For me, I think they aren't good friends and are just looking for brownie points from Claudius. Ms. Whitley pointed out a section in class where one of the two said that if hamlet does not tell them why he is acting crazy, they will leave. That being said goes to show they don't really care about Hamlet. If they really cared, they would of went about finding out why he's acting that way in a friendlier way and wouldn't press the subject, giving him time to open up to them. If Claudius would of never called them, they probably would of never came to check on Hamlet. They seem to have taken the opportunity from Claudius to have some sort of vacation and to have the title of being the "kings little helpers". (They seem more like royal booty kissers to me.)
These events stood out to me the most because Guildenstern and Rosencrantz aren't showing loyalty to Hamlet at all. If you really cared about your friend, you wouldn't scheme behind their back with their stepparent, which these despise. They represent the opposite of what friends should do, especially when that friend is dealing with the death of a loved one.
Also, I think they are there for us as the audience to further sympathize with Hamlet. The more people hurt him, the less annoyed we are with him. We stop being annoyed about his slowness in killing Claudius and instead sympathize with his misfortune.
These are text messages from Guildenstern and Rosencrantz (they share a phone because iPhones are expensive) to hamlet and Claudius. See where their loyalty lies? Shame, shame SHAMEEE!!!
(Btw the top pictures say "let's just all stab ____) 
I feel as though they had good intentions in the beginning. They were actually concerned when they first got there and acted just like how boys would act. Later on in the story though, I believe that they are not good friends anymore. As you said, they are "royal booty kissers". You finally see that after a while they turned on Hamlet to join the Kings side. They are soooo not loyal....well to Hamlet at least.
ReplyDeleteI believe that they are true friends of Hamlet. Yes, they were initially called to be spies for Claudius, but I think when they finally saw Hamlet it was just like old times. All three joked around when they greeted each other for the first time in a long time, which is a clear sign of friendship. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz were both at a lost for words when Hamlet asked why they were there because when your loyalty is with your friend but you must obey the king, things do get difficult. It's hard to accuse them of being bad friends because I feel as though after questioning Hamlet about his feelings and getting no where, I too would want to just leave him alone. I think they're good friends, but at the end of the day they must be loyal to Claudius. It's just a sticky situation.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog Mariah! I do not know if it's just me but I feel like Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are not good friends to Hamlet. A good friend would NEVER spy on their friend to report things back to the person's parents. A true friend would not need to be sent for . If they were his true friends I do believe that they would have come to Denmark without being asked to . They should have come because they were genuinely concerned about their friend's state of mind.
ReplyDeleteNow I am not saying that they do not care because they do. They confess to him that they are sent for by the King and Queen when Hamlet asks them. That shows that they do at least care about him. But ....
Hamlet's true friend ...through thick and thin is Horatio who is there no matter what. Horatio is there even until death and he wishes Hamlet peace in death when he says "Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince; and flights of angels sing thee to they rest" (V.ii).
It proves that fact that some people are around for season and that some people aren't meant to be in our lives permanently. I have not read Hamlet, but I agree that if they were his real friends they would wait for him to open up. Than again by telling his parents, they could have been trying to bring more awareness to the situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that they may have been his friends in the beginning, but like everyone else they did become power hungry. I feel as though they lost their way by following Claudius's orders and that's what sealed their fate. I think we can learn from them though because it shows you to stay loyal to your friends because you can never predict the future, and just like Hamlet was the one who had them killed, he could have been their saving grace. You never know.
ReplyDeleteI strongly do believe that Hamlet's friends should not have taken orders from Claudius. Yes, currently he is the king of Denmark, but if they would have known what Claudius had done to the late King Hamlet would they have taken orders? True friends would not snoop around and try to grab information from others just to please someone else. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are not true friends to Hamlet. They only show concern to his well being only to give the information they got from Hamlet back to Claudius. If they were really Hamlet's friends, they would have asked him why he is acting the way he is without the orders of Claudius and not force him for his reasoning. It is like keeping a friends secret. As long as the secret does not harm that person, it should not be repeated.
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