Thesis Statement: In Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the two characters’ lives are a journey in search of the meaning of their own existences. They come to realize that all lives are predetermined and that they are controlled by circumstances, by relationships, and by the inevitability of death.
Body Paragraph One (Paragraph Two of Five)
Topic Sentence: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern consistently find themselves in situations which they have no control over.
Proof One:
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are told by a messenger that there has been a “royal summons” and that the two must head off immediately.
- Without hesitation, they go, even though they are unsure of exactly where they are going, who has summoned them, and …show more content…
There was no decision making involved on the parts of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
(page 5)
Proof Two:
- When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are given the task of finding out what has been bothering Hamlet, they “want to go home”.
- Despite their lack of interest in being there, they are not able to take control of the situation and leave.
- They stay, and carry out the request.
(page 16)
Proof Three:
- When it is determined that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should take “Hamlet to England”, the two do not have any say in the matter.
- They do not question the request, and immediately find themselves on a boat, travelling to England.
(pages 47 and 51)
Body Paragraph Two (Paragraph Three of Five)
Topic Sentence: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a lack of control in determining who they form relationships with, and what those relationships entail.
Proof One:
- Regardless of where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go, they are always reunited with the Player.
- They do not like the Player, but are not able to end their relationship with him, and are constantly subjected to conversing with …show more content…
- The two possess no memory of this, and yet they continue to uphold their role as his friends.
(pages 15 and 56)
Proof Three:
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no memory of a relationship with Claudius, but when he summons them and asks them to determine what has been bothering Hamlet, they do not hesitate in obeying.
- When Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England, they agree to do so without question.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are fated to do as Claudius requests, and so have no control over their relationship with him – it serves only the purpose of realizing those requests.
(pages 14, 43, and 47)
Body Paragraph Three (Paragraph Four of Five)
Topic Sentence: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern share a fascination in death, and become increasingly aware of its inevitability as the play progresses.
Proof One:
- Rosencrantz begins to wonder what it would be like to be dead
- He brings up his the topic of death by asking Guildenstern if he ever thinks of himself “as actually dead, lying in a box with a lid on it”.
- Guildenstern, fearing the inevitability of death, says that “it is a terrible
Body Paragraph One (Paragraph Two of Five)
Topic Sentence: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern consistently find themselves in situations which they have no control over.
Proof One:
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are told by a messenger that there has been a “royal summons” and that the two must head off immediately.
- Without hesitation, they go, even though they are unsure of exactly where they are going, who has summoned them, and …show more content…
There was no decision making involved on the parts of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
(page 5)
Proof Two:
- When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are given the task of finding out what has been bothering Hamlet, they “want to go home”.
- Despite their lack of interest in being there, they are not able to take control of the situation and leave.
- They stay, and carry out the request.
(page 16)
Proof Three:
- When it is determined that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should take “Hamlet to England”, the two do not have any say in the matter.
- They do not question the request, and immediately find themselves on a boat, travelling to England.
(pages 47 and 51)
Body Paragraph Two (Paragraph Three of Five)
Topic Sentence: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a lack of control in determining who they form relationships with, and what those relationships entail.
Proof One:
- Regardless of where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go, they are always reunited with the Player.
- They do not like the Player, but are not able to end their relationship with him, and are constantly subjected to conversing with …show more content…
- The two possess no memory of this, and yet they continue to uphold their role as his friends.
(pages 15 and 56)
Proof Three:
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no memory of a relationship with Claudius, but when he summons them and asks them to determine what has been bothering Hamlet, they do not hesitate in obeying.
- When Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England, they agree to do so without question.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are fated to do as Claudius requests, and so have no control over their relationship with him – it serves only the purpose of realizing those requests.
(pages 14, 43, and 47)
Body Paragraph Three (Paragraph Four of Five)
Topic Sentence: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern share a fascination in death, and become increasingly aware of its inevitability as the play progresses.
Proof One:
- Rosencrantz begins to wonder what it would be like to be dead
- He brings up his the topic of death by asking Guildenstern if he ever thinks of himself “as actually dead, lying in a box with a lid on it”.
- Guildenstern, fearing the inevitability of death, says that “it is a terrible