History Theatre / Arcadia

* IdenticalGrandson: Augustus and Gus (though there is a possibility they are intended to be the same character)

* TheCasanova: Lord Byron
* TheCharmer: Septimus

* DeathBySex: Inverted. [[spoiler: Thomasina wouldn't have died if Septimus had slept with her that night.]]

* and later
** Thomasina: "It was a joke."

* and
** Septimus: "Be careful with the flame."

* CantSpitItOut: Almost everyone seems to suffer from this except for Lady Croom and Thomasina. Valentine and Gus both like Hannah, but the former can't seem to do more than joke about it, and Gus, being mute, literally can't say a thing. Septimus sleeps with everyone except [[spoiler: Thomasina]], even though she's the only one he actually cares for.

* NotSoDifferent: the reserved, unemotional Hannah and the flamboyant Bernard are [[RomanticismVersusEnlightenment polar opposites]], yet even Bernard relies upon mathematical analysis at one point. Near the end Hannah says that she doesn't have proof who the hermit is, but she's ''certain'' it's Septimus--just as Bernard didn't have proof that Byron shot and killed Chater, but he was certain that he did. [[spoiler:At the very end, Hannah gets the proof she's waiting for.]]

''Arcadia'' was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1995. The recently-closed (2011) revival was nominated for Tonys for Best Revival and Best Featured Actor (Billy Crudup as Bernard).

--> '''Bernard:''' Ah well, yes. Men all over.
--> '''Hannah:''' No doubt. Einstein--relativity and sex. Chippendale--sex and furniture. Galileo--'[[DidTheEarthMoveForYouToo Did the earth move?]]' What the hell is it with you people?

* HotForTeacher: Thomasina.

* TeacherStudentRomance: Subverted with Septimus and Thomasina [[spoiler: since they never make it past kissing]]

* WritersCannotDoMath: Averted. Stoppard's inspiration for "Arcadia" came from reading James Gleick's book about entropy, "Chaos", and the play contains accurate discussions of complicated math and physics.

* BrickJoke: Hannah warning Bernard that he publishes his supposed 'findings', he won't be able to leave the house without a [[BrownBagMask paper bag]] over his head (He finishes the play doing just that). Thomasina calls Fermat's Last Theorum "a joke to make you all mad"; she later calls her own algorithm a joke, to which Septimus says "it will make me as mad as you promised."

* DeathBySex: Inverted. [[spoiler: Thomasina would have survived if Septimus has slept with her that night.]]
* DramaticIrony: Done to tragic effect with Thomasina.

-->'''Thomasina''': Are you in love with mama, Septimus?\\

* CantSpitItOut: Almost everyone seems to suffer from this except for Lady Croom. Valentine and Gus both like Hannah, but the former can't seem to do more than joke about it, and Gus, being mute, literally can't say a thing. Septimus sleeps with everyone except [[spoiler: Thomasina]], even though she's the only one he actually cares for.

* TeacherStudentRomance: Subverted with Septimus and Thomasina [[spoiler: since they never make it past their first two kisses]]

* HumiliationConga: Bernard discovers that [[spoiler:Byron didn't kill Chater]] just ''after'' he's touted his new discovery ("I was on ''The Breakfast Hour''!"), is obliged to admit his mistake in an open letter in the newspaper, is forced to have his picture taken for the newspaper for a separate event (though it will probably appear in the same edition), and is finally caught ''in flagrante delicto'' in the hermitage with Chloe.

* ReallyGetsAround: Mrs. Chater.

* UpperClassTwit: Bernard, though he's somewhat of an UpperClassWit as well.
* UpperClassWit: Septimus and Valentine.

* DeadpanSnarker: Septimus.

** Bernard presenting his "proofs" of Mr. Chater being gunned down in the duel with Byron. As he gloats over having traced Byron's presence to a dead hare (which we just saw Septimus carrying instead - not to mention Septimus recounting how Byron was always a lousy shot), Benard's unknowingly making himself into an ass.
* DuelToTheDeath: Captain Brice manipulates both Mr. Chater and Septimus into this. Following his repeated attempts to dodge the duel, Septimus finally gives in -- only to be written off as MIA when no one can locate him the next morning.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Sepitimus consoles Thomasina over the loss of the Library of Alexandria in 48 BC, promising that all that is lost will be found again. This turns out to be prophetic when [[spoiler:Thomasina dies in a fire]], leaving her formulas to remain unsolved until 100 years later.

* HumiliationConga: Bernard discovers that [[spoiler:Byron didn't kill Chater]] just before his new book is about to hit the shelves, but ''after'' he's touted it ("I was on ''The Breakfast Hour''!"), is blackmailed into admitting his mistake in an open letter in the newspaper, is forced to have his picture taken for the newspaper for a separate event (though it will probably appear in the same edition), and is finally caught ''in flagrante delicto'' in the hermitage with Chloe.

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Bernard is so desperate to cash in on his historical findings (gossip, in all practicality) that he doesn't even bother to verify them.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Most of Stoppard's plays are by a dramaturge/English major for dramaturgse/English majors. ''Arcadia'' is written for mathematicians.