This week we will be reading some poems whose themes are related to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and some essays on the play. Choose quotes from either the poems or the essays and reflect on what insights they give you into the play.
In J. Alfred Prufrock's "The Love Song of" poem, allusions to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very obvious. "No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; am an attendant lord, one that will do to swell a progress, start a scene or two, advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, deferential, glad to be of use" (112-116). Here, the basic role of Ros & Guil is echoed, that is, to be simple men with no big roles in life. They are to serve others. Another such line that resonates the idea of extistentialism, "Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse" (46-48), illustratse the effect of one's inability to predict what will happen to his or her life.
"In Stoppard's play, as central rather than peripheral characters, they explore matters of identity, role playing, meaning, fate, probability, and geneeral problems of knowledge."
Page 30 Tom Stoppard Cahpter Six Rosencrantz and Guidenstern Are Dead: Entitled so some Direction
This above quote refers to the two characters in the novel we just read and the many things they encounter on their adventure. Throughout their journey they raise many questions of why, and why not. The wonder what they should do, and how their past steps have affected their current problems. The author brings up the point of fusing many ideas together into one. He believes this play was a great representation of that because it gives the reader many paths to take while reading. As far as the play went, I beleive the author did a great job of tying the characters actions and responses to extistentialism.
In his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," T.S. Eliot makes several allusions to the play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." One allusion that I felt was important came from the following lines of the poem.
"But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen: Would it have been worth while If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say: 'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all.' " (lines 105-110)
In these lines I feel like Eliot really alludes to the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Throughout the play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" both characters get their words mixed up and what they are trying to say confused. It seems like both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trying to explain what they meant after everytime they spoke. The above lines also refer to the two characters because near the end of the play they question what they did wrong in order to have deserved being killed. This is echoed in the line "would it have been worth while." This line is similar and could be a way of questioning what they could have done differently in order to avoid their deaths.
In class we read the poem "The Love Song Of" by J. Alfred Prufrock. Throughout the poem Prufrock had many questions asked such as "Do I dare?" or "How should I presume". When Prufrock wrote the poem it seems as though he was timid, hence why he asked so many different questions. The questions are similar and remind me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Rosencrantz is a very confused person and acts many questions. Also this poem by Prufrock reminds me of the time during Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead where the two play the question game.
In the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" the idea of exsestenstialism plays out as you see in Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. The whole time during the play Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead they are playing back and forth with the idea of exsestenstialism. And whether or not they have a purpose in life. Also as in Hamlet where he gives his famous To be or Not to be soliloquiy. But in the poem the idea of whether or not you have a purpose in life is brought up in lines 99-103. "And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-- And this, and so much more?"
In the love song of J. Alfred Prufock, lines 45-48 reflect the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. they say, " Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse." I think that these lines reflect existentialism because they are talking about regrets he had, and whether or not he should have made different decisions. The quote talks about how easy it would have been for the future to end up differently if they had made a simple different decision.
In the second essay called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard writes that his scripts for the play was "circumscribed by the impossibility of making Rose. and Guil. do anything that could not be contained within the framework of Shakespeare's plot," however, the "image serves very well to reinforce the point that degrees of freedom cannot be measured as if the angle had nothing to do with perspective." Although it seems that there is no means to how freedom could be measured, it is circumscribed by freedom of choice and death, because certainity death is a release from the burden of life. Relating this to Rose. and Guil., the not knowing why they were sent and who they were waiting, gave them a sense of freedom from worrying because once they will be through with this, they have got nothing to do with it anymore. However, at the very end of the play when they found out that Prince Hamlet are to be killed, they feel a sense of responsibility and restless.
"Would it have been worth while" this is a quote from J. Alfred Prufrocks "the love song of" poem. This quote reflects the main idea of Rosencrantz and Guildensterns thinking. Guildentsern always comments on whether or not there actions are right and if there lifes have any point. At the end of the play he says that there had to have been a point where they could of said no and also that maybe next time they wont get themselves in this situation.
"No! I am not Prince Hamlet. nor was meant to be; I am an attendent lord,one that will do to swell a progress..." In The Love Song of by J Alfred Prufrock, the author claims that he is not an noble man, and probably of "low birth" so to speak. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are best described in this quote. They are poor men, with little money to gain. They are manipulated by the king and queen, verbally abused by Hamlet, and ultimately deliver a note that sentences their own selves to death. At the end of the day all the nobles of Denmark die too. This is a central theme of the play as well; predestination and all that it embodies. No matter how they were brought up, or what they did, all of their destinies brought them to death.
During the entire play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the two characters reflect on the actions that they have made and whether they were the correct ones or whether they should have done something else instead. The quote:
"Would it have been worth while"
From J. Alfred Prufrocks "the love song of" poem relates to the play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because I feel like this is something that one of the two would normally say. It is almost as if J. Alfred Pruforck took this quote directly from the play and used it in his poem.
In J. ALfred Prufrock's "the Love Song of" poem, there are many similarities between this poem and Roesencrantz and Guildenstern. One of them is the quote "To wonder, do I dare, and do I dare?" This quote correlates to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because this question relates to the many questions that these to men asked. They were very timid and uncertain of what choices to take. And specifically this quote is just like when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern made up a game that the main point was about asking questions and not saying statements.
In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" there was a lot of parts that related to being unsure of oneself and doing something. In line 122 it says "Shall i part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach?" the author is contemplating doing this most trival things. This reminds me of when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are on the boat talking about death, they reflect back saying there must have been a time when they messed up or they could have said no. It seems that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are just silly characters, yet they go back and look on what they have done, and perhaps it could have been something as trivial as eating a peach that got them in the position that they ended up in.
