Two seemingly minor characters in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare are the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the childhood friends of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. As Hamlet struggles with apparent madness, as well as his melancholic bouts, his uncle, King Claudius, summon the two characters to the castle for Hamlet’s benefit. While Claudius makes it appear that he merely wants Hamlet to be surrounded by his friends, he actually summons the two of them to act as spies for him. The two quickly try to ingratiate themselves with their old friend. Their courtly speech makes it apparent that they are not interested in being real friends to Hamlet, but merely in garnering the good graces of the prince. However, the most important reason for these characters to exist is because of what their actions and Hamlet’s response to their actions indicate about Hamlet’s mental status. Hamlet recognizes that they are not acting in his interest. This indicates that Hamlet is aware of more than many of his fellow characters realized.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are first in Act II, Scene 2. It is important to recognize that the characters do not appear to function independently in the play. Rather, they appear as one character, and are always referred to as ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.’ In the beginning of Act II, Scene 2, King Claudius welcomes them to the castle. They were summoned by Claudius to be of service to him and he does not hide this. He tells them, ‘ The need we have to use you did provoke / Our hasty sending. Something have you heard / Of Hamlet’s transformation’
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"Character Analysis of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet".
(II.ii). Claudius tells them from the beginning that they were summoned to be used. They do not object. They have no objection to being pawns for a royal court. Rosencrantz tells the king and the queen that they could have commanded them, as loyal subjects, rather than requested them. Guildenstern continues the thought for him. They do not think independently. Rather, they both consider only what will serve their mutual interests as a team of courtiers. They are loyal to each other and to achieving success in the royal court together. When Guildenstern speaks, he tells the king and the queen, ‘But we both obey, / And here give up ourselves, in the full bent / To lay our service freely at your feet, / To be commanded’ (II.ii). They are complete syncophants. They have no problem groveling at the feet of their sovereigns. They believe that this will help them to reach greater heights in the royal court. Those who could bow the lowest often could climb the highest. They have no problem in trying this method. Yet, they also make it appear that they are concerned about Hamlet. They state that they hope their visit will help him. If they were really interested in helping him, they would not spy in him.
They are not honorable characters. They are not mere courtiers, but previous friends of Hamlet. Hamlet grew up with them and one would expect that there would be loyalty to Hamlet as a result of this shared childhood. They experience none of this loyalty to him. Claudius was not even the king when they were children. While it is expected for subjects in a royal kingdom to transfer their loyalties to the new king, one would also expect them to have loyalty to their childhood playmate, the prince.
When they encounter Hamlet, they treat Hamlet in the same manner. They lie to Hamlet and tell him that they have come only to visit him. Hamlet told them that he would regard them as dear friends, not as his normal attendants. They repay this trust with lies and deceit. In reality, Hamlet is aware that they were sent for and they are meant to spy upon him. He recognizes the deceit that follows him in the halls of the court. He also realizes that he is being lied to by his friends. He asks them ‘Were you not sent for? Is it / your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come, / deal justly with me: come, come; nay, speak’ (II.ii). Hamlet is testing them. He wants to see if they will be honest with him. He asks them outright to ‘deal justly with me.’ The purpose of the characters is revealed here. They indicate that Hamlet knows that he is being followed and watched. This indicates an awareness that a mad person would not possess. Hamlet is not mad; he merely plays at mad.
In the ultimate aspect of treachery, Claudius use Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet to his death. He gives them a letter that asks for the execution of Hamlet. It is not known if they knew the contents of the letter. However, they carry the letter without questioning it. They are more loyal to the king then to their friend.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern function as one character. They finish each other’s comments and statements. They gladly answered a summons by the new king to spy on their childhood friend. They lie openly to Hamlet and do not hesitate to ingratiate themselves with anyone who outranks them. In this manner, the characters appear as conniving courtiers. While they are minor characters in the play, they actually play a major role in the work.
