Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead contains analogous thematic connections, such as the chaotic bafflement of the world, to Sanayatas’s “There may be Chaos still around the World”, allowing the reader to feel more connected to the character’s intimate opinions. The incomprehensibility of the world suggests that there may be chaos still around “this little world”. Clearly, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trapped in a place where they have no control over their lives. During the play, they spend most of their lives in utter puzzlement, not knowing what is going on their lives or in those around them because they are “curled... in nature’s shell” and are “unmindful of the changing…skies”. The beginning of the play portrays their lack on

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern stumble through their lives, their “eyelids’ drowsy” from the “whirlwind” of chaos that is their existence. Their puzzlement comes from the vague intentions of “myriad faces”, which often enter the stage to convey a confusing discourse before swiftly leaving, and by the complete, “vain” unfairness of the universe. Additionally, gambling in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s lives occurs often, further emphasizing the role of chance in their lives. Although the characters think that gambling is a way to cheer up the soul and feel as though they are in “paradise”, it is gambling that ends their lives. The entire play is staged a gamble, from the beginning of the play, where Rosencrantz flips coin upon coin to see which side often wins, to Guildenstern “subtly tricking” the Player with a bet. All this dependence on gambling, this act of trusting chance over authentic decisions, showcases how big a role chance plays the lives of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The characters just go with the flow because although they are tired of being swept from place to place, they don’t decide to stand up to chance and instead choose to rely heavily on

Undoubtedly, the book embodies this theme during the presence of the Player and the Tragedians. In the book, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern observe the Players put on a show for the King and Queen. This play “accidentally” has two characters that are not only best friends; but also talk and wear clothes in a style very analogous to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. When the play is put into action on stage and follows events that are occurring in real life, the main characters of the book are shown to end up being dead. Caught in a “whirlwind” of emotions and questions, Rosencrantz is so confused and “haunted” regarding the dressing style and the actions of the players, that he informs the player “subtly” that he is a con artist who plays his role very well. Thus, Rosencrantz cannot tell the difference between the real and the theatrical Rosencrantz because they are so similarity portrayed. Furthermore, Guildenstern states that no one believes a staged death, while the Player claims otherwise. Guildenstern is firm in his belief that theatre cannot show death, but the Player asserts that the only thing that will “awe” and convince the reader is a theatrical death. To convince the best friends, the Player stages his own death where he makes it seem as though Rosencrantz has stabbed him in the chest with his sword.