Fun with Language and Meaning
I watched the film version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead this evening, first time I’ve seen it in years. It’s a good movie; while it’s probably a better play, I haven’t seen it on the stage. Language play is a significant part of it, as the titular duo attempt to tease out their situation in ways that generally end up confusing them. I hadn’t realized before that they’ve been the subject of more plays (outside of Hamlet): there’s a W. S. Gilbert play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and there’s also a film called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, which I absolutely have to watch[1].
For whatever reason, watching it this time reminded me of the classic “Who’s on First” sketch, my favorite version of which is presented below:
| [1] | The plotline of that film reminds me of another of my favorite plays, I Am Hamlet, the 2002 Mark Jackson one-man play (and apparently not the same play as can be found at iamhamlet.com), which posits that (young) Hamlet’s ghost has been around for the last several hundred years, and is compelled to watch every production of Hamlet and read all the critical responses to the play. |