Overview
Synopsis
Called “the greatest play of our age” by The Independent, Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia dances back and forth across the centuries, discussing time, truth, love, literature, heat, science, the differences between Classical and Romantic temperaments – and the disruptive influence of sex on all other things we know about life. Arcadia takes place in a single room on the Coverly estate in two separate times: the Regency period and the present. 1809 finds a household in transition, where an Arcadian English garden landscape is being uprooted to make way for picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with hermitage. Meanwhile, brilliant thirteen-year-old Lady Thomasina proposes a startling scientific theory that is only starting to be figured out more than 200 years later. In the present day, we find two competing scholars researching the world of the estate in the Regency Era. Hannah is intrigued by the identity of the hermit who inhabited the hermitage prescribed by the garden renovation, and Bernard has ideas about a bloody duel of passion that took place on the grounds, involving Lord Byron. What results is a play the New York Times called, “the perfect blend of brains and emotion, wit and heartache” in which everyone tries to puzzle over the meaning of the universe, and each, in his own way, is blindsided by the attraction that Newton left out of his equations.
Show Information
- Book
- Tom Stoppard
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1993
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- sidley park, derbyshire, england, 1809-1812 and 1989 ("the present day")
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- Mostly Male Cast, Includes Early Teen, Late Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Tom Stoppard originally titled his play, “Et in Arcadia ego,” which translates, “and in Arcadia I,” or “Even in Arcadia, there am I.” Arcadia means a utopian land. The phrase first appears in Poussin’s 1637 painting, The motto is commonly considered a memento mori, with the phrase being spoken by Death. The true meaning of the phrase, however, has been the subject of much academic discussion. You can start to learn more about the different glosses of the phrase, here:
to read the context for Arcadia and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The first scene of Arcadia opens on an estate in Derbyshire, England in April of 1809. Tutor Septimus Hodge is at lessons with his pupil, Thomasina Coverly, who is the thirteen-year-old daughter of the owner of the house, Lord Croom. The two sit at a large table at the center of a grand, but rather bare, room in the house, reading. Septimus is intent on a poem, recently written by Mr. Chater, an acquaintance who is also currently visiting the house; Thomasina is reading a
to read the plot for Arcadia and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Silent |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.
Videos
Quizzes
Sorry! We do not currently have quizzes for this guide.
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Quote Analysis
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Guide Written By:
