Hamlet Lesson Plan

Pay attention to the way other characters interact with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and how they interact with one another. What does this tell you about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

At the beginning of scene 2, when the reader is introduced to the pair, Claudius addresses them as "Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern," and immediately after, Gertrude refers to them as "Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz." Right from the start, then, the audience is given the impression that the characters are interchangeable. Unlike fully formed characters such as Hamlet, Claudius, and Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to have no distinguishing characterstics. As an exercise,...