Tom Stoppard
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At first glance, one might believe that the only things Tom Stoppards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead has in common with William Shakespeares Hamlet are Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and the segments of Hamlet Stoppard pasted in his play. Looking more closely, however, one would observe that the most extreme absurdities of Stoppards play are derived from Shakespeares Hamlet. Particulars of Stoppards play that might at first be considered simply ridiculous improbabilities (such as the fact that they cannot remember their own names, and the acceptance which with they view their own deaths) later surface as mockery of disturbing details in Hamlet.
The most notable derivation from Shakespeares Hamlet that Stoppard imparts to his play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, is the lack of identity both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern share. In Hamlet, these characters are identified solely as Hamlets childhood friends, are interchangeable with respect to characterization, and it is left unclear as to whether they were aware of the fact that they were sending Hamlet to his death. In Stoppards play, Rosencrantz introduces himself and his friend by saying, “My name is Guildenstern, and this is Rosencrantz.” The lack of definition between the characters continues to such an extent that the reader has difficulty differentiating between the two. Stoppards emphasis upon this lack of characterization seems to state that these deaths, meaningless to Hamlet, should have been allowed to signify something to the audience (in regard to Hamlets character). Rosencrantz and Guildenstern might at least have been more clearly delineated in their intent, whether it was malicious or simply ignorant of the truth.
Another detail of Shakespeares Hamlet that Stoppard capitalizes on in his play is the unquestioning manner in which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern accept directives from