Read the excerpt from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. ROS I want to go home. GUIL Don’t let them confuse you. ROS I’m out of my step here— GUIL We’ll soon be home and high—dry and home—I’ll— ROS It’s all over my depth— GUIL —I’ll hie you home and— ROS —out of my head— GUIL —dry you high and— ROS ( cracking, high ) —over my step over my head body!—I tell you it’s all stopping to a death, it’s boding to a depth, stepping to a head, it’s all heading to a dead stop— GUIL ( the nursemaid ) There! . . . and we’ll soon be home and dry . . . and high and dry. What is the effect of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz’s conflicting perspectives about their conversation with the king and queen?
Answer
A
It suggests that Guildenstern knows the king and queen better.
B
It foreshadows a conflict between the two characters.
C
It makes Guildenstern seem the stronger of the two.
D
It shows that they are uncomfortable with what they are asked to do.
Explanation
Rosencrantz’s repeated efforts to say he is “out of” his depth and head show that he feels confused and overwhelmed. Guildenstern tries to reassure him with “we’ll soon be home and dry,” but his repeated, jumbled phrases don’t resolve Rosencrantz’s distress. Their contrasting reactions suggest discomfort with the situation and what they have been asked to do, rather than showing that Guildenstern knows the king and queen better.
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