Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (play) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (play) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, A Tragic Episode, in Three Tabloids is a short comic play by W. S. Gilbert, a parody of "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. The main characters in Gilbert's play are King Claudius and Queen Gertrude of Denmark, their son Prince Hamlet, the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Ophelia. Gilbert's play first appeared in "Fun" magazine in 1874 after having been rejected for production by several theatre companies. The first performance of the work was not until June 1891, a benefit matinée at the Vaudeville Theatre in London. The play finally ran at the Court
BBC Television Shakespeare characters' "time in the forest appear[ing] to be more an upscale camping expedition rather than exile." The "Prefaces to Shakespeare" episode for "As You Like It" was presented by Janet Suzman, who had played Rosalind in a 1967 RSC production directed by George Rylands. The "Shakespeare in Perspective" episode was presented by novelist Brigid Brophy. Cast Director Herbert Wise felt that "Julius Caesar" should be set in the Elizabethan era, but as per the emphasis on realism, he instead set it in a Roman "milieu". Wise argued that the play "is not really a Roman play. It's an Elizabethan play