How is Hamlet in any way comedic?

While it is difficult to characterise Hamlet as a comedy from a modern perspective, Hamlet is comedic mostly through the use of dark humour. We must of course bear in mind that Hamlet was written in 1609,, and during the Early Jacobean period, standard of humour were different, due to the relative commonness of crime and death. For example, during Act 3 Scene 4, when Hamlet kills Polonius, his phrasing and deliberate vaguery ('I'll lug these guts, intruding fool') could be construed as funny in a world where death was relatively common compared to the modern viewpoint- that Hamlet's actions were reprehensible.Furthermore, Shakespeare also utilises tropes known in Italy as comedia dell'arte, deliberately subverting the character of vecchi in the form of Polonius. Usually, a vecchi was noble and kind- in Polonius, this is subverted through the portrayal of the 'dignified old man' as inept, unwise, and most importantly, sevile. This can be seen in his interactions with Hamlet, which are designed to show Hamlet's wit is beyond that of the usually witty elder. Polonius is long-winded and boring- a stock character wmeant ot be laughed at.

Answered by English Literature tutor

5265 Views

See similar English Literature A Level tutors

Related English Literature A Level answers

All answers ▸

The effective use of quotations


Compare and contrast the presentation of identity as a site of conflict in Things Fall Apart, The Ballad of Peckham Rye and North


‘What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine’. Examine the interplay of gender and power in Far from the Madding Crowd, All’s Well That Ends Well and the Amoretti.


How should I approach a comparison between two texts?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning