The Comedy of "Hamlet"

THE COMEDY OF "HAMLET"
Author(s): Manfred Draudt

Source: Atlantis, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Junio 2002), pp. 71-83
Published by: AEDEAN: Asociacin espaola de estudios anglo-americanos
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THE COMEDY OF HAMLET

ManfredDraudt
Wien
Universitt
The SundayTimesdeclaredHamletthe
Justbeforetheend of themillenium,
1000
masterwork
of
the
years.It maynotbe generally
recognized
past
outstanding
characteristic
oftheworld'smostpopulartragedy
thata defining
is, infact,itscomic
- although
ofthese
criticshavelongpointedto thesignificance
elements
discerning
from
of
the
rest"
comicelements.What"distinguishes
[Hamlet]
plays
Shakespeare's
criticDr Johnson,
its "variety....
The scenes
is, accordingto theeighteenth-century
and solemnity",
he argues,and
are interchangeably
diversifiedwithmerriment
i.e. laughter
continues
that"thepretended
madnessof Hamletcauses muchmirth",
line on this
(1968: 1010-11). Some moderncriticsand editorstake a stillfirmer
issue. In her introduction
to the New PenguineditionAnne Bartonclaims that
"Hamletcontainsmanymorecomic charactersand episodes thanOthello,Lear,
ofthetragedy
but
[and]Macbeth".She notonlybriefly
surveysthecomiccharacters
also comments
on theuniqueness
ofthecentral
character:
Hamlet... seemsto be theonlyone of Shakespeare's
...
tragicprotagonists
- a sense of humour.Like thewitty
who possesses- and demonstrates
charactersof the comedies,he likes to play games withlanguage,to
verbalstyles,and he has a predilection
forpuns,
parodyothercharacters'
and sophisticatedbadinagewhichlinkshim
bawdydouble entendres,
like... Touchstone
andFeste.(1980: 23)
[even]withfigures
One may add thatHamlet'swit and humour,which distinguishhim from
Claudiusand Gertrude,
contribute
to the antagonismbetweenhim and the royal
couple.In thispaperI shouldliketo pursuethiselementsystematically,
exploring
some comicaspectsof theprotagonist,
examiningthe variouscomic figures,and
also commenting
on thecomplexrelationship
betweentheplay'scomicand serious
theuniquemixture
of "merriment
and solemnity".
elements,
Comedyis, according
to Susan Snyder,"thegroundfromwhich,or againstwhich,tragedydevelops....
... as polaropposites,... [or]as twosidesof thesame
Comedyandtragedyfunction
coin"(1979: 5).
VoC.XXlV*(m.I (Junio2002): 71-83.

ISS90210-6124

ManfredDraudt
12
The classic comic conflictbetween blocking fatherand young lovers, which

underliesthe actions of many Shakespearean comedies,1 informsone strandof the
action of Hamlet: the relationshipbetween Polonius, Ophelia and the Prince. Also
prominentin other tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet and Othello, the conflict
in the revengetragedy- though
betweenold and young is significantlytransformed
its comic origincannot be denied.2Anne Barton is clearlyaware of it when pointing
out thatHamlet "is the only ... [tragic]hero [who] is unmarriedand eligible" (1980:
24). Yet whereas the other lovers, and particularlythe daughters,are all rebellious
and defytheirfathers'will, Ophelia meeklyaccepts Polonius's command,"fromthis
time forth/
... [not] to give words or talk withthe Lord Hamlet" (1.3.132-134).3 Her
unquestioning obedience, which distinguishes her from the more spirited and
- at least indirectly
- her
independentyoung ladies in similar situations,causes
and
madness and tragicdeath; yet the Prince,too, is overawed by parentalauthority4
appears to resignhimselfto the will of the obstructivefather.As Harold Jenkinsputs
it, Ophelia's "tragedy ... is that Hamlet has left her [chaste] treasure [i.e. her
virginity]withher"(1982: 152).
Whereas the (potentiallycomic) lovers' conflictwith the fathertakes a tragic
turn,Polonius is clearlyconceived by Shakespeare as a comic figure,a classic senex,
as the stage-directionat the opening of act 2, scene 1, in the Second Quarto (1605)
shows: "Enter old Polonius" (sig.E [Ir]).5 A stock comic type, Polonius is
neverthelessa composite figure,combiningfeaturesderived fromRoman comedy,
where the senex was the fatherof a son, with others fromthe Italian commedia
erudita,in whichthevecchio could be the fatherof a daughter.6
At the end of the fishmongerscene, when he has deflated Polonius's selfesteem and dignity,Hamlet aptlycharacterizeshim as a "tedious old fool" (2.2.212),
killed him. Deliberately
an opinion he is going to confirmafterhaving inadvertently
playing the role of a fool to the old dotard, Hamlet exposes Polonius's physical
mirrorto his advanced age:
failingsand holds up an unflattering
The satirical rogue says here that old men have grey beards, that their
faces are wrinkled,theireyes purgingthickamber and plumtreegum, and
that they have plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams.
(2.2.193-96)
Night's
of Verona,A Midsummer
See, forexample,The Tamingof theShrew,The Two Gentlemen
Dreamand TheMerryWivesof Windsor.
use compareMiola 2000: 87-97.
ofthemotifanda briefsurveyofShakespeare's
Forthetradition
3
References
areto Hamlet.Ed. PhilipEdwards.
like Hamlet's,is thetragedyof obedienceto a father"
Edwardsarguesthat"Ophelia'stragedy,
(1985:
46).
"old givesa clue to Shakespeare'sconceptionof thecharacter",
accordingto Jenkins1982 (Note on
Shakespeare's
2.1). In his "Polonius,derTypusdes Senilen"B. Scherer(1930) confirms
stage-direction
froma psychological
pointofview.
type-casting
betweenthetwotypesofsenexsee Hosley1966: 137-38.
andthedistinction
Fortheclassicaltradition
A<mto&lS2Al(2002)

