The historical context of uncertainty, tumultuous change and profound ecclesiastical presence is embodied within protagonist, Hamlet. His conflict between what he wants and what his religion will allow conveys the Elizabethan attitude of religious questioning. Following the conventions of revenge tragedy and Shakespearean theatre, Hamlet is a tragic hero, whose suffering and struggle results from his tragic flaw; procrastination. This gives meaning to the Elizabethan audience and supplies them with a sense of justification. However, at the time of Tom Stoppard's transformation, ecclesiastical presence had deteriorated and was replaced by ideas of existentialism. The atrocities of World War II gave rise to the existential movement and its associated ideas; all of which are deeply enrooted within Stoppard's play. The 1960s also shifted focus from the `high and mighty' to the `common man'. This is evident in Stoppard's transformation of character: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are no longer seen to...