In Act II of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern act as foils for Polonius, whom Hamlet has just dismissed, and Horatio.
Whereas Hamlet trusts Horatio as his only friend in the play, Hamlet resents the King's
spies Polonius and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern. As a result, he acts "crazy"
(antic and sarcastic) toward them, knowing they will report his odd behavior back to the
King.
Hamlet calls his two (former) friends Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern:
"These tedious old fools!" (as they
approach)
AND
"My
excellent good friends!" and "dear friends"
(sarcastically)
AND
"Good
lads" (again sarcastically)
Later, after the
play-within-the-play, Hamlet will call them "players," although he never uses the word,
per se:
Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing
you make of
me! You would play upon me; you would seem to
know
my stops; you would pluck out the heart of
my
mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note
to
the top of my compass: and there is much
music,
excellent voice, in this little organ; yet
cannot
you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I
am
easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me
what
instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet
you
cannot play upon
me.
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