Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Arguably the most powerful reoccurring symbol in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, coins signify many different concepts throughout the play. First and foremost, they symbolize absurdity. In the beginning of the play, every coin Guildenstern tosses lands on heads and defies the law of probability, which states that a coin should have “an even chance” of landing on heads or tails (8). The break in the law of probability cannot be explained by reason, and therefore coins are absurd elements within the play that come to represent the concept of absurdity as a whole.

Coins are also double-sided, which allows them to represent duality. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead features several dualities, such as the dichotomies between fate and chance, rationality and absurdity, acting and watching, intrigue and disgust, and sanity and insanity. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also have dual natures; Guildenstern fluctuates between being sensible and being emotive while Rosencrantz is both optimistic and anxious.

Finally, coins grant Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a sense of comfort. The protagonists use coins to play games that cheer them up and pass the time amidst the chaos surrounding them. Thus, they symbolize a reprieve from absurdity, though they are absurdities themselves.