Comic relief scenes in a Shakespearean tragedy serve to provide the spectator a moment of relief with a light hearted scene after a period of dramatic and tragic moments. However, these scenes often enhance the development of an important theme presented in the play. In William Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, gravediggers serve as the comic relief when they banter about death in a graveyard. Shakespeare's depiction of the gravediggers not only serve as comic relief, but also a serious examination of theology and social class. Shakespeare’s depiction of the gravediggers challenges the upper class being able to defy the Christian law. After the death of Ophelia, the gravediggers discuss how he great folk should have count’nance in this/ world …show more content…
As the gravediggers dig a new grave, Hamlet asks if the grave belongs to a woman to which the gravedigger responds, “One that was a woman, sir, but, rest/ her soul, she’s dead” (5.1.138-139). The gravedigger makes a wisecracking remark to imply gender specifics does not matter after someone dies. The treatment of women remained unequal to men in life, but after death, gender appears insignificant after death since everyone ends up in the same place and will no longer be identifiable. After the gravediggers hand Hamlet the skull of Yorick, he reference to Alexander the Great and that “Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander/ returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth/ we make loam”(5.1.216-218). Hamlet comments on how power and class do not matter after death by alluding to Alexander the Great, considered the leader of the known world during his time. Identifying Alexander as “dust”after death reveals Hamlet’s viewpoint that everyone will become equal after death because if man who was as powerful as Alexander becomes dust, so will everyone else. After Hamlet discusses Alexander the Great after death, he makes a statement about how Julius Caesar may have been one of the most powerful leaders of his time, but after he died, his ashes “should patch a wall t' expel the winter’s flaw”(5.1.222-223) . Hamlet refers to the famous figure Julius Caesar because despite his strength and position of power as a leader of the Roman empire during the time he was alive, his position of power no longer matters in death because he just ended up in ashes. Hamlet exaggerates the location of Caesar’s ashes saying that it could be patching up a wall because he wants to contrast the power Caesar had in life and the lack of power he has in death. After Hamlet sees an unidentifiable skull, he says the skull could have come from a courtier or a lord but understands that is
There are many topics deeply hidden in the works of William Shakespeare. One of his greatest pieces of works is the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Not only are the words of Shakespeare meaningful, but there are also many follow up pieces of literature that contain important interpretations of the events in this play. These works about Hamlet are extremely beneficial to the reader. I have found four of these works and will use them as sources throughout this essay. The first source is “The Case of Hamlet’s Conscience,” by Catherine Belsey, and it focuses on the topic of Hamlet’s revenge in the play. The second source is “’Never Doubt I Love’: Misreading Hamlet,” by Imtiaz Habib, and it explains a lot of information about Hamlet’s “love” for Ophelia. The third source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet, III.i.56—88,” by Horst Breuer, and it talks in depth about the issue of suicide in Hamlet. The fourth and final source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet 1.2.35-38,” by Kathryn Walls, and it describes the significance of the role the Ghost plays throughout Hamlet. There are many different confusing parts in Hamlet and the best way to fully understand the play is to understand all of these parts. By understanding every miniscule detail in the play, it creates a different outlook on the play for the reader. In this essay, I will explain these confusing topics, as well as explain why the sources are helpful and what insight they can bring. At the end is this essay, the reader will have a complete understanding and appreciation of the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
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. Hamlet's encounter with the gravedigger serves as a forum for Shakespeare to elaborate on the nature of death and as a turning point in Hamlet's character. The structure and changing mood of the encounter serve to move Hamlet and the audience closer to the realization that death is inevitable and universal.