TheComedyofHamlet
73_
refersto
Hamletagainharpson his age when,to theactors,he contemptuously
"That greatbaby ... not yet out of his swaddlingclouts" (2.2.351).7 Polonius's
to Reynaldoand gets
senilityalso becomespalpablewhenhe is givingdirections
lostinmid-sentence:
Andthensirdoesa this- a does- whatwas I aboutto say?
WheredidI leave?
By themassI was aboutto saysomething.
(2.1.49-50)8
In thesamescenehe showsanothertraitassociatedwithold age, pedantry,
by
splittinghairs (or words) when proposingto accuse Laertesof "drabbing",i.e.
i.e. sexual excess(2.1.26-30).Poloniusalways
butnotof "incontinency",
whoring,
to appearlearnedand witty,yethis pridein his own skill,cunning,and
attempts
wisdommakeshim appearall the moreridiculous.In additionto his "laboured
are hallmarks
quibbling"(Hibbard1987: 34), his tediousnessand long-windedness
to his son Laertesopens with
of his character.His twenty-three-line-instruction
"And thesefewpreceptsin thymemory"(1.3.58), and he again promisesto "be
brief, "sincebrevityis the soul of wit/And tediousnessthe limbsand outward
flourishes"
The verycause of
(2.2.90-92),whenhe believesthathe "ha[s] found/
and circular
Hamlet'slunacy"(2.2.48-49). Yet his preliminary
"expostulation"
to
define
true
What
is't
but
to
be
else
madness,/
("for
reasoning9
nothing butmad?",
him:"More
triesto interrupt
2.2.92-94)boretheQueenso muchthatshe impatiently
matterwithless art"(95). She fails,however,muchlike Lady Capulet,who is
equallyunableto stoptheofficious
loquacityoftheNurse.10
Romeoand Julietis echoedagain whenin his exaggerated
show of paternal
affection
and anxietyforhis daughter's
honourtheblockingfatherbehavesexactly
like old Capulet,11
cruellyridiculinghis daughterby pickingup a wordfromher
itindifferent
senses:
speechandrepeating
Do youbelievehis[Hamlet's]tenders
as youcall them?
a baby
MarryI'llteachyou.Thinkyourself
Thatyouhavetanethesetenders
fortruepay,
Whichareno sterling.
Tenderyourself
moredearly,
Rosencrantz
backsHamlet'smockery
withtheproverbial
saying"anold manis twicea child"(2.2.352).
CompareJaquesinAs YouLikeIt,whodescribesthelastsceneoflifeas "secondchildishness"
(2.7.165).
His servantassistswiththe cue, "At 'closes at the consequence1",
whichis eagerlypicked up by
Polonius.Whenexpounding
thecause of Hamlet'smadness,Poloniusagainappearsto lose thethreadof
hisargument
andnonsensically
andtheremainder
thus"(2.2.104).
repeatshimself:"Thusitremains,
Polonius'srhetorical
Accordingto Dr Johnson,
stylewas meant"toridiculethepracticeof thosetimes"
(in Hibbard1987,Noteon 2.2.86-104).
Afterher"Enoughof this,I praytheeholdthypeace",theNursecarrieson foranothereightlinesso
thatevenJulietinterferes:
"Andstintthoutoo,I praythee,Nurse".Yet she,too,failsto stopher(1.2.5059).
Whatis this?/
'Proud',and 'I thankyou',and
Compare3.5.149-152:"Howhow,howhow,chopt-logic?
'I thankyou not',/And yet'notproud',mistressminionyou?/Thankme thankings,
norproudme no
prouds".
24.1(2O02)
ATLfifrlS

