She Stoops To Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith

She Stoops To Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith

She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play written by Oliver Goldsmith. It has been loved since it was written. When it was first performed, some people did not approve of it as it attacked the normal sort of play style at the time, which was sentimental comedy. Personally I think the play is very whimsical and funny both on stage acted and just the words used.

Sentimental comedy involved characters to be very typical, for example, the heroine was shy and romantic, the hero was brave and bold, and romance and love was above everything else. In She Stoops to Conquer Miss Neville and Hastings are in love, and they planned to elope to France, yet their plans are foiled. While Hastings wants them to get married anyway, Miss Neville is sensible and does the exact opposite of a sentimental comedy heroine, and puts money and her father’s wishes first, by saying:

“MISS NEVILLE: In a moment of passion, fortune may be despised, but it ever produces a lasting repentance.”

Servants were not allowed to be centre stage, but in She Stoops to Conquer a whole scene is dedicated to the servants and their incapability of being servant-like.

In sentimental comedy plays, when something unhappy happened, the general idea was to be sad, yet Marlow in She stoops to Conquer attacks this idea by commenting:

“MARLOW: Pardon me, madam. I was always willing to be amused. The folly of most people is rather an object of mirth than uneasiness.”

When Hastings finally declares his love for Miss Neville to her uncle, Mr Hardcastle, Mrs Hardcastle can’t take such romantic talk:

“MRS HARDCASTLE: Pshaw, pshaw, this is all but the whining end of a modern novel,” modern novels were of course written in sentimental style. She is complaining about this, even though this is one of the only cases of sentimental comedy creeping into the play. This new style of play was very different to the old style, so once people got used to it they began to enjoy the more funny and light-hearted parts. These days we are used to it, but it would have been a much more boring play if there was sentimental comedy involved.

The basic plot of the play is about everyone being confused and tricked. Marlow is very shy and timid around women of the same and upper class to him, yet when talking to lower classes he is loud and often rude. Tony, Mrs Hardcastle...

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...a lot of elaborate clothing:

“HARDCASTLE: What a quantity of superfluous silk hast thou got about thee, girl.”

Kate is a bold character, unlike the sentimental heroines. The audience find it comical when her father talks to Kate about Marlow:

“HARDCASTLE: And very handsome.

MISS HARDCASTLE: My dear papa, say no more. (Kissing his hand), he’s mine, I’ll have him.”

She hasn’t even met the man, but just knowing that he is handsome she wants him, which is why she dresses up as a barmaid, and the audience from a hundred years ago though to now can relate to and find funny.

She Stoops to Conquer is very popular because of its humour, both in the acting and the words. The actual plot is quite unrealistic and even a bit daft, but that’s what makes it so comical. Before, you had to be horrified that Tony would trick his mother when Mrs Hardcastle was lost and very scared, and now we can laugh. People getting into strange situations and dealing with them in an amusing way, unlike before when in sentimental comedy you had to be sad instead of laugh, is an asset and makes the play humorous and benevolent; which accounts for the enduring popularity of She Stoops to Conquer.