Monday, November 14, 2011
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern..... are dead?
When I was reading the character list at the beginning of Hamley, two names sounded oddly familiar: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern. I have never read Hamlet so I knew I didn't recognize them from their place of origin. So where else had I heard these names? I researched it and I found that they are the protagonists of their own play, Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Stoppard's play was created in the 1960's, so clearly much later than Shakespeare's rendition. The plot is actually really cool. It uses the viewpoint of these two minor characters that aren't present during all the action that goes on during Hamlet. One source describes it as "in the wings" of Shakespeare. It was also made into a movie in 1990. Yet another one for the list....
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I found this student made trailer for the movie. I think it looks pretty funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LspWt3HlODY
Those characters are very boring in my mind. I didn't think they really added much to the play, but I could be totally wrong in the Stoppard's play. It seemed as if they started off as close friends with Hamlet, but turned against him. They joined alliance with Cladious and if I were Hamlet, I'd be very upset with them.
I saw this movie on Netflix because Stoppard did the movie version and because I think we have to read the play later this year. Anyway it's awesome; the characters are hilarious. It's not all about Hamlet and they didn't team up with Cladious, but they end up in a bad situation in England just like in Hamlet the play. Actully it's basically it dosn't change anything in Hamlet th play but R&GareDead is great; it's one of the funniest, most orignial, weirdest movies I've ever seen. It's a weird-in-a-good-way kind of movie; it's based on Hamlet, but knowing the plot of Hamlet doens't give R&G are Dead away at all. I think Hamlet is just plain crazy, but it's open to interpretation; I think Hamlet's going nuts when he has his former best friends killed (in Shakesphere's play.) I don't want to ruin the movie for anybody but basically, as just a general thing, you feel really bad for R&G who are kind of fools and who sort of stumble their way through the entire play. Hamlet has no right to be upset with these poor guys, "They were sent for" and it wasn't by choice they ended up in England. Honestly, I might be prejudiced because I saw R&G are Dead before I read Hamlet, but I loved these guys in Hamlet; they're mostly nothing but honest and kind to Hamlet and the prince kind of flipps out on them and sends them off to their deaths which these poor guys had no way of anticipating.
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