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 Why the Players are such Fascinating Characters


            There is an amazing variation in the perspective of the players experienced by the readers between Shakespeare's play Hamlet and Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. In Hamlet, the players appear to be insignificant and the reader does not question their outside lives or back stories. They are merely actors who pop in to do their jobs and then coast out of the scene when they are finished. In comparison, Stoppard creates entirely different viewpoints of the players, especially the head player, where they are bursting with personality. In Hamlet, the main player says only a few words outside of his lines in the play within the play, but in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, they contribute to the plot and motifs. They are humorous and risque. The players mess with the minds of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and are much more aware of their surroundings. While reading the prim and proper, Shakespearean play Hamlet, the reader is likely to only consider the behavior of upper class personalities living in the Elizabethan era, but there was a majority of people who did not have the fortune to dress in fancy clothes and avoid being approached by prostitute actors on the streets. Stoppard widens the scope peeking into the past and reveals, with comedy and wit, a new perspective of England in the Elizabethan era through the players.