Comparison of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead transformations essay
The playwrights Hamlet composed by William Shakespear and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern composed by Tom Stoppard both explore the ideas of appearance versus reality and the puzzling theme of fate and destiny. Both composers employ various techniques related to their specific mediums to convey the misconception that we have control over life. They reflect their composers theme of transformation, which helps to illuminate the difference between deceptive characters and self-deception.
Hamlet was published during the Elizabethan era around 1603 in England. The society of the time was very structured with the head of society being the monarchy and strong evidence of a class system.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was first published in 1966 and pre formed in The national Theatre in 1967. The play is a contemporary comedy classic, which was influenced greatly by the era in which it was written. The freedom and openness of the sixties enhanced and added a philosophical angle to the play.
The introduction of both texts is different, Hamlet starts on a serious note of his father's death while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern starts with a rhetorical question about life.
The plays also differ on the language that is used as within Hamlet there is much rhymed verse and formal prose however in Rosencrantz and Guilderstern there is alot of comical interplay between the characters coupled with colloquial language intersecting with Hamlet.
In comparing the two texts both contain the theme of death and the way that it contrasts life. Although both texts contain the same theme it is dealt with differently in both plays.
In Hamlet, Hamlet has an underlying fear of death, although he considers suicide as a release from his pain. His fear comes from the fact that death is unknown to him and that his father is trapped in purgatory for his sins. This belief in purgatory reflects the strong religious beliefs of the time.
The playwrights Hamlet composed by William Shakespear and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern composed by Tom Stoppard both explore the ideas of appearance versus reality and the puzzling theme of fate and destiny. Both composers employ various techniques related to their specific mediums to convey the misconception that we have control over life. They reflect their composers theme of transformation, which helps to illuminate the difference between deceptive characters and self-deception.
Hamlet was published during the Elizabethan era around 1603 in England. The society of the time was very structured with the head of society being the monarchy and strong evidence of a class system.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was first published in 1966 and pre formed in The national Theatre in 1967. The play is a contemporary comedy classic, which was influenced greatly by the era in which it was written. The freedom and openness of the sixties enhanced and added a philosophical angle to the play.
The introduction of both texts is different, Hamlet starts on a serious note of his father's death while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern starts with a rhetorical question about life.
The plays also differ on the language that is used as within Hamlet there is much rhymed verse and formal prose however in Rosencrantz and Guilderstern there is alot of comical interplay between the characters coupled with colloquial language intersecting with Hamlet.
In comparing the two texts both contain the theme of death and the way that it contrasts life. Although both texts contain the same theme it is dealt with differently in both plays.
In Hamlet, Hamlet has an underlying fear of death, although he considers suicide as a release from his pain. His fear comes from the fact that death is unknown to him and that his father is trapped in purgatory for his sins. This belief in purgatory reflects the strong religious beliefs of the time.