Arcadia

by Tom Stoppard

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Arcadia Questions and Answers

Lord Byron’s poems “She Walks in Beauty” and “Darkness” are both quoted in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. Why do you think Stoppard chose to make Byron a central (though offstage) character in his play, and what do these poems in particular contribute to his vision? (Again, look at the introduction to the Romantic Era in the Norton Anthology, vol. 2.)

How is chaos theory a theme in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia?

Which characters view the universe in a Romantic way and which view it in a classical way in Arcadia?

In Arcadia, why are the children of Lord and Lady Croom (in both time-periods) named Coverly, and not Croom?

How does a 21st century reader understand Arcadia as a play that reveals life's realities?

What would be a good intertextual text for Arcadia by Stoppard?

In Arcadia, is Thomasina of the Enlightenment era or of the Romantic era?

Please give an analysis on the home in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

In Arcadia, how does characterisation effectively convey the main message to the audience?

Why did Tom Stoppard choose to make the character of Thomasina a young girl and not a young man? I'm curious if he is commenting on the female response to the idea that if the world is spinning towards entropy, than the only thing left to do is dance. Could a "Thomas" pull this off at the end of the play?

Who is Hermione in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia?

What is an intriguing mystery in Arcadia, and how is it resolved (if at all)?

How does Arcadia use scientific experiments to teach about life?

I have a prompt for my world LIT class: Find something, a line, object, allusion or error that allows you to make a connection between the past and present of the play. Decide what your choice allows us to see about a character, the nature of the pursuit of knowledge, the nature of sexuality, chaos VS order, the way knowledge is divided and organized, Arcadia's progress or attitudes toward death. I'm curious if any one has any thoughts on a good topic and potential expansion of that topic. Thanks.

Which characters from Arcadia view the universe in a Romantic way and which view it in a Classical way?

What are the main character changes, from Act I to II, for Septimus? I was wondering if in Act II Septimus feels somewhat trapped in the Croon Estate. The stage direction describes him carrying wine; and his language, to lady Croom in particular, seems to take on a colder tone. Thoughts? 

Lord Byron's poems "She walks in Beauty" and "Darkness" (vol. 2) are both in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. Why do you think Stoppard chose to make Byron a central (though off-stage) character in his play, and what do these poems in particular contribute to his vision? (Look to the Romantic era in the Norton Anthology, vol. 2.)

How does Tom Stoppard make us interested in Thomasina and Septimus in Arcadia?

What is the point/purpose of the juxtaposition of the two historical periods in "Arcadia"?