"We must stir our way onward, mixing as we go. Disorder out of disorder into disorder until pink is complete, unchanging and unchangeable, and we are done with it forever." - Septimus Hodge
Even in Arcadia, there can be found death and pain. Chaos in paradise, or something reckoned near it. Tom Stoppard, the writer of the play Arcadia, has created a story that ties together wit with humor, satire, and romance. His story is told from two perspectives: one from present day and one from a time-gone-by in the early 1800's. In the modern scenes, a cocksure man named Bernard is trying to verify an idea of his that Lord Byron, of British history, killed a man named Ezra Chater. Followed by him is a woman named Hannah who is also seeking to uncover the history concerning one Septimus Hodge who was living at Sidley Park, the location for all of the play. Bernard's pursuit brought him to Sidley Park due to some letters he found which called for a duel to be fought. These two fight over what actually happened and much of the humor from the play comes from how often Bernard is contradicted by the reality that the historical characters convey. Also a member of the modern characters is a man named Valentine. He is a mathematician who is attempting to discover a mathematical order by observing grouse. He eventually uncovers the truth behind the calculus which is part of what sets the historical characters in motion. His sister's name was Chloe. She seems to be the spirit of the modern age in how she is so promiscuous. Another sibling of Valentine's is Gus. He's quiet, perhaps autistic, but some think he is genius. The historical cast starts with Thomasina Coverly, daughter of Lord and Lady Croom. She is a genius even at the age of 13. As the play goes on, she ages and, by the end, she is nearly 17. She starts with the idea that there is an order to everything and that with but enough education, one could predict the whole of the future. By the end of the play, she has concluded that everything is headed for chaos. He tutor, Septimus Hodge (the character I played) was a genius as well. Throughout the play, he demonstrates acts of witticism, promiscuity, genius, and intrigue. At the end of the play he has become utterly enthralled by what it is that Thomasina has discovered (the second law of thermodynamics). Sadly, when Thomasina has fallen in love with him and asks him to come with her to bed, his decision to not do so ends up killing her. Her mother, Lady Croom is one of Septimus' love interests as is the wife of Mr. Chater. Lady Croom presents the intellectual appeal of the time to Septimus, being of that breed and caliber of woman that set men off in those days. Mrs. Chater (who never made an appearance in this showing) seems to be just another sexual conquest for Septimus, which is, perhaps, a reflection of the ideas of his time seeing as how Mrs. Chater's husband is so easily swayed when Septimus calms him down by simple word play and trickery. As the story, itself, progresses, time and space become melded together as the two stories, of the 1800's and the present, are told at the same time. These two lines ultimately cross in the final scene when both generations realize what it is that they have been looking for and two couples come together with a waltz at the same time.
How does one interpret this play? There are a great many perspectives and many of them have validity. As I understand it, this play is a satire at life and all its toils. For the modern cast, none of their discoveries change what happened in the past. Bernard is a complete loss as he is stuck inside his own head. Valentine and Hannah, for all their success in discovering what has occurred, are ultimately subject to the reality that everything must end and did end for Thomasina who would have been famous for her equations and discoveries. Valentine took comfort in seeing order arising from chaos. Hannah found peace in understanding where the history came from. Septimus was given no time for comfort. Upon the realization that the world was doomed, he was awe-struck with no thought of what to do. It seemed as though the only light he had was Thomasina and her mind. Yet that was taken from him when she died because of a fire. Had he taken her to bed as she was wanting then she would have lived. The confliction of knowing that his one morally good decision doomed the young girl drove him insane. The Audience knows all of this, or understands the nuance that it presents and so when the final scene is presented they see the full masterpiece of Stoppard. This climax presents the culmination of all these ideas in dialogue and action. Septimus discovers what Thomasina has known all along by reading her essays and diagrams while, at the same time, Valentine discovers the very same thing from the very same diagrams. Yet Thomasina has no care for the math at this point, but only to waltz with the man she has fallen in love with. The same ends up happening as Hannah is asked to dance by Gus. The couples dance, each couple becoming as one person and then the couples walking on the same floor to the same song dancing in the same way. At that point, when the viewer knows Thomasina will die and Septimus will live as a hermit for the rest of his life because he did the decent thing and refused to go to bed with her, and as the present times mix with the past, it is at that point that the mixture of everything complete, unchanging and unchangeable and done. The play ends in a blackout with the couples dancing.
As I understand this play, it has a significant meaning which I could see my own life through. It is as much a throwback to Ecclesiastes as anything else. The wise man of Ecclesiastes sought pleasure in everything that he could but he saw that there was nothing which filled his heart. There was nothing that truly made his life a satisfying one out of all the things he did. He concluded that all of it is vanity and all that one could really try to do was to try to find some sort of joy in the toil that one has set to doing here on earth. Everything is passing away and comes to the same end whether the person is wise, like Thomasina or Septimus or foolish like Mr. Chater. So I look at my own life. I've had great moments of joy. I was happy and excited when the play was getting ready to show. I wasn't nervous, but more-so ready for what was going to occur and wanting to do it. It's funny how it takes one small crack to bring down such a high. My father said something that upset me and hurt me. What it is I won't repeat here and it's not as if it was such a vile thing that it can't be mentioned or makes him a terrible person, but it cut me down. The time between his comment and about half-way through the show was a time where my mind was half in the play and half dwelling on my anger. That night was painful because I made a decision that changed a relationship I had with a friend of mine. Within a few hours I had gone from butterflies in my stomach to a depression. When I back away from my life, though, I see that every day is like that. Every day has its highs and lows. Every thought has an ounce of emotion. Every experience leads me to the end of the day. Some days I am content with what I have done. Other days I lie on my bed and wonder why it is that I keep trying and keep going. This is all vanity of course. There is a civil impact with my actions and my feelings, but, in the words of Valentine, it is "trivial" in comparison to eternity; something that truly matters. It is there that there will be a satisfaction and a peace beyond all understanding. Will all of my question be answered? Will there be room for discovery? What we will be has not been revealed to us. For now, I am stuck here, in this world, living like I'm chasing the wind, and in a grey place between absolute white and absolute black. All is vanity. Except Christ...
Leave a comment