In Tom Stoppoard's essay, he speaks about the idea that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are placed in Hamlet as existential characters. "But it is only as Guil and Ros act out the knowledge of their roles that their roles take on the significance of their insignificance". This statement shows that Ros and Guil understand that they are insignificant, but for this reason have a purpose in life, and instead of having a conventional take on life (living by some sort of destiny), create their lives as they go.
The essay Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead gives an excellant explaination of the play. It explains quote and gives background so the reader can better understand the relevance of the play R and G are Dead. The essay is quoted as saying, "Stoppard's rearrangement of the normal perspective is subtler and more purposeful. Sometimes we feel as if we were in the wings with two small-part actors who spend most of the evening waiting for their next entrance: sometimes we feel caught up with them in the action." The way the text moves in and out of Shakespeare's Hamlet, R and G. I think that whenvever the auddience is watching a scene that is from Hamlet they are much more comfortable. When stoppard shows scenes of R and G when they are supposed to be off stage, the audience is intrigued but nonetheless taken aback by the confusion of which the actors may be real.
I have found "the Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot to have some very interesting connections to both Hamlet/ R+G and also some very interesting symbolisms and religious references. I chose to examine the quote “Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the shadow.” (Not sure of the lines sorry!)
I feel this quote embodies the religious aspects of both plays. It represents the confusion and debate Hamlet has between destiny and choice. The poem the Hollow men in my opinion is all about the people who are “empty” or without religion. This relates to Rosencrantz and Guidenstern as they are existentialists and God is not a part of their beliefs. I think that Hamlet is fighting between becoming a “hollow man” and one who follows God and does thinks that are part of his faith. This quote is really interesting as I think the “shadow” clearly is representing and symbolic of sin. This is clearly something that haunts Hamlet throughout the play. He is worried about killing Claudius in the church because it wouldn’t be right to him. I think that Hamlet is fighting between becoming a “hollow man” and one who follows God and does things that are part of his faith.
I found the essay "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction" to be very useful for our essay writing because it picks out key quotes and ideas from the play. It explains the significance of the traveling actors we meet in the beginning of the play by saying "the action of the play is underway as Ros and the Player debate the cost of being spectators as opposed to the cost of participating in the action." This is just like the idea of "to be or not to be" in Hamlet. The essay talks about how Rosencrantz's view on going to England with Hamlet changes and he is for it, while Guildenstern's view changes from wanting to go to not wanting to go because "he is under the illusion that he has a choice in the events."
“In a world of uncertainties, there are only two certainties, that the only beginning is birth and the only ending is death.” ~Chapter Six- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction. Throughout the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are never really sure what is going on and what they should do next. The only thing that they are sure about is that they will eventually die. They players consistently mention death. They say that that it is their specialty and that the story is not over when everyone is still alive. This is a reference to Hamlet which doesn't end until almost everyone is dead. Everyone meets the same fate no matter who they are. This is part of the existential idea that there is a predetermined destiny and that people live following a script; it suggests that life and a definite beginning and a definite end and that people make up the part in the middle by the choices that they make.
"In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse." Lines 47-48 The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
In this quote T.S Eliot seems to be directly referring to the idea of extistentialism. He talks about how in just one minute the decisions one makes can effect the outcome of a situation. He then states in the exact same sentence that these decisions can then be changed or altered within a minute as well. This shows extistentialism because it is stating that the choices a person makes determines their fate, not some higher power. This relates back to Rosencrantz and Guildenstearn are Dead because throughout the entire book they are questioning the choices they make and whether or not they are a result of pre-determined fate.
"This is how the world ends; Not with a bang, but a whimper."
It leaves a lot to think about, and reminds me of another postmodern work I've followed, which talks of the world ending because of an overabundance of trivial information. I think it's interesting imagining these concepts, such as life in a box vs. being dead. No one knows what being dead is so there's nothing to be compared.
In one of the essays, Chapter Six Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction there was a quote, " After he has calmed Ros, Guil declares that, although they have no choice, they are at least presented with alternatives. In a world of uncertainties that cause ros to lose his direction, there are only two certainties, that the only beginning is birt and the only ending is death." I think this quote really highlights the theme in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, as well as the main ideals of existentalism. The fact that nothing is for sure, except that we are born and die, is something that is constantly brought up through the entire play. Ros and Guil don't know why they have been sent for, and so they just have these trivial games that they play, and they just ask eachother questions, which I feel is smething that maybe Stoppard purposefully put into the play to help people question their existance.
In The Hollow Men poem, the author seems to make multiple references towards existentialism, which in turn relates to R and G since it is an existentialist play. One example of this is
"Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass"
In this quote the author seems to have an existentialist point of view, because he is talking about how life and what they say is meaningless and it is only what we make of it.
Another theme shown in this poem is one that seems to reference R and G directly
"Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow"
This seems to be talking about how we can come up with ideas but never really do anything about it, or we can think about something but never make it come true or become real. This "shadow" of indecision is a central theme in R and G, because both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to be unsure of themselves throughout the play.
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction" by Tom Stoppard had some great insight into the play. "There are only two certainties, that the only beginning is birth and the only end is death" (31). This reflects the existensialism way of thinking where the only things you can be certain of are the beginning and end of your life. No one knows what goes on in between until it happens. A quote from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead directly relates to this quote. "In response to Ros's question, 'How long?' Guil replies: 'Till events have played themselves out. There's logic at work - it's all done for you, don't worry'" (R & G Are Dead, 40) This means that after birth there is no logical thing to do and no way to predict death. Things happen one after another and since it is all done for you, it is best to not think and just live. This is what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern learn to do in the play and it is a main theme.
