Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

This play was written by Tom Stoppard and first performed in 1966. It is a piece of Absurd theatre, exploring existentialism and randomness of life, and nature of reality and the search for meaning in life. It focuses on two courtiers summoned by the king of Denmark to spy on Hamlet and deliver a message which is supposed to tell the king of England to execute Hamlet, but actually says that Guildenstern and Rosencrantz must be killed.

Themes

• Absurdity of Life- using the philosophy of existentialists like Albert Camus, suggesting life has no meaning or purpose. The struggle to find this purpose in the play show the chaos of human life.
• Fate/ Free will- the play questions whether Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have any control over their fate or if they are insignificant in a predetermined story. 
• Metatheatre and Reality- The play constantly draws attention to its own theatrical nature, blurring the boundaries between performance and reality often performed with practitioners such as Grotowski and Peter Brook in mind.
• Death and Existentialism- death is very prominent in the play, as the audience knows they will end up dying at the end.

Context

• The characters are directly derived from 'Hamlet' as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are courtiers summoned to spy on hamlet.
• The play is written in existential thought exploring the themes of free will, fate, and absurdity of life. The characters end up spending most of the play trying to find a sense of purpose, but after this is done, they are killed.
• The play also reflects Stoppard's interest in the involvement of the audience with interpreting the performance.
• The characters' dialogues often become repetitive and actions are meaningless highlighting the pointlessness to their existence.