"Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead" is centred around the two ill-fated Lords and minor characters from William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' who are friends of the Prince, focusing on their actions while the events of 'Hamlet' occur as background. The play is structured as the inverse of 'Hamlet'; the title characters are the leads, not minor players, and Hamlet himself has only a small part. The duo appears on stage here when they are off-stage in Shakespeare's play, with the exception of a few short scenes in which the dramatic events of both plays coincide.