Although Shakespeare is renowned for his tragedies, the Bard possessed a remarkably sharp and witty sense of humor. His humor was characterized by cleverness, cheekiness, and frequent use of clever wordplay, innuendo, and satire.
Here are some of Shakespeare’s most humorous works:
Shakespeare’s Comedic Elements
1. Wordplay and Puns: Shakespeare was a master of wordplay and puns, employing double meanings and often with a touch of humor.
Example: In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, dying, says, “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.” This pun on “grave” is a prime example of dark comedy.
2. Bawdy Jokes: Many of Shakespeare’s humorous elements were naughty and hidden in elegant Elizabethan language. He knew how to keep the lower classes entertained with innuendos and sexual jokes.
Example: In Twelfth Night, Feste, the jester, roasts everyone with style, saying, “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.”
3. Hilarious Characters: Shakespeare created memorable and humorous characters, such as Sir Toby Belch, a drunken uncle who plots pranks in Twelfth Night; Bottom, a fool who transforms into a donkey in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Dogberry, an incompetent constable who invents new words by mistake in Much Ado About Nothing.
4. Comedy of Mistaken Identity: Plays like The Comedy of Errors and Twelfth Night feature characters who get mixed up, disguise themselves as the opposite gender, and create romantic chaos.
Even in his serious works, Shakespeare incorporates humor. For instance, in Hamlet,
the tragedy, his sarcastic banter and mockery of Polonius add a touch of levity to the intense plot.