There is a few bits of thoughtful laughter in hamlet. A good example is Hamlet himself being a person who says some very smart things but is just completely insane. Most things he says takes some thought to convert it over to english we know and love today, but after you get that out of the way and think about the statements some they become entertaining. He states many things about others but never seems to think of how they see him. He completely makes himself look crazy without even the thought of it coming into mind. This adds to the unknowing stance that Hamlet has in the story. He is aware of everything around him but he is not yet aware of himself. In Hamlet, Fortinbras is a character that is there but is never actually at the action
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).
Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet is about the prince of Denmark, Hamlet, and his quest to gain revenge of his father’s, King Hamlet’s, vicious murder which was committed by his uncle, Claudius, in the name of power and fortune. Hamlet is, at times, indecisive and hesitant thus he admires the passionate and even violent character of Fortinbras. This passage from Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s play, portrays the theme of the relationship of thought to action by demonstrating how Hamlet’s admiration for Fortinbras’s dedicated character compels him to make rash decisions in order to fulfill his word. This passage is a soliloquy given by Hamlet, in Act 4 Scene 4, which explains why Hamlet was willing to take drastic measures to avenge his father.
In “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” by the legendary playwright William Shakespeare, the titular character possesses numerous personality traits. Some of his qualities are admirable, others are inexcusable, and others still are understandable. Hamlet is a complex man; thus, throughout the story he experiences and expresses several emotions and opinions.
At his first appearance, young Fortinbras is shown to be inferior to Hamlet; being "of unimproved metal, hot and full" (I, 1, 96) unreasonably "[sharking] up a list of landless resolutes" (I, 1, 98), he is in sharp contrast to the "sweet and commendable" (I, 2, 87) Hamlet introduced in the next scene. As the play develops, however, Hamlet's weakness are highlighted as Fortinbras works to earn his name, "which seems to symbolize the strong arm of the soldier" (xxvii).
Hamlet's black humor is a direct result of too much anger: it leads to the alienation, and finally the death of the people who know him, and eventually causes his own death. First, Hamlet's reaction his mother's marriage right after Old Hamlet's funeral shows that his anger alienates him from his mother. Second, his reaction to Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is his indirect anger to the world, because Hamlet feels that everyone is betraying and using him. Lastly, the anger towards Gertrude is expressed in conversations with Ophelia which eventually leads to her death.
In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the character of Fortinbras, has been used as a foil for the main character, Hamlet. Hamlet and Fortinbras have lost their fathers to untimely deaths. Claudius killed Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, and King Hamlet killed Fortinbras' father. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras have vowed to seek revenge for the deaths of their fathers. Since the revenge tactics of Hamlet and Fortinbras are completely different, Hamlet perceives the actions of Fortinbras as better than his own and the actions of Fortinbras, then, encourage Hamlet to act without hesitating.
... Hamlet's humor is rude and insulting to people around him; it's very cynical and leads to his downfall. Hamlet proves his cynical humor when he fools Polonius, makes fun of the courtiers and insults Claudius, Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlet insults Polonius with his words and always finds out what the courtiers were up to. All these experiences show that humor can be joyful but on the other hand it could prove to be very fatal.
A horrible event, such as a death in the family, can cause a cynical outlook on life. “Hamlets' hubris is shown through his cynical humor towards others” (Adelman 164). Hamlet uses humor to escape his cynical reality in regards to Polonius, Ophelia's father, Ophelia his true love, and Gertrude, his mother the queen. These three people help lead Hamlet to his eventual downfall.
In William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras and Hamlet find themselves in similar situations. While Hamlet waits for the right time to avenge his father's death, Laertes learns of his father's death and immediately wants vengeance, and Fortinbras awaits his chance to recapture land that used to belong to his father. Laertes and Fortinbras go about accomplishing their desires quite differently than Hamlet. While Hamlet acts slowly and carefully, Laertes and Fortinbras seek their revenge with haste. Although Laertes and Fortinbras are minor characters, Shakespeare molds them in order to contrast with Hamlet. Fortinbras and, to a greater extent, Laertes act as foils to Hamlet with respect to their motives for revenge, execution of their plans and behavior while carrying out their plans.
Conclusion: While Hamlet has some serious issues, it is lightened up with puns, sarcasm, and wit. If Shakespeare did not include humor in his work, the play would be much more depressing than it already
In Hamlet, William Shakespeare portrays the contrast between two distinctive and important characters, Fortinbras and Hamlet. Although Fortinbras is hardly seen throughout the play, his position in the royal family made his presence noticeable and crucial to its central themes. In addition, Fortinbras’s father's murder shows a parallel between him and Hamlet, since his father is also murdered. However, the major difference between them is their responses and actions in avenging their fathers’ death. In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses Hamlet and Fortinbras as foils to illustrate that people who take actions are more successful than those who don’t.
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.
William Shakespeare: Hamlet Background/Opinion:. Most of Shakespeares pieces of writing are fictional; if not, then they are based on an old story Shakespeare had adapted, but with many twists and changes. Shakespeare's works of art are all written in the form of a play as opposed to a novel or short story. In the past, the way I have been taught Shakespeare was by reading the play as a class, and acting out the play mostly during important scenes. I myself have not yet reached the point of fully understanding most or all of Shakespeares old english, but can grasp the idea of what is taking place in every scene (the story line).
- - -. “Fortinbas in Hamlet.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop U, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. .
In the play Hamlet, the main character Hamlet is your typical tragic hero - he is destined for greatness, but he fails thanks to his fatal flaw: inaction. Throughout the story, he repeatedly contemplates what he should do, or focuses on torturing his mother and uncle instead of simply taking action like his father’s ghost told him to. He constantly sits back and does nothing while others around him take action. This gets him into a great deal of trouble and ultimately causes his own demise. This flaw of his is not only fatal to himself, but to others as well.