Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

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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.

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