Comic Relief Of Hamlet Essay examples - 1404 Words

A Portrayal of Humor Within the Tragedy of Hamlet How does humor factor into a tragedy? Shakespeare knew the answer to this question and acted upon it quite frequently. Shakespeare has been known to write comedies and tragedies both but this does not qualify him at to not incorporate a little of each into each other. In the work of Hamlet there are many occasions where Shakespeare uses it for different effects. The main reason for the presence of humor within a tragedy is to keep the reader interested. Shakespeare uses many forms of humor including but not limiting wit, punamp;#8217;s, and casual jokes. In the work of Hamlet, Hamlet is usually the character that Shakespeare chooses to bring out the humor in anything. He becomes a very†¦show more content†¦Hamlet then is questioned of the whereabouts of the corpse of Polonius and Hamlet then replies, amp;#8220;At supper.; Then Hamlet refers to the decomposition of the human body proving what he said was true in a comic sense. To prove the existence of tendency wit we have a scenario in which Hamlet and Polonius are judging the clouds. Hamlet shifts his view of the cloud from a camel to a weasel is a form of exaggerated comic accommodation, the opposite of tragic integrity (Snyder 112). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Two of the most odd and certainly comic people in the work of Hamlet, are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Both of these people are considered to be friends of Hamlet by the Queen when in actuality they are not at all. Irony being another form of humor takes roll with these two as they are sent with a death warrant for Hamlet while Hamlet some how knows this he replaces the warrant with one for the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They call the play of Hamlet amp;#8220;the tragedy of multiplicity; for a good reason considering the state of friendship that also changes very often. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;There is then the ever so absent minded Queen Gertrude who likes to claim she knows her son while she, at the same time, professes that she knows nothing through the incorrect portrayal of her own son. Between her and her husband there are so many misconceptions of their son Hamlet thatShow MoreRelated The Comedy of Hamlet Essay1191 Words   |  5 Pages How does the use of comic relief best contrast the tragedy of Hamlet? In great works of literature a comic relief is used as contrast to a serious scene to intensify the overall tragic nature of the play or to relieve tension. As illustrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, intense scenes are joined with character’s banter and vacuous actions as to add a comic relief. In Hamlet, Polonius acts as a comic relief by his dull and windy personality, Hamlet uses his intelligence and his negativity towardRead MoreGravedigger Scene Analysis916 Words   |  4 Pages Shakespeare uses comic relief in ma ny of his plays to give the audience a break from the intense chaos that often makes up the dramas. He uses the porter scene in Macbeth as comic relief for the murder of King Duncan and in Hamlet, he uses the gravedigger scene to relieve the emotions felt for the death of Ophelia. The gravedigger scene is the most well known scene of comic relief in Hamlet, as it serves as a much needed break in all of the action and it temporarily changes the tone of play, alongRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay1636 Words   |  7 PagesPeriod 3 Mr. Levine English 101 Research Paper Hamlet Hamlet is categorized as one of the greatest plays ever written. In the play the main character Prince Hamlet has a very complicated character. As the play goes along Hamlet displays a wide range of emotions through his actions and his words. With doing this, it creates controversy amongst the critics and readers of the play. They find it difficult to come to a conclusion of whether Hamlet s â€Å"madness† is sincere or if he is simply aRead MoreThe Gravedigger and the Inevitability of Death in Shakespeares Hamlet1397 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet:   The Gravedigger and the Inevitability of Death From the appearance of the Ghost at the start of the play to its bloody conclusion, Hamlet is pervaded with the notion of death. What better site for a comic interlude than a graveyard? However, this scene is not merely a bit of comic relief. Hamlets encounter with the gravedigger serves as a forum for Shakespeare to elaborate on the nature of death and as a turning point in Hamlets character. The structure and changing mood of the encounterRead More Hamlets Sense of Humor Essay1391 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare strategically placed several humorous scenes throughout his masterpiece, Hamlet.   In particular, the character of Polonius fills the role of the comic fool; he is in two essential comedic scenes, one with his own children and then one with Hamlet.   Shakespeares acute ability to weave humor into this very heavy play is noteworthy, as his use of comedy goes beyond merely providing much-needed comic relief.  Ã‚   In fact, the rather numerous comedic scenes serv e as a foils to, as well as reflectionsRead MoreEssay on Compare and Contrast Comedy and Tragedy914 Words   |  4 Pages Taking risks and thinking big characterize narration in tragedy. Hamlet exemplifies these characteristics throughout the storyline. Aristotle insists that tragedy should have the right ending, which generally means that it will have an unhappy ending. We see this in Desire Under the Elms when Eben and Abbie are taken away to jail for the crime.    Characters in comedy and tragedy are generally quite different. Comic characters are (or used to be) lower class individuals (AristotleRead MoreHamlet And Twelfth Night Comparison Essay957 Words   |  4 Pagesthem, Hamlet and Twelfth Night are perfect examples of both. A comparison between them could be of interest because their common points demonstrate that, however differing their genres are, Shakespeare’s plays essentially illustrate what it is to be human[1] . [2] Hamlet and Twelfth Night could both be compared through instances of body imagery, critical thought and social integration. In the first place, when it comes to body imagery in Hamlet and Twelfth Night, the first uses it as a comic reliefRead MoreCompare And Contrast Hamlet And Twelfth Night1162 Words   |  5 PagesFrom Hilarity to Tragedy in Shakespeare: How Hamlet and Twelfth Night Compare By Zawadi Bunzigiye William Shakespeare wrote plays covering the breadth of human experience. They seem to have transcended the restraints of age because of the universal themes that they contain. His body of his work is comprised of genres of plays varying from tragedies to comedies. Of them, Hamlet and Twelfth Night are perfect examples of both. A comparison between them would be of interest because their common pointsRead MoreThe Point Of The Gravediggers Riddles And Songs In Hamlet Analysis1331 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is the point of the gravedigger’s riddles and songs? The point of the gravedigger’s riddles and songs is to take the audience away from the tension and darkness caused by certain events, like the deaths of Ophelia and Polonius and bring some comic relief. I believe Shakespeare includes the gravediggers riddles and songs to calm the readers a bit before heading to the tragic and dramatic ending. The gravedigger sings, â€Å"In youth when I did love, did love, / Methought it was very sweet / To contract–o–theRead More tragoed The Changing Tragedy of Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Desire under the Elms879 Words   |  4 Pages The Changing Tragedy of Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Desire under the Elms nbsp; Tragedy can easily be considered the greatest of all genres due to the fact that it has withstood the test of time. Formally, tragedy employs something more complex than other genres. It is not part of a life full of happy endings. It is part of a bigger system of things. It is part of who we are. Perhaps tragedy is simply the art that truly imitates life.gt; Historically speaking, the great rises of tragedy