Comparing William Shakespeares Hamlet with Tom Stoppards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Essay Example

?It is without question that William Shakespeare's universally famous play, "Hamlet", has been analyzed and considered by researchers and scholars alike to a point of near exhaustion over the past several hundred years. Part of the reason for why this particular play continues to command such a level of relevance and interest is with regards to the fact that it represents one of the most eloquently written and philosophically challenging plays that was ever before penned. Almost invariably, the focus that is been placed upon “Hamlet” has been concentric upon the way that the play itself can be compared to itself (Lewis 149). What is meant by this is that few comparisons or analyses have ever been conducted with respect to the way in which Hamlet is comparable to another play within its own era, or within a subsequent era. With this understanding in mind, the express focus of this brief analysis will be with regards to comparing William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”. Rather than merely coming to the delineation that these two plays are from different eras and represent a specific and unique take upon the realities that define life, it is the hope of this author that the forthcoming analysis will be beneficial in helping the reader to understand specific dynamics of these plays, specific approaches of the authors, and a specific level of understanding with regards to the comparison and contrast that will be delineated. The very first element of comparison and contrast that should be made between these two plays is with regards to the differential in approach of norms and mores that define society, religious belief, and/or reality itself. For instance, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” presents the reader with something of a unanimous and ordered society, uniform in its slot, religious beliefs, ideology, and business transactions (Javed 329). The hierarchy that is represented within the play is of course denoted with regards to the manner in which Hamlet acts as the ultimate freeman; able to define his own fate and that of his countrymen upon a whim. Moreover, religious belief is something that is uniform throughout Shakespeare’s play; with Hamlet and others oftentimes representing and unshaken belief that an afterlife and the purpose of the current life can be defined through a very strict Judeo-Christian norm. By means of comparison, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is much more asymmetrical its approach. As such, a lack of religious faith, a destruction in the belief or understanding that social norms are acceptable and efficient in their application, and the integration of the fact that a vast level of irrational and ideological thought impacts the way in which decisions are made and humans interact with one another is evidenced at nearly every juncture (Lewis 611). By means of contrast of the simplistic understanding of religion and social order exhibited in Hamlet, the social order and religious conviction that are exhibited in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is far different. Ultimately, an erosion of conviction, a lack of faith, a plurality of society, and the belief that diversity rather than uniformity is the greatest means of empowerment. With regards to style and form, it can also be noted that “Hamlet” is a classical drama; referencing a discernible shape, beginning, midpoint, and in. As such, as a result of the fact that the preceding elements of the plot demand a level of conclusion, the reader is left to understand that action is required within the conclusion as a means of rectifying this tension. However, by means of comparison, the irrationality and the loss of sense of control that “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” exhibits and denotes an underlying lack of confidence with regards to the way in which the plot will be resolved. Further, a unique level of differential also exists with regards to the representation of man in both place (Nejad 59). Whereas men are represented within “Hamlet” as dynamic masters of their own fate, able to take on the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and bend the world to the own needs, the men of “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead” are effete; unable to impact upon fate and ultimately powerless. Moreover, as compared to “Hamlet”, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” impresses the reader with an understanding that suffering is needless, brutal, and dehumanizing. By means of contrast, in Skakespeare’s “Hamlet”, the reader is introduced to the understanding that suffering and hardship are necessary as a means of purifying the soul and testing the spiritual resolve/mettle of the individual in question. A further differential is with regards to the way in which Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is focused upon the end result and not the action itself that leads to the end. By means of contrast “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is quite the antithesis of this and approaches each and every course of action based upon the process itself; without an ends based interpretation of morality and ethics in mind. Likewise, with respect to the style of both plays, it can definitively be stated that Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” can be effectively understood as theater of illusion; with the audience losing sight of the fact that they are in fact observing a contrived play upon a stage. However, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is quite opposite from this with the levity of the characters being such that they even proceed into the audience and include them as part of the play itself; making this style indicative of the theater of realism (Liang 101). Likewise, Hamlet assumes that the ruled is ruled by rationality and that a divine level of oversight must somehow direct the fates. By means of contrast, Stoppard represents within “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” a world that is nihilistic; governed by capricious whims and without any reason or overarching mandate for goodness and fairness. As such, a fundamental disjuncture between the two plays can be understood with regards to the level of realism that they portray and an overarching appreciation/understanding for the way in which occurrences and events take place in life. A final differential that will be discussed is with regards to the way in which “Hamlet” exhibits a structured and very definitive approach to the evolution of the plot and action that is entailed therein. This meticulous attention to the way in which structure and detail help to define the play and further the realism within it are represented throughout Shakespear’s works. By means of contrast, and unstructured, disjointed, and schizoid level of approach is utilized by Stoppard in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”. This of course helps to set the mood of the play but also makes it quite difficult to follow as compared to “Hamlet”. From the information that is thus far been analyzed, it can be definitively noted that a key differential exists with regards to the representation of “Hamlet” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”. These differentials are almost entirely predicated upon the culture, norms, morality, religiosity, and spirits of the respective eras in which they were written. Rather than denoting that one particular play is more effective, better, or perhaps more nuanced than another, the reader should instead interpret the fact that the respective influences of the time, as well as the approach that the respective authors sought to utilize was differentiated as a direct result of many different factors. The postmodern approach that Stoppard takes as compared to Shakespeare, rather than being a fundamental flaw, is something that helps to make the comparison and contrast between these two works of literature more stark and unique. Works Cited Hooti, Noorbakhsh, and Samaneh Shooshtarian. "A Postmodernist Reading Of Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead." Studies In Literature & Language 2.1 (2011): 147-162. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. Javed, Tabassum. "Perfect Idealism In Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet." Dialogue (1819-6462) 8.3 (2013): 327-333. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. Lewis, Rhodri. "Hamlet, Metaphor, And Memory." Studies In Philology 109.5 (2012): 609-641. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. Nejad, Ali Poordaryaie, Mostafa Mirzaei, and Mohammad Bagher Shabani. "Manifestation Of Derridian Differance In Shakespeare's Hamlet." Canadian Social Science 8.2 (2012): 58-62. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. Liang, Fei. "Metadrama And Themes In Stoppard's Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead." Canadian Social Science 3.3 (2007): 99-105. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. Read More