Which Shakespeare play features Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

The two courtiers are almost interchangeable; in one famous moment, even the king and queen thank them by mixing up their names. That sameness is part of the point: they’re pawns in a much bigger game.

Their role in Hamlet

1. Claudius, who murdered Hamlet’s father to become king, invites Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the Danish court to find out why Hamlet is acting strangely.
2. Hamlet quickly realizes they’re spying for the king and mocks them, famously comparing himself to a pipe they can’t “play upon.”
3. After Hamlet kills Polonius, Claudius sends him to England with the pair, carrying a secret letter ordering Hamlet’s execution.
4. Hamlet swaps the letter for one ordering their deaths instead.
5. Near the end, an ambassador announces: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.”

Hamlet at a glance

Stoppard’s famous play

In 1966, playwright Tom Stoppard wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a comedy that tells Hamlet’s story from the two minor characters’ point of view. Confused about why they’re there and what’s happening, they wander between scenes of Shakespeare’s play. Stoppard later directed a 1990 film version starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth.

Where the names come from

Both names were real Danish noble family names in Shakespeare’s time, and a Rosenkrantz and a Gyldenstierne reportedly visited England on a diplomatic mission in the 1590s.

For more classic literature, see who wrote Pride and Prejudice. Interested in British royalty on screen? Read about The Crown.