Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead can be considered one of the most puzzling plays ever written. Tom Stoppard uses Hamlet to create a play that would tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s story in a way more accepted by modern audiences. Helene Keyssar states that “Hamlet works in a different way than he (Stoppard) would wish, or simply does not work for a mid-twentieth-century audience” (Keyssar-Franke 87). The use of updated vernacular, minimalistic settings and nods to absurdism makes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead a popular play for college students. It follows the previously untold story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet’s friends from school. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are stuck in a no man’s land where they “relive”
First premiered in 1660-1661, it still captivated audiences around the world. (Worthen 357) The new generation of theater goes, however, finds the seemingly ancient vernacular difficult to follow. Stoppard’s updated vocabulary allows audience members to better understand the story. When the play is presented in a way that modern audience members can understand, it is easier to follow and resurges a popularity in Shakespearean theatre. The play features scenes where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern relive their lives before their death. These scenes feature Hamlet’s script. This allows the audience to differentiate past from present. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern back and forth banter is key to the comedic aspects of the
Ruby Cohn says that “Stoppard proved extremely skillful in dovetailing the Hamlet scenes into the Godot situation.” (Gruber 291). While opinions differ, the nods to absurdism permeate Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. These absurdist traits are what make Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead both rendering and relatable to modern audiences. The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama defines theatre of the Absurd as: “a type of late twentieth-century theater and drama, characterized by a relatively abstract setting, and arbitrary and illogical action. It is sometimes said to express the “human condition” in a basic or “existential” way.” This definition perfectly describes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as a production. The abstract setting in FSU’s case was the barren desert. this allows the audience to be in tune with the script. Martin Esslin said that “In the Theatre of the Absurd, therefore, the real content of the play lies in the action.” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is filled with arbitrary and illogical action. The entire play is a cat and mouse game of life and death. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern buy their time with meaningless games, trivial questions, and long silences. Both modern and absurdist drama aim to create a connection with the audience. This connection is one that modern audiences