Quiz: Are You Rosencrantz or Guildenstern?

Are you always a courtier and never a Hamlet? Are you destined to play the fool, submitting ignorantly to your own destiny before being hung by pirates? We can’t all be heroes, and not all fools are alike! In honor of Shakespeare’s 450th birthday, take our quiz and see whether you’re a Rosencrantz or a Guildenstern:

1. It’s time for a vacation! What’s your preferred method of travel?
a. Car. I like to take my time and hang out with friends along the way.
b. Plane. I want to get there faster so the universe doesn’t have time to cause any more mayhem.

2. When spending time with friends, you prefer to:
a. Play games and act like the goofs you are.
b. Have serious discussions about your lives.

3. You’re getting pizza for dinner and one of your friends asks you to flip a coin to see whether you’ll get pepperoni (heads) or veggie (tails). What do you think you’ll end up ordering?
a. I’ve spun these coins before. Pepperoni, fo sho.
b. I’ve spun these coins before. Um. Uh. I guess—pepperoni, probably? But no. Not again. The last fifteen parties—it can’t be that again. Uh. Veggies.

(YouTube)

4. What are your feelings about Hamlet?
a. Something’s definitely wrong with that guy.
b. Let’s figure out what’s wrong with that guy.

5. Hamlet invites you to his birthday party. What do you bring him as a host gift?
a. Your latest invention.
b. A book. One of the Greek tragedies.

6. Your family’s going on a cruise vacation! What kind of on-board entertainment are you most excited about?
a. Oh my gosh, the dumbshow. Puppets and mimes and lights. Wheee!
b. I heard they’re doing a classic play.

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7. What did you do yesterday?
a. Dunno. I don’t remember.
b. I—was it—I could’ve sworn—no. Nothing. Nothing! How could that be?

8. What’s your name?
a. Rosencrantz.
b. Guildenstern.

9. Are you sure?
a. No?
b. Yes?

Tally up your scores!

Mostly As: You are Rosencrantz!

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Carefree and easily amused, you take life as it comes and refrain from looking too deeply into the meanings behind things. Because meaning is where everything starts to unravel. There’s never any one meaning for anything, never an exit that isn’t an entrance elsewhere. Take my meaning? Wait, are you sure you aren’t Guildenstern?

Mostly Bs: You are Guildenstern!

(YouTube)

You’re a philosopher at heart, constantly delving into the why and what of things. Your bullheaded approach may be a bit too much for the more sensitive souls around you, so it’s good to take stock once in a while and see how Guildenstern is keeping up. I mean Rosencrantz. What?

Who are you?