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Hamlet Metaatheatre Essay

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Metatheatre is best defined as a “play within a play,” having the ability to either show the unlikeliness of life in art, or prove the overall theatricality of life in art. This concept expresses the fine line between illusions and realities within a play. It presents absurd and improbable actions that allow the audience to realize the overall frame of the work. Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead makes use of this literary technique as he takes two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and creates a comedic play fusing together the plot of Hamlet with Stoppard’s take on the experiences of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Thus, he creates a the play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead within the framework of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Stoppard is limited in what he can and cannot do with his artistic choices and freedoms as a writer because he must ensure his plot and ideas fit within the overall plot of Hamlet, clearly illustrating the idea of metatheatricality. Along with Stoppard’s inclusion of Hamlet, he further develops the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, creating more comedic and interesting characters who are constantly confused with their role in the play.

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