Real Life vs. Art

The title of The Real Thing and its subject matter appear to lay bare Stoppard's particular preoccupation in this play: he is characteristically investigating an ethical issue (adultery) and questioning its philosophical partner, the nature of true love. As Richard Corliss stated in a review in Time, " The Real Thing announces itself as just that: a real, straightforward play about matters of the heart." These are the central preoccupations of The Real Thing, but Stoppard's investigation of these issues is broad enough to sweep other topics under his microscope: he also explores the nature of reality and perception.

The play's title describes, firstly, the protagonists' search for "real love." Henry, for all his sarcasm and irony, is at heart an idealist and a romantic, and when he says "I do" he means it. But he does not allow for the presence of doubt and insecurity...