The purpose of satire is to highlight human flaws in a humorous way in order to educate and possibly change humanity. A parody is a literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic styles of an author or work to comedic or ridiculous effect. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a satirical play that parodies Hamlet, especially in terms of death, a common theme in both. These two plays have different views on death represented by the protagonists of each: Hamlet or Rosencrantz & Guildenstern. Hamlet is a tragedy with comedic elements within it. It's about a prince who seeks revenge for his father's murder, but ultimately dies. Throughout the play, Hamlet is in constant conflict in his mind. He doesn't know what to believe or how to act. He ponders whether he should kill himself or not. Plan the best way to get his revenge. Hamlet revolves around death. Hamlet takes a serious attitude towards death. In Hamlet there is some dark humor about death. For example, Yorick is used in the scene, and it is implied that Polarius is "not where he eats but where he is eaten". Hamlet uses dark humor to lighten the mood regarding death. It's a terrible topic for him and one that makes him sad, so joking about it makes it easier to accept. Hamlet has free will, so he feels he has some control over his death and the deaths of others. He almost chose to take his own life while contemplating suicide. He chose to take the life of his uncle-father Claudius after his father's ghost told him that Claudius was his murderer. Hamlet believes that death meets certain standards; he sees it as serious. Because of this, he takes his revenge seriously, plotting when the best time is to kill Cl...... middle of paper ....... Hamlet works hard to bring Claudio to his end. He has motivation and takes control of his own destiny. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, on the other hand, take a carefree attitude towards death. They believe that fate will accomplish what it wants, so there is no point in trying to change it. They accept death and don't worry about it. After all, they're already dead in a sense, so physically dying is no big deal. Both plays make audiences think about what they believe about death and how they live their lives. Everyone is likely to have their own different view of death after reading or watching these plays. This is what these playwrights wanted. Plays make us look at our lives and how we live them. Are we happy with it? Will we take charge of our lives and be productive members of society? Or we will waste our lives and be mere existences?