In the Light of Absurdism : A Comparative Study of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to compare and contrast the similarities and differences of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot under the light of Absurd tradition. The paper explains the theatre of the Absurd and its elements. Beckett and Stoppard's distrust of language is shown in their distrust of words, using clichés and repetitions, silences, pauses and some other tactics. Furthermore, the two dramatists' use of verbal games and word-plays, in order to show their distrust of language as a tool of communication, is also explained in this paper .The existential theme and contents used in both plays are discussed. Themes such as: death, lack of individuality and lack of logic are compared and contrasted in both mentioned plays. Moreover, this paper also contains a comparative study of the structure of the two plays. Using Beckett as a starting point, some critics believe that Stoppard can be considered as an ending point in the process of evaluation of Absurdist theatre. The paper also anlyses the symbols which both the playwrights use(such as failing memory, confused identity. lake of desicion making skills) to describes the characters in their plays and thus also compares them with each other.