Did Claudius have a relationship with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern before this? People longing to see each other usually KNOW each other. They’re usually friends or collaborators, or maybe celebrities. I long to see my friends who live far away. I long to see my boyfriend when it’s been too much time. And I have, I confess, once longed to meet a rockstar, too.
It’s highly probable and possible that Claudius is being hyperbolic and political here in his longing to see his stepson’s friends, as if they had value in and of themselves, apart from their access to Hamlet – but it’s a fun thought experiment to connect up Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with Claudius before this moment. What if he were Uncle Claudius to them? What if, when they came to visit little Hamlet, Uncle Claudius would bring them in to his study and give them candy and secret lessons – maybe play pretend games – like “Secret Spy” and “Detective.”
