How has Shakespeare's "Hamlet" been Transformed by Tom Stoppard to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead?

The text "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" written by Tom Stoppard in the 1960s is a transformation of Shakespeare's canonical play "Hamlet". The plot, form, structure and themes have been altered to suit a modern context. Tom Stoppard raises contextual issues that Shakespeare was unable to raise because of the moral framework of the 1600's. These ideas include the existentialist view of life, the convention and radical theatre; sixteenth century theatre in comparison to Absurd …

…in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet. In Shakespeare's text, the men are presented as selfish and manipulative, driven by their own ambitions. Contrastingly, in R&G, they are portrayed as helpless pawns caught up in events and situations outside of their control. In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, our perception of Hamlet changes, it darkens and becomes more suspicious. We are more critical of "Hamlet", questioning its assumptions and reading it in a resistant way.