Abstract
As a postmodernist play, Arcadia appears to be a ‘melting-pot' of contrasting themes, ideas and theories resulting in an intellectual reflection on life in its diversity. In this sense, there is a clear attempt from the author to extract order from utter chaos. Nonetheless, the opposite movement is also noticeable: as the play evolves, the apparent rationality and order of its structure develops into confusion and disorder; chaos. Consequently, the relationship between chaos and order in Arcadia can be examined through the study of these two opposing movements throughout the play: chaos towards order on one hand, and, at the same time, order towards chaos on the other. Tom Stoppard makes use of the different theatrical devices available to portray this double correspondence, such as the structure of the play, its theatricality – through the use of props and staging decisions – and of course the plot itself with the themes highlighted through the characters' exchanges and actions.
The structure of the play is important, as Stoppard's choice of two separate but interacting plots is not innocuous: having to follow the constant leaps through time and understand which characters belong in the 19th century and which in the late 20th century gives a feeling of chaos and disorganisation to the play as a whole. The choice of using the same character to play Augustus in the 19th century and Gus in the 20th further reinforces the confusion of the spectator, as do the many links between the modern characters and their ancestors. Indeed, blood ties link Valentine, Chloë and Gus to the 19th century Coverly family; the house which is home to both sets of characters acts as a constant reminder of their family ties. Moreover, distinctive personality traits connect the characters from both time-periods together. For instance,
