Rosencrantz And Guildenstern

Q: How does Stoppard examine the futility of human existence in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead?

In the play, Stoppard highlights the futility of human existence. Stoppard highlights this through Ros and Guil as they are represented as 'every man' figures. Stoppard links to the futility of human existence through the themes of identity, inactivity, incomprehensibility of the world, and art and real life. Ros and Guil are shown to have fluid identities, and they are both interchangeable. They are not aware that they are in a play and never can distinguish the difference between the play and what is real. They can never ask the right questions and find the right answers to get them to a conclusion as language is unreliable. This is
They're very- contained." For Guil, the boat represents something like the perfect relationship between fate and free will . Guil feels safe and content on this boat. Guil is suggesting here that on boats you can be carefree and let yourself be controlled. We as the audience knows that the boat is leading them to their deaths, so as this boat had a fixed destination, Ros and Guil can move around the deck of the boat, so they can move around the stage during the course of the play's duration. The word 'contained' meaning restricted can show that he is being trapped and controlled on this boat, perhaps representing how his life is, as he is in a play and he has no control over his actions. The boat has a direction and a destination, so there is some larger purpose at work that's bigger than Ros and Guil, but at the same time, they're free to move around the deck, so to speak. Here, Guil says he is 'very fond of boats' suggesting that he likes being restricted, he doesn't mind letting himself go and letting his life be controlled by a higher being, as he wouldn't have to make any decisions for himself, or even think for himself, someone is doing this for him. The boat is causing Guil to drift from his concentration as they don't question how or why they are on a boat, they just let themselves drift and be
The play does not show or explain their deaths, they simply cease to exist, the audience only hears about it after. This can suggest their deaths weren't important enough to show, highlighting them as insignificant. This links to the futility of human existence as it suggests that people aren't important in this vast world. After the World War II when people lost faith in religion, they feared what came after death, or if there was anything at all. Stoppard highlights these fears, leaving questions unanswered about where we go after death and what is the purpose of