ManfredDraudt
J74
Or - notto crackthewind of a poor phrase,

Roaming itthus- you'll tenderme a fool. (1.3.103-109)
The discrepancybetween Polonius's benign appearance and his real natureas a
hypocrite,opportunistand flatterer- indirectlysuggested by his triteand hollow
- is relentlesslyexposed by Hamlet. In his first
sententiousness12
privateencounter
he immediatelyquestions Polonius's honesty:"I would you were so honesta man [as
a fishmonger].... To be honest,as thisworld goes, is to be one man picked out often
thousand" (2.2.174-77). There is good reason to assume that Polonius has already
served Hamlet Senior as lord chamberlain,yet he eagerly supportsthe new King
- or whoever is in power. In his remarksto Laertes, Claudius leaves no doubt that
he is heavily indebtedto his trustedcounsellor,whose age and experiencemay well
have contributed
to authorisinghis claim to thethrone:
The head is not morenativeto theheart,
The hand more instrumental
to themouth,
Than is thethroneof Denmarkto thyfather.(1.2.47-49)
Thereforewe should not be surprisedthat,in contrastto Hamlet, Claudius calls the
chamberlain"faithful
and honourable"(2.2.128).
His meddlesomeness, to which Hamlet draws attentionin his contemptuous
epitaph, "Thou wretched,rash, intrudingfool, farewell" (3.4.31), is anothermajor
comic trait,for which Lily B. Campbell has identifieda specific classical model,
Plutarch's "De curiositate" fromthe Moralia. Plutarch'sdescriptionof the overly
curious in many respectsanticipatesthe characterof Polonius: he is so busy looking
forthe hiddenthathe misses the overt; he has too much confidencein his wisdom,
but cannot apply it; he must bleat out what he knows; and his espionage leads him
intotrouble(295-313).
His tendencyto eavesdrop, to spy and to meddle in other people's lives is
another comic device that Shakespeare inheritedfrom classical comedy (Miola
2000: 72). Spyingon his own son, he shows his deviousness in instructing
Reynaldo
to slander Laertes, for he believes that the end justifies the means: "Your bait of
falsehood takes this carp of truth"(2.1.61); and he concludes his directionswith
what can stand as the mottoof his whole existence: "By indirectionsfinddirections
out" (64). Characterized by "opportunistshifts,deceit and distorted ingenuity"
(Wickham 1969: 212), Polonius proves an outrighthypocrite,accusing the Prince of
the very immoralityof which he himself is guilty: Hamlet's "vows ... are [but]
brokers/[or pimps,serving]... mere[ly]... The betterto beguile" (1.3.127-31).
Polonius tries to sound Hamlet in the fishmonger-scene("I'll board him
presently",2.2.168), uses Ophelia as a decoy when overhearingtheirconversation
(3.1.43ff.), and again spies on the Prince in Gertrude's closet (3.4.1-25); yet he
12
to
to Reynaldo(2.1.1-72)and his lecturing
Comparehisadviceto Laertes(1.3.55-81),his instructions
theKingand Queen (2.2.85-157).Accordingto Draper1935, "his pithymoralisticsayingshave often
beendescribed
as stupidandilltimed"
(82).
ATL1W&IS24.1 (2JO02)

TheComedyofHamlet
75_
foolishlybelieves thatHamlet's (seeming) lunacy is caused by "the very ecstasy of

