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Mr. Liconti's ENG4U1's class discussion blog. An ongoing critical discussion on Shakespeare, Miller, Conrad, Findley, Orwell, Campbell and Frye. Poetry, Mythology, Drama, Fiction, and Non-Fiction are all fair game.
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5 comments:
The Act Two of Hamlet is a comical piece, only for the readers and Hamlet himself. It seems like a big chain of trickery. Everybody is trying to figure out who the other person truly is. But instead of finding out directly, everybody chooses to go behind the others back to find out. It is a very sneaky, yet smart. You have to be intelligent enough to act insane. The others would not by your insanity if it looked unreal. Also, the advantages of acting insane is that you get to say or comment on anything. Or people will talk about their darkest secrets but will not care if you are listening because they will believe that you will not understand.
Hamlet gets to do many fun activities, while he is acting insane. He gets to tell “You are a fishmonger” (2.2.174), to Polonius without upsetting him. Polonius does not take him seriously, but confused of Hamlet’s outburst. Hamlet is probably feeling extremely pleased and relieved that he got to call Polonius what he exactly is by twisting his words. It would also be fun to act this way because it is like you know something others do not know. You are playing with their minds and it is funny for Hamlet seeing people lost and speechless towards him.
The second act of Hamlet clearly is occupied with dry humor. Hamlet as a clear example of how in the second act humor is evident. When J. Dover Wilson makes the statement, that the comedy is comedy of masks, suggesting that the true comedy might not be a clear to decipher as the underlying truth. Upon further exploration of this quote and further research of the text you can better understand what Mr. Wilson is trying to say. He is suggesting that in act two and basic humor can be found in Hamlet's witty lines such as, " Excellent well. You are a fishmonger."(2.2.174), which can be found comical by all audiences, however there is a deeper humor to be found in Hamlet's lines. The masks can be interpreted as Hamlet's own personal mask of madness. Act two is a comedy but a comedy converted into an ironic somewhat satire by Hamlet towards his enemy King. Hamlet takes numerous stabs at his stepfather and he has a certain kind of vengeance in his lines. Hamlet delivers all his lines giving the audience a glimpse into his true insight. The comedy found in act two can also be attributed to the fact that as the audience we are aware of Hamlet as well as Claudius' plans. Therefore Hamlet' jokes do have more substance then they would normally have.
Act 2 of Hamlet is filled with dry humor and sarcastic remarks made by the witty Prince of Denmark, Hamlet. In what happens to Hamlet (1935), Wilson states “the second of Hamlet is comedy; a comedy of masks.” this is signifying that the humor incorporated into the act is hidden in the text, through smart remarks made by the character, especially from Hamlet himself. When Polonius and Hamlet have a conversation, if you want to call it that, Hamlet takes Polonius’ words and twists them around in his response. Hamlet also drops “smartass” comments which poke fun at Polonius. “Excellent well. You are a fishmonger” (2.2.174).
The second act of Hamlet is a “comedy of masks” because the act includes Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are comical characters, not to be confused with the role of ‘the fool’ which is found is other Shakespearean works. Polonius is a old man with many things to say, but he gets to say a lot because he actually does have important things to say. The conversation between Polonius and Hamlet is dizzying to say the least, Hamlet takes Polonius in many directions, constantly distracting him from his target which is to gain information from Hamlet. I think that it is correct in calling the second scene a ”comedy of masks” because Hamlet insults Polonius without Polonius noticing or completely understanding, Hamlet is very vague in his insults towards Polonius. An example of this is “You are a fishmonger” (2. 2. 174) which could either mean a pimp or an actual fishmonger. The comedy used in Act 2 is dry, witty humour that is at times indecipherable, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern , two interchangeable characters which add humour to the play are also present in Act 2. Hamlet does the same to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as he did with Polonuis, using his words and quick wit to defeat them, by making the two confess to spying. The comedy of the conversation between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is very quick banter, where the two are constantly correcting eachother sentences as to not give too much away and protect themselves, “ As the indifferent children of the earth” “Happy in that we are not over happy: on/ Fortune’s cap we are not the very button.” (2.2. 27-28)
In act two of Hamlet there are several scenes of comedy. This is mainly shown through Hamlet, as he has fun with the different characters. In J. Dover Wilson's What Happens in Hamlet (1935), Wilson states, "The second act of Hamlet is comedy; a comedy of masks.” Wilson draws to a very interesting point. There is much wittiness and sarcasm that Hamlet shows towards Polonius and Claudius. However Wilson also states that it is a “comedy of masks”. This is true because throughout act 2 all of the characters are chasing each other and trying to find out the truth. This spying and acting is the ‘comedy of masks’. This is seen through all the characters in the play. Hamlet is acting as if he were to be insane. Polonius and Claudius send Ophelia to spy on Hamlet. So the comedy of everyone chasing each other hiding themselves behind masks is comical to the audience who sees and understands this unfold in front of them.
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