Stoppard Gone Wilde: The Invention of Identity

Abstract

Tom Stoppard is arguably best-known for two works the play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" (1967) and the film "Shakespeare in Love" (1998) that draw on the works of William Shakespeare. What many people don't realize is that Oscar Wilde is at least as important an influence on Stoppard as Shakespeare.

This paper provides an overview of Stoppard's career from 1967 through 2005, focusing on his two most "Wildean" plays, "Travesties" and "The Invention of Love," and comparing the themes of biography, history, and identity as they appear in both writers' works.