She Stoops to Conquer A Play by Oliver

She Stoops to Conquer A Play by Oliver Goldsmith ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

About the author § Born in 1728 § Tried studying law, physics § He worked as an usher, a chemist’s assistant, and a medical practitioner-> lack of fees made him an occasional writer SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

§ 1759 - Inquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning § The Bee, a weekly magazine § 1761 - The Vicar of Wakefield § History of England a Survey of Experimental Philosophy ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ 1768 - His first play, The Good Natured Man § History of the Earth and Animated Nature § Poetry- The Deserted Village § She Stoops to Conquer ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

She Stoops to Conquer: Its History § In 1759, OG attacked the sentimental dramatists § 9 years later he put his theories into practice with The Good Natured Man ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Goldsmith chose humours and characters of ordinary persons § His plays dealt with “low persons” § His plays treated “the foibles of fashion” § In his plays, nature and humour ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

…. prevail over wit. § OG is more progressive than Sheridan (who wished to restore Comedy of manners to its original elegance) § OG evolves a comedy, which expresses the return of nature. . ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

…along with the reaction from sentimentality § The play strictly adheres to the Unity of time, place and Action ( As mentioned in Greek Philosopher, Aristotle’s Poetics § Romantic comedies … ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

…and Comedy of manners. § In RC (Shakespeare’s plays ) there is no restriction of time: characters are born and grow up within the compass of a single play( e. g The Winter’s Tale) ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ No limitation of Place: characters move between oceans and continents ( e. g Antony and Cleopatra) § No observance of unity of Action: there are main plots, sub-plots, marginal plots… ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

…(e. g A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice) § In this play, everything takes place within few hours; happens in or near the Hardcastle house; and the plot. . ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ … is close-knit. Unlike Romantic writings, no intensity of feeling § Emotional excess is avoided § OG does not refrain from pleasant absurdity th § The 18 century was a classical age in England ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

• Reason and reasonableness were much admired and sought after • Emotionalism and enthusiasm were suspect extravagances of feeling • The characters in his play are in love; moderate and not excessive. . ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ § § The play: Important aspects The Prologue The Action of the play Its construction Dialogue Characterisation ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

The Prologue: § Attributed to David Garrick, Esq. , a popular actor § Premise: Vanishing comic arts, Dr. Goldsmith is the doctor and the play is the medicine…that will save the comic arts…. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Explicit purpose of the play : to make the audience laugh § The speaker is in a mourning state § It mirrors the trend in theatre…writers like OG were trying to change ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

She Stoops to Conquer/The Mistakes of a Night § It has 5 Acts §The opening scene & The Ending § Introduces to the fictional setting of OG “Quagmire Marsh” §Marlowe & Hastings misled by Tony SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

Opening of the Play §Mr & Mrs Hardcastles house §Resembling an inn §Waiting for Marlow’s arrival § A prospective suitor for Kate §Tony Lumpkin’s prank on Hastings & Marlowe ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Setting §Hardcastle’s mansion in the English countryside about 60 miles from London §Mansion resembling an inn §A brief episode –at a nearby tavern-The Three Pigeons Alehouse SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

characters §Mr Hard castle §Middle-aged gentleman §Prefers simple rural life & its old fashioned manners, customs to the trendy & pretentious ways of Upper-crust London ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Mrs Dorothy Hardcastle §Yearns for a lavish life- highly fashionable §Wishes to visit Paris §Values material possessions §Tony, son from first marriage ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Her niece, Constance Neville § schemes to marry Tony with Neville to keep her niece’s inheritance § Pampers and spoils her son Tony Lumpkin ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Marlow §Promising young man/pivotal character §Comes to country to woo Kate §Extremely shy with refined young ladies §At ease with women of humble background & working-class SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

§OG uses this character to satirize England’s preoccupation with and overemphasis on class distinctions §His redeeming qualities make him a likeable character §Becomes victim of a practical joke resulting in mix –ups & mistaken identity SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

• Kate Hardcastle- pretty, refined, acts as a bar-maid to know Marlow • discovers her prospective suitor’s true self • affectionate daughter, pleases her father’s conservative tastes ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Tony Lumpkin §Son of Mrs Hardcastle’s first husband §Fat, ale-drinking youth §Lacks ambition §Makes practial jokes and visits local tavern; despises neville ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

George Hastings §Marlowe’s friend §Loves Constance Neville §Hatches a plan to elope with Constance taking Tony’s aid §He pleads, ‘Perish fortune! Love and content will increase what we possess …’ SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