"But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen: Would it have been worth while If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say: 'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all.' " (lines 105-110)
I felt like the poems werent really all that connected to the play RosenCrantz and Guildenstern are dead unless they actually mentioned Hamlet. But in this quote I found that it was LIKE the play because of the use of language as a source of confusion for our main characters. They are constantly mixing up who they are and what they actually say. It might be a common source of human amusement or it could be a direct allusion to extistentialism.
In Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, questions are repeated throughout the poem. The speaker wonders: "What is it?" and "Do I dare?" These questions are similar to Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's questions throughout the play. The two characters are constantly questioning their purpose and are confused throughout most of the play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern question their identities and the reason for their death, in connection with existentialist thought.
The poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” has many metaphors that illustrate the main concepts of existentialism. Overall, it’s about a middle aged man who is contemplating the worth of all the decisions he has made in his life, and now he’s wondering is this it? If there is a purpose to life, has he fulfilled it, and if not he wants to be able to change his decisions from his past so he can have lived a life that’s worthwhile compared to the nothingness that comes with death. For example, this next quote shows his contemplation of whether not there’s more after death. “And would it have been worth it, after all, would it have been worth while, after the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, after the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—And this, and so much more?” (99-103). The statement ‘And this, and so much more’ shows he’s wondering if life is accommodated with an afterlife. Also, when he says, ‘And would it have been worth it, after all,’ he’s wondering had he had a fulfilling life after all he’s done, if life has a purpose, has he given his life a purpose. Molly Riegel
The idea of existentialism is spread throughout the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This idea is that our life is made up by the choices we make everyday. These two characters always seem to be asking questions and doubting themselves. This theme seems to connect to the poems we read in-class last week, and most commonly occurred in the poem by J. Alfred Prufrocks called, "The Love Song Of". Quotes such as, "would it have been worth while" and “..do I dare..” repeatedly occur throughout the play. This idea of fear and self doubt comes with everyday decision making. All the poems that we have read are starting to make sense. The decisions we are making right now such as keeping up in school and deciding which college we will be attending next year, have been really tough. It seems like a coincidence that we are reading these plays right now because at this point in time I feel like this idea has the most meaning.
"It is only as Guil and Ros act out the knowledge of their roles that their roles take on the significance of their insignificance" Tom Stoppard Ros and Guil are dead: Entitled to some direction (pg. 32)
This quote from the essay says alot about the existensialist qualities of the play. Even though Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the main characters of this play we see, as they go about trying to do what they were summoned for, that they are useless characters in the bigger picture. This meshes well with the existensialist believe that live is so absurd that you have no choice but to keep on living it. As Ros and Guil search for why they are summoned and use the limited information they have the audience sees them shrink and become ultimately swallowed by the backdrop of the play (life), only to have the play continue on as if nothing has happened to our previously main characters.
I believe that the ongoing theme between both the play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern along with the poems are related to the conscience of a person's mind. In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, they constantly are asking each other about the "what if's" and what would happen if they had done something different. They question fate and what their final outcome would have been if they would have made a different decision. In "The love Poem," there are questions being asked such as "Do I Dare?" This demonstrates the mind debating whether or not something is right. This theme occurs over and over in the poems as well as in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
The second essay that we read regarding "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" had some very interesting ideas. One quote that captured my attention is:
"Birth, growth and death come to seem like the fantastic web of text that holds the actor stuck." (essay #2, 34) This quote calls to mind the existentialist belief that the only sure things in life are birth and death. I also thought, because of the reference to actors, that life is like a play, holding people stuck within it. The existentialist thought, that life is meaingless, also connects to the acting because plays can be seen as meaningless, just pure entertainment.
In Tom Stoppards play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, one of the main focuses is exostentialism. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock written by T.S. Elliot seems to make many references to exostentialism as well and give an insight into, and help better understand parts of R & G are Dead. Two part of Elliot's poem that stuck out to me. "That lift and drop a question on your plate;Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions..." line 30. This I feel reflects R&G's personalities and outlooks, they are always questioning different things, like why they are there to see the king. Right when I read it, I thought of R&G and it seemed to sum up a part of their personality. The second quote relates to exostentialism; "And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while,.." ln 99-100. This relates back to Hamlet as well and his "To be or not to be?" speech. R&G along with Hamlet are contemplating the outcome of life, and if living is worthwhile. This relates back to exostentialism because one of the principles is to live your life the way you want because the only thing you are sure of is that you are born and die. This quotes questions if their is a meaning to life or if it is meaningless, just as Hamlet does.
I thought that you could clearly see connections between the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and between the play R&G are dead. The lines from the poem that i beleive have to do with the play are "But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen: Would it have been worth while If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say: 'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all.'" 105-110
In these lines you can see the resembalence of how R&G always question themselves and say something and then ask if that's waht they meant or they come up with a different meaning to the original statement, this is shown in the poem in the last lines that are after the original statement "'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all." You can tell from those 5 lines in the poem that it represents the play R&G are dead.
"Till events have played themselves out. There's a logic at work-it's all done for you, don't worry"(40). This quote from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction. talks about the idea of predestination and the only certainties are that the only beginning is birth adn the only ending is death. This is one of the many ideals from this modern play that support the idea that the play is in fact in support of the ideas of existentialism that Tom Stoppard meant with his play.
