The Passage of Time in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia

this essay examines how the presentation of time in Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia contributes to how Stoppard brings together the themes of the play, and provides its central plot-line. First of all, Stoppard employs juxtaposition to convey one of the major themes in the play: the conflict of emotion and intellect. Moreover, Stoppard’s use of two timelines enables Stoppard to explore the historical progression of knowledge, therefore addressing the theme of wisdom and knowledge. Lastly, time manifests itself in the discussion of sex in the play; it has the same effect as sex – it links characters from two generations together due to their shared desire for discovery.

Time; quantum physics; literature; history; knowledge; love

Junyi Zhou. The Passage of Time in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. 2019 International Conference on Advances in Literature, Arts and Communication (ALAC 2019). 2019, Vol.1: 5-7. https://doi.org/10.35532/JAHS.V1.002