Rosencrantz: Did you ever think of yourself as actually dead, lying in a box with a lid on it?<p>Guildenstern: No.<p>Rosencrantz: Nor do I, really. It&#x27;s silly to be depressed by it. I mean, one thinks of it like being alive in a box. One keeps forgetting to take into account the fact that one is dead, which should make all the difference, shouldn&#x27;t it? I mean, you&#x27;d never <i>know</i> you were in a box, would you? It would be just like you were asleep in a box. Not that I&#x27;d like to sleep in a box, mind you. Not without any air. You&#x27;d wake up dead for a start, and then where would you be? In a box. That&#x27;s the bit I don&#x27;t like, frankly. That&#x27;s why I don&#x27;t think of it. Because you&#x27;d be helpless, wouldn&#x27;t you? Stuffed in a box like that. I mean, you&#x27;d be in there forever, even taking into account the fact that you&#x27;re dead. It isn&#x27;t a pleasant thought. Especially if you&#x27;re dead, really. Ask yourself, if I asked you straight off, &quot;I&#x27;m going to stuff you in this box. Now, would you rather be alive or dead?&quot; naturally, you&#x27;d prefer to be alive. Life in a box is better than no life at all, I expect. You&#x27;d have a chance, at least. You could lie there thinking, &quot;Well, at least I&#x27;m not dead. In a minute somebody is going to bang on the lid, and tell me to come out.&quot;<p>[bangs on lid]<p>Rosencrantz: &quot;Hey you! What&#x27;s your name? Come out of there!&quot;<p>Guildenstern: [long pause] I think I&#x27;m going to kill you.