rosencrantz_review_1

=//Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead//= Alyssa Norwin and Sasha Clynes



Written by Tom Stoppard Consulting Editor: Henry Popkin Published: 1966

__Historical Context:__
This play was written as a spin-off of Shakespeare's play //Hamlet,// although written many years later. During this time, the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. With such turmoil taking place, Stoppard felt it appropriate to create a comical play to relieve people of the harsh realities that existed. The play was written to provide entertainment at a time when the world needed it most.

__Literary Movement__

 * __//Theatre of the Absurd://__** A absence of logic, of place and time, which gives viewer a sense of confusion, lost in where and when the action is happening, and the purpose of the action occuring

For example: The "tennis" game or "question" game - this was a pointless part of the play, with no relevance to the plot and was simply used to pass time at a point where nothing interesting was going on.

For example: Coin tossing game - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern toss coins in the air continuously, guessing whether they will land on heads or tails, for long periods of time. These actions do not further the plot or have relevance to the outcome of the story, yet it is just another way for them to pass time. In the Theatre of the Absurd, protagonists are unsure of who they are and don't know their purpose in the world. In this play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spend the entire course of the script trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing and how they have ended up where they are. They are extremely confused and are trying to understand what happened in their own lives before the current events taking place. Rosencrantz: Do you think Death could possibly be a boat?Guildenstern: No, no, no... Death is not. Death isn't. Take my meaning? Death is the ultimate negative. Not-being. You can't not be on a boat.Rosencrantz: I've frequently not been on boats.Guildenstern: No, no... What you've been is not on boats.

Guildenstern: No — the first thing you remember.

Guildenstern: Were they?Rosencrantz: Are you?

Lastly, the Theatre of the Absurd contains Informal/Normal Speaking language ( A characteristic different from plays, such as those written by Shakespeare, that contain formal phrases and more finished thoughts). This is seen in the play through cut-offs and interruptions in speech

__Major Characters:__

 * //__Rosencrantz and Guildenstern__//**: Both characters are very similiar as we see in the play where they are mixed up several times. However, Guildenstern seems to be the more philosophical and analytical individual while Rosencrantz has a unclear perception of reality. Rosencrantz tends to have a more care-free attitude, content with taking the most simple solution to all of their problems, even if it means sitting around and flipping coins for hours at a time. On the other hand, Guildenstern is a character who wants to always know what is going on and continuously questions "what, why, and how" for every situation he is put into. In general, they are both often confused and unsure of their place in society and the world. Their purpose in the play is to try and find their identities and what their purpose in life really is. In the play, they are both childhood friends of another character, Hamlet, and their goal is to find the reason behind his current strange behavior.


 * //__Hamlet__//**: Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and a friend of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In this play, we mostly see Hamlet just as a man who has gone mad, as well as a indecisive person in general. The reason behind this is because his father has recently passed away and his mother married his uncle, who has become the new king. The entire play revolves around the fact that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trying to figure out why Hamlet has been acting so strange.


 * __//The Player//__**: The Player is the leader of a group of actors called the Tragedians. He is extremely mysterious, witty, and confident. He always wants an audience to watch his group perform. Throughout the play, the Player seems to have a greater idea of what is going on than either Rosencrantz or Guildenstern, although his intelligence is questioned when Guildenstern tricks him in an easy game. However, the fact that he has some knowledge of what events are taking place is what gives him his confident attitude. The Player is characterized by comical banter and witty remarks, with a sense of mystery that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can't ever quite figure out.
 * //__Tragedians:__//** The Tragedians are the Player's group of actors who perform plays and skits for whatever audience they can find. Because there is not always an audience, the Tragedians will also provide sexual entertainment for a fit price.

__**//King Claudius://**__ Claudius is Hamlet's uncle and his mother's recent husband, therefore taking on the position of King. It is Claudius who sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern off to find out what is making Hamlet act so strange. Claudius is a mostly selfish character, only wanting to know the story behind Hamlet's behavior just because he knows it has to do with him.

Other minor characters in the play include Horatio, Polonius, Gertrude, Ophelia and Laertes.

__Central Conflict__
The main conflict in this play is one of man vs. self, that being, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern against themselves. Throughout the entire play they cannot ever seem to figure out where they are, why they are there, or what their true purpose is. They are constantly questioning all of their actions and why they are where they are at a certain place and time. Even when they figure out what they are supposed to be doing ,the pair always seems to be confused, putting them at a conflict with only themselves. The several instances in the play where the two conflict with each other, all branch out from the fact that they are questioning their motives, therefore leading back to the original and central conflict they have with themselves.

