almost always a huge rise in status.