Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

The breaking of dramatic conventions and its effect on the audience in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead 12th Grade

Dramatic conventions in theatre play an important role in any production, and provide rules to ensure the best possible experience for the audience. Stoppard, as a member of the Absurdist movement, breaches these conventions in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

In his play, Tom Stoppard actively seeks out and attacks dramatic conventions to explore the impact of the loss of coherence and it's comical effect on the audience.In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, Stoppard uses the breaking of the fourth wall, one of the most important dramatic conventions, to attack Theatre. The fourth wall of Theatre is an imaginary wall used to separate the audience from the action on stage. As such, by breaking through this wall, the audience feels involved in the story of the play. “Ros leaps up and bellows at the audience Fire!”. In this quote, the absurdity of the play is ever present as Rosencrantz breaks the 4th wall of Theatre and directly addresses the audience. the audience is amused by the idea of being involved, included in the story, and it is thus more intrigued by the action on stage and more attentive.Additionally, Stoppard uses the occasional self-awareness of the characters as actors in a play to break conventions in...

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