Effective Use of Humor in Hamlet The use of humor in a tragic story helps to give the reader a break from the monotony of a depressing plot. “If a story were completely filled with depressing and tragic events, readers' interest would definitely be lost” (Bloom 91). William Shakespeare's Hamlet is based on the tragedy of the murder of the king of Denmark, whose son must avenge his murderer. Therefore it is classified as a tragedy and if the humor was not present in the play it would be very depressing. Shakespeare uses Hamlet ironically; the main character who adds the comic part of the play when he is the one who the tragedy affects the most. This humor is evident throughout Hamlet's work. When Hamlet is angry with someone like Claudius or Polonius, he will mock them in their presence without either of them realizing it too quickly. The first of Hamlet's routines is with his uncle, Claudius in Act I, scene ii. Claudius comments on Hamlet's mourning and Hamlet retorts with a clever play on words. Claudio. How come the clouds are still weighing on you? Hamlet. Not so, my lord. I'm in the sun too much. (Shakespeare I.ii. ll. 66-67) When Hamlet refers to the sun he is actually saying that he feels "too much of a son" to Caudio, when in reality he is supposed to be his nephew. The whole complication between Hamlet and Claudius is that, Hamlet's father died and then Hamlet's uncle, Claudius married his mother. This leaves Hamlet with a strange family tree because his uncle also acts as his stepfather. The verse preceding those seen above also tells the reader about the embarrassment of the situation. Hamlet. A little more than kin and less than kind! (Shakespeare I.ii. ll. 6...... middle of the paper ...... for the reader. The play helps break up the story a bit and gives the reader a mental break from some of the complications of the play while the reader is given a mental break from the seriousness of the play, but is also fed some of Hamlet's inner thoughts about the people he is interacting with directly tell the other person exactly what he thinks of them and, using the humor, in most cases, makes it go unnoticed. Works Cited and Consulted: Bloom, Harold Modern Critical Interpretations Of Hamlet New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Brodwin, Character Analysis of Hamlet Scott- Monarch. Hopkins, Benjamin. "Hamlet's Dark Humour" Shakespeare-Online, William "Hamlet".. 1989.