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Oxymorons
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Pathos
Explanation and Analysis—Somehow We Missed It:
With its wordplay and snappy dialogue, much of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead tries to keep the tears at bay. But as the play hurtles towards its tragic end, it cultivates a sense of tenderness even if does not bring out the tissues. Upon reopening the letter to the English king, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves set for beheading. Their reactions—Rosencrantz’s questions and Guildenstern’s frantic resistance—invite the reader to feel sympathy on their behalf.
This moment is particularly emotional, and partly because of the way in which Stoppard ties together the fateful narrative forces. The “wheels set in motion” are at last bringing the play to its inevitable destination. The characters’ abstract meditations about existence are realer than they could have possibly imagined, now that the forces of fate are swiftly drawing in around them.
But the theatrical climax showcases helplessness at its height—neither Guildenstern nor Rosencrantz can do anything about their fates. More than that, they must die for no apparent reason. Rosencrantz cries out that they have “done nothing wrong.” Guildenstern meanwhile rails against being “denied an explanation” for their executions, protesting the arbitrary cruelty of the universe. The devastating truth, though, is that there is no cosmic explanation. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz have done nothing to deserve the fate they were assigned, even if their greatest flaw was to simply dawdle through the play. This mix of frustration and earnestness delivers the work’s strongest suggestions of pity.
In Hamlet, the Danish prince reflects upon the impossibility of treating every individual according to his “just deserts” and concludes that most are undeserving of the life they are given. With Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Stoppard confirms just that. By dramatizing the two characters’ absence of agency, the work closes with a sense of pathos that raises deeper questions about free will and fate.
Related Themes:
