The tragedies “Hamlet”, by William Shakespeare, and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”, by Tom Stoppard, are complementary works. Each addresses parallel topics, themes and apprehensions, revolving around completely different contexts, standards and cultures. Each text experiences the audience's indulgence towards the other, and both reveal the context in which they were produced. This article compares the plays "Hamlet" and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," details how the plays are related, and outlines the standards presented in each play with commentary and notes. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" meets the indulgence of readers of Shakespeare's “Hamlet” and reveals the context in which Stoppard composed his play. William Shakespeare's Hamlet, written in 1601, is a combination of assumptions and alterations, copied from classical Greek tragedies. These contexts are clearly reflected throughout the drama, in the themes, dialogues and values depicted, and include fate, destiny, death, luck and the natural chain of existence and religion. Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was written in 1964 and staged in 1966. The play was composed to challenge traditional theatre, the perspectives, morals and conventions of a society undergoing enormous changes contextually. Stoppard only takes from Shakespeare's plot to produce a unique drama work, because Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. At the same time, Stoppard explores the ideas that Shakespeare demonstrated in his original text as he mostly confines himself to the theme of Hamlet; death, direction in life, order in society and truth approach them in a very different way. Stoppard uses a play in another play to shade the line that delineates re...... the center of the paper.... ..by laymen.Language in the texts of plays also plays a vital role. Hamlet's language is to create meaning. It is a beautiful human achievement, and certainly Shakespeare's language has been prized throughout the ages as the pinnacle of linguistic talent. Conclusion Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead are very different texts. Both are very different in values, attitudes, language, environment and each challenges the understanding of the other. But they are still parallel texts, as they both encounter parallel issues, themes and concerns throughout their context. They also reflect to a large extent the context in which they are written. As a remake of Hamlet, Stoppard meets the morals and standards of the Renaissance era inspiring our reading of Hamlet by providing an opposing perspective and making viewers reflect on the assumptions made about them..
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