Heart Troubles..kinda ironic

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin contains several examples of irony and foreshadowing.  The first sentence foreshadows the end of the story.  "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death (par. 1)."  At first, this mention of Mrs. Mallard's heart trouble seems unnecessary  but in the end it makes sense.  Her death at the end of the story is understood to be caused by a heart attack thanks to the opening hint.  This untimely death at the end of the story is also an example irony.  During the entire story, Mrs. Mallard expresses extreme excitement that she is free of her husband.  She says many times that she hopes she has a long life so that she can enjoy this time as  a free woman.  "Free! Body and soul free (par. 15)!"  Ironically, it is this same excitement that cause her to have a heart attack and die without ever having lived out this new freedom.  In the end, she does gain freedom from her previous life.   However, this freedom is gained through her death and not a new life.