The Comedy of Hamlet Quotes
In the competition for Angstiest Dane, Prince Hamlet ranks way up there alongside Kierkegaard in the “off the charts” division, giving “The Tragedy of Hamlet” a reputation for being exhausting and unapproachable. Hamlet spends four of the play’s five acts in an ever-deepening existential funk. And rightly so, considering the fact that a) his dad died two months ago, b) his girlfriend won’t talk to him, c) his mom has already remarried, d) his new “dad” was once his uncle, meaning mom is bumping uglies with her own brother-in-law, e) stepdad also happens to be the guy who killed dad, and of course, the small matter of f) the court *literally* conspiring against Hamlet.
In light of these and other circumstances, the fact that the play still manages to make us laugh out loud is pretty remarkable. That is, when we don’t get so caught up in the drama that we overlook the mind games, double/triple entendres, and overall absurdity characteristic of lesser-known Hamlet quotes. Moody though he may be, Hamlet is not without a sense of humor – and Shakespeare even less so. Take, for example, the argument between King Claudius and Hamlet after Hamlet murders Polonius.