In life everyone should expect death to come around at any time. No one person is promised tomorrow and should live every day likes it their last. Irony is mainly an example of a sarcastic meaning. In this story irony is used when it says, "and we will kill this traitor Death, I say!", "No longer was it Death those fellows sought", and/or "Nevertheless, if I could shape things thus so that we shared it out -the two of us- wouldn't you take it as a friendly act?".        
          "And we will kill this traitor Death, I say!", the irony of this quote is that death can't be found, death comes and goes as it pleases and you never know when it will. When the gentlemen found out the death cheated them and took their friends life, the reader then knows that they have a tight bond between each other. They consider themselves as a whole and will do anything for the others.
          When the men go on their journey to find death, the men come across an old man they think is working with Death. The men are rude and very disrespectful to this old man, in return the old man gives them directions to find Death. At then end of their journey the men find a tree with gold florins at the bottom. The irony used in this is, "no longer was it Death those fellows sought". They all were so worried about being rich they completely forgot what the were looking for.
          "Nevertheless, if I could shape things thus so that we shared it out -the two of us- wouldn't you take it as a friendly act?". Two of the the three men plotting to kill the third so they could have it for themselves. One of the men talk about how to shape the gold in to something so they could split it evenly between the two. Taking advantage of what they have the were being selfish to the third guy and not thinking about his life, but yet to set out to have death kill him. The irony to this is you cant exactly shape a hard object unless u have something to heat it up with.
          When someone thinks they can trust the others, always be cautious because they can turn their back on you like the friends did to each other. The three friends betrayed each other and planned to kill one but all three ended up dead. Life is a lesson one is to learn, if no one tries it all falls apart in the end.