Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

A detailed Summary of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern


The Fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Tom Stoppard tells the story of Hamlet through the eyes of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two seemingly insignificant characters who are unable to accomplish anything asked of them. At the end of Act III, as Guildenstern stands waiting execution, he states, "There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said - no." Rosencrantz and Guildenstern never had a chance to say no; Stoppard and the events that happen around them control their lives. They are actors, merely acting out their roles unable to escape the plot or their fate. Neither Rosencrantz nor Guildenstern knows where he is, why he's there or what he's supposed to do next, and the pair's efforts to find out these things are thwarted by the fact that they can only play themselves as written.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent for in the play to accomplish one thing - find out what is wrong with Hamlet. They don'


Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had no control over the events in this play. They only knew what they were told and Stoppard had the ultimate control. The fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was sealed along with their actions and nothing that they were able to do could have changed their deaths.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern say many things throughout the play that prove they have no idea what is really going on and that they cannot change their fate. In Act I, Guildenstern states, "It is all done for you, don't worry". He is telling Rosencrantz not to worry because everything is already planned out and things will go according to plan. They have no say whatsoever in what happens to them. In Act II, Guildenstern also says, "Wheels have been set in motion and they have their own pace, to which we are...condemned". Again he proves that Stoppard is ultimately in charge and they are merely acting out their parts. Guildenstern uses the word condemned that in a sense foreshadow

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Approximate Word count = 664
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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