Identity Vs. Outside Forces

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Recommended: The effects of personal identity on a character

The existential drama, No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre, and the absurd drama, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard both portray characters with an ambiguous sense of identity. While the characters in No Exit delude themselves with respect to identity and shirk responsibility for their identity-making choices, the characters in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead are primarily controlled by outside forces that confuse and limit their sense of identity. Both these authors do a fine job of portraying the relationship between identity and the outside forces

The only character in either play that exhibits a true sense of identity is No Exit's Inez. by Comparing and contrasting the identites of the characters we can see how identity unfolds admist oustanding forces.

The identity of a person is created by how one precieves themselves to other people. With respect to Garcin of No Exit, this is very evident. He claims: "I'm no talker, I don't move much; in fact I'm a very peacful sort of fellow"(Satre 9) even though speaks and voices his opinion often. Garcin becomes more comfortable when he begins to realize his identity, "I'm no gentleman, and I have no compunction about striking a woman". Thomas Whitaker believes "Garcin...finally sees that one who identitfies conciousness with any role or ideal must submit to the unpredictable validating judgement of others"(par. 4). Garcin's identity becomes clear as soon as he enters the room when talking to the valet: "I tell you, I regret nothing"(Satre 24). This is also evidence that Garcin thinks of himself as a hero. Garcin's deludes himself by convincing himself that he did do the right thing: "I shan't be sorry for myself, I'll face the situation, as I said just n...

... middle of paper ...

...oing anything, or nothing at all.

Works Cited

Berlin, Normand. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Theatre of Critism." Modern Drama 16.3 & 4(Dec. 1973): 269-277. Rpt. in Contemorary Literary Critism. Ed. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Vol. 63, Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. "No Exit." New York: Vintage Books, 1947.

Stoppard, Tom. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead." London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1967.

"The Fools of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead." Free Essays 29 November 2010

Whitaker, Thomas R. "Playing Hell." The Yearbook of English Studies 9(1979): 167- 187. Rpt. in Contemorary Literary Critism. Ed. Daniel G. Marowski and Roger Matuz. Vol. 52. Detriot: Gale Research, 1989. Literature Resource Center. Web. 12 Dec. 2010.

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