Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Character Analysis
In the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, the two main characters are destined to die. This is given away in the title. In the beginning of the play, they wander through a forrest flipping a coin. While strolling though the woods, they run into a troupe of actors called the Tragedians. They put on a show for them and the scene changes. They watch a play about their lives and realize that they will soon be murdered. The story of Hamlet is told through Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s point of view. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, though minor characters in Hamlet, are given their own leading roles, which gives the reader a different side of the story. The characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, have very different personal
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When the coin continuously lands on heads, Guildenstern is very worried about how that is happening and he tries to reason his way through the meaning of the improbable coin flip. He becomes unnerved when Rosencrantz does not question the coin incidence. He yells, “Is that what you imagine? Is that it? No fear?” then Rosencrantz asks “Fear?” to which he responds “Fear! The crack might flood your brain with light!” (Stoppard, 15). Because he believes there is a logical explanation for everything, his frustration grows which leads him to sudden outbursts of anger. Guildenstern tends to take his outrage out on Rosencrantz because of his apathy toward the world around him. In the end, when Guildenstern learns of his impending doom, he throws a fit of rage and attacks the Player even though it is futile. His personal philosophy of trying to solve all of life’s mysteries through rationality shows that sometimes it is better to be content with not having every question answered; there will always be unexplainable circumstances and if you get too worked up over all of them you might go insane. Through their different philosophies on life, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern show many sides of the human condition. While Rosencrantz does not worry about anything and chooses to live life with no worries, Guildenstern wants to understand everything and can not stand when something is irrational. Because the two main characters have very different personalities, they get along well and help each other when there is a
When the coin continuously lands on heads, Guildenstern is very worried about how that is happening and he tries to reason his way through the meaning of the improbable coin flip. He becomes unnerved when Rosencrantz does not question the coin incidence. He yells, “Is that what you imagine? Is that it? No fear?” then Rosencrantz asks “Fear?” to which he responds “Fear! The crack might flood your brain with light!” (Stoppard, 15). Because he believes there is a logical explanation for everything, his frustration grows which leads him to sudden outbursts of anger. Guildenstern tends to take his outrage out on Rosencrantz because of his apathy toward the world around him. In the end, when Guildenstern learns of his impending doom, he throws a fit of rage and attacks the Player even though it is futile. His personal philosophy of trying to solve all of life’s mysteries through rationality shows that sometimes it is better to be content with not having every question answered; there will always be unexplainable circumstances and if you get too worked up over all of them you might go insane. Through their different philosophies on life, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern show many sides of the human condition. While Rosencrantz does not worry about anything and chooses to live life with no worries, Guildenstern wants to understand everything and can not stand when something is irrational. Because the two main characters have very different personalities, they get along well and help each other when there is a