Summary and Analysis of she stoops to conquer By Oliver Goldsmith

She Stoops to Conquer is a stage play in the form of a comedy of manners, which ridicules the manners (way of life, social customs, materialism etc.) of a certain segment of society, in this case the upper class. The play is also sometimes termed a drawing-room comedy.

1. SUBJECT: LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH
TERM: THIRD
SESSION : 2017/2018
SCHOOL: PHIDEL COLLEGE, ISHERI
CLASS : YEAR 11
TUTOR: TIMOTHY ABIODUN

2. SCHEME OF WORK
WEEK TOPIC CONTENT
1 Revision of 2
nd
term’s work
The Castle of Otranto
2 Introduction to
Non-African
Drama( She Stoops
to Conquer) Oliver
Goldsmith
a. Plot summary of the
play
b. setting of the play

3. SCHEME OF WORK
HOME
3 Reading and
analysis
Act one and two
4 Reading and
analysis
Act Three and Four
5 Reading and
analysis
Act Five
6 Character and
Characterisation
a. Major Characters
b. Minor Characters
7 Themes of the Play
8 Style Language and dramatic
techniques

4. SCHEME OF WORK
HOME
9 'Birches' Robert
Frost
a. Themes and Content
analysis of the poem.
b. Poetic Devices
10 “Shall I Compare
thee to Summer's
Day”
William Shakespeare
a. Themes and Content
analysis of the poem.
b. Poetic Devices
11 Revision
12 Examination

5. Topic: Revision of Last term’s work
.........:
T1 WK 1
HOME
CHAPTERS 1-5
CHARACTERS
THEMES
Students should be able to:
Narrate the plot of
The Castle of
Otranto

6. Topic: PLOT SUMMARY
.........:
T1 WK 2
HOME
She Stoops to Conquer is a
stage play in the form of a
comedy of manners, which
ridicules the manners (way of
life, social customs, materialism
etc.) of a certain segment of
society, in this case the upper
class. The play is also
sometimes termed a drawing-
room comedy.
Students should be able to:
▪SUMMARISE THE PLOT;
▪ANALYSE THE SETTING.

7. ........
T1 WK 2
HOME
The play uses farce (including many mix-ups),
dramatic irony and satire to poke fun at the class-
consciousness of eighteenth-century Englishmen and to
satirize what Goldsmith called the "weeping sentimental
comedy so much in fashion as at that time."
Topic: PLOT SUMMARY

8. Topic:SETTING OF THE PLAY
........ :
T2 WK 1
HOME
The setting of the play includes its locale
and time-frame. Thus, the physical setting
embraces rural setting. Most of the action
takes place in the Hardcastle mansion in the
English countryside, about sixty miles from
London. The mansion is an old but
comfortable dwelling that resembles an inn. A
brief episode takes place at a nearby tavern,
The Three Pigeons Alehouse.

9. Topic:SETTING OF THE PLAY
HOME
T2 WK2
The time is the eighteenth century.
The first performance of the play was
March, 1773, that is, during Romantic
era. This further lends credence to the
setting of the play. This was the time
when formal education was not as
popular as it is now and when mode of
transport consist mainly of carts and
horses.

10. Topic:CLASS WORK WEEK 2
HOME
Explain the meaning of the title
She Stoops to Conquer.
ASSIGNMENT WEEK 2
Narrate the discussion between Mr.
Hardcasle and Mrs Hardcasle
CW WK2

11. Topic: Summary of Act one: Scene one:
HOME
This scene starts in a room in the house of Mr
Hardcastle. Mrs Hardcastle appears as always moody,
being fed up with the fashioned ways of her husband. She
longs to take a pleasure trip to London, like her neighbours.
Mr. Hardcastle is unperturbed by his wife tantrums.
Tony Lumpkin is seen hurrying to his favourite ale-house
(the three pigeon Tavern) despite the mother’s plea that he
should keep them company at home. Kate comes in and her
father informs her of the son of an old friend Sir Charles
Marlow whom he wants her to marry. Kate is happy that
Marlow is young, handsome and intelligent and very
generous but sad however that he is shy and reserved.
T1 WK3

12. Topic: Summary of Act one: Scene Two
HOME
Scene two occurs in a room at the three
pigeon Tavern, we see Tony and his friends
drunk and living lives of debaucheries
(immoralities). Tony comes out from his
merriment to play a fast one on Marlow and
Hastings, whom he misdirect, telling them that
they have missed the way to the home of Mr.
Hardcastle and directing them to same house but
as an inn which in truth is his father’s house.
T2 WK3