This is first seen in Act 5, when Hamlet’s impulsive attitude takes over him which results in the murder of Polonius. Hamlet stabs the carpet Polonius was hiding behind thinking it was Claudius. Hamlet feels no guilt from this action, “Thou wretched, intruding fool farewell” (3.5.33). Shakespeare included this quote to reveal Hamlet’s new impulsive attitude which causes Hamlet to feel more confident and comfortable with death. Another incident which intensifies Hamlet’s new view on death was his encounter with the gravediggers (5.1) Shakespeare reveals that Hamlet undergoes a type of epiphany when he sees the gravediggers brushing off skulls, he proclaims “Alexander died, Alexander was buried/ Alexander returned into dust, the dust is earth” (5.1.203-204). Shakespeare uses the Alexander the Great reference as a form to portray Hamlet’s new realization towards death. Once Hamlet realizes that everyone dies and everyone ends up in the same place no matter how important they were Hamlet gets a new sudden confidence towards death once he realizes this. As the play comes to an end Shakespeare reveals Hamlet’s matured, confident view on death. Shakespeare shows this through Hamlet’s conversation with Horatio. It is clear when Hamlet says, “If it be now, ’tis not to come, if it be not to come, it will be now/ If it be not now, yet it will come/ The readiness is all” (5.2.511-513). Here, Hamlet finds a new acceptance for death and it’s uncertainty, due to the fact that death is inevitable. After all the events Hamlet has undergone he is so familiar with death that by now, it no longer scares him. He was come to terms with the thought. By the end of the play, Hamlet’s whole perspective of death has evolved immensely from the beginning of the
Philosophical views on death were also mentioned by Hamlet in Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 204-224 when he realizes that no matter how illustrious a man can be whilst living, like Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar, everyone looks and becomes the same once lamented. He comes to realize that ultimately everyone is as insignificant as dust, "Imperial Caesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a whole to keep the wind away." V. i. 220-221). See the http://www.ssc.gov/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/ssc/s Hamlet insinuates that even though in life someone could have been a great ruler or conqueror, once they have fallen they could become something as negligible as dirt or clay only being able to stop the wind. Hamlet's soliloquies are brimful with brilliance and scholarly thought.
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).
In Act 5 Scene 1, Shakespeare uses imagery to express what Hamlet is thinking at that moment. When Hamlet begins discussion with the gravedigger, he is presented a skull of someone
Neill, Michael. “None Can Escape Death, the ‘Undiscovered Country’.” Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of “Hamlet: A Modern Perspective.” The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. N. P.: Folger Shakespeare Lib., 1992.
When one thinks of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the first image that comes to mind is that of Hamlet gazing into the eyes of Yorick’s skull. This scene has become an icon of the play because of the message behind it. It is arguable that the graveyard scene embodies the essence of the entire play. As Hamlet metaphorically and literally stares death in the face, a pivotal moment occurs where he realizes the meaning of human mortality. Hamlet sees the temporary nature of the human body, the insignificance of rank, and the equality of all humans in death. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the image of Yorick’s skull in the graveyard scene is so noteworthy because it acts as a reminder of the transience of human life.
Written one year apart from the other, one cannot fail to recognize the parallels between William Shakespeare's tragedies Julius Caesar and Hamlet. To begin, they are both stories of assassinations gone horribly wrong. Although the details of the plays are different, the two assassins (Brutus and Hamlet) provide interesting comparison. Through these two killers, Shakespeare reveals the different levels of justice; one’s personal sense of justice; others’ perception of justice; the justice of the monarchy that supports Shakespeare’s craft. Through this, the audience realizes that a just person is not always a humble one, a condition that may turn out to be a fatal flaw in the end. When a man decides to play God by taking justice into his own hands, the world can unravel much more quickly than he had ever imagined.
Death threads its way through the entirety of Hamlet, from the opening scene’s confrontation with a dead man’s ghost to the blood bath of the final scene, which occurs as a result of the disruption of the natural order of Denmark. Hamlet is a man with suicidal tendencies which goes against his Christian beliefs as he is focused on the past rather than the future, which causes him to fall into the trap of inaction on his path of revenge. Hamlet’s moral dilemma stems from the ghost’s appearance as “a spirit of health or a goblin damned”, making Hamlet decide whether it brings with...
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 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.
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 toward the king and queen to create humor, while on the other hand Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are a comic relief by their senseless actions and naïve natures. Polonius, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are all used as a comic relief to increase the ultimate tragic nature of the play.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, written in the 1600’s, subverts the conventions of traditional revenge tragedies to explore the dilemma of Hamlet- a young Danish prince, who must make morally complex choices, after the ghost of his father exhorts him to kill Claudius in revenge. It is Hamlet’s restless intellect, which forces him into uncertainty about the ethics of the deed he’s sworn to do. Hamlet is a powerful and enduring play because of its central moral dilemma, which transcends political concerns of the Elizabethan period, making it a play for all ages. It addresses the timeless themes of human mortality, corruption and deception in the form of a dramatic play that contemporary audiences can appreciate. Shakespeare’s Hamlet asks profound
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.