Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Genre: Dramatic Play

Blurb (on back of book): Hamlet told from the worm's-eye view of two minor characters, bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, reality and illusion mix, and where fate leads heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

MY OPINION: **

I read this for my AP Lit class right after finishing Hamlet, which I actually quite enjoyed for the most part. I didn't know what this play was really about besides the fact that it was centered on two side characters from the original Shakespeare, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, childhood "friends" of Prince Hamlet.

I didn't realize how confusing and convoluted this play would be. Prior to starting it, we went over the themes of existentialism, momento mori, the meaning of life, and theatre as reality in class. I've learned that existentialism is a philosophy far beyond my interest and my willingness to continually study. The play was a mashup of confusing dialogue, so-called humorous quips that I didn't find funny, and lamenting speeches on the pointless direction of life, all of which I did not find interesting or uplifting.

R&G are dimwitted, bumbling, aggravating main characters who weren't originally written as main characters for a reason. I did not appreciate their stupid conversations and their misunderstanding of the most basic concepts. The Player, the only other real character within this play, was just as insane as them and ranted on and on about theatre for no real reason. Which brings me to my next point.

There is no reason to this play. There is no plot, there is no real conflict or purpose, there is really nothing except two characters trying to make sense of the world. I don't understand the point to anything that happened, which I suppose IS the point but it makes me wonder why I had to sit through however many pages this was with a smile and a positive attitude. I hated everything about it and watching the movie didn't change that fact and actually made the play even more unpleasant and boring than it already was before.

This a prime example of the tragicomedy genre of dramatics, in which tragic elements are blended with comedic aspects of plays to form this rather absurd mix of sad, cynical themes with "funny" jokes. I didn't even find the jokes funny and didn't feel sad about anything within this play, so I'm not sure if I'm just not the target audience or if the play simply is just not the genius everyone seems to think it is.

To be quite honest, the play was so short and so unmemorable that I don't really have much else to say. I read it in the span of one week and finished it early this month, which may account for the lack of tangible memories of any specific details or scenes within this book that I enjoyed. I would recommend this play to readers looking for a meditation on common existentialist ideas about the world around us.

Main Character: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Sidekick(s): Player, Hamlet, etc

Villain(s): Misunderstandings, confusion, death, etc

Dramatic Elements: This was a play written in the tragicomedy genre.