Commentary on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead Essay

The famous fictional characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are always associated with confusion and stupidity. However, in the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, the protagonists are almost wise as they have great ideas during their epiphanies of understanding the world around them and when they talk about death.

Foremost, the protagonists show their wisdom when they randomly talk about an idea to understand their experiences. When Guildenstern tries to understand why the coin always lands on heads, he brings up great ideas in a structural format. Guildenstern says, One. Im willing itTwo. Time has stopped dead, and the single experience of one coin being spun once has been repeatedFoureach individual coin spun individually is as likely to come down heads as tailsno surprise each individual time it does. (Stoppard 6) The characters ideas and the way he structures them are both noteworthy as they show a complicated thought process, which is often neglected when thinking about the protagonists. Furthermore, Rosencrantzs epiphany about death is a great showcase of his wise thinking. He says, Do you ever think of yourself as actually dead, lying in a box with a lid on it?...Its silly to be depressed by it. I mean one thinks of it like being alive in a box, one keeps forgetting to take into account the fact that one is dead. (62) Even though he seems dumber of the two, Rosencrantz talks about how a persons usual scare of being confined in a coffin after death is pointless. This reflects on his ability to think deeply and proves that he is not just a confused follower, but an insightful discoverer at times as well. All in all, the characters in the play are almost wise at random times while trying to figure out the world around them.

In addition, the protagonists are surprisingly smart when the topic of death arises. They attack the Players acting methods by trying to prove the actors dying ineffective. Guildenstern says, youve got it all wrongyou cant act deathits not gasps and blood and falling about that isnt what makes it death. Its just a man failing to reappear, thats all (77) Guildenstern displays critical thinking as he argues with the Player that their acting is worthless as the only thing they act, death, is not even actable. Next, when the protagonists own lives are at stake, the reality of death sinks in and triggers another epiphany where great ideas about what death really is come out. Guildenstern says, Dying is not romantic, and death is not a gameDeath is not anythingIts the absence of presence, nothing moreendless time of never coming backa gap you cant see, and when the wind blows through it, it makes no sound (117) When their own lives are at risk, it makes the characters emotional and Guildenstern produces a great string of words to metaphorically describe death, completely proving his neglected wisdom. Therefore, when death is concerned, the characters sometimes display their wisdom through great arguments proving the reality of death.

To conclude with, through random epiphanies that help Rosencrantz and Guildenstern understand their surroundings as well as through conversations about death, the protagonists prove their wisdom.