To fully appreciate Hamlet as a tragedy it must be understood as a comedy. Throughout this paper I will demonstrate the comedic moments of Hamlet, provide a brief analysis of the humor, and finally comment on the purpose of the comedic elements. The humor in Hamlet can most easily be broken up into Hamlet’s wit and acts of minor characters. Much of this play’s humor comes from the intelligent quips Hamlet so often delivers. Hamlet’s first line in the play offers much insight into his clever character and into his family problems: KING. Take thy fair hour, Laertes. Time be thine, And thy best graces spend it at thy will! But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son— HAMLET. A little more than kin, and less than kind. This remark by Hamlet is humorous on multiple levels. King Claudius calls Hamlet a cousin, essentially meaning one who is not directly related, and a son. Hamlet responds with a play on words. Hamlet is “a little more than kin” because he is now not just a distant relative of Claudius but, also a son to him. The second part of Hamlet’s response contains a double entendre on the word kind. In this situation, the word kind means both loving, as an adjective, and as a noun means category or brand. Hamlet describes Claudius both unloving and of a different type than himself. Hamlet’s sharp words, while providing humor, lets the audience understand the odious feelings Hamlet possesses for his uncle. The comedy in Hamlet turns raunchy when Hamlet’s two close friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Hamlet from Wittenberg. Upon sight of his friends, Hamlet is able to turn a mundane greeting into a vulgar dialogue: GUILDENSTERN. Happy in that we are n... ... middle of paper ... ...n a tragedy; however without it the play seems lacking. Comedy is necessary to break the unbearable tension in tragedies like Hamlet. Many of the humorous scenes precede tragic events in the play which allows the audience to feel temporary relief in the presence of this comedy. It is also important to note the entertainment that comes with the comedy in the play. Shakespeare’s audience wanted to have both high and low comedy presented to them. With a variety of characters ranging from simple minded to near genius Shakespeare was able to deliver the audience what they wanted. Shakespeare was able to show his audience that there is something funny in the state of Denmark! Works Cited Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. "Hamlet." Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 11th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 1354+. Print.
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known and most frequently performed plays. Many people have enjoyed reading and watching hamlet, both on stage and theatrically, Tragedy of Prince Hamlet revolves around the idea of tragedy, incest and revenge. However, Hamlet uses puns to lighten the mood.
Hamlet’s first words in the play say that Claudius is "A little more than kin and less ...
There are many interpretations of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As a matter of fact, there’s an incredulous amount of articles regarding this play. His work has led to a source of inspiration for many playwrights and movies. There is no question that Hamlet has made an impact on the theatrical world. Unlike many playwrights, Shakespeare’s method of writing differs because of his mindset and sense of humor. He gave this play life by writing an immersive plot with incredible characters and by incorporating striking symbols.
The use of humor in a tragic story helps to give the reader a break from the monotony of a depressing story line. “If a story were completely filled with depressing and tragic events, the readers' interest would most definitely be lost”( Bloom 91). William Shakespeare's, Hamlet is based on the tragedy of a murder of the king of Denmark, whose son must revenge his murderer. Therefore it is classified as a tragedy and if humor weren't present in the play it would be very depressing. Shakespeare ironically uses Hamlet; the main character to add the comedy bit of the play when he is the one the tragedy affects most. This humor is evident throughout the play by Hamlet. When Hamlet is upset at someone like Claudius or Polonius he will mock them in their presence without either one of them really catching on too quickly.
Humor was added to Hamlet by two major scenes, along with Hamlet's use of his antic-disposition. These two were: the scene between Hamlet and Polonius in the library, and the scene with the grave diggers (the clowns).
Hamlet is a bitter tragedy of revenge and deceit. Unbeknownst to Hamlet, his father, the king of Denmark, is murdered by his own brother, Claudius — who then marries the queen and assumes the throne. Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost, who compels him to enact revenge upon his uncle — but spare his mother. Hamlet finally decides to stage a play in which there is a poisoning scene, meant to stir his uncle into panic. Hamlet’s plan is successful, but he, in a fit of rage, accidentally...
If you take the time to think about Hamlet overall, very little actually happens on stage other than the death of Polonius and the dual in the final scene. In fact, most of the action of the play takes place offstage and the audience is made aware of it through the discourse between characters after the fact. Brian Pearce makes a very interesting connection between Hamlet and the absurdist world of Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot in that both plays are characterized by a distinct lack of real action but focus more on the words. Hamlet is, in fact, Shakespeare’s most absurd play in the way it is written with a focus on the inner workings of its main protagonist as well as several of the other characters to the point where the speech takes priority over the...
The tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is about Hamlet going insane and reveals his madness through his actions and dialogue. Hamlet remains one of the most discussed literary characters of all time. This is most likely due to the complex nature of Hamlet as a character. In one scene, Hamlet appears happy, and then he is angry in another and melancholy in the next. Hamlet’s madness is a result of his father’s death which was supposedly by the hands of his uncle, Claudius. He has also discovered that this same uncle is marrying his mom. It is expected that Hamlet would be suffering from some emotional issues as result of these catastrophes. Shakespeare uses vivid language, metaphors, and imagery to highlight how Hamlet’s madness influences several important aspects of his life including his relationships and the way he presents himself.
Shakespeare, William, Marilyn Eisenstat, and Ken Roy. Hamlet. 2nd ed. Toronto: Harcourt Canada, 2003. Print.
Hamlet’s mourning about the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother drives him to madness. This is the main characters inner tragedy that Shakespeare expresses in the play. First he considers suicide but the ghost of King Hamlet sends him on a different path, directing him to revenge his death. Shakespeare uses Hamlet to articulate his thoughts about life, death and revenge. Being a moral character he must decide if revenge is the right thing to do. Shakespeare relays many scenarios of reasoning to the audience about mankind His hero sets the wrongs on mankind right again.
Although William Shakespeare did not invent the pun, he certainly perfected it. He conveys much of Hamlet's contempt toward his father's murderer, the new king, through abstracted language. In Act I, scene ii, line 64, the King addresses Hamlet as "my son." Hamlet wittily responds, "A little more than kin, and less than kind!" This falls on deaf ears to the disillusioned King, but the reader picks up the double meaning. He is asserting that he neither resembles Claudius in nature nor feels kindly to him. Along with the pun, Shakespeare makes abundant use of intricate, roundabout language. In Act I, scene ii, line 156, Hamlet cries, "O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!" The language suggests more outrage and emotion than if he had said "It's bad for my mother to be sleeping with my uncle so soon after my father's death." Though it may bother some that his puns and fuzzy language are not always easy to notice, that was Shakespeare's intent. With every successive perusal of the tragedy the reader picks up on still another brilliant use of language.
Shakespeare was a man who never was able to see the full impact of his plays on the world. They were very popular when he was alive, but that was a time when plays were watched and not read as they are today. When reading his plays it is evident that everything in the play was intentional with double and even triple meanings built into single lines. His play Hamlet is full of these punch lines that Shakespeare is now famous for. Hamlet is a tragedy that is almost void of all action. What it really is, is a play about words. For the first few acts of the play nothing really takes place, it is all words and contemplation with no action. Shakespeare uses all of these words to build up the characters in his play. In the story of Hamlet, King Hamlet
In Hamlet, the majority of the comic relief is dark and depressing. The main character is obsessed with death and makes morbid jokes about old age, deception, and corpses. This side of the character is shown so that the reader can understand how much this disturbs the prince. The result of this is a play with some very depressing scenes.
Goldman, Michael. Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ed. David Scott Kaston. New York City: Prentice Hall International. 1995.
Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne.