I don't know if anyone else noticed, but during one of his existentialist speculations, Guildenstern mentioned a short story about a Chinese philosopher that dreamed he was a butterfly, then was unsure that he wasn't actually a butterfly dreaming that he was a Chinese philosopher. I knew that I recognized that story from Mr. G's class in ninth grade. Actually I found it in my desk because I liked it so much that I kept it.....I'm lame. Anyway, the philosopher's name in Chuang Tzu (or that's one of the pronunciations). I've attached the story so y'all can all remember it too.
http://www.the-philosopher.co.uk/butter.htm
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Same exact thought process as you! I felt like I remembered the story too when I read it. I think it's pretty interesting the Guildenstern's references are so broad in culture and time. Guildenstern was clearly very knowledgeable yet he lacked the action to make his own choices. In a sense, Guildenstern hid behind his own knowledge.
Guil thinks too hard about things, it seems like. I like Ros the best. He just rolls with things, he might be a little less bright but he means well, he seems very innocent anyway. I love that part when they're on the boat and Guil tells him that maybe they cant escape their fate. Ros threatens to jump off the boat to "put a spoke" in the plan of fate then Guil reminds him that maybe the plan accounted for this already and he determines to stay on board to "put a spoke" in the plan. Guil thinks too much and Ros maybe thinks too little. I feel like the butterfly thing really fits Guil at any rate because it seems like he's strugging with the nature of reality and his own identity. Maybe he's just a supporting character in play (Hamlet) beyond his control or maybe he's a butterfly dreaming he was Guil (I bet that would compeltly mess with the highly spectulative Guil.) Either way, R&G clearly arent completly aware of the action in Hamlet, they only seem to know what they're told about it, the reality of the play kind of escapes them. Guil also seems to worry about reality more than Ros.
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