What are some examples of the different kinds of irony in Candide?

As one
observes with ,is a weapon in 's hands. He uses it to attack the
irrationalities and abuses of the world.

Possibly one of the most striking
examples of situational irony in Candide lies in the character of Pangloss,
introduced as Candide's teacher and described as "the oracle of the family." With his
role and reputation, one might think him wise or knowledgeable, but when we actually hear what
he teaches, we find that it's all nonsense. Consider his words from
Candide's opening chapter:

He proved
admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible
worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all
possible Baronesses.

"It is demonstrable," said he, "that
things cannot be otherwise than as they are . . . Observe, that the nose has been formed to bear
spectaclesthus we have spectacles. Legs are visibly designed for stockingsand we have
stockings."

The nonsense goes on; it's all
meaningless and banal. Note that the characters themselves continue to treat Pangloss as a font
of wisdom and knowledgeas the greatest philosopher of his ageadding a further touch of dramatic
irony to this situation. They believe in his reputation for wisdom, even as the audience knows
him for the fool he is. Moreover, as if this alone weren't enough, Pangloss's advice can be
actively destructiv. For example, in chapter 5, Pangloss actively convinces Candide not to
rescue the Anabaptist (who had previously aided them) from drowning, trying to rationally
demonstrate that the Anabaptist is meant to die and that it is best that Candide not intervene
to save him.

Voltaire makes effective use of verbal irony as well. His
narrator can be deeply sarcastic. In Candide's third chapter, the narrator
describes in gruesome detail the devastation unleashed by war, with the intense and monstrous
suffering involved, but he accompanies this grisly scene with exalted language, opening the
chapter with the telling line, "there was never anything so gallant, so spruce, so
brilliant, and so well disposed as in the two armies." In these ironic tensions between
what the narrator tells us and what he shows us, we find a powerful indictment of warfare and
the suffering it causes.

As another example of verbal irony, I would point
out the title of chapter 6: "How the Portuguese made a Beautiful Auto-da-f©, to prevent
any further Earthquakes: and how Candide was publicly whipped." This
auto-da-f© is described in the following terms within the text itself:
"it had been decided by the University of Coimbra, that the burning of a few people alive
by a slow fire, and with great ceremony, is an infallible secret to hinder the earth from
quaking." As you can imagine, there is nothing beautiful about such a scene, even if
Candide's narrator presents it in those terms. Furthermore, in a final
touch of situational irony, Voltaire adds that on "the same day the earth sustained a most
violent concussion." In other words, this ceremony did not even work.

This answer has only drawn on a few examples and has focused only on
Candide's opening chapters. I'd suggest you continue reading to try to find
more examples of the various forms of irony.