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© Copyright 1998, Jim Loy
Rosenkranz And Gildenstern Are Dead is a surrealistic sequal to Shakespear's Hamlet. I think that there is an evil genius responsible for setting up Rosenkranz and Gildenstern. Superficially, Hamlet sets up these poor buffoons. And, Hamlet's uncle, the king, is also responsible. But, there is a godlike force/being who is leading them on to destruction. You see it in these two characters' reaction to the bizzare events of the story. A force greater than the play/movie itself is leading them to destruction. The evil villain is Shakespeare himself, who leads them to their deaths.
This observation is true of any work of fiction. The author is toying with the lives of his characters. As Kurt Vonnegut said, you have to be cruel to your characters. But, seldom do we see characters seem to have some curiosity about the godlike powers of the author. I think we see Rosenkranz and Gildenstern have such thoughts. That curiosity may be the main idea of the play/movie.