Arcadia

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Which force has more influence over social change: science or emotion? What is more central to a person's ability to connect with others: love or knowledge? Tom Stoppard (1937-) explores these questions and more in his two-act play Arcadia (1993). Alternating between two distinct time periods, Arcadia follows the intellectual discoveries of two young scholars who attempt to uncover the truth of the world around them. Both central female characters are academic geniuses; however, they prioritize science over love and reason over emotion, leaving them oblivious to love and sexuality. Stoppard's Arcadia explores themes such as emotion vs. reason and the mystery of the human heart. Arcadia by Tom Stoppard: Summary For all its whirling erudition and shifting time frames, Arcadia requires first and foremost a bravura display of intelligent acting in a variety of interwoven temperaments and styles." - Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle A scholar at a major university, Bernard Nightingale is more interested in proving his theory than actually discovering the truth. Bernard travels to Sidley Park, hoping to find evidence that Lord Byron killed the poet Chater in a duel. Before finding any solid evidence, Bernard goes on television to present his theory. He is ashamed when Hannah disproves his ideas. Chloe Coverly Stoppard's understanding (and clear presentation) of questions of science, art, history, and even gardening serve him well, but it is the richly drawn characters (and their bright, sharp dialogue) that makes Arcadia superb drama.

Arcadia is, on the surface, somewhere between a tragedy and a comedy. It involves some elements of classical tragedy – " noble" characters and the audience's foreknowledge of Thomasina's death – but the predominant element is comedy, in the way that the characters interact with each other and in their witty, epigrammatic dialogue. [6] Themes [ edit ] Brantley, Ben (18 March 2011). "Theater Review; The 180-Year Itch, Metaphysically Speaking". The New York Times . Retrieved 19 March 2011. In the modern sequences, the dialogue is more realistic. [6] But Bernard consciously assumes some stylisation of language: He rehearses his public lecture in heightened, flamboyant rhetoric; [17] and he unleashes a polemic against Valentine's scientific thought (describing the concept as no more than "performance art"), not from spite but for "recreation". [18] [19] Arcadia deserves a tip of the hat from every rationalist who has fumed at Hollywood's two-dimensional scientific noncharacters, such as the chaos theorist Ian Malcolm, who stumbles through Jurassic Park. The verbal virtuosity in Arcadia rests on a respectful, even sympathetic, examination of the way modern science looks at the world." - Tim Beardsley, Scientific American The 19th century. Septimus is tutoring Thomasina, this time in translating Latin. Again their focus diverts, this time to the destruction of the Alexandrian Library, which upsets Thomasina. She mourns the loss of the knowledge stored there, and Septimus responds that all that was lost will eventually turn up again. They are interrupted by Chater, who succeeds in challenging Septimus to a duel, having learned (from Lord Byron off-stage) that Septimus wrote the damning review of his work.Hari, Johann (22 May 2009). "Is Tom Stoppard's Arcadia the greatest play of our age?". The Independent. London . Retrieved 1 December 2010. Standing above them all, making the case for the entire genre [of 'plays of ideas'], is perhaps the greatest play of its time: Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. The confusion of who did what (and, in some cases, to whom) work to great comedic and dramatic effect. Sex remains the final mystery of Arcadia. Septimus, in the conclusion of the play, reveals the final sadness and emptiness of an academic life: "When we have found all the mysteries and lost all the meaning, we will be alone, on an empty shore." Septimus implies that the mysteries of mathematics will someday be solved. As if knowing his own fate, Septimus embraces and kisses Thomasina in earnest, finally indulging in the mystery of his attraction and love. Septimus will not go to Thomasina's room, although she asks him, but he is restrained for a reason that remains unknown. Septimus realizes the ultimately unfulfilling nature of academic progress but will only tragically experience the fulfilling nature of love for a brief moment in a waltz and kiss with Thomasina. In the same manner, Hannah Jarvis submits to a dance with Gus. She, like Septimus, has solved her mystery and now looks to Gus for fulfillment and new mysteries. The Path of Knowledge Eventually a waltz starts, and Septimus dances with Thomasina, revealing that their relationship is increasingly complicated by hints of romance. Gus (Valentine and Chloe's younger brother, who has been silent for the entire play) hands another of Thomasina's drawings to a surprised Hannah. It depicts Septimus and the tortoise, confirming her suspicion that the hermit, who had a tortoise called Plautus, was Septimus. After Thomasina's tragic death, he apparently became a hermit. Accepting her challenge to the laws of the universe as propounded by Newton, he worked for the rest of his life to apply "honest English algebra" to the question of the universe's future. The 2009 London revival prompted more critics to laud the play as "Stoppard's finest work". [51] Michael Billington wrote in The Guardian that the play "gets richer with each viewing. ... [T]here is poetry and passion behind the mathematics and metaphysics." [52] Johann Hari of The Independent speculated that Arcadia would be recognised "as the greatest play of its time". [53]

Thomasina Coverly: The 13-year-old (later 16-year-old) daughter of Lord and Lady Croom, Thomasina is a precocious genius. She comes to understand chaos theory and the second law of thermodynamics, before either is established in the mathematical and scientific communities. Stoppard "apparently based" [3] [4] the character on Lord Byron's daughter Ada Lovelace (Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace). She was an English mathematician who conceptualised how Charles Babbage's Analytical engine could be used, foreseeing the binary computer. [5] Only time will tell whether Arcadia is Mr. Stoppard's masterpiece, but it isn't premature to call it one of the key English-language plays of the postwar era, and even in a staging that is less than satisfactory, it makes a rich and affecting impression." - Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal The story itself is a poignant one, and an entertaining and amusing one as well, as Stoppard mixes elements again and again to reinforce his many points.

Arcadia (1993) - Key takeaways

Rose, Lloyd (20 December 1996). "Stoppard's Coolly Clever 'Arcadia' ". The Washington Post . Retrieved 23 June 2012. In 1809, Thomasina Coverly, the daughter of the house, is a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics, nature, and physics well ahead of her time. She studies with her tutor Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron (an unseen guest in the house). In the present, writer Hannah Jarvis and literature professor Bernard Nightingale converge on the house: she is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds; he is researching a mysterious chapter in the life of Byron. As their studies unfold – with the help of Valentine Coverly, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology – the truth about what happened in Thomasina's time is gradually revealed. Tony Nominations Announced; Book of Mormon Earns 14 Nominations". Playbill. 3 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011 . Retrieved 2 June 2011. A) splendid intellectual farrago (.....) As usual in a Stoppard play, the true star is Stoppard, and he has never burned brighter or more kindly." - William A. Henry III, Time Rush, David (2005). A Student Guide to Play Analysis. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-2609-9.