Constance Neville §Comely young lady §Loves Hastings §An orphan niece of Mrs Hardcastle § Her inheritance ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§Sir Charles Marlow §Servants in the Hardcastle household §Landlord of the Three Pigeons Ale -house st nd rd th § 1 , 2 , 3 & 4 fellow: Tony’s drinking companions ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Themes: § Class bias §Love ignores social boundaries ( Marlow, falling for a bar-maid. Kate in disguise) §Hope for flawed humility (Marlowe-kate; Mr & Mrs Hard) ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§Money breeds indolence §Climax occurs when Kate reveals her true identity while Hardcastle & Sir Charles listen behind screen ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Act 1 • Mr & Mrs Hardcastle waiting for Marlow’s arrival • Tony’s practical joke with Hastings & Marlowe • Misled to believe Hardcastle’s house to be an old Inn ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Act 2 § complicates the plot further §Young men impertinent &rude with Hardcastle §Hardcastle shocked; Constance finds Hastings and reveals Tony’s prank ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

• Marlow hidden from the truth by Hastings and Neville • They decide to get the jewels and elope together • Marlowe’s exaggerated timidity to “modest” women • Lively & hearty with lowly women ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Tony and Hastings plan § Tony doesn’t wish to marry Constance and thus helps to steal the jewels and get rid of his mother’s pressure ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Act 3 §Hardcastle’s shocked at Marlow’s impertinence and Kate disappointed with Marlow’s modesty §Tony steals the jewels, asks his mother to pretend they were stolen; revelation SHE STOOPS TO ENGLISH CONQUER

§ Kate’s assurance to her father about Marlowe being respectful and lively §Dressed in a plain dress, she attracts Marlow’s attention §Hardcastle observes ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Act 4 § Plots appears to be falling apart §News of Sir Charles’ arrival §Will reveal Hasting’s identity as Neville’s beloved §Will question Kate-Marlow about marriage plans ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§Hastings sends jewels to Marlow for safekeeping §Marlow confused, hands over the casket to Mrs. Hardcastle § Marlow’s impertinence forces Mr. Hardcastle to kick him out of the house ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Kate pretends to be a poor relation to the Hardcastles, Marlow falls for her, but leaves her as it would be unacceptable to Charles §Letter from Hastings; elopement plan; angry Dorothy insists Constance be taken far away ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§Marlow, Hastings and Tony confront one another §Anger over all deceits leads to an argument; Tony promises to resolve ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Act 5 §Truth revealed and happiness prevails §Arrival of Sir Charles & along with Hastings laughs at young Marlow’s confusion §Marlow’s arrival to apologize ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Marlow admits he’s barely spoken to Kate; Marlow ignorant §Hardcastle accuses him of lying §Kate’s arrival after Marlow leaves the room & convinces older men to reveal the full truth §Asks the old men to watch from ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

…a hidden vantage behind a screen § Hastings waits in the garden as per Tony’s instruction §Tony tells how he drove his mother and Constance all over in circles. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§Mrs Hardcastle thinks they have left home far behind § Distraught and scared of the highwayman “Mr. Hardcastle” §Hastings and Constance decide to appeal for mercy and drops elopement plan. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Tony’s actual age revealed; decides not to marry Constance; permission granted §The mistakes of a night corrected §All are happy except miserly Mrs. Hardcastle ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

Two epilogues § Printed to the play §One of which sketches in metaphor OG’s attempt to bring comedy back to its traditional roots (intended to be said by kate) §The other suggests Tony …. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§…. Lumpkin has yet to realize his adventures Summing up: § Themes like money, behavior/appearance, conflict between the refined attitudes of town and the simple, rustic …. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§…behavior of the country; contradictions in characters ( e. g Marlow is both refined and base § Goldsmith’s purpose is all people are worthy of being mocked because of their silly, base natures and none is above reproach ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Reintroduces “laughing comedy”…that mocks human vice §Contrast to the popular “sentimental comedy” that praised virtues and reinforced bourgeois mentality; the low scene in the Three pigeons, …. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§The mockery of baseness in even the most high-bred characters; and §The celebration of absurdity as a fact of human life §Deceits and trickery ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

OG’s “An Essay on the Theatre” §Published in 1772 §Comparison between Laughing and Sentimental comedy §Describes comedy as “a natural portrait of human folly and frailty, of what all are judges…” ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ Goldsmith argues that sentimental comedy is the “most easily written: §He believes it is easy to touch an audience’s sensibilities but harder to challenge them §Provides insights into the making ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

§ …of the play “ She Stoops to Conquer” §The full essay by Goldsmith is highly recommended for the complete understanding of the play. ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

THANK YOU ENGLISH SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER