Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a tragic-comedy written by Tom Stoppard and is based on the amalgamation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Stoppard’s own version of the journey of two minor characters of Hamlet – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. One of the main characteristics of this story is that it is written under the framework of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and hence all the characters in this story are bound to undergo a certain series of events – their fate was “written” in 1600 when Shakespeare wrote the Hamlet. As a result of this framework, the theme of direction and fate becomes one of the most predominant themes in this story. The characters in this story have the same personality and the same fate as they did in Hamlet; as a result, the characters have limited personal freedom and no control of their lives. Perhaps the most freedom in this story was enjoyed by the main characters – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – themselves when they managed to get out of the action of the Hamlet storyline. Nonetheless, in these times, they often found themselves to be bored and confused. This relationship between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead revolves around the idea of free-will of the characters in the destined world of Shakespeare, hence allowing the readers to ask themselves: to what degree do fate and chance control our lives?

The theme of fate and direction is first introduced in the very first scene, where the continuous streak of “heads” in coin toss suggests that the law of probability has been suspended. When the coin is tossed in the first scene, it is noticed by both Guildenstern and Rosencrantz that it lands “heads” continuously over a hundred times. This phenomenon serves of little importance to Rosencrantz then enjoyment. But to Guildenstern, this phenomenon represents an indication that the world no longer works on the principle of probability but instead fate.

The idea of fate, introduced here in the first scene, is further enlarged in Act II, where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to determine the way from which they came to the castle at Denmark. In so doing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get into an argument when Guildenstern tries to use the position of the sun to figure out the direction of the wind. Rosencrantz, on the other hand, tries to persuade Guildenstern that there is no wind and he rather “go and have a look” (58) at the path they arrived from. Nonetheless, Guildenstern accuses Rosencrantz of being “pragmatic” instead of reasoning it out, hence furthering the debate. As seen in the film, the direction and blowing of the wind is a continuous trend throughout the story. In fact, the wind blows especially harder during important scenes. These factors, altogether, illustrate Stoppard’s use of wind as a metaphor to the course of actions and the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This can especially be seen towards the end of the story, where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are heading to England in a boat that is pushed by the wind. Guildenstern explains that when you are on the boat, “you don’t have to worry which way to go, or whether to go at all. One is free on a boat”( 100-101). This discussion helps enlarge the theme of fate, as Guildenstern, through his philosophies, explains that “you don’t have to worry which way to go”; the wind, which symbolizes fate, pushes the boat along and brings Rosencrantz and Guildenstern closer to their final destination – the inevitable death.

Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is written by Tom Stoppard, Shakespeare seems to be the key writer as he demonstrates greater control over the fates of the characters (due to the presence of a Shakespearean framework). Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do exist in the world outside the Shakespearean framework, the two characters are often seemed confused and irrational. In fact, as soon as any of the characters comes closer to the reality, they enter back into the destined world of Shakespeare. Though this world, both the characters unavoidably undergo the trail of events created by Shakespeare, with the final outcome being death. In this world of Shakespeare, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no control over the events and they simply “act out” what Shakespeare had written. This realization can be seen towards the end of the story, where Guildenstern states, “Where we went wrong was getting on a boat. We can move, of course, change direction, rattle about, but out movement is contained within a larger one that carries us along as inexorably as the wind and current…” (122). This idea can also be seen earlier in the story, where the player explains that death is “written” and that everyone who is marked for death dies.