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Elizabeth Perez
Dr. Holt
A.P. Literature/ 3rd
29 February 2016
Patrons and Performers Are Important
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom
Stoppard, the Player is a character with completely different motives. In Hamlet, the player is
just a performer. His only reason for being there is so he can perform a play for the king. This
play does help the plot move along, but is not the biggest part of the overall play. In Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern Are Dead, the Player is a very important character that is a performer and a
patron. Whether one is a performer or a patron, they are both rather valuable parts to any story.
They each come with different job descriptions but both cross paths with one another. Patrons
and performers are important in plays and in life.
Patrons and performers are important roles to any story. According to the Player in
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, for some of us it is performance, for others,
patronage, (Stoppard 23). In the theatre, there are performers or actors on stage, and patrons or
audience members who come to watch the show. These two terms can also be applied to life. The
performers could be leaders, actors, or people who just want to live life to the fullest and do
things out in the world. The patrons could be followers, audience members, or people who want
to stand by and enjoy life or go and support other people living their lives. In Hamlet and
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the roles of patrons and performers are clearly
represented in different ways by the Player.

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In Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the Player represents a performer and
a patron with a lot of power. The Player, who is clearly an actor, gives plenty of insight into the
world of acting. He also gives insight though, on life as well. The Player represents an almost allknowing character as he keeps the story moving along. While he is certainly not the direct star of
the show, he seems to be like a director or puppet master as his character is portrayed in the play.
He directs or controls the actions of the story and seems to know what comes next. He has
agency, while some other characters do not. There is a point where Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
say to the Player that, we dont know whats going on, or what to do with ourselves. We dont
know how to act, (59). The Player responds by saying, Act natural. You know why youre here
at least, (59). This exchange helps to demonstrate that while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
know why they doing what they are doing, they dont exactly know how to do it. One of a
directors or puppet masters jobs is to guide and give direction as to how the actors or puppets
should move. The Player clearly gives direction to these two characters and this helps the story to
keep moving along. In this certain case, the Player is being a performer as he is being a leader.
When the play goes to focus on Rosencrantz and Guildensterns interactions with other
characters and the rest of their journey where the Player is not present, he is a patron. He is at
these points a patron because he supports Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and helps them with
information he gives when he is a performer.
In Hamlet, the Player is more so a performer with very little power. His only job in
Hamlet is to perform a play that Hamlet himself asks for. The play he performs does help the
story move along and is important, but not as important as other parts of the actual play. The
Player is a minor character in this work, and isnt really featured that much. When Hamlet talks
to the Player and his fellow actors, Hamlet is being a patron as he asked for the actors to

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perform, but he asserts his authority and shows his power as he directs the Player on how to
perform the piece. Hamlet specifies that, Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to
you Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand thus, but use all gently, for in the very
torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of passion, you must acquire and beget a
temperance that may give it smoothness, (Shakespeare 3.2.1-7). He directs them on how to say
exactly how he wants the words of the play said and also expresses how he doesnt want the
players to use their hands a lot as they need to have a smooth temperament to them. The Player is
following what Hamlet is telling him, but still remains a performer who puts on the play and
leads his fellow actors.
In life, there are patrons and performers. There are the literal versions with audience
members, artists, sponsors of artists, etc. There are also the hidden meaning versions with
leaders, followers, etc. People everyday are out in the world living, while some are just enjoying
life and supporting others. Everyone in his or her lifetime will be both a patron and a performer.
When a child is growing up, they could be a patron as they are learning from others on how to
act and live in this world. When the child grows up into an adult and starts to live their life doing
whatever they do, this is where they could be a performer.
The Player is a patron and a performer. He offers a lot of insight on life and helps to keep
the story moving along. He helps others when needed and watches them learn and grow. He can
direct and also perform a show. He is an actor by trade, but a performer and a patron at heart. The
Player is a leader and a follower. He lives his life and supports others. People and characters,
especially the Player, represent what it means to be a patron and a performer.

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Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, and Robert S. Miola. Hamlet: Text of the Play, the Actors' Gallery,
Contexts, Criticism, Afterlives, Resources. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.