Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern engage in a conversation that is unintelligible to the audience until Hamlet remarks, “S’blood, there is something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find it out” (49). Guildenstern notices that the Tragedians are nearby. Hamlet tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that they must keep up appearances and asserts that Claudius and Gertrude are mistaken about his mental state. Hamlet believes himself to be mad only when the wind blows “north north-west”; he is far more lucid when it blows south (49). Polonius enters the scene to tell Hamlet that the Tragedians have arrived, but Hamlet proceeds to mock him.

After Polonius and Hamlet exit, Guildenstern confidently declares that he and Rosencrantz “made some headway” in deducing the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior. Rosencrantz disagrees. He says that Hamlet practically “murdered [them]” by asking 27 questions and evading all but three of their own questions (50). Rosencrantz despairingly insists that the two of them know nothing about Hamlet aside from his symptoms, which leaves Rosencrantz more confused than ever.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern remember Hamlet’s comments regarding the direction of the wind and attempt to determine which way is south.