Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

Some critics have suggested that the dazzling intellectual display in

Stoppard’s plays comes at the expense of genuine emotional engagement.

We are amused, intrigued, even educated but we do not feel any real

sympathy for his characters. How far do you find this true of Arcadia?

The first thing we notice about this play is its intellectual

brilliance. The characters are amusing and we are interested in how

they relate to each other. As the play goes on, however, we do not

find it easy to care about most of Stoppard’s characters. In order to

assess whether the critics are making a fair judgement of the play, it

is necessary to explore in more depth how a writer creates sympathy

for his characters and to analyse the extent to which Stoppard has

done this in Arcadia.

When the audience is emotionally involved with characters they react

in a particular way. The audience would feel for the characters,

caring what happens to them during the course of the play. Also the

audience would identify with each main character and understand their

motives and reactions during the play.

In Arcadia Thomasina makes us feel sympathetic because she is innocent

and vulnerable. Thomasina, during the play’s opening conversation,

says to Septimus, ‘if you do not teach me the true meaning of things,

who will?’ This makes her seem innocent because she does not know

about sex and the world and also it makes her seem as if she is alone

in the world. The audience feels compassionate towards her as a

result. Thomasina gains our sympathy because innocent and exposed

individuals make us feel protective. However, none of the other

characters seem to need looking after and therefore we do not feel

sorry for ...

... middle of paper ...

...lever use of shifting time frames

which interact and overlap. The past and the present do not remain

separate but seem to connect, which is one of the possibilities raised

by chaos theory.

In conclusion I agree with the critics who suggest that Stoppard’s

plays are more remarkable for their ‘dazzling, intellectual display’

rather than ‘any genuine emotional’ involvement. The audience’s

pleasure derives from having their minds teased, execised and

stimulated. They are likely to leave the theatre discussing ideas

rather than feelings. However, without the characters’ individuality

the play would not be able to convey these ideas effectively to the

audience, so I do not think that the intellectual display is achieved

at the expense of genuine emotional involvement. Instead, it gives the

ideas their rightful place in the play: as the most important element.