love" (2.1.100) and thus fails to discover Hamlet's "mystery".The Prince not only
makes him look ridiculous in the fishmongerscene but also outwitshim throughout
so that the lord chamberlainis reduced to a comic buttfor his jests. In this he is
associated with anothercomic stereotype,the deceiver deceived, whose fall will be
precipitatedby excessive confidencein his own wisdom and cunning.13
Polonius's petty intriguesand abortive attemptsto find out the truthabout
Hamlet "fall on th'inventor'shead" (cf. 5.2.364) in the Queen's closet, where he is
mistaken for "[his] better" (i.e. Claudius) and finds his sudden but appropriate
ending during his favourite occupation - spying: "Polonius mistook and was
mistaken", observes Susan Snyder (1979: 131). His pathetic death, however,
in the play's action, precipitatingthe catastrophe:Hamlet's
becomes a turning-point
banishment,Ophelia's madness and suicide, and, last butnot least,Laertes'srevenge.
Although he is mainly a butt and outlet for the Prince's pent-up feelings,
several traits of Polonius show surprising parallels with Hamlet: both have a
universityeducation and close associations with the theatre, so that both feel
qualified to comment extensively on the travelling actors and their court
performance.Yet whereas Hamlet proves an accomplishedactor,gives sophisticated
instructionsto the players, and even composes a speech for "The Murder of
Gonzago" (2.2.493), Polonius's pretensionsto wit,eruditionand literarytaste appear
a mere parodyof the Prince's intellectuality(Snyder 1979: 109). His alleged love of
"jig[s] or ... tale[s] of bawdry" (2.2.458) is ridiculed by Hamlet, as is his pride on
having been "accounted a good actor" (3.2.89). Boasting that he "did enact Julius
Caesar ... [who] was killed i'th'Capitol" (91), he only feeds Hamlet's scathing
quibble: "so capital a calf. His mock death as Caesar has both comic and tragic
implications:in the Globe theatrethe actorof Polonius mayjokingly referto the role
he has just been performingin Shakespeare's previous tragedy,Julius Caesar, yet
thereis also an anticipationof the "real" stabbingof Polonius - the "brutepart" in
whichwill be takenby Hamlet.
Rosencrantzand Guildenstern,who are employed by Claudius to find out the
truereason of Hamlet's "transformation"14
and to entertainhim, appear as identical
twins(Snyder 1979: 113) who neverare seen separately:
King: ThanksRosencrantz,and gentleGuildenstern.
Queen: ThanksGuildenstern,and gentleRosencrantz.(2.2.33-34)
Gertrude's repetition, or rather correction (with the names reversed), of
Claudius's acknowledgmentsuggeststhatthe two courtiersare "so indistinguishable
that the King ha[s] mistaken one for the other" (David 1978: 78) on their first
appearance. They are faceless tools who comply unquestioninglywith the King's
commands - in some productions "sweeping off their hats" in servile but
He prideshimself,
forexample,to theQueen: "I'd fainknowthat,/
ThatI havepositively
said,'tisso,/
Whenitprovedotherwise?"
(2.2.151-53).
14
"Whether
afflicts
him"(2.2.5,7).
aughtto us unknown
JVTLZitTS24.1 (2002)

ManfredDraudt
76
meaninglesspoliteness,15very muck like Osric (Tom Stoppard exploits these comic

aspects in his play Rosencrantzand Guildensternare Dead).
In spite of being welcomed by the Prince as his friendsfromthe university,
do
not deal honestlywith him, evade his questions (2.2.261-274) and clearly
they
rank theirallegiance towards the new King higher16than their loyaltytowards the
Prince. In his characteristicenigmaticmannerHamlet tells them not to interferein
mattersthey do not understandand also warns them that his behaviour may be
When the wind is southerly,I know a
deceptive: "I am but mad north-north-west.
hawk froma handsaw" (2.2.347-48). Nevertheless,theycontinuein theirattemptsto
"pluck out the heart of [Hamlet's] ... mystery" (3.2.330-31) -which are as
amateurishas those of Polonius- and so arouse the Prince's scorn and contempt
(Hibbard 1987: 54). Afterthe abortive performanceof "The Murder of Gonzago",
their reproach concerning the
Hamlet fools them by deliberately misinterpreting
if
to his excessive
i.e.
as
theywere referring
annoyed,King
"distempered"(3.2.273),
and
that
are
also
Hamlet
lying17
sarcastically reproves
they
implies
drinking.
Guildenstern:
'Sblood, do you thinkI am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me
what instrument
you will, thoughyou can fretme, you cannot play upon
me. (3.2.334-36)
Having openly sided with the King, Rosencrantz is rudely insultedby Hamlet
as a flattererand sycophant, compared with a "sponge" (4.2.12), i.e. Claudius's
willing instrument,and derided for his stupidity:"A knavish speech sleeps in a
foolish ear" (4.2.21). Hamlet even plays hide-and-seekwith them instead of telling
themthe whereaboutsof Polonius's corpse. Their deaths,which are broughtabout by
the forgerythatsaves his own life,"are not near ... [his] conscience", for,as he later
confessesto Horatio,theyloved their"employment"(5.2.57-58).
Whereas Hamlet has become increasingly impatient and scornful with
Rosencrantzand Guildenstern,he ratherseems to smile at the "waterfly"(5.2.82)
Osric, whom he ridicules more mildly and whose foibles he exposes by parodying
his style.18Osric's affectedpraise of Laertes, "you shall findin him the continentof
whatparta gentlemanwould see", Hamletmocks by echoinghim:
Sir, his [Laertes's] definementsuffersno perditionin you ... in the verity
of extolment,I take ... his infusionof such dearth... who else would trace
his umbrage?(5.2.106-11)
15
For example in the National Theatre productionof 1976 (David 1978: 78).
See 2.2.30-32: "[we] here give up ourselves in the full bent/To lay our service freelyat your feet/To
be commanded".
"play[ing] upon this pipe ... is as easy as lying"(3.2.318-24).

