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Hamlet, one of world’s most appraised tragedies, was written in 1601 by William Shakespeare, an English playwright and poet, considered to be the greatest dramatist of all time. Hamlet is a brilliant play that explores the highly complex personality of the title character, the crown prince of Denmark, and demonstrates themes of honour and revenge. Although Hamlet prominently displays the main characteristics of a tragedy – the eminent death of the leading characters - Shakespeare also incorporates a number of comic elements. He does this for variety of reasons. First of all, the occasional use of humour allows the audience to take a brief pause from the monotony of a depressing storyline. Secondly, via humour and riddles, the prince, Hamlet, is able to mock other people, in their presence. Finally, the comical scenes provide a valuable insight into some of the characters’ personalities. William Shakespeare, as a clever dramatist, knew that if a play is completely filled with melancholy events, the audience will easily lose interest. This fact was especially important during the Elizabethan times when the most frequent visitors of theatres were people of the lower society. These simple folks, who came to theatre to forget their every day’s ordeal, preferred comedy to tragedy. As a result of this, Shakespeare incorporates bits of humour in-between the most intense and gloomy scenes. The first comic episode in Hamlet is located in Act 2, Scene 2, where Prince Hamlet mocks the royal counsellor through riddles. Their conversation, starting with, “Do you know me my lord? / Excellent well. You are a fishmonger” (II.ii, 173-4), provides a short distraction after the earlier melancholy incident when Hamlet learns the painful truth regarding his father’s sudden death. Another excellent example of a passage that serves as a mental breather for the audience is the sex-related talk between Hamlet and Ophelia, who is his sweetheart, when the play “The Murder of Gonzago” is about to begin. At one point, when the time has come for the truth about the murder to be revealed, the audience is kept in great suspense. To break the tense air, Hamlet asks silly questions: “ Lady, shall I lie in your lap? /Do you think I meant country matters?” ( III.ii, 110,115).
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