Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead: Shakespeare Vs. Tom Stoppard Hamlet is one of the most historically remembered plays identified among the numerous relevant works by the world renowned William Shakespeare. The author has utilized a wide range of reactions and tones for the leading character – Hamlet – who is keen on avenging the murder of his father by his uncle – the new King Claudius. Though Hamlet is not aware of the fact earlier that Claudius killed his father, as soon as it is revealed to this through the ghost, he engages a journey to seek revenge and ends up being portrayed as a tragic hero. The play in itself is a tragedy that explains in detail the path taken up by its lead character in avenging the death of his father and how his friends turn against him and take the side of his enemy – the king Claudius. On the other hand, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a film written by Tom Stoppard. The main characters of this film is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In Both plays there are similarities and differences like the plot, theme, tone, and also the characters of the two plays. Compared to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Hamlet is much more superior in terms of overall content. The factor that sets the play Hamlet apart from other notable works from other artists is that Shakespeare is able to influence his audience by weaving a gripping yet tragic tale of a revengeful son. Soon after the death of his father, Hamlet’s mother marries Claudius, making him the new king of Denmark. Hamlet is heartbroken to find that neither his family nor the members of the court are able to display grief over the death of his father – the late king. Hamlet is written in the form of a poem that is constant th... ... middle of paper ... ...have their own distinguishing features that sets that apart. Through this essay, I have been able to understand the difference in the use of language, prose and poem by the two authors who are considered two of the most reputed authors. The Hamlet and the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead are focused on offering the audience a distinct experience that is unrelated to the regular life. Works Cited “Hamlet: Act I, Scene V–Act II, Scene I.” SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet” ENGL 103, Introduction to Literature, Reading Pack. Ed. Alan F. Hickman. AUD 2013. Print. Stoppered, Tom. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” ENGL 103, Introduction to Literature, Reading Pack. Ed. Alan F. Hickman. AUD 2013. Print. “What a Piece of Work Is a Man.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
The play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, constantly displays a massage associated with the identity of the individual characters and the metaphor the represent in regards to the audience itself. At the very beginning of the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are introduced for the first time to the band of actors on the road however, as soon as the introduction takes place the names are reversed and they are introduced by the others name. This confusion of the two actors as to which is Rosencrantz and which is Guildenstern, helps the audience to understand that the two on stage are serving as a mirror to those watching the performance. Throughout the play the topic of identity is resurfaced and the audience i...
There are many topics deeply hidden in the works of William Shakespeare. One of his greatest pieces of works is the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Not only are the words of Shakespeare meaningful, but there are also many follow up pieces of literature that contain important interpretations of the events in this play. These works about Hamlet are extremely beneficial to the reader. I have found four of these works and will use them as sources throughout this essay. The first source is “The Case of Hamlet’s Conscience,” by Catherine Belsey, and it focuses on the topic of Hamlet’s revenge in the play. The second source is “’Never Doubt I Love’: Misreading Hamlet,” by Imtiaz Habib, and it explains a lot of information about Hamlet’s “love” for Ophelia. The third source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet, III.i.56—88,” by Horst Breuer, and it talks in depth about the issue of suicide in Hamlet. The fourth and final source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet 1.2.35-38,” by Kathryn Walls, and it describes the significance of the role the Ghost plays throughout Hamlet. There are many different confusing parts in Hamlet and the best way to fully understand the play is to understand all of these parts. By understanding every miniscule detail in the play, it creates a different outlook on the play for the reader. In this essay, I will explain these confusing topics, as well as explain why the sources are helpful and what insight they can bring. At the end is this essay, the reader will have a complete understanding and appreciation of the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature. 4th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print 539-663
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare). Simon & Schuster; New Folger Edition, 2003.
Clearly, the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern raises many questions. But among these questions, it makes a few statements. First, it says that life is chaotic, and absurd things will happen from time to time. Next, it says people should take charge of their own destinies, and not pass through life with no purpose. Lastly, this play teaches to find your identity, because without it you are nothing. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were nobodies, those unfortunates who drifted through life until their time ran out. Learn from their mistakes, and live the lessons learned from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Paul Werstine and Barbara A. Mowat. Folger Shakespeare Library ed. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.
Hamlet written by the well-known William Shakespeare is one of the most established works that has been identified to capture the intensity and elegance of the leading character ‘Hamlet’. The tale of Hamlet as a dramatic character who is reckless yet ferocious, and the death of the two characters ‘Rosencrantz’ & ‘Guildenstern’ who were assigned orders to undertake the death assignment of Hamlet. On one hand, the play of Shakespeare is based on the leading character ‘Hamlet’, whereas the play of T. Stoppard is based on the journey of the other two characters in finding themselves in the un-avertable situation of destined death. The aim of this essay is to identify the scenarios that will allow me to compare & contrast the plays. The essay examines the situations wherein Hamlet is associated with Rosencrantz & Guildenstern and how distinguished are the characters in themselves. Also, the essay also deals with the revelation made by Shakespeare in Stoppard through his two characters ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern’.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2002. Print.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as minor characters exist within Shakespeare’s world, providing Stoppard with his protagonists. However, the play is not an attempt to rewrite ‘Waiting for Godot’ in a framework of Shakespeare’s drama. In studying these texts, the reader is provoked to analyse, compare and contrast them. In particular, the characters in ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ provide intriguing material to consider the human condition. The characters, their personality traits and responses to stimuli, as well as what directs and motivates them, are worthy of discussion.
Many times in the play Hamlet appear to be watched. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two of Hamlets closest childhood friends. The king asks them to ferret what is bothering the young prince and causing him to act strange. T...
Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Alison Booth, and Kelly J. Mays. Tenth. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. 1024-1129. Print.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.
In Act III, Scene I, he says, “To die, to sleep.—ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off his mortal coil, must give us pause.” This theme undoubtedly shines through Hamlet’s soliloquys. This theme is also apparent in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The “game of question” evokes deep thought in the reader. Questions such as “Is there a God? “ (43), “Is there a choice?” (43), and “Who do you think you are?” (44), are posed. As the rules demand that only questions are uttered, none of the questions posed are truly answered. This game provides the spectators with a new viewpoint to the existing theme of uncertainty and meaninglessness. Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s deaths are not incorporated in either of the plays, thus leaving the audience to question what had truly occured. The meaninglessness in their deaths reveal the lack of control they have over their own fate is more evident in Stoppard’s play. They recognize the lack of answers in their lives and are constantly questioning their surroundings. In the final scene, Rosencrantz expresses frustration that no explanation is provided about their lives, nor their deaths. Upon realization that Guidenstern’s life is as meaningless as his death, he attempts to kill the Player. As he runs a sword through the Player, he shouts “If there are no explanations for us, then let there be none for him” (Stoppard 96). Even the certainty of death is meaningless and Stoppard’s play aids in the exemplification of this theme though the in-depth depictions pf Rosencrantz and
Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, a humorous piece of self-reflexive theater that draws upon Shakespeare's Hamlet as the source of the story. The actual device of self-reflexive theater is used so well in Stoppard's play that it reads like the love child of a play and a compelling critical essay. The play is academic yet conversationally phrased and it deepens our understanding of the original play but also criticizes it. The aspect of self-reflexive theater is used to comment on theater itself but also as a presentation of ideas and analysis that had previously had no place on the plot-centric set-up of stage and audience.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is more obviously linked to the play, Hamlet. A working knowledge of Hamlet is very helpful to understanding the background to the play, the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the frequent incorporation of scenes from Hamlet.