Hamlet's versatilityas a parodist is unique. He also mocks the hollow rhetoricof Claudius and Laertes
at Ophelia's grave: "I'll rantas well as you" (5.1.278). Compare Barton 1980: 44.
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The Comedy of Hamlet
77_
Osric is a younger counterpartto Polonius,19a superficial busybody and gobetween,possibly a nouveau riche thanksto the King's favour: "he hath much land
and fertile", observes Hamlet (5.2.85). Not only his affected manners and
fashionablejargon but also the stage-directionof the First Quarto (1603), "Enter a
Bragart Gentleman"(I2[r]), leave no doubt that he originatedfromanothercomic
type,the braggartsoldier: the miles gloriosus of Latin comedy and the capitano of
thecommediadell'arteor thesoldatoof thecommedia erudita.It may even be
possible that Osric is a prominent instance of Shakespeare's self-borrowing20

because of his strikingresemblance with Monsieur Le Beau, the pretentiousand
foppishcourtierattendingon Duke Frederickin As You Like It. Since Hamlet was
probably writtenin 1600 and the comedy between 1599 and 1600, it seems likely
that Le Beau was Shakespeare's original creation,also because Osric's appearance
and language are much more elaborate. In any case the strikingsimilarity in
characterand situationindicatesthe closeness in composition.
Both Le Beau and Osric are servantsto a usurper,gossipy conveyersof news,21
who prepare and announce the wrestling/fencing match in which the hero is
involved (and in which the odds are heavily against him) and who also officiateat
and commenton the fight.In keeping with theirrole as (cowardly) braggarts,they
prove theirexpertiseby pompouslytalkingabout weapons, dangers,and odds. Their
affectedmannersand ceremoniousspeech are clearly intendedto impressothers;yet
in facttheyare ridiculedby the superiorwits of Rosalind and Hamlet,who not only
make fun of theirdiction22but also deliberatelybaffle and confuse them and thus
expose theirslow wits (again the deceiver deceived comes to mind). Both therefore
serve as foils to the heroine/ hero, contrasting with their genuine wit, their
straightforwardhonesty and their aversion to the usurper. The Prince gives a
piercinganalysisof Osric's characterafterhe has leftthe stage:
Thus has he ... only got the tune of the time and outward habit of
encounter,a kind of yeasty collection ... do but blow themto theirtrial,
thebubbles are out. (5.2.165-70)
According to A Shakespeare Encyclopedia, "Osric is a minor gem of

Shakespearean delineation, who, in a few short lines, emerges unforgettablyas a
typical fawning, sycophantic Elizabethan courtier" (s.v. Osric). With this comic
figureand his model or counterpartLe Beau, Shakespeare provides an important
link betweenthe classical braggartfigureand the affected,pretentious,and fawning
fop, a charactertype that was to become enormously popular in the Restoration
comedyof manners.
19
"youngOsricke", according to the Folio stage-directionand the Second Quarto (compare 5.2.171).
Compare Draudt 2001.

Compare Rosalind's, "his mouth full of news ... Then shall we be news-crammed" (As You Like It
1.2.86-88), and Osric's "sir,here is newly come to courtLaertes" (Hamlet 5.2.100-01).
Rosalind picks up Le Beau's "presence" and puns on legal jargon "... by these presents-"(1.2.109-1 1).
XHMins 24J.(2J00Z)

ManfredDraudt
78
As time-serverswho outwardlydeferto the Prince all these comic characters

accommodate to any political change: this makes
lack a backbone and unthinkingly
them the antithesisof the morally principled hero, whose mockeryand contempt
they provoke. A comparison of Hamlet's conversations with Polonius and Osric
(Snyder 1979: 111-12) again shows the strikingparallelbetweenthetwo courtiers:
Hamlet Do you see yondercloud that'salmostin shape of a camel?
Polonius: By th'mass,and 'tis like a camel indeed.
Hamlet: Methinksit is like a weasel.
Polonius: It is backed like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or like a whale?
Polonius: Very like a whale. (3.2.339-44)
Osric changes his opinion as quicklyas Polonius does:
Osric: ... it is veryhot.
Hamlet: No, believe me, 'tisverycold, thewind is northerly.
cold my lord,indeed.
Osric: It is indifferent
Hamlet: But yetmethinksit is verysultryand hot formy complexion.
Osric: Exceedingly my lord, it is very sultry,as 'twere - I cannot tell
how. (5.2.92-97)
All fourcomic type-charactersshare an ignoranceof what is going on around
in spheres beyond
them,and threeof them will pay with theirlives for interfering
theirunderstanding:
Tis dangerouswhen thebaser naturecomes
Betweenthe pass and fell incensedpoints
Of mightyopposites. (5.2.60-62)
Finally, I should like to look at the hero himself.Hamlet's very firstwords in
the play, "A little more than kin, and less than kind" (1.2.65),23 with which he
satiricallyattacksClaudius's claim thatthe Prince is bothhis "cousin" (i.e. kinsman)
and his "son", are a quibbling aside. In this way Hamlet immediatelyestablisheshis
role as a bittercourtjester exposing the hollowness of political talk; at the same
time, he sets up an intimaterelationshipwith the audience, who are induced to see
the action fromhis point of view (Davison 1983: 32). Both his criticalspiritand his
wit show again in the ensuing wordplay in which he contradictsClaudius with the
observationthat"the clouds" no longerhang on him but thathe ratheris "too much
i'the'sun"(punningon the literaland metaphoricalmeaning of sun as an emblem of
royaltyand on thehomophoneson, thatis, offspring).
ThroughoutHamlet's wit is indicative of his intellectualsuperiority.He is a
true "universitywit", a studentof Wittenberg,the universityassociated with Luther
and Dr Faustus, the very name of which appears to play on wit (Davison 1983: 32).
Only because of his intellectualbrilliancecan he play the fool and "put [on] an antic
23
Alluding to the proverb"The nearerin kin,the less in kindness"(Tilley K38).
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TheComedyofHamlet
79_
disposition" (1.5.172), i.e. a fantasticbehaviour. This assumed madness gives him