=__Themes:__=

1) **Life is full of uncertainties and nobody knows what lies ahead. -** This theme is portrayed throughout the entire play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern continuously question their purpose and identity, while trying to figure out what is supposed to happen next. The ultimate answer always winds up proving their uncertainty and doubtfulness about what their future holds.

Ros: Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end? -This shows that Rosencrantz is unsure of how long he is going to live and what will happen when life is over. This quotation from the play is important because, not only does it reflect this theme, but it foreshadows the ending of the play where a majority of the characters die. This shows that the questioning of the future by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is almost pointless because everybody involved does not live much longer anyway. This reflects the true nature of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's character traits, in the fact that they complicate most situations by questioning what is happening around them.

Ros: Be happy — if you're not even happy what's so good about surviving? We'll be all right. I suppose we just go on. -Again, this quotation proves that Rosencrantz is unsure of what his purpose in life is and, simply, survival. "I suppose we just go on" represents the fact that he is not certain of the fact that everybody will be okay even if they are happy, but he is assuming and questioning his life as well as the others he is surrounded by.

Guil: We only know what we're told, and that's little enough. And for all we know it isn't even true. -This example illustrates how little Guildenstern feels people know about the world. Nobody is positive if anything they have heard is the truth or not, but we believe it nonetheless. This is just another example from the play that represents how uncertain and narrow our interpretation of the world really it.

Guil: Words. Words. They're all we have to go on. -This quotation from Guildenstern shows the simplicity of life based on the fact that we have so little to rely on. It is very similiar to the previous example (above) in the fact that it represents how people know so little about the world because all they know is what they have heard in the form of words. Most people feel they know so much about the world they live on, however, in this quotation, Guildenstern illustrates how we really know much less than we think because all we have to live by is the words that have been said to us. Because we know so little about the world, it is evident that we are uncertain about what lies ahead - relating to the said theme. 2) **Simple decisions tend to be made by complex thought.** - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern definitely prove this to be true throughout the entirety of the play. On numerous occasions, they take a simple question and transform it into something neither of them, nor anybody else, can answer, because it simply does not make sense. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern but intensive thought into almost every decision they must make, turning something as simple as which direction to turn, into a confusing and complex conversation. This is evident in Act II, when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are looking for Hamlet and they cannot decide where to look for him. They spend much longer than they should analyzing this decision, ultimately losing time in their search anyway.

Guil: The only beginning is birth and the only end is death — if you can't count on that, what can you count on? -This quotation by Guildenstern shows that he is taking the idea of life and death, forming an opinion on it, and still further questioning it. He seems to be set on the idea that birth is the beginning and death is the end, but he is not satisfied with the decision he has made on this and therefore further questions whether he can count on his previous statement or not. This happens numerous times in the play, and leads to conversations that have nothing to do with what was originally being spoken of. This ultimately proves that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can take something extremely simple and make it into something entirely different and more complex.

__Important Scenes:__
1) **Coin tossing scene-** This scene is the opening act of the play, where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern continuously toss coins and the coin lands on heads every time. Every time it lands on heads, Rosencrantz receives the said coin. This scene is important because it is the first instance of oddity and absurdity seen in the play. Because this play is an example of theatre of the absurd, this scene is extremely important in showing how it fits that category. It also relates to the idea of fate as seen in the play, and how nobody is certain of what is coming in the future (theme). Although the coin continuously lands on heads, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern continue to play their game, still unsure of what will be on the coin's face next. This one scene is a symbol, representing the entire play as a whole. It is also significant to note a point later in the play, when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern play the same coin game with the Player, and the coin lands on tails instead of heads. This happens when the Player is no longer paying attention to the game, and represents the idea that no matter how much one thinks they can predict what's going to happen next, life always surprises them, another idea evident throughout this play.

2) **Boat scene (to England):** Another pivotal scene in this play is the boat scene to England. The reason this scene is important is because it is when the main action of the play occurs. The rest of the play is mostly slow, comical, and witty banter between the characters to lead up to the main scene on the boat to England, where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are headed to find Hamlet. On the boat, Hamlet switches the letter from Claudius saying that Hamlet should be killed. This is an act Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are unaware of, contributing to their characterization of being somewhat clueless and unaware of what's going on. The boat scene also holds the ending of the play, where Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet and Laertes all wind up dead. On the boat, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern continue to converse in ways that contribute to the idea of absurdity in the play. Also, they have several conversations that involve them putting a lot of thought into a decision that could have been made much more simply (EX: when they first get on the boat and spend extra time trying to figure out where they are/how they got there).