To fully appreciate Hamlet as a tragedy it must be understood as a comedy. In this article I will demonstrate Hamlet's comedic moments, provide a brief analysis of the humor, and finally comment on the purpose of the comedic elements. The humor in Hamlet can easily be divided into Hamlet's wit and the acts of minor characters. Much of the humor in this play comes from the clever lines that Hamlet so often utters. Hamlet's first line in the play offers a lot of information about his intelligent character and family problems: KING. Take your time, Laertes. Time be yours, and your best graces spend it as you please! But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son, HAMLET. A little more than kin and less than kind. This observation by Hamlet is funny on several levels. King Claudius calls Hamlet a cousin, essentially meaning someone who is not directly related, and a son. Hamlet responds with a play on words. Hamlet is “a little more than a relative” because he is now not only a distant relative of Claudius, but also his son. The second part of Hamlet's response contains a double meaning of the word kind. In this situation, the word kind means both loving, as an adjective, and as a noun it means category or brand. Hamlet describes Claudius as both unloving and of a different kind from himself. Hamlet's cutting words, while providing humor, allow the audience to understand the hateful feelings Hamlet has for his uncle. The comedy in Hamlet turns vulgar when Hamlet's two close friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, visit Hamlet from Wittenberg. At the sight of his friends, Hamlet manages to transform a banal greeting into a vulgar dialogue:GUILDENSTERN. Happy because we are not... middle of paper... a tragedy; however without it the game feels lacking. Comedy is necessary to break the unbearable tension in tragedies like Hamlet. Many of the humorous scenes precede the tragic events of the play, which allows the audience to feel temporary relief in the presence of this comedy. It's also important to note the entertainment that comes from the comedy in the show. Shakespeare's audience wanted to be presented with both high and low comedy. With a variety of characters ranging from the simple-minded to the almost brilliant, Shakespeare was able to give the audience what they wanted. Shakespeare was able to show his audience that there is something funny in the state of Denmark! Works Cited Kennedy, XJ and Dana Gioia. "Hamlet." Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. 11th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 1354+. Press.