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Rosencrantz And Guildenstern And Religion

Decent Essays

The 1960’s were a time of exponential transformations in the political and social structure, procuring texts composed with the intention of enlightening audiences of the shift in values and recent events, and undercurrent emotions such as frustration and pessimism. J. Miller believes that due to the requirement of blind faith in words, the 1960’s society ultimately raised “political questions about the limits of freedom and cultural questions too about the authority of the past”. Kubrick’s 1964 satirical film Dr Strangelove reflects upon these questions, exploring notions of the frustration at the equivocal nature of authority, and the fear of the unknown. Additionally, Stoppard’s absurdist play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (1966) delves deeper …show more content…

Individuals questioning the foundations of society were “the minority, [but] numbers were still sufficient and beliefs strong and challenging”, as reflected in Stoppard’s 1966 comic tragedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Stoppard satirises religion to reflect the existentialism crisis plaguing the 1960’s society due to the loss of faith in traditional outlooks. A Biblical allusion is employed as the Lord’s Prayer- and hence the basis of Christianity, is ridiculed, asking to “give us this day our daily mask”. This parody marks the loss of blind faith and respect towards those requesting total credence. The conservative and the philosophical stances of the 1960’s are personified through the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, respectively. The audience is permitted an insight into the paradigms of the era, comparing conventional outlooks against the cynical musings of individuals regarding existentialism and fate in the face of impending death. Angela Carter believes that there is no “denying that toward the end of the decade everyday life ... took on the air of a continuous improvisation”. These sentiments are the basis of the 1960’s era, where “all [they] have to go on” are the formation and breakages of archetypes. Characteristics of the 1960’s also include the disgruntlement at the enigma of destiny, each aiming for a fate where “no boundaries have been defined, no inhibitions imposed.” The play allows the audience an insight to the tumultuous era in which individuals were left powerless to determine their own fates, particularly in the face of hollow words from the government whilst the media promoted potential death. Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (1966) reflects the importance of “words [being] all we have to go on” through adopting the absurdist theatre notion of the meaninglessness of the human condition. This is in response to

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