the license of a courtjester who is not held accountable forhis jibes at the mighty,
and who can utterthe truthabout the King, the Queen, and the courtiersto their
faces. In exposing his antagonists'foibles and vices he simultaneouslygives vent to
his own pent-up frustrations,to his disgust with hypocrisy, flatteryand moral
he wins time to findout whetherthe Ghost was honestand
corruption.Furthermore,
even provokes the King into action, so that he can eventually trap him with the
performanceof a play thatresembleshis crime.
Under cover of his pretendedmadness he resortsmainly to using puns, which
show his "relentlessliteral-mindedness"(Barton 1980: 44), his desire to deflatethe
puffed-upcourtlydiscourse and to reduce it to its plain meaning. In this respect
Hamlet's verbal strategiesclosely resemble those of the insolent servants and the
fools of the comedies, who deliberatelymisconstruethe meaning intendedby others.
In addition, he employs scornful irony, for example when he remarks on his
mother'sremarriageimmediatelyafterhis father'sdeath:
Horatio.The funeralbaked meats
Thrift,thrift,
Did coldly furnishforththemarriagetables. (1.2.180-81)
Throughout,his linguistictactics show him an outsiderwho constantlybaffles
the people he talks to - as well as the audience. Although he appears to be
overawed when facing his father's Ghost,24 his second encounter with the
supernatural apparition in the company of Horatio and Marcellus borders on
burlesque or low comedy (Davison 1983: 27), since he then rudely addresses his
fatheras the "fellowin the cellarage":
Ha, ha, boy, saystthouso? artthoutheretruepenny?
Well said, old mole, canstwork i'th'earth
so fast?
A worthypioneer.(1.5.155-63)
This incongruousbehaviour immediatelyprecedinghis admission thathe will
be pretendingmadness may well itselfbe an instanceof play-acting,an attemptto
disguise how seriously the Ghost's revelation and command have affected him.
Characteristicof this particularscene, and of the play as a whole, is the curious
combinationof awe-inspiringhappeningswith comic elements. Later instances are
the murderof Polonius with Hamlet's callous response (act 4, scene 2) and the
grotesquegravediggerscene.
The significanceof the graveyardscene is underlinedby its length:with its 266
lines it is in fact the longest penultimatescene of any of Shakespeare's tragedies.
Right from the firstappearance of the Ghost in act 1, scene 1, and Claudius's
referenceto "our dear brother'sdeath" (1.2.1) Hamlet is a play about death: the
protagonistappears to have been living under this shadow all the time. It is in the
graveyardscene where the subject of death becomes absolutely central.Not only in
24
"Remember
thee?/
Ay thoupoorghost"(1.5.95-96).
241 (2M2)
ATLZiA&rs