T.S Eliot's famous poem "The Hollow Men" strongly relates to the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and existentialism. For example, the last stanza of the play, "This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper" explains existentialism. It does that by stating that there is no purpose to life and it simply ends. It ends with a whimper that is not planned and almost unnoticed, but not with a big bang that symbolizes that life was planned. Ultimately, it relates to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because they are existentialists and believe life is not predetermined or planned.
In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, there is alot of questioning like "Do I dare eat a peach" and "how should I begin". I think this refers a bit to Guil and Ros how they are trying to find there own reasons for there existence and why they were sent for. They dont really seem to care somtimes about there existence, they get each other's naem mixed up and dont really ask why they were sent for. The poem is kind of like the beginnign of the question and answer game with "Shall I..." quotes throughout.
"Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass" This quote indirectly relates to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead just by the fact that both the play and the quote relate to existentialism. In the quote the author speaks about how the actions that we make are so small in the grand scheme of things. The only thing that our actions change is our own life, which is a compilation of so many previous actions. The unimaginable quantity of previous actions makes each succeeding choice seem even smaller and insignificant. The quote, in many ways like R and G are dead relates the smallness of our lives’ influence on the outside world.
Lines 45-48 of In the love song of J. Alfred Prufock reflect the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. The poem says, " Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse." This refers to existentialism in which the play is about. They discuss how what choices they make will effect them in the future. They could make a choice to do something, or a choice to not do anything, regardless it is still a choice that will change an outcome.
"the love song of" and R&G are similar in that they both speak of death. Also how life leads to one ultimate ending which is a persons destiny since birth"But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen: Would it have been worth while If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say: 'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all.' "105-110)
In R and G are dead, existentialism comes through in a lot of the text. "We have not been...picked out...simply to be abandoned...set loose to find our own way...we are entitled to some direction...I would have thought." (R and G Are Dead p. 36). This quote refers to the uncertainty of existentialism and the unpredictable elements that cannot and should not be controlled by us. From the other essay, "Till events have played themselves out. There's a lot of logic at work-it's all done for you, don't worry." (Lord Malquist and Mr. Moon, p. 41) .This part of the text is the opposite of existentialism. This can be just as useful in writing my essay because both ideas contribute to the distinction between a life based on fate and a life that is unplanned.
In the second essay called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard writes that his scripts for the play was "circumscribed by the impossibility of making Rose. and Guil. do anything that could not be contained within the framework of Shakespeare's plot," however, the "image serves very well to reinforce the point that degrees of freedom cannot be measured as if the angle had nothing to do with perspective." Although it seems that there is no means to how freedom could be measured, it is circumscribed by freedom of choice and death, because certainity death is a release from the burden of life. Relating this to Rose. and Guil., the not knowing why they were sent and who they were waiting, gave them a sense of freedom from worrying because once they will be through with this, they have got nothing to do with it anymore. However, at the very end of the play when they found out that Prince Hamlet are to be killed, they feel a sense of responsibility and restless.
To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous, Almost, at times, the Fool.
taking from the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, this quote describe the very esence of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They stated purpose that the character was created to serve to spy on the prince to advise the King of his actions, but the character are given life as philosphers by Tom Stoppard. The line "full of high sentence" describes the logic Guildenstern and attempted reason he uses when he approaches a situation and the "bit obtuse" better describes rosencrantz's approach to a situation. There basic purpose is presented here: there are unimportant and they get the shaft being "the Fool"
In the essay called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead I thought the quote "The act of waiting is a contradictory combination of doing something and doing nothing" This stuck with me because Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seemed like it was all about waiting: doing something and doing nothing. There is a lot of coin tossing, tinkering, and pondering done in between doing something insignificant in the book. The waiting also represents the insignificance of Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's lives.
Hmm ".....Rosencrantz and Guildenstern could be described as figures who act out their author's Angst about the human condition, but Stoppard is considerably less angst-ridden than Becket..." I feel this quote helps explain the sense that I got from Ros/Guild that is wasn't so much just an exploration of existentialism, but the author was exploring this himself, there was a major change in styles switching from shakespear's original play to Ros/Guild, like the author was intentionally exploring these ideas.
In the love song of J. Alfred Prufock, in about lines 45 through 49 show some idea of the play Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. "Do I dare Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse." I think this goes along with the idea of making decisions and how in Existencialism its not whether it is a right or wrong decision but where the decision will take you. In the poem they are tring to decide on wether they should make a decision, and if they do where will it take them. The idea of one decision makes others and so on. Where will the decision take you and what will it cause to happen. Will you take that risk or not.
I think that the lines 84-85 of the poem The Hollow Man reflect the main idea of Rosnecrantz and Guildenstern because these lines talk about having a predetermined future and how the two characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern realize at the end of the play that they actually had a choice to decide what they wanted to change in their future. Another line in this poem that reflects extisentialism is lines 20, 31, and 38 all of these lines express the need for change in the past and what was predetermined now explains how it is today. Each one of these lines also relate to the play because both characters express the understanding of making their own future.
"No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;Am an attendant lord, one that will do, To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at times, the Fool." These lines, taken from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, are pretty obviously about Rsoencrantz and Guildenstern. I think they really cut to the heart of what it means to be Ros and Guil, supporting players never meant to get the spotlight, only there to make the headliners look better. I think that this is one of the main problems they were struggling with throughout the entire play, trying to figure out what they were doing here and what set them apart from every other faceless person they encounter. Ros puts it well and the end of the play when he comments on their fate, wondering if they were we ever important enough to be marked out for the distinction of being part of a larger plot and as a part of that plot, to be put to death.
