Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Samantha

Summary

samantha_birts — 2015-04-28 01:00:04 UTC

In this this section of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, it start with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern meeting the players. The players describe to them what types of play they perform and their purpose in society. Being lost and confused characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, question if the player's answer to their purpose in life is good enough to accept. Guildenstern makes a bet with the players that he ultimately loses. From there Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves lost in the world of Hamlet.

The Main Issue

samantha_birts — 2015-04-28 01:26:39 UTC

During this time of the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern still yet to figure out who is who and their purpose in this play. They are abruptly disturbed by the Tragedians that try to explain their purpose, but leaves them more lost and confused then ever before. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not comprehend that they are minor characters in the play, Hamlet, or even major characters in their own lives.

Ontology

samantha_birts — 2015-04-28 01:39:48 UTC

This scene contain many ontological questions discussing "What is the meaning of my existing?". Although this is a main issue throughout the play, this is where the questions is first discussed. Rosencrantz asks the player "Who are we?" (Stoppard,23) in efforts to salvage some thought of who he thought he was. He saw no purpose in his existing if he could not even figure out his own name. Stoppard shows his readers that man should always try to figure out their purpose in life because life is meaningless if society lives aimlessly throughout it.

Absurdism

samantha_birts — 2015-04-28 02:03:15 UTC

In this scene Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get multiple subtle hints of who they really are. They're all pointing out the fact that everyone is in a play and they can't change what happens but the duo hasn't realized that reality of this and how it applies to them. The player speaks of their memory and how they will al forget everything they knew and the cycle will continue. They are not gentlemen like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern thought, but players and everyone realizes this except for them. The coin flipping happens again with the repeating of head but then finally landed on tails showing that everything that happens is due to destiny. The scene ends with Guildenstern questioning the players actions by him not changing into costume but the player reveals he's always in character and he doesn't have to enter or start because when he appears it is the start which is the sign to Guildenstern that they are just players living their lives on already written lines.

Quote

samantha_birts — 2015-04-28 19:37:28 UTC

"by this time tomorrow we might have forgotten everything we ever knew... We'd be back where we started -improvising". (Stoppard, 22)

During this scene, this is the most important quote to meaning of what Stoppard is trying to convey to society. He is showing to society that no matter where we are in life, things will continue to change. As soon as man thinks that he has his life under control, something gets thrown in the mix and we find ourselves where we started. Society should stop trying to control our destiny and live life "improvising".