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Summary: A side-splitting yet haunting materpiece of modern theater.
Review: A long time ago, an English playwright named William Shakespeare wrote a play called "Hamlet", which eventually grew into his most popular and respected play. In this century, a man named Tom Stoppard wrote a play called "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead", which was based on "Hamlet" and probably became Stoppard's most recognized and popular play.The play takes place through the eyes of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (R&G), which were two minor characters in "Hamlet". You'd think that a play through the eys of such minor characters would be boring, but Stoppard proves this to be far from the truth. What Stoppard doesn't do is give R&G strong personalities; in fact, they are almost as empty and flat as they were in "Hamlet", which is exactly what they're supposed to be. If a viewer of this play read or saw "Hamlet", he recognizes that R&G basically do in "R&G Are Dead" only what they do in "Hamlet". And even though they have the possibility to alter the future, they choose not to, which ends in their inevitable deaths. The humor found in the play is funny and teriffic, but in the end it's haunting, filled with Stoppard's subliminal philosophy. To fully appreciate "R&G Are Dead", I really suggest reading "Hamlet" first. That way, the reader will fully understand what happens in "R&G Are Dead", and why this play is so beautiful yet so eerie.
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Summary: Shakespeare meets Douglas Adams
Review: A comparison based entirely on wit and fun, and the ability of the writer to pose hilarious mind teasers interwoven with plays on words. Granted, not everyone who liked the Hitchhikers Guides will enjoy this, but if you love that style of banter, and if you are familiar with Hamlet, chances are you won't be able to put this down.
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Summary: Where meanings become meaningless (but in a good way)
Review: If this play did nothing else, it forced me to question and ultimately cease to believe that the theory of probability has any relivance beyond theory. This is Stoppard's typical game: twisting reality until nobody -- neither characters nor audience -- can even tell the difference between fact and fiction, between dreams and memory, or between what is and what only seems to be. Shakespeare's Rosencrantz and Guldenstern, of the amusing but overrated "Hamlet", star as two victims of circumstance in this hundred-odd page deception. Little or no knowledge of Shakesperian language is required to enjoy this play, and while knowing the original story of "Hamlet" helps, it's not a necessity either. The play's real treasure lies in the essence of the characters' thoughts and actions, not in the significance of them. The Player, a mysterious leader of a troupe of traveling pornographers (no, this play features no graphic sex, or even graphic language), always conveniently shows up to confuse, clarify, and add a little humor to matters... not that the two bumbling heros need the help. In addition to the brilliant philosophies contained in this work, Stoppard also graces us with absolute gems of characterization, settings that compliment the dialogue rather than crowding it, and a plot that weaves the aforementioned philosophies into itself without making the characters sound like lecturers or idiot children. Truely, this is Stoppard's greatest work -- as satisfying to read as to see on a stage... perhaps even more so.
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Summary: Shakespeare's Little Characters Live On (for a while)
Review: Wonderful play. For anyone that has read or seen Shakespeare's "Hamlet," reading, "R&G Are Dead," is a must. Reversing the story of "Hamlet," so that the minor characters take the lead, and Hamlet himself becomes only background noise, Stoppard, brings new life to one of the most important plays in English language. Funny and off kilter, this play takes two of Shakespeare's minor players and makes them "deep" philosophical thinkers who are just trying to naviagte their way through the backstabbing Royal Court of Denmark, and to get a free meal or two. For anyone who has seen the great film version starring Gary Oldman, the play is even better, and well worth the read.
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Summary: a remarkable work that exceeds boundaries speaks volumes
Review: This is a chillingly beautiful play that makes you laugh out loud and cry without realizing it. Every line carries the reader into a thousand different worlds that you have always lived in but never noticed. It holds a mirror up to life and shows you yourself. I've never read a play so touching and clever at the same time. I've reread this play probably five or six times and still, it moves me every time. I could write a book on every line in this play and still never understand how it manages to shake the soul. Brilliant.
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Summary: Could Have Been Much Better
Review: I picked up this book with lots of enthusiasm, but I was disappointed. One of the themes in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is the presence of good and evil in all of us. Just as Claudius (the villain) has some notable redeeming qualities, Hamlet (the hero) displays evil at times. Hamlet's (arranged murder) of Rosencratz and Guildenstern IS NOT to be admired. Claudius hired them to spy on Hamlet, but they had no knowledge of the fact that Claudius murdered his brother (Hamlet's father). Some critics feel that they got what they deserved for playing this game with Claudius, but are we missing a crucial point? Except for what Claudius did to get the crown, he is a likable and effective monarch. So why should Guildenstern and Rosencratz have hesitated to this? Rosencratz and Guildenstern honestly wanted to help Hamlet, and they had a right to get stern with Hamlet after the uncalled for death of Polonius. They had no knowledge that they were taking Hamlet to his death in England. (The reason they were given was that they were taking him there for sanctuary so Claudius could prevent the Danes from demanding Hamlet's death or execution for the murder of Polonius.) In this play Stoppard reduces the mentality of Guildenstern and Rosencratz to slapstick clowns. (In "Hamlet" they are ignorant of crucial facts, but they are not stupid.) Also, important scenes from "Hamlet" with Guildenstern and Rosencratz are missing. I was expecting a play that would sympathize with Guildenstern and Rosencratz, but instead I saw a play that reduced their mental capacity and nearly made their deaths a big joke. Perhaps this is an interesting study, but don't put it on your priority list.
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Summary: interesting, funny, poignant, thoughtful
Review: I just really loved this play. The way Stoppard manages to use the classic Hamlet as a foundation of his own, unique work of art is amazing and masterful. The play is funny and uses humor as a vehicle for some serious themes about fate vs. free will, death, life, and chance. This book isn't the type where one could just sit back and passively take in-it is engaging and forces the reader to think. So if you enjoy witty phrases but also intellectually stimulating ideas, buy a copy and read it! It is well worth the time.
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Summary: Sean's Thoughts
Review: From behind the scenes of Shakespeare comes a look at what two characters(who can't even tell themselves apart) do in their off stage. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two unimportant characters that Stoppard has taken from the pages of Hamlet and put into this interesting play. Therefore, if you have not yet read Hamlet, goodluck in following this play. Overall, Stoppard does a great job in incorperating pieces from the text of Hamlet and adding a lot of postmodernism to produce a witty and fun play. I would recomend it to all you Hamlet lovers.
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Summary: Roencrantz and Guildenstern are dead
Review: The book was a very unique piece of writing. I really enjoyed it. It made more sense after having read Hamlet. You begin to think about how Shakespear thought about his character of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I would recomend this book to anyone who has read Hamlet, and is a little confused about the part that Ros. and Guild. play. The book is extremely funny and very entertaining.
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Summary: Funny Twist on a Historic Play
Review: In this vaude-ville style tragic comedy, by Tom Stoppard, two very insignificant characters taken from one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays, "Hamlet", witness the tragic story of the Prince of Denmark in a fly-on-the-wall perspective. The book is surprisingly humorous and simplistically funny. The naive and idiotic antics of Rosencrantz and the insightful and intellectual personality of Guildenstern make for a uniquely comic portrayal of the two characters that are doomed to an undeniable fate. This short play presents a great twist on the historic play inviting new personalities, new scenes and new perspectives on the tragic story. Readers end up meeting the "players", who have a fairly small role in the original Hamlet play, and get to know their comical and perverse personalities that make the play interesting and intriguing. Overall, this was a wonderful story, with unique twists and humorous dialogue rounding out two fo Shakespeare's most flat characters.
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