Rosentcrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is a masterful representation of Tom Stoppard and his creativity. Absurdism is captured with bewildering subtext and provides a gateway for the mind to wonder and imagine of the complexity that is existence. It can be rape, rapiers, or both in this play; with both usually being the case. There is always this duality, each scene bearing comedic flavor while being loyal to the true dramatic nature of the Hamlet story, give or take a couple of verbal anachronisms. Although it takes place in a common era with adherent technology, tongue, and terrain, it does lack a proper reflection of reality. Do not go to this play to seek advice on how to cope with an uncle marrying your mother or an encounter with sexually confused actors. That being said, it is not simply Hamlet’s deranged nature that marks this play as unrealistic. Instead, it is the characters and their misfortune of being slaves to the absurdist nature. An example would be their almost frightening will to accept their own death even when it is pages away. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two witty individuals, yet at the same time are clueless to scene changes, where they are, what they are doing, and even their own names. Such an extremity is highly unlikely to the everyday man, but within the context of the play provides a good laugh. My second revelation in regards to this play is its clarity. The Bard himself knows that his own plays would entertain the intelligent as well as the nut-chewing underclass, and Stoppard didn’t stray far from it. Yet at the same time, Stoppard might exercise his extensive vocabulary and give Guildernstern the green light for a philosophical tangent or rant, in which the reader will frequently get lost. Unless the reader is willing to flip through the webster dictionary and/or click through it, do not “read” too far into it and take it for what it’s worth: a rant. Continuing on with this clarity, or lack thereof, it is important to understand that this play takes place entirely in the wings of the mother-play Hamlet, and when the scenes merge, it is easy to be confused by the suddenness of entrance and exit. If one has no prior knowledge of Hamlet, do not pick up this play for a read. It is imperative to have an education in Hamlet, otherwise the play is as confusing as the probability within it. Beyond the exaggeration of humanity and the portrayal of stretched minds, the play is truly funny even in text. The stage directions help one imagine and picture the scene at hand without giving too much that it distracts from the lines. Although the title is a dead give away for the protagonists, it is still exciting to watch their perspective unfold before them, and even more exciting to watch their reactions, and how the play itself reacts to them.