Hamlet The work that I wish to discuss is Tom Stoppard's play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" as a scholarly work in regards to William Shakespeare's Hamlet, which is included in Sven Birket's Literature: The Evolving Canon. I believe that the most important issues in the play are the "psychological issues" involved. How do two relatively unimportant characters in Shakespeare's play interpret what is going on around them? What is the audience's response? What role do the Players hold in each of the two works? As an authority on Shakespearean works, I would consider Stoppard's play to be very enriching in both the interpretation of Hamlet as well as the consideration of what ro