Rosencrantz & Guildenstern

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern

1. R + G are much more comforting to the King then they ever were to hamlet

   • 'Never alone/ did the King sigh but with a general groan'
     • No loyalty- only to person who can give them the most benefits(3.3)
   • 'We cannot get from him./ But where is he'
     • King and Rosencrantz finish each other's lines in broken iambic pentameter . This is a large contrast to the elaborate rehearsed performances in Act 1. Shakespeare is also showing us the closeness between the two characters - R is being trusted by the king- but is someone who is devious and self-centered enough to betray his won friend. Tells us the type of people they like to associate with and the type they are.

2. Hamlet dislikes their naievity and loyalty. Automatically making us distant from them. His and their association with the king makes the audience not get attached to the characters.

   • 'How can that be .. succession in Denmark
     • They cannot imagine any reason to be unhappy when he is promised position and power- much more vein outlook on life- undermines them as friends - but also royals and idea that money and power bring happiness.
   • 'Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe'
     • Interrogative- Shows how he is directly addressing loyalty to King and Queen- He is becoming more impatient- more desperate for action- annoyed at pretences.
   • 'that soaks up the kings countenance'
     • Metaphor of a sponge is a visual representation of R + G greed-constant need for more gain and how easily they can be emptied if the King chooses- 'you shall be dry again'
     • Friendship with R + G is clearly not a close one as when H tries to insult them using his sharp wit- they don't seem to understand. Such and intellectual gap suggests they are not close.

3. They are very alike and interchangeable and seem incapable of functioning independantly.

   • 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern' 'guildenstern and Rosencranz'
     • The King's mix up shows how interchangeable the two are- highlighting the duplicity in Claudius' court. Almost seen as deception personified. Even the names they share both have three syllables and the same syllabic emphasis.
   • 'On fortunes cap we are not the very button'
     • They seem out of their depth- and have no control over their own destiny or the events of the play- Their deaths are a result of a plot which they don't understand

4. TIMELINE

   • 2.2. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive in Elsinore and suck up to Claudius. He mixes up their names.
     • 2.2. After sucking up to Claudius, they meet up with Hamlet. He guesses what they're up to right away, and they admit they were sent fo by the King and Queen
       • 3.1. The duo reports back to the royals about what they've learned regarding Hamlet's madness: nothing.
         • 3.2. They try again to find out what's wrong with Hamlet, and he calls them out for being spies. They can't come up with anything to say in reply.
           • 4.2. Rosencrantz and Guildernstern try to get Hamlet to tell them where he hid Polonius' body. They fail again
             • 4.4. Hamlet philosophises about death on the way to England; Rosencrantz tells Hamlet to get a move on
               • 5.2. Hamlet announces that he arranged for Rosencrantz and Guildernstern to be killed. The dead people are all lying on the floor when, out of the blue, an English ambassador walks in and says, "Rosencrantz and Guildstern are dead."