Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Tom Stoppard

Main CharactersRosencrantz: A bewildered courtier who relies on instinct and simple logic while struggling to understand the complex world and his lack of agency within it. Guildenstern: A more philosophical and anxious courtier who attempts to use deduction and reason to solve their existential plight, though he ultimately fails. The Player: The charismatic, cynical leader of a traveling troupe who represents the certainty of art and theater against the protagonists' uncertain reality.

First Performance: 1967, at The Old Vic (National Theatre), London

Enormous success; overnight sensation that made Stoppard famous and won the Evening Standard Award.