December 9, 2003
Rosencrantz and Guidenstern are Dead is about the idea of fate versus free will
in relation to the play Hamlet. The title characters feel they are resigned to a certain fate, and no amount of free
will can result in avoidance of these predetermined events. Guildenstern expresses this idea when he says, "Our truancy is
defined by one fixed star, and our drift represents merely a slight change of angle to it: we are brought round full circle
to face again that single immutable fact." Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to know that their outcome will be a tragic
one and, although this causes them distress, they don't try to escape it.
Writer's Reflection: I wasn't very fond of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,
although I enjoyed Hamlet. I thought Hamlet contained some interesting issues and, although Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead also brought up some fascinating questions, the characters were so obnoxious, and the play was
so tedious to read, that I never became enthused in quite the same way. I believe that this journal is a good "quick essence"
extractor concerning the motivation and perspective of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern throughout the play.
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