46 comments:
In J. Alfred Prufrock's "The Love Song of" poem, allusions to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are very obvious. "No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; am an attendant lord, one that will do to swell a progress, start a scene or two, advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, deferential, glad to be of use" (112-116). Here, the basic role of Ros & Guil is echoed, that is, to be simple men with no big roles in life. They are to serve others. Another such line that resonates the idea of extistentialism, "Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse" (46-48), illustratse the effect of one's inability to predict what will happen to his or her life.
"In Stoppard's play, as central rather than peripheral characters, they explore matters of identity, role playing, meaning, fate, probability, and geneeral problems of knowledge."
Page 30
Tom Stoppard
Cahpter Six
Rosencrantz and Guidenstern Are Dead: Entitled so some Direction
This above quote refers to the two characters in the novel we just read and the many things they encounter on their adventure. Throughout their journey they raise many questions of why, and why not. The wonder what they should do, and how their past steps have affected their current problems. The author brings up the point of fusing many ideas together into one. He believes this play was a great representation of that because it gives the reader many paths to take while reading. As far as the play went, I beleive the author did a great job of tying the characters actions and responses to extistentialism.
In his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," T.S. Eliot makes several allusions to the play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." One allusion that I felt was important came from the following lines of the poem.
"But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
'That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.' " (lines 105-110)
In these lines I feel like Eliot really alludes to the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Throughout the play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" both characters get their words mixed up and what they are trying to say confused. It seems like both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are trying to explain what they meant after everytime they spoke. The above lines also refer to the two characters because near the end of the play they question what they did wrong in order to have deserved being killed. This is echoed in the line "would it have been worth while." This line is similar and could be a way of questioning what they could have done differently in order to avoid their deaths.
In class we read the poem "The Love Song Of" by J. Alfred Prufrock. Throughout the poem Prufrock had many questions asked such as "Do I dare?" or "How should I presume". When Prufrock wrote the poem it seems as though he was timid, hence why he asked so many different questions.
The questions are similar and remind me of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Rosencrantz is a very confused person and acts many questions. Also this poem by Prufrock reminds me of the time during Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead where the two play the question game.
In the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" the idea of exsestenstialism plays out as you see in Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. The whole time during the play Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead they are playing back and forth with the idea of exsestenstialism. And whether or not they have a purpose in life. Also as in Hamlet where he gives his famous To be or Not to be soliloquiy. But in the poem the idea of whether or not you have a purpose in life is brought up in lines 99-103. "And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-- And this, and so much more?"
In the love song of J. Alfred Prufock, lines 45-48 reflect the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. they say, " Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse." I think that these lines reflect existentialism because they are talking about regrets he had, and whether or not he should have made different decisions. The quote talks about how easy it would have been for the future to end up differently if they had made a simple different decision.
In the second essay called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard writes that his scripts for the play was "circumscribed by the impossibility of making Rose. and Guil. do anything that could not be contained within the framework of Shakespeare's plot," however, the "image serves very well to reinforce the point that degrees of freedom cannot be measured as if the angle had nothing to do with perspective." Although it seems that there is no means to how freedom could be measured, it is circumscribed by freedom of choice and death, because certainity death is a release from the burden of life. Relating this to Rose. and Guil., the not knowing why they were sent and who they were waiting, gave them a sense of freedom from worrying because once they will be through with this, they have got nothing to do with it anymore. However, at the very end of the play when they found out that Prince Hamlet are to be killed, they feel a sense of responsibility and restless.
~~Mea Pen~~
"Would it have been worth while" this is a quote from J. Alfred Prufrocks "the love song of" poem. This quote reflects the main idea of Rosencrantz and Guildensterns thinking. Guildentsern always comments on whether or not there actions are right and if there lifes have any point. At the end of the play he says that there had to have been a point where they could of said no and also that maybe next time they wont get themselves in this situation.
"No! I am not Prince Hamlet. nor was meant to be; I am an attendent lord,one that will do to swell a progress..." In The Love Song of by J Alfred Prufrock, the author claims that he is not an noble man, and probably of "low birth" so to speak. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are best described in this quote. They are poor men, with little money to gain. They are manipulated by the king and queen, verbally abused by Hamlet, and ultimately deliver a note that sentences their own selves to death. At the end of the day all the nobles of Denmark die too. This is a central theme of the play as well; predestination and all that it embodies. No matter how they were brought up, or what they did, all of their destinies brought them to death.
During the entire play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the two characters reflect on the actions that they have made and whether they were the correct ones or whether they should have done something else instead. The quote:
"Would it have been worth while"
From J. Alfred Prufrocks "the love song of" poem relates to the play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because I feel like this is something that one of the two would normally say. It is almost as if J. Alfred Pruforck took this quote directly from the play and used it in his poem.
In J. ALfred Prufrock's "the Love Song of" poem, there are many similarities between this poem and Roesencrantz and Guildenstern. One of them is the quote "To wonder, do I dare, and do I dare?" This quote correlates to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because this question relates to the many questions that these to men asked. They were very timid and uncertain of what choices to take. And specifically this quote is just like when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern made up a game that the main point was about asking questions and not saying statements.
In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" there was a lot of parts that related to being unsure of oneself and doing something. In line 122 it says "Shall i part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach?" the author is contemplating doing this most trival things. This reminds me of when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are on the boat talking about death, they reflect back saying there must have been a time when they messed up or they could have said no. It seems that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are just silly characters, yet they go back and look on what they have done, and perhaps it could have been something as trivial as eating a peach that got them in the position that they ended up in.
