... understanding, even--of Hamlet. The artificiality of the play is one of its major characteristics: we can never suspend our disbelief, because we know we are watching the story of minor characters from Shakespeare. At the same time, fate is a great force in the lives of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, despite--or because of--their cardboard quality. They have real fates, destinies, purposes ... desperately and futilely search for a purpose, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not in the same league, because their struggle is not a human struggle. It is the struggle of minor characters unable...

• Word Count: 3860
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School