Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Jumpers and The Real Thing

Very few modern plays have generated as much excitement in the theatre as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers and The Real Thing. Are they merely witty entertainments or do they demand consideration as serious works of dramatic art? The metatheatrical form of each of the plays is shown to reflect Stoppard's view that the human race has suffered an irreversible fall from grace. Part I analyses how philosophical themes are articulated through the travesty of clichd literary and theatrical forms. Part II evokes a sense of the dazzling comic experience created by the first performance of each play.