Tom Stoppard creates a life off stage for the characters in Shakespeare's poplar play, Hamlet. It provided dramatic and comic effect through the story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet's childhood companions. In the setting of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, two different worlds exist. There is the onstage world of Hamlet, in which all the characters are involved in the plot of the play, and the offstage world of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The strange, empty world of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern provides these characters with little information and forces them to believe that nothing is happening in their lives. They come to realize that they exist within this story solely to provide their services to the needs of the story happening around them. They barely take part in this story, as the other characters are completely unaware of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's existence. Hamlet's characters seem to exist only within the play and have no other reason to believe that their world might not be real. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern finally appear in the show, they are uncomfortable and do not spend enough time on stage to gather enough information to understand this alternate life. None of the other characters show concern for the duo and do not seem interested in their lives once they leave the stage. However, they pique the Player's interest. It illustrates the ability to be able to move easily between the two worlds. He is the leader of the Tragedians and shows a sense of understanding towards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The Player seems to be the only character who can easily transition between worlds and who has an understanding of the... middle of paper... but of the game, even if death is determined, that fulfillment of life is quite for anyone. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not realize this throughout the play and are shocked to learn that this has portrayed them as insignificant. Through the Player, Stoppard creates a character capable of appreciating the uselessness of the absurd world in which he lives and discovering its meaning by creating it for himself. The Player's habit of blurring the lines between theater and reality by claiming not to distinguish the two is an assertion that the two require the same thing to be understood: suspension of disbelief. (2.81)Works CitedShakespeare, William. Literature "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark": an introduction to reading and writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print