1. HAMLET
Comic Relief

2. Purpose Lighten the dark nature of tragic drama Entertain the audience
Indicate attitude and relationships between characters
Enhance theme

3. Polonius Act 1, Scene 3 Lines 60-87 Act 2, Scene 2 Line 99
*Advice to Laertes – appears to be encouraging Laertes to behave in a certain, when later in the play he sends Reynaldo to spread rumors about Laertes
*”I will be brief…” He is anything but…
*”The best actors in the world…” silly rambling *

4. Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2 Lines 190-200 (w/ Polonius)
“Not where he eats…”
*”You are a fishmonger…” pretending not to know Polonius (is this real or feigned madness?)
*references to “Fortune’s favors” – male bantering between Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
*dialogue between Hamlet, Queen and Ophelia – Hamlet acting erratic, inappropriate (again, feigned or real madness?)
*location of Polonius’ body, tells King Polonius is “at supper” (King will eventually be eaten by beggars), if King’s men cannot find the body in heaven then the King should look for it in Hell (ie. Go to hell), etc *

5. Miscellaneous Characters
Gravediggers (Act 5, Scene 1)
Watch clip
Gravedigger scene is textbook comic relief (dark scene in graveyard, they are digging up old bones to make room recently deceased Ophelia, discussing Ophelia’s eternal fate…)
Will need to watch the clip on DVD
Churchyard Conversation

6. It’s funny…so what?
To lighten the mood, usually in a very intense scene
If comic relief is evident, the scene is likely tragic in all other aspects
Identifying examples can lead readers/audiences to also identify key emotional moments in the story

7. So… Take out a piece of paper
Write a 12 sentence paragraph about the significance of comic relief in Shakespearean tragedy.
Use textual examples to support your claim
Due Monday