ManfredDraudt
_80
the famous soliloquy (3.1.56) but already at the end of the second scene, "O ... that
the Everlastinghad not fixed/His canon 'gainstself-slaughter"(1.2.129-32), Hamlet
has pondered on suicide and death; now, in the graveyard (act 5, scene 1), two
Clowns are commentingon the issue of suicide - Ophelia's, but in a way thatmakes
complete nonsense of conventional logic and legal argument:"[Has] she drowned
herselfin her own defence? ... Argal, he thatis not guiltyof his own death shortens
not his own life" (5.1.5-17). The gravediggers,who are criticalof theirbetters,25
are
"the
more
that
should
have
aware
of
social
folk
acutely
potential
injustice:
pity
great
countenance in this world to drown or hang themselves more than their evenChristians"(22). With theirquibbles and riddles (Adam was the firstgentlemanto
bear arms),26theyprove to be genuine English rusticswho combine shrewdwit and
bluntness with a careless ignorance of the conventions of language, logic and
propriety.Hamlet wonders whether"this fellow [has] no feeling of his business"
(55), because he sings while throwingup skulls and digging a grave. Yet it is the
seemingly dull gravedigger- at firstdisparaginglycompared to an "ass" (67) by
Hamlet- who eventuallyoutwitsthe sophisticatedintellectual:"How absolute the
knave is!", the Prince remarks to Horatio, "We must speak by the card, or
equivocationwill undo us" (115-16).
The Clown bringsabout a radical change of perspectivein the play, fromthe
metaphysical concerns associated with the protagonist to the macabre physical
realityof digginga grave, knockingabout skulls and the question of a corpse rotting
in the earth:
... if a be not rottenbefore a die ... a tannerwill last you nine year ...
[because] his hide is so tannedwithhis trade,thata will keep out water a
greatwhile. (140-45)
This change of perspectivealso entails a profoundchange in Hamlet himself.
Throughhis new awareness of the great levelling power of death, he finallycomes
to termswithall the fears,qualms and obsessions thathave troubledhim forso long.
Whereas in the great soliloquy he felt almost paralysed by thoughtsof "the law's
delay/[and] The insolence of office"(3.1.72-73), now, facingthe realityof death,he
laughs at the absurditiesof lawyers: "Where be his quiddities now, his quillets, his
cases, his tenures,and his tricks?Why does he sufferthe rude knave to knock him
about the sconce with a dirtyshovel, and will not tell him of his action of battery?"
(5.1.84-87). In the grotesque panorama of the dead, including politicians,
fashionable courtiersand ladies, as well as the "mad" (149) jester Yorick who is
equated with great conquerors such as Alexander and Caesar, Hamlet becomes
aware of a "comic relativism" (Snyder 1979: 127). He is struck by the "fine
revolution" (75) which turns a beautiful lady into a grinningskull and changes
emperors"who keptthe world in awe" intothe dust thatcan be used to "stop a beerbarrel"or patcha hole in thewall (179-83).
25
If the mad young Hamlet does not recover his wits in England, "'tis no great matter[, because] there
the men are as mad as he [is]" (5.1.124-31).
Compare also the gallows-maker,who builds the strongestframe(5.1.35-37).
A1L9&7S241 (2002)

TheComedyofHamlet
81_
HereHamletis, in fact,pickingup a threadof thought

thathe firstpursuedin
hisshockingly
macabrerepliesas tothewhereabouts
ofPolonius'scorpse:
At supper... not wherehe eats, but wherehe is eaten ... we fat all
creatures
else to fatus, and we fatourselvesformaggots.Your fatking
and yourlean beggaris butvariableservice,two dishes,butone table....
A manmayfishwiththewormthathatheat of a king,and eat ofthefish
thathathfed of this worm,[whichmeans] ... thata king may go a
thegutsofa beggar.(4.3.18-28)
through
progress
In the confrontation
withthe hatedClaudius,dangersharpenedhis tongue
(Hibbard1987:60), and he employedhis sarcasticwitto provoketheKing:"Ifyour
findhimnotthere[inheaven],seekhimi'th'other
messenger
placeyourself(4.3.31a totallynew Princewho is calm,
scene,we encounter
32); now,in thegraveyard
detachedso thathe can laughat absurdities
insteadof
composed,and emotionally
desperately
railingat them.Earlierit was he who putKing Claudiusin his place;
now it is a foolishgravediggerwho putsthe Princein his place. Intellectually
superiorto anybodyelse at court,he is finallyoutwitted
by a clown.Justlikethe
cleverTouchstoneis defeatedbythesimpleshepherd
CorininAs YouLikeIt (act 3,
scene2), so Hamletmeetshis matchin thegravedigger,
who treatshimin exactly
thesamewayas Hamlethas treatedtheothermembersofthecourtof Elsinore.Just
as he had reduceddiscourseto its"non-metaphoric"
meaning(Barton1980: 45), so
nowthegravedigger
reduceseverything,
death,to themerelyphysicaland
including
literal(Snyder1979: 128): he does notlie in thegrave,yetit is his,and he digs it
neither
fora mannorfora womanbut"onethatwas a woman"(5.1.105-14).
In the confrontation
with the gravedigger,Hamlet has come to new
of deathand of himself
thatis characterized
as well as
understanding
bydetachment
He no longerlongsfordeathas a releasenorshunsitoutof the
by a newhumility.
dreadof whatcomesafterbutacceptsitas theunavoidable,commondestinyof all
of death
men,whether
good or bad,greator ridiculous.This totallynew perception
- as well as of life- findsits ultimateexpressionin theensuingscene in which
withStoiccalmhe consciously
submits
to a higherorder:27
We defyaugury.Thereis specialprovidencein thefallof a sparrow.If it
be now,'tisnotto come; if it be notto come,it will be now; if it be not
now,yetitwillcome- thereadinessis all. (5.2.192-95)
Hamlet'scommenton his salvationfromimminent
death,"There'sa divinity
thatshapesourends/Rough-hewthemhow we will" (5.2.10-11),suggeststhathis
miraculous
return
to Denmark,brought
aboutby Fate or coincidenceas well as his
encounterwith the pirates,has broughthim to a resignationto God's will.
itwas his confrontation
withthecomicgravediggers
thathas effected
Nevertheless,
themostdecisivechangein hisdevelopment,
hisreadinessfordeath- as well as for
See Draudt1983,where- in additionto biblicalreminiscences
(Matthew10.29and29.44)- Seneca's
as thesourceofthispassage.
Epistle24 is identified
mZ^ns 24.1(2002)

