Exploring the Themes of Knowledge and Time in Stoppard's 'Arcadia'

Arcadia, a play written by Tom Stoppard, is overwhelmed with futuristic thoughts and ideas that create intricate conflicts between characters. The leading difficulty is how the audience is forced to attempt to understand them. They have to try to grasp ideas from an array of subjects toggled between two time periods. Throughout all of the chaos of the play, it comes together to form a common theme that is explicitly stated: “the unpredictable and the predetermined unfold together to make everything the way it is”. To understand better the main theme of Arcadia this essay seeks to dive deeper into hidden meanings and ideas that Tom Stoppard was trying to trans trough the play. 

Displayed through the paths of characters, the play emphasizes the imperative process of the search for answers and the mere conclusions themselves. Arcadia highlights the extreme value of the struggle towards revelations, while their may be no end to the search. There are three prime examples presented who work in their respective fields in an attempt to generate a discovery. Bernard is stuck on uncovering the hidden reason behind the unanticipated departure of Lord Byron to England, while Valentine is more intrigued by the formulation of an equation of the increase of grouse population. While they are busy with their quests, Hannah attempts to expose the mysterious identity of the recluse in Sidley Park. The three characters declare their own works’ relevance while discrediting their associates. Although Hannah believes she is degrading her accomplice, she is actually creating a truth that applies to them all. “It's all trivial – your grouse, my hermit, Bernard's Byron. Comparing what we're looking for misses the point. It's wanting to know that makes us matter. Otherwise we're going out the way we came in”. Hannah’s statement is extremely impactful to the overall meaning of the play. It acts on the idea already in place that we must focus on the overall image; the challenges faced to reach the end goal are of much more importance. She feels different from the rest in that she wants to continue pushing to find truths while never getting a distinct answer. All of these characters, although seeking different answers, utilize the same courses of action. Therefore, they are hindering themselves by attempting to belittle one another. A main component of human purpose is to continue pursuing new concepts without definitive answers.

This innovative play goes on to elaborate on the idea that there can not be one single clear cut answer while there can be infinitely many legitimate ones. Assigned to each person is their own ideas. This creates billions of ideas that can not be constricted to a particular conclusion. It is shown throughout the play that this general law applies to all different subjects due to the differences of opinion. One of the leading debates occurs between the ideals of Romanticism and those of the Enlightenment. The hostility is at its peak when the group passionately discuses Bernards focus of Lord Byron. Bernard praises the the nature of the past leaders, while Valentine is more glued on scientific advancement. As the ideas of each strong mind begin to pile on, debate drastically heats up. This leads to a realization amongst Valentine; The heated exchange Escalades dramatically, until Valentine, realizing the complex fatality, States aside to Chloe, “He’s not against penicillin, and he knows I'm not against poetry” (Morrison 78). After this new realization among a stubborn mind, the tension begins to fade, however it is still present. Arcadia strongly argues that all opinions matter and not one can have more importance over another. Everyone has their own belief formed by the their own perceptions, and their opinions are correct to them. However, even if the idea applies to a greater portion of the opinions, it does not make it the proper ideology. While the disagreements between Romanticism and the Enlightenment are the main conflict, there are many side disputes. These include differences of determinism and Free Will, the 19th to 20th century, and between Newtonian physics and Chaos Theory. Because all of these topics are from an array of subjects, the idea that their is no definitive answer can be demonstrated in many aspects.

So how much we live our lives and if no answers are completely correct and cannot even be found? Arcadia hence it even if answers you don't matter, the process of attempting to find them is of immense importance. At the end of the play, characters from both centuries occupy the stage and interact in directly upon her and discuss the destiny of the universe. They realize that according to the second law of Thermodynamics, that Universe inextricably will grow cold, stop all movement, and a cease to exist. Septimus remarks quote when we have found all the mysterious and lost all meaning, we will be alone, on an empty Shore. Yet to which Thomasina replies, then we will dance. Thomasina's Blythe response to the all the stolen statements of the others regarding the ending of the universe explains the theme well: if the universe is to grow cold, and if we are all to die eventually, we might as well Dance Now. The end does not matter; it is how we make use of what has been given to us here and now that is significant. At the very end of the play, characters from both century is dance joyously in the face of unanswered questions, uncertainty, and death. The exuberant waltzes Celebrate life in the process of discovery, which ultimately are more significant than the prospect of death and the discoveries themselves.

Tom stoppard's play Arcadia takes the audience on a torturous journey ultimately to arrive at the theme sitting the answers do not matter - only the wanting to discover in the process of finding out count. Thus, and are not as important as a route to get there. Through everything for certain, and that we might as well accept it and continue nevertheless to find them.