"She Stoops To
Conquer"
Oliver Goldsmith
has shown great skill in constructing the plot of "She Stoop To
Conquer". The plot of the play is made up of a main plot and a sub plot
and the two are interlinked into one organic whole the main plot Constance of
the Marlow- Kate love story. The sub-plot deals with Hasting Constance
love-story as well as the casket episode. The two stories are fused into a
single whole by the intrigues of Tony Lumpkin the step- son of Mr. Hardcastle.
It is he who intimate the action as well as brings it to a successful
conclusion.
Commenting on the
dramatist skill in plot construction. A. N. Jaffers writer,
"Goldsmith has
used his own experience as a school boy in Ireland as the basis of his way a
sled for an inn, and been directed by a practical joker to the local squires
house."
What Goldsmith
doing in this play is adding colors and
ingredients of comedy to his experience. Though there are a number of
intrigues and intrigues the principal intrigues are those of Tony and Kate.
It is Tony who in
confusion with the landlord of the There pigeons sends. Marlow and Hasting to
Mr. Hardcastle's house as an inn in
which. The entire action taken place. The title and the sub title of the play
are both apt and suggestive.
The main title
"She Stoop To Conquer" refers
to the device of its heroine Kate to Conquer her object of love Marlow, who is
one of the most shy and reserved except with barmaids and servant girls.
The sub title
"The Mistakes Of Night" refers to the several mistakes of Marlow
committed during the course of a single night.
First Marlow
mistakes the residence of a respectable country squire Hardcastle to be an inn
keeper and thirdly he mistakes miss Hardcastle to be a burned fall in love with
her. It's all a comedy of errors packed with hilarious fan and laughter.
Just as Tony's
intrigues are essential for the happy conclusion of the sub-plot so also Kate's
intrigue is essential for the happy conclusion of the main plot. Her intrigue
against Marlow is neither mercenary, nor undertaken merely for fun but, if is
essential for the success of her love she stoop to the level of barmaid in
order to conquer her love she herself explains to her main the necessity of
this intrigue.
"...My chief
aim is, to take my gentleman off his guard and like an invisible champion of
romance examine the giant's force before
I offer to combat."
Miss Neville her
cousin recognize her lover Hastings and tells him the truth and arrange sober
sentimental interview"- with Kate.
Thus Constance and
Hastings intrigue against Marlow who is
not told, that the house to which they have come is not an inn, but the
residence of Mr. Hardeastle.
Hasting Constance
lo-story constituted. The sub-plot of the play. They plan to elope. Tony in
collusion, with miss Neville practices deception upon his own mother. They join
hands to keep Mrs. Hardcastle under the illusion that they are in love. The
episode of casket which contains miss Neville's jewels forms an integral part
of the subsidiary story and is the
source of much complication as well as of much humor. In collusion with
Hastings Tony seats and gives if to Hastings But through the bungling of
Marlow, they again fall in the hands of Mrs. Hardcastle. The plan of elopement
is just on the point of execution when the letter of Hastings. Written to Tony,
falls in to his mothers hands. As a punishment for miss Neville's takes her to
her aunt pedigree is which is forty miles away.
Tony undertakes to
drive then but instead of driving if forward, he drives if round and round and
round ending at the bottom of the house, where Hasting is waiting as arranged
clears up the misconceptions. Explanation follow Marlow discovers the identity
of his burmaid.
"Tony is his
own master and he refuses at once to marry Hastings, and get back her jewels
Mrs. Hardcastle suffers complete discomfort."
Tony Lampkin is
another source of the ending popularity of the play. He is the life and the
soul of the comedy. He charms, He fascinates and he captivates the readers very
much like Shakespeare's Falstaff he is witty in himself as well as a cause of
within other. It is he who interlinks the two stories. Thus the whole story
begins develops and ends through mistakes. And it is Tony who is responsible
for all these mistakes.
One of the themes
is the contrast between appearance and reality. The two stories are further
fused into a single whole through an elaborate pattern of parallelism and
contrasts. Miss Hardcastle with her during and resourcefulness gives life to
one story while Tony with his inexhaustible capacity for fun animates the
other.
"The main plot and the sub-plot both
deal with the same theme both represent the story of a woman winning a
husband."
But in the former, it is the woman who chases
the man and in the latter it is the man
who chases the woman. The exposition is a masterpiece. In short if is a great comedy of deceivers
and the deceived, of intrigues and counter intrigues. There are different
levels of awareness, which provide a lot the entertainment value of the comedy
As Collins says,
"A notable
merit of the play is its skillful blend
of proud and light comedy . Here the from character as well as from situation and from
incident."
"In fact it
would be hard to find in any comedy s more skillful and varied performance by
the comic muse."
It has been said that
there are many improbabilities in the play but, these are felt only in our arm,
chair study of the play and not during as stage performance of it-
"The action
has been speedy to cover up a number of improbabilities. There is surprise,
there is suspense. There is humor and there is not a dual moment anywhere- The
play is well constructed with a direct swift and straight forward movement. "
No comments:
Post a Comment