Rachna Shah
Q&A Notes for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’s Independent Research
Jenny’s Q&A
1. Liana - How is Guildenstern’s attempt to kill the Player an act that’s considered “heroic”?
Heroes have a violent aspect associated with them, even when they slay dragons and beat up bad guys. In attempting to kill the Player, Guildenstern is mimicking what a hero would have done. However, this behavior is ultimately unnecessary as all Guildenstern needed to do was rip up the letter.
2. Ally - Your article discussed how because the Player always stays in character, his identity is wholly dependent on the audience. How does this impact his character? The Player is dependent on the audience, as without an audience, there is no actor. His …show more content…
Bowyer - The scientific references in R&G are incorporated for the audience to question the distortion of space and time.
2. How does the idea of ‘split consciousness’ fit into our discussion of fate versus free will? The idea of a split consciousness is more physical than philosophical. It’s about how R&G identify themselves and experience reality by processing the world around them. Free will versus fate is another part of the play.
3. Is the article lean more towards discussing identity rather than fate versus free will? The article was simply a psychoneurological view of R&G, attempting to explain how this plays a role in making the play absurdist. It didn’t cover fate versus free will, but rather psychoneurological processing. Mr. Bowyer - Tangentially, it does fit into the conversation of fate versus free will. Determinists say that if you can understand that your thoughts emerge from the physical realm of your brain, you could see your identity and thoughts as a pre-determined set of reactions to prior triggers. Even your original thoughts are not original because they were triggered. To think of an original thought, you would have had to think of that thought before you thought of it - which is
Q&A Notes for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’s Independent Research
Jenny’s Q&A
1. Liana - How is Guildenstern’s attempt to kill the Player an act that’s considered “heroic”?
Heroes have a violent aspect associated with them, even when they slay dragons and beat up bad guys. In attempting to kill the Player, Guildenstern is mimicking what a hero would have done. However, this behavior is ultimately unnecessary as all Guildenstern needed to do was rip up the letter.
2. Ally - Your article discussed how because the Player always stays in character, his identity is wholly dependent on the audience. How does this impact his character? The Player is dependent on the audience, as without an audience, there is no actor. His …show more content…
Bowyer - The scientific references in R&G are incorporated for the audience to question the distortion of space and time.
2. How does the idea of ‘split consciousness’ fit into our discussion of fate versus free will? The idea of a split consciousness is more physical than philosophical. It’s about how R&G identify themselves and experience reality by processing the world around them. Free will versus fate is another part of the play.
3. Is the article lean more towards discussing identity rather than fate versus free will? The article was simply a psychoneurological view of R&G, attempting to explain how this plays a role in making the play absurdist. It didn’t cover fate versus free will, but rather psychoneurological processing. Mr. Bowyer - Tangentially, it does fit into the conversation of fate versus free will. Determinists say that if you can understand that your thoughts emerge from the physical realm of your brain, you could see your identity and thoughts as a pre-determined set of reactions to prior triggers. Even your original thoughts are not original because they were triggered. To think of an original thought, you would have had to think of that thought before you thought of it - which is