Shakespeare employs comic relief throughout Hamlet to distract the reader from the relentless tragedy that inundates the play. Comedic scenes juxtapose with tragic scenes to lend macabre humor to an otherwise serious story; Hamlet’s intelligent and persistent wit advances the dark mood by setting a jovial tone. The intermittent comic reliefs keeps the audience piqued with interest and thoroughly entertained. In Hamlet, comedy serves as a comfort blanket, soothing the audience and relieving tension after an especially tragic event. After King Hamlet’s funeral and Queen Gertrude’s wedding, Hamlet jests to Horatio “the funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (Shakespeare 1.2.179-180). Soon after King Hamlet’s funeral, Hamlet has to endure the sight of his mother with Claudius. He imagines his mother in incestuous sheets with her brother and breaks up that imagery with cold humor. The joke alleviates the treachery of Queen Gertrude’s new marriage by identifying Hamlet’s sarcastic reactions. Hamlet’s deriding jokes continue when Polonius becomes Hamlet’s object of ridicule. When Hamlet first encounters Polonius, he calls him a “fishmonger” (Shakespeare …show more content…
A young courtier, Osric, enters in the middle of a conversation between Hamlet and Horatio. Hamlet soon notices Osric’s tendency to agree with whatever he says and takes advantage of it. When Osric remarks that “It is rather cold, indeed, my lord”, Hamlet goes on to say “And yet I feel it’s very hot and humid, which is bad for my complexion” (Shakespeare 5.2.102-14). Then, Osric contradicts himself by agreeing with Hamlet: “Yes indeed it is, sir. Very humid, I can’t tell you how humid it is” (Shakespeare 5.2. 105-106). The light-hearted jest that Hamlet has with Osric importunes the audience to foresee the final and greatest tragedy of the