Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Page #7

going to kill him.

Well, he is a man, he is mortal.

Death comes too, so on extra.

And consequently he would have

died anyway, sooner or later.

And then again,

what is so terrible about death?

As Socrates so philosophically

put it, since we don't know what

death is, it is illogical to fear it.

It might be... very nice.

Or to look at it another way,

we are little men, we don't know

the ins and outs of the matter,

there are wheels within wheels, etc...

All in all, I think we'd be well

advised to leave well alone.

It's awful.

But it could have been worse.

I was beginning

to think it was.

Night.

Huh, all in the same boat then.

What do you make of it so far?

What's a happening?

Pirates.

Everyone on stage!

Hamlet!

Where's Hamlet?

Gone.

Gone where?

The pirates took him.

But they can't.

We're supposed to be...

we've got a letter which says...

the whole thing's pointless

without him, we need

Hamlet for our release!

I'll pretend to be...

You pretend to be him and...

I suppose we just go on.

Go where?

England.

England! I don't believe it!

Just a conspiracy

of cartographers you mean.

I mean I don't believe it and even

if it's true what do we say?

We say we've arrived!

Who are you?

We are Guildenstern

and Rosencrantz.

Which is which?

Well, I'm Guildenstern.

And then he's Rosencrantz. Exactly.

What does this have to do with me?

You turn up out of the blue

with some cock and bull story.

We have a letter!

A letter!

As England is Denmark's faithful

tributary as love between them

like the palm might flourish, etc.

That on the knowing of this contents,

without delay of any kind...

should those bearers Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern, put to

sudden death.

Not that letter.

Give him the other one.

I haven't got another one.

They've gone!

It's all over!

Where we went wrong?

Was getting on a boat.

They had it in for us didn't they?

Right from the beginning who'd have

thought that we were so important?

But why?

Was it all for this? Who are we

that so much should converge

on our little deaths?

You are Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern. That is enough.

No, it is not enough.

To be told so little to

such an end and still, finally,

to be denied an explanation.

In our experience,

almost everything ends in death.

Your experience! Actors!

You die a thousand casual deaths

and come back in a different hat.

But nobody gets up after death...

there's no applause only silence

and some secondhand

clothes, that's death!

If we have a destiny, then so

had he and this is ours,

then that was his

and if there are no explanations

for us, then let there

be none for him.

Oh, come, come gentlemen,

no flattery it was merely competent.

You see, it is the kind

you do believe in,

it's what is expected.

Deaths for all ages and occasions!

Deaths of king and princes

and nobodies...

That's it then, is it?

We've done nothing wrong.

We didn't harm anyone, did we?

I can't remember.

All right, then, I don't care.

I've had enough.

To tell you the truth,

I'm relieved.

There must have been

a moment at the beginning,

where we could have said no.

But somehow we missed it.

Well, we'll now better next time.

Till then.

The sight is dismal.

And our affairs from

England come too late.

The ears are senseless that should

give us hearing. To tell him his

commandment is fulfilled...

that Rosencratz

and Guildenstern are dead.

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