Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

The Fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Tom Stoppard tells the story of Hamlet through the eyes of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two seemingly insignificant characters who are unable to accomplish anything asked of them. At the end of Act III, as Guildenstern stands waiting execution, he states, “There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said – no.” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern never had a chance to …

…these men know are the ones Stoppard wants them to know. They are told they grew up with Hamlet and are expected to believe it. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had no control over the events in this play. They only knew what they were told and Stoppard had the ultimate control. The fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was sealed along with their actions and nothing that they were able to do could have changed their deaths.