comic relief
Drama's funny pause
Comic relief is a humorous scene, character, or remark that breaks tension in an otherwise serious or dramatic work.
Shakespeare's gravediggers in Hamlet and the porter in Macbeth serve this function.
By extension, any moment of levity that eases stress qualifies: After hours of tense negotiation, his bad joke provided some comic relief.
Subordinate adventure partner
- foolUnwise, gullible person
- jesterRoyal household comedian
- clownComedic performer in makeup
- buffoonLudicrous, clumsy fool
trickster · Falstaff · Timon · Pumbaa · Mercutio · porter · gravedigger · bumbling
Amusing quality
- witClever, inventive humor
- banterPlayful, teasing exchange
- slapstickExaggerated physical humor
- pratfallComedic fall on buttocks
one-liner · quip · gag · jest · wisecrack · punchline · deadpan · irony
Vocal expression of amusement
- chuckleLow, suppressed laugh
- giggleSoft, silly vocalization
- guffawBoisterous burst of mirth
- snickerStifled, scornful laugh
chortle · amusement · mirth · hilarity · merriment · lightness · smile · roar
Lack of seriousness
- respiteShort pause from hardship
- breatherBrief period of rest
- releaseTo let go
- deflectionChange in trajectory
lightening · pause · intermission · diffusion · counterpoint · juxtaposition · contrast · balance
sidekick
Subordinate adventure partner
buffoon · trickster · Falstaff · Timon · Pumbaa · Mercutio · porter · gravedigger · bumbling · hapless
humor
Amusing quality
pratfall · one-liner · quip · gag · jest · wisecrack · punchline · deadpan · irony · absurdity
laughter
Vocal expression of amusement
snicker · chortle · amusement · mirth · hilarity · merriment · lightness · smile · roar · belly laugh
levity
Lack of seriousness
deflection · lightening · pause · intermission · diffusion · counterpoint · juxtaposition · contrast · balance · timing
- Shakespeare comedymistaken identity, dramatic irony, Falstaff, Malvolio, eavesdropping
- comedyjokes, humor, puns, sarcasm, stand-up
- humorjoke, jokes, joking, funny, hilarious
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- character tropesantihero, hero, damsel in distress, mentor, femme fatale
- characterizationprotagonist, trait, antagonist, hero, villain
comic reliefdramatic tension
Anticipation in storytelling
gravitas · solemnity · pathos · dramatic intensity · tension building
comic reliefclimax
Point of greatest intensity
crisis point · moment of truth · turning point · tension building · escalation
comic relieftearjerker
Emotionally manipulative entertainment
heartbreak · gut punch · tragedy · anguish · devastation
relief, comedy, comic, relieve, comical, comedian, comics, reliever, comedic