My plot is really not too happy, and I am looking for ideas on how to add little bits of comic relief into a drama. The only example I can think of right now (because I'm a nerd) is Shakespeare. In Hamlet, he will add little bits of comedy, to where I actually laughed out loud a few times, but it is still a tragedy. How do I do this, without ruining the atmosphere of the play? Any tips will be gladly appreciated!

I'm the same way with my writing style, but I think part of how to deal with fictional drama comes from how we are in real life. No matter what's going on or how stressful or tense a situation might be, we're not ALWAYS down and depressed. Sometimes we find something ironic or funny about the situation or our surroundings. So I pull from real life, or I think of someone I know and mentally stick them in the situation my characters are facing. What would they say? How would they react?

I kind of like when there is "that" character. I hate when there is a character that exists for nothing but comic relief since they usually don't come across as three-dimensional, but I've found that in real life there is always one person that you can count on to say something (usually twisted and mildly inappropriate) to add levity to any situation. I know that with my friends and family, there is always the one person that, in the middle of some ridiculous drama, will make a snide remark that makes everyone realize the absurdity of the situation. Maybe it's just because I know a lot of smartmouths, but seeing characters like that in film always makes me laugh and makes it seem a bit more real.

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Yeah, Hamlet's got more good one-liners than most of Shakespeare's comedies. You could do worse than use Hamlet as a model. Think about how and why Shakespeare uses comedy in order to apply it to your own script. For example: the gravediggers - pure comic relief to give the audience a break in a 4-hour tragedy; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern - Hamlet's banter with them helps establish the closeness of their relationship; Hamlet himself - his wry outlook on life, especially in his back and forth with Polonius, reveals his character and intelligence, significantly undercutting the notion of his "madness."

And don't forget that it's often through the judicious application of humor (usually irreverent) at the right moment that often breaks the primary character out of the dramatic or tragic and creates a sense of perspective that allows the primary character to solve the conflict he or she is being faced with.

It's no fluke that the Fool (Jester) was always the wisest man in the King's court.

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NaNoWriMo 2006 - Doing Nothing With Style: Adventures of the Young and Listless - WIN!
Script Frenzy 2007 - Polly Versus the Family Curse - Miserable Failure
NaNoWriMo 2007 - Untitled, fail (in the hospital)
Script Frenzy 2008 - Mermaids in Bathtubs, working on it!

I do it in banter--my main two are old pals who share a similar cynical, sarcastic, witty sense of humor and banter like a coupl'a fools. Kind of like House, in a way. The story is still dramatic--with deep connections, sad stories, scary moments, gripping moments, that sort of thing--but their banter adds in a touch of humor. The fact that it's dark humor makes it extra-suitable to dramatic situations. Kind of like finding irony or angry sarcasm in a situation. It can be a character trait, like House, where when stressed, angry, upset, what-have-you, he's even more sarcastic, so even in the most tense of moments you have that humor. Even if you can only let yourself laugh at it the second or third watching because the first, you're too busy gripping the edge of your seat or sobbing or gaping or being horrified or some such.

You just have to find the balance and the appropriate type of humor, I think. A sitcom's oft-stupid humor probably wouldn't really fit, but a dark sarcasm probably would, etc. :/

~
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, and now on with the motley, whatever that means." - Jeremy Brett

Script Frenzy '08 - Master Case File Episode 1: Master and the Vigilante Duke - 0 pages - 0 words - 0 % complete

I'm writing a stage play about family life. Mostly it's pretty depressing and full of conflict. But this funny scene for Act II keeps popping up in my head, and I'm going to include it. I like absurd twists. I like laughter before tears.

And for SF, I'm not worrying about balance. I gave up on trying to find light scenes to relieve the first act's tone. I can work on that when I'm not writing madly to just get the basic story on paper.

Good luck.

Saipanwriter
http://saipanwriter.blogspot.com

I think a lot of people have given good advice already, but I'll throw my two cents in.

I think you can easily add humor with witty banter. That's why it's good to have at least two characters you really enjoy writing, and who would say the things you and your friends would say in that situation. Hamlet is a very good example, and I have to recommend 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' by Tom Stoppard. It's an absurdist comedy, but there's enough dramatic moments with R&G adding some levity that I think you'll at least enjoy it, even if it doesn't help you.

The only problem I come across is knowing when you've added enough vs. too much comedy to your drama. That's what readers you trust are for.