Tom Stoppard's play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, draws on two previous theatrical
works: Shakespeare's Hamlet and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Are Dead follows the "off-stage" exploits of two minor characters from Hamlet, Rosencrantz and
Guildenstem. While the two main characters in Stoppard's play occasionally make brief appearances in
"Hamlet," as scripted in Shakespeare's original tragedy, the majority of the play takes place in other
parts of the castle where Hamlet is set. While "off stage" in this way, the characters resemble the main
characters in the absurdist Waiting for Godot. As in Beckett's play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern pass
the time by impersonating other characters, engaging in word play, and remaining silent for long
periods of time. These same two characters were also featured in a parody of Hamlet, the short comic
play by W. S. Gilbert entitled Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Gilbert's play makes Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern into central characters and alters the storyline of Hamlet.
What is the author's purpose in this passage? (5 points)

To inform the reader about stage adaptations of Shakespeare's characters.
To convince the reader that Shakespeare's writing is out of date today.
To persuade the reader to explore more works by Shakespeare and others.
To question the reader about current understandings of Shakespeare's writing.