In Tom Stoppoard's essay, he speaks about the idea that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are placed in Hamlet as existential characters. "But it is only as Guil and Ros act out the knowledge of their roles that their roles take on the significance of their insignificance". This statement shows that Ros and Guil understand that they are insignificant, but for this reason have a purpose in life, and instead of having a conventional take on life (living by some sort of destiny), create their lives as they go.
The essay Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead gives an excellant explaination of the play. It explains quote and gives background so the reader can better understand the relevance of the play R and G are Dead. The essay is quoted as saying, "Stoppard's rearrangement of the normal perspective is subtler and more purposeful. Sometimes we feel as if we were in the wings with two small-part actors who spend most of the evening waiting for their next entrance: sometimes we feel caught up with them in the action." The way the text moves in and out of Shakespeare's Hamlet, R and G. I think that whenvever the auddience is watching a scene that is from Hamlet they are much more comfortable. When stoppard shows scenes of R and G when they are supposed to be off stage, the audience is intrigued but nonetheless taken aback by the confusion of which the actors may be real.
I have found "the Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot to have some very interesting connections to both Hamlet/ R+G and also some very interesting symbolisms and religious references. I chose to examine the quote
“Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the shadow.” (Not sure of the lines sorry!)
I feel this quote embodies the religious aspects of both plays. It represents the confusion and debate Hamlet has between destiny and choice. The poem the Hollow men in my opinion is all about the people who are “empty” or without religion. This relates to Rosencrantz and Guidenstern as they are existentialists and God is not a part of their beliefs. I think that Hamlet is fighting between becoming a “hollow man” and one who follows God and does thinks that are part of his faith. This quote is really interesting as I think the “shadow” clearly is representing and symbolic of sin. This is clearly something that haunts Hamlet throughout the play. He is worried about killing Claudius in the church because it wouldn’t be right to him. I think that Hamlet is fighting between becoming a “hollow man” and one who follows God and does things that are part of his faith.
I found the essay "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction" to be very useful for our essay writing because it picks out key quotes and ideas from the play. It explains the significance of the traveling actors we meet in the beginning of the play by saying "the action of the play is underway as Ros and the Player debate the cost of being spectators as opposed to the cost of participating in the action." This is just like the idea of "to be or not to be" in Hamlet. The essay talks about how Rosencrantz's view on going to England with Hamlet changes and he is for it, while Guildenstern's view changes from wanting to go to not wanting to go because "he is under the illusion that he has a choice in the events."
“In a world of uncertainties, there are only two certainties, that the only beginning is birth and the only ending is death.” ~Chapter Six- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction.
Throughout the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are never really sure what is going on and what they should do next. The only thing that they are sure about is that they will eventually die. They players consistently mention death. They say that that it is their specialty and that the story is not over when everyone is still alive. This is a reference to Hamlet which doesn't end until almost everyone is dead. Everyone meets the same fate no matter who they are. This is part of the existential idea that there is a predetermined destiny and that people live following a script; it suggests that life and a definite beginning and a definite end and that people make up the part in the middle by the choices that they make.
"In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse."
Lines 47-48 The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
In this quote T.S Eliot seems to be directly referring to the idea of extistentialism. He talks about how in just one minute the decisions one makes can effect the outcome of a situation. He then states in the exact same sentence that these decisions can then be changed or altered within a minute as well. This shows extistentialism because it is stating that the choices a person makes determines their fate, not some higher power. This relates back to Rosencrantz and Guildenstearn are Dead because throughout the entire book they are questioning the choices they make and whether or not they are a result of pre-determined fate.
"This is how the world ends; Not with a bang, but a whimper."
It leaves a lot to think about, and reminds me of another postmodern work I've followed, which talks of the world ending because of an overabundance of trivial information. I think it's interesting imagining these concepts, such as life in a box vs. being dead. No one knows what being dead is so there's nothing to be compared.
In one of the essays, Chapter Six Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction there was a quote, " After he has calmed Ros, Guil declares that, although they have no choice, they are at least presented with alternatives. In a world of uncertainties that cause ros to lose his direction, there are only two certainties, that the only beginning is birt and the only ending is death."
I think this quote really highlights the theme in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, as well as the main ideals of existentalism. The fact that nothing is for sure, except that we are born and die, is something that is constantly brought up through the entire play. Ros and Guil don't know why they have been sent for, and so they just have these trivial games that they play, and they just ask eachother questions, which I feel is smething that maybe Stoppard purposefully put into the play to help people question their existance.
In The Hollow Men poem, the author seems to make multiple references towards existentialism, which in turn relates to R and G since it is an existentialist play. One example of this is
"Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass"
In this quote the author seems to have an existentialist point of view, because he is talking about how life and what they say is meaningless and it is only what we make of it.
Another theme shown in this poem is one that seems to reference R and G directly
"Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow"
This seems to be talking about how we can come up with ideas but never really do anything about it, or we can think about something but never make it come true or become real. This "shadow" of indecision is a central theme in R and G, because both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to be unsure of themselves throughout the play.
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction" by Tom Stoppard had some great insight into the play.
"There are only two certainties, that the only beginning is birth and the only end is death" (31). This reflects the existensialism way of thinking where the only things you can be certain of are the beginning and end of your life. No one knows what goes on in between until it happens. A quote from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead directly relates to this quote.
"In response to Ros's question, 'How long?' Guil replies: 'Till events have played themselves out. There's logic at work - it's all done for you, don't worry'" (R & G Are Dead, 40) This means that after birth there is no logical thing to do and no way to predict death. Things happen one after another and since it is all done for you, it is best to not think and just live. This is what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern learn to do in the play and it is a main theme.
