STOPPARD DOES NOT SLIP ON PLAGIARISM

Dear Editor,

It is a fine skill indeed to write a play that, engages an audience, and upon repeated viewings, enlightens, educates and inspires also. In Tom Stoppards case (one of the audience members), he created his own intelligent literary construction with two borrowed names. Considering this, might I ask you to consider the term, ‘one mans trash is another’s treasure’? By this I am referring to Shakespeare’s characters: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Characters, which served a cursory duty in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but upon executing their nominal function, were disposed of. I’m sure there could be laws created to punish those who possess the power to physically reanimate the literally dead, but what of the literary dead? In the case of Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are dead, it seems commendation, not punishment ought to be a just dessert for Stoppard textual resuscitative abilities. If William Shakespeare was himself, ‘not dead’ I’m sure he would consider Stoppard’s text a creative complement and testament to Hamlet’s inspirational qualities. Let me pose this example: If the banana is used by one individual to educate others on the unique form and colour of its peel, why should there be concern if another individual finds the unused inner working and gives a new audience a different appreciation for the fruit?

Stoppard’s Play fleshes out the inner workings of Shakespeare’s limited characters and breathes new life into their humble personalities, wets their tongues with an innocent wit and places them at the helm of a near entirely different adventure. Robin Hood, a cardinal figure in the literary world, had many adventures with his merry men, not all were crafted from the same pen. The ominous figure of Dracula, appeared count(less) times in books other than Bram Stokers’ and I’m sure the varied tales of horror and lustful blood sucking would not be consider by many, plagiaristic.

If anything, Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are dead is a reinvention for Shakespeare lovers to applaud, not condemn.  Stoppard does not hide behind changed names to fool the audience of his plays origin or influence. No, instead he appeals to the humorist, the failed philosopher and the left wing voyeur and satisfies their literary appetites, by opening all the doors that were closed.

Plagiarism is an ugly thing…like a rotten banana. 

Yours hopefully originally,

D.L BURR.