Comic Relief (Writing a Novel)

Terms You Need for Writing about the Novel

Comic Relief

Most of us have no problem pointing to comic relief when we see it, although its purpose and specific function might not be clear in the abstract. The comic part is simple enough, to be sure, but the idea of this comedy relieving something needs to be explored more thoroughly in order to make sense of the term. It is this distinction that makes Hamlet's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern excellent examples of comic relief, while Adam Sandler's character Happy Gilmore from the eponymous film is not.

Comic relief occurs when, during the progression of a serious work, lighter, amusing or even downright funny events take place, in contrast to the tone of the rest of the work. Looking at the examples presented above, we can see how this distinction applies. Halmet is a tragedy, a serious work full of high drama and weighty speech. The characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are somewhat unintelligent, bumbling, and prime targets for ridicule. Hamlet takes full advantage of this, and makes fools of them throughout the play, providing humor in spurts throughout an otherwise serious work. Happy Gilmore, on the other hand, is presented as a thoroughly comic work throughout, and its main character is himself a person whom we would find easy to ridicule. As a result, comic relief is impossible, because there is no serious action to be relieved from.

The ideas of contrast, variety, and entertainment are paramount to the concept of comic relief, and there is a very natural tendency to appreciate this which is by no means a modern invention. Shakespeare, in the example above and in many other instances, includes characters who are highly comic, and his work is seldom without the figure of the fool who intertwines comedy with wisdom. Indeed, he sometimes devoted entire subplots to comic relief, and the Caliban party in The Tempest is a fine, humorous example of this. Going even further back, we can see that the ancient Greek playwrights understood the importance of comic relief, and while their individual serious plays were too focused and conventionally limited to include the range of characters and situations comic relief requires, the overall structure of their dramatic festivals included an important comic element. During the annual festival held in Athens, each playwright would present a cycle of three related tragedies, which were the primary focus of the competition. However, they would also include a related farce, a satirical play which parodied many of the elements and themes of the tragic cycle. With such heavy, serious, often highly depressing subject matter dominating the festival, these moments of lightness and mirth were a welcomed counterpoint, and helped to establish a balance which would otherwise have been lost; after all, I am more likely to appreciate the pathos of a given scene if I am not thoroughly immersed in pathos already.

Comic relief is most often presented in the form of a specific character, who is involved with the major characters but whose actions do not contribute much to the overall plot. These characters must have some relation to the larger story as a whole, and their actions may inadvertently change the outcome of a novel, but they remain constantly on the periphery. Otherwise, they would not provide relief, but would turn the work into a comedy. Another method for creating comic relief is to place the major characters in an unexpected situation which is (usually) less dangerous but far more absurd. Picture for a moment a band of monks who, during their long and arduous journey to a far-off shrine, find that their progress is now being stopped by a huge army of ferocious bunnies. The battle between the monks and the diminutive rodents would not pose a serious danger to the party, but it would be hilarious, providing an excellent comic counterpoint to the seriousness of the plot.