"But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
'That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.' " (lines 105-110)
I felt like the poems werent really all that connected to the play RosenCrantz and Guildenstern are dead unless they actually mentioned Hamlet. But in this quote I found that it was LIKE the play because of the use of language as a source of confusion for our main characters. They are constantly mixing up who they are and what they actually say. It might be a common source of human amusement or it could be a direct allusion to extistentialism.
In Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, questions are repeated throughout the poem. The speaker wonders: "What is it?" and "Do I dare?" These questions are similar to Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's questions throughout the play. The two characters are constantly questioning their purpose and are confused throughout most of the play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern question their identities and the reason for their death, in connection with existentialist thought.
The poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” has many metaphors that illustrate the main concepts of existentialism. Overall, it’s about a middle aged man who is contemplating the worth of all the decisions he has made in his life, and now he’s wondering is this it? If there is a purpose to life, has he fulfilled it, and if not he wants to be able to change his decisions from his past so he can have lived a life that’s worthwhile compared to the nothingness that comes with death. For example, this next quote shows his contemplation of whether not there’s more after death. “And would it have been worth it, after all, would it have been worth while, after the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, after the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—And this, and so much more?” (99-103). The statement ‘And this, and so much more’ shows he’s wondering if life is accommodated with an afterlife. Also, when he says, ‘And would it have been worth it, after all,’ he’s wondering had he had a fulfilling life after all he’s done, if life has a purpose, has he given his life a purpose.
Molly Riegel
The idea of existentialism is spread throughout the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This idea is that our life is made up by the choices we make everyday. These two characters always seem to be asking questions and doubting themselves. This theme seems to connect to the poems we read in-class last week, and most commonly occurred in the poem by J. Alfred Prufrocks called, "The Love Song Of". Quotes such as, "would it have been worth while" and “..do I dare..” repeatedly occur throughout the play. This idea of fear and self doubt comes with everyday decision making. All the poems that we have read are starting to make sense. The decisions we are making right now such as keeping up in school and deciding which college we will be attending next year, have been really tough. It seems like a coincidence that we are reading these plays right now because at this point in time I feel like this idea has the most meaning.
"It is only as Guil and Ros act out the knowledge of their roles that their roles take on the significance of their insignificance"
Tom Stoppard
Ros and Guil are dead: Entitled to some direction
(pg. 32)
This quote from the essay says alot about the existensialist qualities of the play. Even though Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the main characters of this play we see, as they go about trying to do what they were summoned for, that they are useless characters in the bigger picture. This meshes well with the existensialist believe that live is so absurd that you have no choice but to keep on living it. As Ros and Guil search for why they are summoned and use the limited information they have the audience sees them shrink and become ultimately swallowed by the backdrop of the play (life), only to have the play continue on as if nothing has happened to our previously main characters.
I believe that the ongoing theme between both the play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern along with the poems are related to the conscience of a person's mind. In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, they constantly are asking each other about the "what if's" and what would happen if they had done something different. They question fate and what their final outcome would have been if they would have made a different decision. In "The love Poem," there are questions being asked such as "Do I Dare?" This demonstrates the mind debating whether or not something is right. This theme occurs over and over in the poems as well as in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
The second essay that we read regarding "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" had some very interesting ideas. One quote that captured my attention is:
"Birth, growth and death come to seem like the fantastic web of text that holds the actor stuck." (essay #2, 34) This quote calls to mind the existentialist belief that the only sure things in life are birth and death. I also thought, because of the reference to actors, that life is like a play, holding people stuck within it. The existentialist thought, that life is meaingless, also connects to the acting because plays can be seen as meaningless, just pure entertainment.
In Tom Stoppards play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, one of the main focuses is exostentialism. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock written by T.S. Elliot seems to make many references to exostentialism as well and give an insight into, and help better understand parts of R & G are Dead. Two part of Elliot's poem that stuck out to me. "That lift and drop a question on your plate;Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions..." line 30. This I feel reflects R&G's personalities and outlooks, they are always questioning different things, like why they are there to see the king. Right when I read it, I thought of R&G and it seemed to sum up a part of their personality. The second quote relates to exostentialism; "And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while,.." ln 99-100. This relates back to Hamlet as well and his "To be or not to be?" speech. R&G along with Hamlet are contemplating the outcome of life, and if living is worthwhile. This relates back to exostentialism because one of the principles is to live your life the way you want because the only thing you are sure of is that you are born and die. This quotes questions if their is a meaning to life or if it is meaningless, just as Hamlet does.
I thought that you could clearly see connections between the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and between the play R&G are dead.
The lines from the poem that i beleive have to do with the play are "But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen: Would it have been worth while If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say:
'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all.'" 105-110
In these lines you can see the resembalence of how R&G always question themselves and say something and then ask if that's waht they meant or they come up with a different meaning to the original statement, this is shown in the poem in the last lines that are after the original statement "'That is not it at all, That is not what I meant, at all." You can tell from those 5 lines in the poem that it represents the play R&G are dead.
"Till events have played themselves out. There's a logic at work-it's all done for you, don't worry"(40). This quote from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Entitled to Some Direction. talks about the idea of predestination and the only certainties are that the only beginning is birth adn the only ending is death. This is one of the many ideals from this modern play that support the idea that the play is in fact in support of the ideas of existentialism that Tom Stoppard meant with his play.
