Tom Stoppard Arcadia Analysis

In Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Bernard Nightingale is a scholar who craves fame and recognition in academia and he consequently creates a theory that Lord Byron killed Ezra Chater in a duel. In the excerpt, Bernard believes he has stumbled upon proof of this theory and pursues it despite Hannah Jarvis’ objections. In order to characterize Bernard as a fame-hungry scholar, Stoppard uses stage directions and dialogue between characters to portray his character. Stoppard inserts a variety of stage directions with Bernard to help the actor better understand his role and demeanor within the play, and help the audience understand Bernard’s personality. For example, in line 1 Stoppard inserts, “Bernard enters in high excitement and triumph.” This preliminary