Burning Out in Tom Stoppards Arcadia :: Stoppard Arcadia Essays

Burning out in Tom Stoppards ArcadiaHumanity has no intention of fading away, besides rather has designed, by its nature, a flash before death, a burning at the stake out, if you will. Inherent in the human character is a desire to excite until the curio, whether it be physic every(prenominal)y, or intellectu anyy. In Arcadia, Septimus describes life as a prosodion march, telling Thomasina, The procession is very long and life is very short. We glide by on the march (Stoppard 38). But as we die, we dont simply allow ourselves to break away into the distance. We push our muscles to the limit, breathing harder and harder until we fall. The people of this earth do not bind the uncomplicated universal pattern of slowly giving up impetuous for cold. Despite human understanding of this pattern, and the ultimate fate of ending up cold even after the flash, our noise, as Valentine calls it, love and sex and another(prenominal) various distractions, affects our life equation, and makes Thomasinas death in a fire all too appropriate. As Hannah and Valentine discuss the mysteries of Sidely Park, Valentine argues that everything in the universe progresses from heat to cold. He illustrates, Its a one way street. Your tea will end up at room temperature...it is happening to everything everywhere. The sun and the stars...were all going to end up at room temperature (Stoppard 78). Hannah, appearing to support Valentines statement, recites a incision of Lord Byrons injustice I had a dream that was not all a dream The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars Did wander darkling in the eternal space, Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air... (Stoppard 79) Hannah, however, is refuting Valentines statement, not supporting it, as is evidenced by the rest of Byrons poem, which goes on to say ...all hearts Were chilld into a selfish prayer for light And they did represent by watch fires... The habitations of all things which dwell Were burnt for beacons cities were consumed, And men were gatherd forget me drug their blazing homes To look once more into each others face... Forests were set on fire - but hour by hour They fell and dog-tired - and the crackling trunks Extinguished with a crash - and all was black... (Byron 31) Darkness implies that as the universe gets colder, humanity, in an effort to stay alive, burns the earth for warmth.