Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Author:

Tom Stoppard, or T-Stopz, if you prefer. Fun fact from Wikipedia (so whip this one out at your own discretion): " "Stoppardian" became a term describing works using wit and comedy while addressing philosophical concepts " (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Stoppard#Themes)

Plot:

- R and G are on stage in an undeveloped, vague, void-like setting. They flip coins which come up "Heads" without fail every time, which troubles Guil who continues betting on "Tails." He questions the law of probability.
-The two can not remember why they are there, but only know they were summoned by a (mysterious) messenger to travel this way.
-The acting group comes by, offers themselves as prostitutes, then start to leave after rejection. Guil and the Player bet on a coin toss, which actually turns out "Tails" and the players repay the bet with a play.
-Suddenly R and G are absorbed into the play of Hamlet, where Claudius assigns them their task of figuring out why Hamlet is so stressed out.
-The two play word games which yield no progress and they meet with Hamlet and it's just confusing for everyone; they can't figure out exactly why Hamlet is so strange or if it's true madness.
-Play-ception happens.
-Hamlet kills Polonius and R and G are assigned to take him to England.
-R and G realize that the King's letter says to execute Hamlet, but they decide not to change the course they are already on. In the night, Hamlet swaps the letter for one ordering R and G's execution.
-The actors jump out of barrels and pirates attack.
-Guil reads the new letter and in his desperation stabs the Player, who "dies" but then gets back up because the knife was just a stage prop.
-The two realize their deaths are coming and Rosencrantz exits, emotional. Guildenstern talks about how there should have been another option / a time to say "No" and avoid it all. He fades out, dying.
-The play ends with the Hamlet cast all dead while Horatio delivers a closing speech.

Characters

Rosencrantz: The more relaxed of the two. He would rather calmly seek a solution to their problems than philosophize and reason endlessly like Guil does. He reacts to the situation with indifference but to death with emotion and fear.

Guildenstern: A know-it-all type. He reacts to the situation with frustration and fear, but to death with indifference (just a little regret). He overthinks and therefore makes no real progress.

The Player: He's very mysterious and implies that he understands the situation R and G are in. The Player represents low-culture, foiling R and G. (He interprets entertainment as simply sex and violence)

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. You know.

Stoppard's Style

Stoppard uses extensive stage directions, which allow the play to read well like a novel (kind of). Often the little commentary can add a burst of humor as it complements or contradicts the dialogue around it.

Symbols

coins = failure of logic, rules, balance
England = heaven, afterlife
boat = life. just life.
the letter = opportunity to change your fate

Theme 

One must take control of their own life, rather than allow others to make decisions for them. Failure to take charge and responsibility for one's own choices is self destructive and yields a meaningless existence.

Quotes

"There must have been a moment... at the beginning... where we could have said, No"
(Illustrates that they should have seized the opportunity to change course.)

“Rosencrantz: Shouldn't we be doing something--constructive?
Guildenstern: What did you have in mind? ... A short, blunt human pyramid...?”  
(The desire to make their own progress, and the mocking of that notion.)

Rationale

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern fail to take control of their own life when they continue on their way to England, knowing their undeserved deaths await there. That's clearly self-destructive. Ros and Guil also look to the Player for answers and guidance (DIRECTION), but just going with the flow of the play lends them no understanding of why things are happening. They never obtain adequate answers or direction this way, but would be better off simply arriving to their own conclusion and creating their own rules as they do in word-games.