<P> Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead , often referred to as just Rosencrantz and Guildenstern , is an absurdist , existentialist tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard , first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966 . The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare 's Hamlet , the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern . The action of Stoppard 's play takes place mainly `` in the wings '' of Shakespeare 's , with brief appearances of major characters from Hamlet who enact fragments of the original 's scenes . Between these episodes the two protagonists voice their confusion at the progress of events occurring onstage without them in Hamlet , of which they have no direct knowledge . </P>
when was rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead written
1966