Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's stage design is dead from Macbeth is a perfect summary of the plot of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The dramatization of the lives of these two insignificant and virtually unrelated characters in Hamlet forms an unlikely basis for "one of the most... engaging plays of the post-war period" (Daily Telegraph). However, as in the case of Samuel Beckett's absurd play “Waiting for Godot”, the originality of Stoppard's concept is not enough in itself to create a masterpiece and it is the brilliance of the scenography and writing that makes this play a classic. The presentation of these two characters is an important feature of the stagecraft. Neither Rosencrantz nor Guildenstern ever leaves the stage during the show until their deaths. They are the central focus which directly contrasts with their relative unimportance in Hamlet. The visual effect of their Elizabethan attire is cleverly juxtaposed with their contemporary speaking style. It's comical that their identities seem interchangeable; Guildenstern himself investigates this point in Act II,Guil: Rosencrantz…Ros: (absent-mindedly) What? Short pause.Guil: Guildenstern…Ros: (irritated by the repetition) What?Guil: You don't discriminate at all?While the other characters like Gertrude and Hamlet appear to be unsure of who takes what name, the fact that they themselves are equally confused adds to this humorous idea. How they behave and what they do are both important factors in establishing their personalities, and Stoppard includes full stage directions in the script. In Act II there is... half the paper... it's just actors. At one point in Act I, Rosencrantz stands at the edge of the stage looking out at the audience and observes that the idea of being a spectator could only be made bearable by “the irrational belief that in a minute someone interesting will arrive.” In Hamlet Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are boring characters. Whatever wit they may possess pales next to Hamlet's intelligence, they are unable to adequately spy for Claudius and their contribution to the plot is two more corpses and a few laughs at their expense. However in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Tom Stoppard managed to make these characters interesting. The addition of the more three-dimensional character of the Player, several creative uses of staging, and imaginative connections to Hamlet himself create an original masterpiece of a play around two minor Shakespearean characters..

Topic > Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's stage design is dead from Macbeth is a perfect summary of the plot of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The dramatization of the lives of these two insignificant and virtually unrelated characters in Hamlet forms an unlikely basis for "one of the most... engaging plays of the post-war period" (Daily Telegraph). However, as in the case of Samuel Beckett's absurd play “Waiting for Godot”, the originality of Stoppard's concept is not enough in itself to create a masterpiece and it is the brilliance of the scenography and writing that makes this play a classic. The presentation of these two characters is an important feature of the stagecraft. Neither Rosencrantz nor Guildenstern ever leaves the stage during the show until their deaths. They are the central focus which directly contrasts with their relative unimportance in Hamlet. The visual effect of their Elizabethan attire is cleverly juxtaposed with their contemporary speaking style. It's comical that their identities seem interchangeable; Guildenstern himself investigates this point in Act II,Guil: Rosencrantz…Ros: (absent-mindedly) What? Short pause.Guil: Guildenstern…Ros: (irritated by the repetition) What?Guil: You don't discriminate at all?While the other characters like Gertrude and Hamlet appear to be unsure of who takes what name, the fact that they themselves are equally confused adds to this humorous idea. How they behave and what they do are both important factors in establishing their personalities, and Stoppard includes full stage directions in the script. In Act II there is... half the paper... it's just actors. At one point in Act I, Rosencrantz stands at the edge of the stage looking out at the audience and observes that the idea of being a spectator could only be made bearable by “the irrational belief that in a minute someone interesting will arrive.” In Hamlet Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are boring characters. Whatever wit they may possess pales next to Hamlet's intelligence, they are unable to adequately spy for Claudius and their contribution to the plot is two more corpses and a few laughs at their expense. However in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Tom Stoppard managed to make these characters interesting. The addition of the more three-dimensional character of the Player, several creative uses of staging, and imaginative connections to Hamlet himself create an original masterpiece of a play around two minor Shakespearean characters..