Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead Essay
In this excerpt from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, the two characters discuss the horror of death; despite the fact that they are concentrating on a gruesome topic Stoppard finds a way to make the scene comical. Stoppard is regarded as a leading figure in plays deemed “serious comedies”, this excerpt is the epitome of a serious comedy - a funny play that discusses important topics. This decision contributes to the overall meaning of the play by lightening the mood and taking a humorous tone towards a grim topic to distract readers from the depressing nature of the meaning.
The entire excerpt is absurd and nonsensical, but what makes the entire situation hysterical is the fact the Rosencrantz is having deep existential thoughts, however, he does …show more content…
not recognize the intelligence. The entire paragraph in which he discusses the metaphor of the box, Rosencrantz touches on some deep ideas on the nature of life and death. “Not that I’d like to sleep in a box, mind you, not without any air - you’d wake up dead for a start and then where would you be? Apart from inside a box.” So no matter what a person chooses during their lifetime, it all ends the same way, an astute observation from Rosencrantz, however, it is all mixed together with nonsense - the reader has to weed out the profound thoughts. The ‘box’ Rosencrantz references could be interpreted as a coffin, the place our bodies are kept after we die. What makes the discussion of the box and the entire passage ironic is that throughout, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are discussing death and the horror of it. Yet, the reader knows Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s fate - they both die. This is an example dripping in dramatic irony.
Rosencrantz also repeats that he does not like to dwell on depressing thoughts. “That’s the bit I don’t like frankly. That’s why I don’t think of it…” An obvious solution, if one does not what to be sad one does not think of sad things, it is what we all do, right? It is similar to the Allegory of the Cave. We do not want to hear theories that contradict our own opinions. Additionally, Rosencrantz will have an intelligent thought and then he will follow it up with an absurd idea or explanation. “Ros: Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where’s it going to end?” He has missed the point of eternity, it does not end. This could be considered irony, he discusses eternity, a word which means infinite time, and then asks about the opposite. When is eternity going to end? It doesn’t end because it is eternity, it lasts forever. This statement is contradicting and ironic which adds to the humor in the passage.
While Rosencrantz is solving the mysteries of our world Guildenstern is in the back being an utter idiot, “Ros: (Banging the floor with his fists.) ‘Hey you, whatsyername!
Come out of there!’ Guil: (jumps up savagely) ‘You don’t have to flog it to death!’” As if the floor could get assaulted to death. Another foolish contribution Guildenstern adds, “Ros: We could remain silent until we’re green in the face, they wouldn’t come. Guil: Blue, red.” What is even going on in Guildenstern's head at this point, we could simply label him as a fool and the comic relief in the story. However, at the end of the excerpt Guildenstern has a profound observation, “Guil: Death followed by eternity … the worst of both worlds. It is a terrible thought.” A fleeting one as well, it seems. This is perhaps the most profound and intellectual insight Guildenstern has in the entire text. This statement is ironic because we, as human beings, associate death with an ending - the final ending. However, eternity is an endless amount of time. This statement is an oxymoron - a direct contradiction. Death then eternity could also be a biblical allusion. A reference to your physical body dying and then your soul living on in
heaven.
Tom Stoppard discusses human nature in this piece and to distract from the seriousness of the subject, he uses humor in all its levels. This is a creative strategy to use especially when discussing human flaws - people do not generally prefer to hear about their own faults.
The entire excerpt is absurd and nonsensical, but what makes the entire situation hysterical is the fact the Rosencrantz is having deep existential thoughts, however, he does …show more content…
not recognize the intelligence. The entire paragraph in which he discusses the metaphor of the box, Rosencrantz touches on some deep ideas on the nature of life and death. “Not that I’d like to sleep in a box, mind you, not without any air - you’d wake up dead for a start and then where would you be? Apart from inside a box.” So no matter what a person chooses during their lifetime, it all ends the same way, an astute observation from Rosencrantz, however, it is all mixed together with nonsense - the reader has to weed out the profound thoughts. The ‘box’ Rosencrantz references could be interpreted as a coffin, the place our bodies are kept after we die. What makes the discussion of the box and the entire passage ironic is that throughout, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are discussing death and the horror of it. Yet, the reader knows Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s fate - they both die. This is an example dripping in dramatic irony.
Rosencrantz also repeats that he does not like to dwell on depressing thoughts. “That’s the bit I don’t like frankly. That’s why I don’t think of it…” An obvious solution, if one does not what to be sad one does not think of sad things, it is what we all do, right? It is similar to the Allegory of the Cave. We do not want to hear theories that contradict our own opinions. Additionally, Rosencrantz will have an intelligent thought and then he will follow it up with an absurd idea or explanation. “Ros: Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where’s it going to end?” He has missed the point of eternity, it does not end. This could be considered irony, he discusses eternity, a word which means infinite time, and then asks about the opposite. When is eternity going to end? It doesn’t end because it is eternity, it lasts forever. This statement is contradicting and ironic which adds to the humor in the passage.
While Rosencrantz is solving the mysteries of our world Guildenstern is in the back being an utter idiot, “Ros: (Banging the floor with his fists.) ‘Hey you, whatsyername!
Come out of there!’ Guil: (jumps up savagely) ‘You don’t have to flog it to death!’” As if the floor could get assaulted to death. Another foolish contribution Guildenstern adds, “Ros: We could remain silent until we’re green in the face, they wouldn’t come. Guil: Blue, red.” What is even going on in Guildenstern's head at this point, we could simply label him as a fool and the comic relief in the story. However, at the end of the excerpt Guildenstern has a profound observation, “Guil: Death followed by eternity … the worst of both worlds. It is a terrible thought.” A fleeting one as well, it seems. This is perhaps the most profound and intellectual insight Guildenstern has in the entire text. This statement is ironic because we, as human beings, associate death with an ending - the final ending. However, eternity is an endless amount of time. This statement is an oxymoron - a direct contradiction. Death then eternity could also be a biblical allusion. A reference to your physical body dying and then your soul living on in
heaven.
Tom Stoppard discusses human nature in this piece and to distract from the seriousness of the subject, he uses humor in all its levels. This is a creative strategy to use especially when discussing human flaws - people do not generally prefer to hear about their own faults.