Manfred
Draudt
_82
thefinalactionof revenge.Althoughdeathand suicidehave beenon his mindfora

longtime,Hamletis exceptionalin thathe does nottakehis ownlifein theend;by
the tragicheroesin the immediately
contrast,
precedingand followingtragedies
Romeo,BrutusandOthello,all killthemselves.
to theplay'suniquenesson manydifferent
The comedyof Hamletcontributes
levels: the Prince'ssharpwit and his puns add to his complexity
and conveyhis
to audiences.On theotherhand,
intellectual
his attractiveness
brilliance,
enhancing
the verylimitation
and unawarenessof the comic characters- Polonius,Osric,
- directtheaudience'sattention
Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern
to thedeeperissues
whichI haveexaminedelsewhere
anddarkeraspectsoftheplay.Like thetravesties,
froma
theessenceof Shakespeare's
(Draudt1994),theymakeus reconsider
tragedy
in
the
There
be
a
of
truth
newor unfamiliar
mayyet
grain
judgmentof
perspective.
from
a
neoclassical
ThomasRymer,
whotendedto condemnShakespeare's
tragedies
for
when
he
that
of
remarked
Comedyand
"Shakespearsgenius lay
point view,
Humour"(1995: 156).
WORKS CITED
Campbell,Lily B. 1948: "Polonius: The Tyrant'sEars". JosephQuincyAdams
MemorialStudies.Ed. JamesG. McManaway,Giles E. Dawson,andEdwinE.
295-313.
The FolgerShakespeare
Library.
Willoughby.
Washington:
Campbell, Oscar James and Edward G. Quinn, eds. 1966: A Shakespeare
London:Methuen& Co Ltd.
Encyclopedia.
David, Richard 1978: Shakespeare in the Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge
Press.
University
Davison,Peter1983:Hamlet:Textand Performance.
HongKong:Methuen.
Draudt,Mantred1983: AnotherSenecanLcho in Hamlet . Shakespeare
(Quarterly
34:216-17.
1998: "Nineteenth-Century
Burlesquesof Hamletin Londonand Vienna".
HamletEast-West.Eds. GibinskaMartaand JerzyLimon.Gdansk:Theatrum
64-84.
GedaneseFoundation.
in Twelfth
2001: "TheSame Within:Intertextuality
Night",theotherwithin.
Ed. Ruth Parkin-Gounelas.Vol. 1: Literatureand Culture.Thessaloniki:
A. Altintzis.
191-200.
Athanasios
71: 78Polonius".ShakespeareJahrbuch
Draper,JohnW. 1935: "LordChamberlain
93.
Hosley,Richard1966: "TheFormalInfluenceof Plautusand Terence".Elizabethan
Studies9. Eds. JohnRsselBrownand Bernard
Theatre.Stratford-upon-Avon
Harris.London:EdwardArnold.130-45.
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83^
Johnson,Samuel 1968: "Johnsonon Shakespeare". The Yale Edition of the Worksof

Samuel Johnson. Vol. 8. Ed. ArthurSherbo. New Haven and London: Yale
UniversityPress.
Miola, Robert2000: Shakespeare's Reading. Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.
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edition. With a new Introductionby JohnVladimir Price. London: Routledge/
ThoemmesPress.
Scherer,Bernhard1930: "Polonius,der Typus des Senilen".Anglia 54: 149-67.
Shakespeare, William 1994: As You Like It. Ed. Alan Brissenden. Oxford: Oxford
UniversityPress.
1985: Hamlet. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.
1987: Hamlet. Ed. G. R. Hibbard.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.
1982: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Jenkins.London: Methuen& Co.
1980: Hamlet. Ed. T. J. B. Spencer, with an Introductionby Anne Barton.
Harmondsworth:PenguinBooks.
1984: Romeo and Juliet. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Cambridge: Cambridge
UniversityPress.
Snyder, Susan 1979: The Comic Matrix of Shakespeare's Tragedies: Romeo and
Juliet,Hamlet, Othello,and King Lear. Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress.
Wickham, Glynne 1969: "Hamlet". Shakespeare's Dramatic Heritage. London:
Routledge& Kegan Paul. 191-213.
ATLA9&7S 24.1 (2J002)


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THE COMEDY OF "HAMLET"

Author(s): Manfred Draudt

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