The plays Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard contain many parallels such as themes, character comparisons and through the basic plot. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead has been heavily influenced by Hamlet, Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, and several other plays and playwrights. In addition to these literary influences, a key factor in the transformation of the play, and the parallels contained within it and Hamlet, to a modern audience has also been the time in which it was written. Stoppards transformation of the play has been heavily influenced by absurdism in style and existentialism in philosophy and thought.

Ultimately however, we can see that the play Hamlet has been transformed from the early 17th century to 20th century values and beliefs. The play focuses on the life of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern during the play Hamlet, while they are 'not in' Hamlet. As they are not major characters and have minimal roles in Hamlet, Stoppard has turned

Stoppard has adopted the play to the newer society, with different values, beliefs and morals of the time in which he composed the play. This time frame presented us with a social revolution, that being a dramatic change in human views of the world. It was a time of questioning the status quo and challenging the system. People broke boundaries and went against conventions, and this non-conformist rebellion has emerged in Stoppards work. New ways of thinking have developed through three centuries of societal and political alterations, two world wars and times of hardship and depression.

The notions of fate and destiny are central to both plays, the distinction occurs when Shakespeares Hamlet has the illusion of choice and control over his life. Hamlet has choices and options, being not only influenced by external forces, but appears to direct the action towards himself. In contrast, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern rely on other characters for their direction, are constantly confused and uncertain and have little or no control over the action. An underlying fact of the play is that from the outset, Shakespeares Hamlet has previously sealed their fate.

Guildenstern talks about philosophy and intellectual pursuit. He uses philosophical exercises to work out meaning in life, eventually coming to a conclusion that they are in fact ridiculous and absurd. Humans have explanations and formulas for how life functions, simply to make sense of it, but Stoppard is evidently saying these scientific formulas and philosophies are only to make human kind feel content and satisfied with their own justifications on why something has occurred. By employing the theory of probability, Stoppard actually enhances Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's sense of frustration with their circumstances.

Guildenstern, who understands the theory of probability, uses mathematical principles to mitigate his fear about the kind of world that he and Rosencrantz now inhabit. This is the world where they have no memory prior to their summons to the king, where illusion and reality are indiscernible, and where a supernatural force of some kind seems to be controlling their destiny without regard to their individual will. "The scientific approach to the examination of phenomena is a defence against the pure emotion of fear." The factor that Guildenstern fears most, however, is not that he and Rosencrantz are existing in a world of 'total unreliability'. He is petrified by the proposition that he is living in a world governed paradoxically by the theory of probability, a world where initial events seem 'random' but where the end is irrevocably fixed or determined - their destiny.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's bewilderment and angst, their metaphysical speculations and the games in which they indulge to while away the time and overcome their fears of the unknown.

Structurally, both plays Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead both include the feature of a play within a play. The plays both consciously

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rosencrantz Guildenstern, Guildenstern Dead, Rosencrantz Guildenstern's, Hamlet Stoppards, Shakespeares Hamlet, Queens Elizabethans, Waiting Godot, Hamlet Hamlet, rosencrantz guildenstern, Hamlet Shared, Guildenstern Stoppard, rosencrantz guildenstern dead, guildenstern dead, play play, modern audience, theory probability, plays hamlet, hamlet rosencrantz, hamlet rosencrantz guildenstern, rosencrantz guildenstern's, stoppard transformed, shakespeares hamlet, transformation modern audience, characters rosencrantz guildenstern, plays hamlet rosencrantz,
Approximate Word count = 2028
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)