Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" is a play by Tom Stoppard that explores the existential dilemmas of two minor characters from Shakespeare's "Hamlet." The narrative unfolds in ambiguous settings where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern engage in a series of coin tosses, highlighting themes of chance and fate as they grapple with their confusion about identity and purpose. Despite Rosencrantz's inexplicable luck, Guildenstern grows increasingly anxious about the randomness of their situation, leading them to question the nature of reality.
As they encounter a troupe of actors, they are drawn into the plot of "Hamlet," feeling like unwitting participants in events beyond their control. Their attempts to uncover the cause of Hamlet's madness lead them deeper into a web of intrigue, culminating in their assignment to escort Hamlet to England. Unbeknownst to them, a letter condemning them to death awaits them on their journey. The play culminates in a tragicomic twist, where their futile struggles against predetermined fate result in their demise, reinforcing the play's exploration of existential themes, the nature of death, and the absurdity of life.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
First produced: 1966; first published, 1967
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Existential
Time of plot: 1600
Locale: Denmark
Principal Characters
Rosencrantz , a courtier to the Danish throneGuildenstern , a courtier to the Danish throneThe Player , an actor and manager of a troupe of traveling playersAlfred , one of the playersTragedians , actors in the troupe of traveling playersHamlet , the prince of DenmarkClaudius , the king of Denmark and Hamlet’s uncleGertrude , the queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s motherPolonius , an adviser to the kingOphelia , Polonius's daughter
The Story
In nondescript surroundings, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern gamble at tossing coins. Rosencrantz keeps winning but remains calm about his unusual lucky streak. Guildenstern reflects uneasily about this apparent suspension of the laws of probability, which causes him to begin questioning the nature of the reality into which he and Rosencrantz are plunged. They have no memory of past events, except for a vague recollection of having been sent for. Dismayed at being unable to account for themselves or their situation, they feel stranded and without direction.
Their speculations are interrupted by the arrival of a band of motley players on their way to the Danish court. The principal player greets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enthusiastically, for he hopes they will pay for a performance. The Player informs them that his company does on stage what other people do off stage. Guildenstern is offended by this suggestion of a lewd performance. He requests that the players perform something more traditional.
Hamlet and Ophelia pass by; Hamlet is disheveled and Ophelia distraught. They are followed by Claudius and Gertrude, who seem to know who the courtiers are but are unable to distinguish between them. Claudius tells them that Hamlet is transformed and that they are to “glean” what afflicts him. Gertrude promises them a royal reward. The king’s adviser, Polonius, tells Claudius and Gertrude that he knows the cause of Hamlet’s lunacy.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are disquieted by all this activity. Guildenstern remarks that they are caught up in events beyond their comprehension. Guildenstern pretends to be Hamlet while Rosencrantz practices the art of “gleaning.” Then, they overhear Hamlet telling Polonius that he can be the same age as Hamlet if he can walk backward like a crab. Polonius leaves in a state of confusion. Hamlet greets them as two old friends, but he, too, confuses their identities. They attempt to “delve” into the cause of Hamlet’s lunacy but discover nothing except that Hamlet can tell a hawk from a handsaw when the wind is southerly. Hamlet leaves the courtiers and then returns with the tragedians and Polonius. Hamlet plans to have the players enact The Murder of Gonzago for the Danish court. The Player leaves to study the extra lines written by Hamlet.
After Claudius and Gertrude question Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and discover that they have been unsuccessful as spies, they determine that Polonius is to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia. Claudius decides that he must send Hamlet to England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are completely confused by the events they witness. The tragedians rehearse the play to be performed before the court, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, though without realizing it, witness an enactment of their own fate: death at the hands of the king of England.
Claudius is displeased by the play. On the way to hide the body of the murdered Polonius, Hamlet drags the corpse past Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Then, Claudius gives Rosencrantz and Guildenstern the task of escorting Hamlet to England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves onboard a ship headed for England. Guildenstern summarizes their situation: they are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bearing a letter from one king to another, and they are taking Hamlet to England. They rehearse their audience with the king of England and, in the process, discover that the letter given to them by Claudius condemns Hamlet to death. Once again, they are terribly disconcerted.
They hear music coming from barrels on the ship’s deck and discover that the tragedians are onboard as well. The Player tells them the play offended the king. Guildenstern struggles to discover a pattern in these events. Pirates attack the ship. After the skirmish, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern discover that Hamlet is missing. Having a letter to the English king but no Hamlet makes them very uneasy. Once again, they rehearse their audience with the king of England. When they come to the part about the letter, they discover that the letter condemns not Hamlet, but them, to death. Guildenstern is enraged by the senselessness of their situation and by the Player’s calm reaction to their impending deaths. He snatches up the Player’s dagger and stabs him in the throat. The Player dies in a theatrical manner. The tragedians, who are watching with interest, applaud with enthusiasm. The befuddled Guildenstern examines the Player’s dagger and discovers that it has a retractable blade. The Player modestly evaluates his performance as merely competent, informing the courtiers that enactments of death, not death itself, are all that people really believe in. Resigned to his fate, a weary Guildenstern reflects that death is essentially absence. Rosencrantz declares that he is relieved to be done with it. With these words, he disappears. Still puzzled by the circumstances of his existence, Guildenstern ceases to exist. The ambassador from England returns to the Danish court and announces that “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.”
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