Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Watching the film by Tom Stoppard, my original reaction was to feel out of place. Having had previous experience with the playwright, I was almost inclined to ask if whether or not I heard correctly that the film showing was indeed Hamlet. The ambiguous beginning to the well-known play from the viewpoint of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seemed to hardly have any meaning other than just pondering the chances and events in life. Their importance to the tale, I later realized, was not greatly significant at the time due to Shakespeare not introducing them in the story until the King and Queen sent for them. The old friends of Hamlet had their existence consist of asking questions to one another of purpose. "Who am I? Who are you? What is your name?" were questions voiced by the two indicating their search of identity and reflecting it within most individuals in today's society. As events unfolded and Hamlet appeared fall deeper into madness, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern turned from questioning to hysteria. After all, having not being told they were side characters, they often lacked information pivotal to the story and were pushed by however life, or in this case the decisions of others in the playwright, wished to direct them.

Their lack of control over everything, mimicked in the abrupt, disorienting changes in scenery, was easily related to by how daily life can catch one off guard so easily. Throughout the play I often found myself cursing how blind they were to their own fates and how they would not make decisions of their own. While their fates where often decided according to the king and queen's decrees,  I hoped they would be able to stray from the tale, even slightly, and choose to change something.

Though I understand there was likely a different message meant to be given, I took the lesson to be: have your own persona. The repeating theme of the concept of death and the final words voicing their missed chance to have changed their fate led me to one conclusion. To avoid being a side character in your own life, you must think for yourself and make your own decisions impacting your life and those around you. While coming to terms with the fact that not everything is able to be controlled and that transcending death is only possible through the memory of the living, individuals should make informed choices on how to affect surroundings past themselves. How your choices will affect your image should be second to how they affect future events/generations to come.