Comedy of menace refers to plays that combine elements of comedy and tragedy to produce unease in the audience. It originated from a play by David Campton and was used to describe early works by Harold Pinter. Comedy of menace uses everyday settings and situations but creates an atmosphere of threat through implied or actual violence, uncertainty, and the juxtaposition of comedy and seriousness. It reflects the human predicament of living in an indifferent world surrounded by the unknown. Pinter's plays exemplify this technique through subtle menaces, cryptic dialogue, and the withholding of key information from the audience.