Question 4 of the Hamlet Socratic Seminar questions asks if Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are true friends of Hamlet? Even though Hamlet entrusted Rosencrantz and Guildestern with the duty of protecting his secret about his plot of revenge,since he thought he could trust the loyalty of his best friends, they still gave him up when questioned by the king. However the authority of the king may have been too much for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to handle. In everyday life we are entrusted daily with secrets from our friends. Loyalty and trust go along with keeping these secrets, however in a time of questioning by an extremely strong authority figure, a king in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's case, even the most true and loyal friend could be intimidated into revealing the truth.
We also tend to reveal friends' secrets to authority figures if we know they could be in danger or that they are in the wrong. However in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's case it was clear that the king wanted information in order to hinder Hamlet, not protect him. I would have called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern true friends of Hamlet if they revealed his secret in order to protect him. Personally if a friend of mine was in danger I would reveal anything in order to save them, however this is not the case with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They were well aware of Hamlet's intentions and the situation which drove his actions, or lack of. They knew that the king was highly suspected of killing Hamlet's father and they still revealed Hamlet's intentions.
Whether it be in loyalty of the king or in fear of the king they still are in a gray area when it comes to deciding if they are true friends of Hamlet. Revealing the secrets of a close friend could put anyone in the gray area of being a true friend. Yet I believe it all depends on the secret and the situation in which it is reveal to decided if that person was in the right or the wrong. If I had told a friend to keep a secret that could potentially put me in danger and they did NOT tell an authority figure I would question if they were true friends. It all depends on the situation, but in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's case they put there friend in danger by revealing his secret.