T.S Eliot's famous poem "The Hollow Men" strongly relates to the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and existentialism. For example, the last stanza of the play,
"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper" explains existentialism. It does that by stating that there is no purpose to life and it simply ends. It ends with a whimper that is not planned and almost unnoticed, but not with a big bang that symbolizes that life was planned. Ultimately, it relates to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because they are existentialists and believe life is not predetermined or planned.
In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, there is alot of questioning like "Do I dare eat a peach" and "how should I begin". I think this refers a bit to Guil and Ros how they are trying to find there own reasons for there existence and why they were sent for. They dont really seem to care somtimes about there existence, they get each other's naem mixed up and dont really ask why they were sent for. The poem is kind of like the beginnign of the question and answer game with "Shall I..." quotes throughout.
"Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass" This quote indirectly relates to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead just by the fact that both the play and the quote relate to existentialism. In the quote the author speaks about how the actions that we make are so small in the grand scheme of things. The only thing that our actions change is our own life, which is a compilation of so many previous actions. The unimaginable quantity of previous actions makes each succeeding choice seem even smaller and insignificant. The quote, in many ways like R and G are dead relates the smallness of our lives’ influence on the outside world.
Lines 45-48 of In the love song of J. Alfred Prufock reflect the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. The poem says, " Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse." This refers to existentialism in which the play is about. They discuss how what choices they make will effect them in the future. They could make a choice to do something, or a choice to not do anything, regardless it is still a choice that will change an outcome.
"the love song of" and R&G are similar in that they both speak of death. Also how life leads to one ultimate ending which is a persons destiny since birth"But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
'That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.' "105-110)
In R and G are dead, existentialism comes through in a lot of the text. "We have not been...picked out...simply to be abandoned...set loose to find our own way...we are entitled to some direction...I would have thought." (R and G Are Dead p. 36). This quote refers to the uncertainty of existentialism and the unpredictable elements that cannot and should not be controlled by us. From the other essay, "Till events have played themselves out. There's a lot of logic at work-it's all done for you, don't worry." (Lord Malquist and Mr. Moon, p. 41) .This part of the text is the opposite of existentialism. This can be just as useful in writing my essay because both ideas contribute to the distinction between a life based on fate and a life that is unplanned.
In the second essay called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard writes that his scripts for the play was "circumscribed by the impossibility of making Rose. and Guil. do anything that could not be contained within the framework of Shakespeare's plot," however, the "image serves very well to reinforce the point that degrees of freedom cannot be measured as if the angle had nothing to do with perspective." Although it seems that there is no means to how freedom could be measured, it is circumscribed by freedom of choice and death, because certainity death is a release from the burden of life. Relating this to Rose. and Guil., the not knowing why they were sent and who they were waiting, gave them a sense of freedom from worrying because once they will be through with this, they have got nothing to do with it anymore. However, at the very end of the play when they found out that Prince Hamlet are to be killed, they feel a sense of responsibility and restless.
To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous, Almost, at times, the Fool.
taking from the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, this quote describe the very esence of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They stated purpose that the character was created to serve to spy on the prince to advise the King of his actions, but the character are given life as philosphers by Tom Stoppard. The line "full of high sentence" describes the logic Guildenstern and attempted reason he uses when he approaches a situation and the "bit obtuse" better describes rosencrantz's approach to a situation. There basic purpose is presented here: there are unimportant and they get the shaft being "the Fool"
In the essay called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead I thought the quote "The act of waiting is a contradictory combination of doing something and doing nothing" This stuck with me because Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seemed like it was all about waiting: doing something and doing nothing. There is a lot of coin tossing, tinkering, and pondering done in between doing something insignificant in the book. The waiting also represents the insignificance of Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's lives.
Hmm ".....Rosencrantz and Guildenstern could be described as figures who act out their author's Angst about the human condition, but Stoppard is considerably less angst-ridden than Becket..." I feel this quote helps explain the sense that I got from Ros/Guild that is wasn't so much just an exploration of existentialism, but the author was exploring this himself, there was a major change in styles switching from shakespear's original play to Ros/Guild, like the author was intentionally exploring these ideas.
In the love song of J. Alfred Prufock, in about lines 45 through 49 show some idea of the play Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. "Do I dare
Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse."
I think this goes along with the idea of making decisions and how in Existencialism its not whether it is a right or wrong decision but where the decision will take you. In the poem they are tring to decide on wether they should make a decision, and if they do where will it take them. The idea of one decision makes others and so on. Where will the decision take you and what will it cause to happen. Will you take that risk or not.
I think that the lines 84-85 of the poem The Hollow Man reflect the main idea of Rosnecrantz and Guildenstern because these lines talk about having a predetermined future and how the two characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern realize at the end of the play that they actually had a choice to decide what they wanted to change in their future. Another line in this poem that reflects extisentialism is lines 20, 31, and 38 all of these lines express the need for change in the past and what was predetermined now explains how it is today. Each one of these lines also relate to the play because both characters express the understanding of making their own future.
"No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;Am an attendant lord, one that will do, To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at times, the Fool." These lines, taken from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, are pretty obviously about Rsoencrantz and Guildenstern. I think they really cut to the heart of what it means to be Ros and Guil, supporting players never meant to get the spotlight, only there to make the headliners look better. I think that this is one of the main problems they were struggling with throughout the entire play, trying to figure out what they were doing here and what set them apart from every other faceless person they encounter. Ros puts it well and the end of the play when he comments on their fate, wondering if they were we ever important enough to be marked out for the distinction of being part of a larger plot and as a part of that plot, to be put to death.
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