Abstract
In this excerpt from 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead', the two minor characters turned protagonists are reunited with the player they encountered earlier and on whom they walked out as he and his companions were acting out a play form theme. There ensues a lament on the player's part, that might have been pathetic, were it not for the rather comical elements Stoppard has sneaked into it. Indeed, the play, despite its bleak title, (which is in itself rather paradoxical as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not die until the end of the play. It makes the reader feel that it is only a matter of pages before the two characters die.) is a witty comedy with a sort of absurd feel to it, yet still dealing with deeper issues, as can be seen in this passage in which Stoppard includes elements of reflection in the theatre and in life in general.