13. Topic: Summary of Act Two: Scene one
HOME
This scene starts with Mr. Hardcastle lecturing his awkward
servant on table manners. Soon, the guests arrive and discussing
in the room prepared for them but unknown to them. They are
discussing a number of issues ranging from Marlows’slack of
confidence in talking to girls of a higher social class, to Marlow’s
assurance to his friend that he has come to introduce him
(Hastings) as his friend to enable him actualize his dream to
marry Miss Constance Neville.
At this juncture, their host Mr. Hardcastle whom they take
mistakenly as an inn-keeper enters and starts narrating his war
experience, Marlow cuts him short and demand a glass of Punch.
Hastings gets to know from Miss Constance that they are actually
in the house of MrHardcastle and not an inn.
T3 WK3

14. Topic: Summary of Act Two: Scene two
HOME
MrHastings intimates her of his plans to elope to France with
her but Constance would wish they take her Jewels along. When
Marlow re-appears, Mr. Hastings informs him of the presence of
Miss Kate Hardcastle and Miss Constance Neville, but he is
nervous as he hasn’t prepared to meet with Kate. Marlow is left
alone with Kate, try to recover from the nervousness of seeing
Kate, and Kate encourages him to speak with her. It was not easy
for him to organize himself nevertheless Kate determines to help
him overcome his shyness.
T4 WK3

15. Topic: CLASS WORK:
HOME
Identify the instances of dramatic Irony in the
play and discuss.
Week Three Assignment
How does the device of dramatic Irony
facilitate the play’s major themes and
comedy?
CW WK3

16. HOME
T1WK4
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF ACT THREE
The scene is still in Mr Hardcastle’s room. Mr
Hardcastle wondering about the rudeness of his two
guests and how his daughter will react to this. Kate
appears, dressed in her simple housewife’s gown and
begins to discuss with her father about the Marlow’s
awkward and timid but respectful behaviour, followed by
her father’s impression of Marlow which is equally
negative but Kate is prepared to give Marlow a chance
to improve.

17. Kate later finds out that Marlow is
deceived by Tony into coming their house
with the notion that it is an inn and that
Marlow takes her for the barmaid. At this
point Kate appears an attractive girl and
Marlow treats her ‘as one of us’. He becomes
bold and talks to Kate and he is about to kiss
her when Kate’s father emerges.

18. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF ACT FOUR
Still in Hardcastle’s house. Mr Hasting is to
enlope with Constance especially as Sir Charles
Marlow is expected in Hardcastle’s house, sir
Charles may expose their plans if he comes. He
leaves Constance with the promise of finding
Tony to aid them in their plans especially as
regards Tony’s promise of fresh horses to them.
There is a dramatic irony here because
Hastings gives the jewels stolen by Tony to
Marlow for keeping and Marlow in a bid to keep
the jewels safely, hands them to Mrs. Hardcastle
whom he calls the Landlady to keep.

19. Mr. Hardcasle is now planning to report
Marlow’s impudence to his father. It is now
occurring to Marlow that he is in Mr. Hardcastle’s
house.
Mr. Hardcastle is happy seeing Tony and
Constance cooperating, not knowing it is a mere
pretext to pool wool over her eyes. She thinks in
mind they should marry each other. Immediately
Diggory brings a letter to Tony which Tony hands
into his mother and Constance engages Mrs.
Hardcastle in a discussion to distract her
attention so that Tony will read the letter which
she rightly suspects is written by Hastings.

20. Topic: CLASS WORK
HOME
CLASS WORK WEEK FOUR
What is the Significance of Tony Lumpkin’s song in
Act 1, scene 2 of She Stoops to Conquer.
ASSIGNMENT WEEK 4
She Stoops to Conquer has a serious vein of
commentary of class. With a close reference to the text,
explain.
CW WK4

21. T1WK5:
SUMMARY OF ACT FIVE
Hastings is informed by a servant about Tony’s
thirty mile ride, and the arrival of Sir Charles Marlow.
Mr. Hardcastle shares with his friend, Tony’s trick that
results into the whale mistake and he also informs Sir
Charles Marlow about the relationship between Kate
and Marlow which he himself intercepts.
Scenes two starts in Hardcastle’s garden where
Hastings is expecting Tony to come and feed him
with news about Constance as agreed,

22. Tony emerges with the story that he has driven
his mother round and round the countryside and
finally brings her back home with Constance at night
and convinces them it is crack skull common, that
was their destination.
Scene three is in the Hardcastle’s house, Kate is
seen perfecting her strategy with Sir Charles and Mr.
Hardcastle. Marlow comes to bid farewell to Kate
whom he still takes to be a barmaid or the relation of
same and whom he considers too inferior to marry
even though he has fallen in love with her. Kate
accuses him of refusing to marry her because she is
poor and just as Marlow is refuting the allegation and
declaring his love for her.

23. CLASS WORK
When Sir Charles questions Kate on What
terms She stands with his son, Marlow,
What reply does she give?
ASSIGNMENT
How is the matter of the marriage of
Hastings and Constance settled? Explain
from the text.

24. CHARACTERISATION
1. Mr. Hardcastle: Middle-aged gentleman who lives
in an old mansion in the countryside about sixty
miles from London. He prefers to the simple rural life
and its old-fashioned manners and customs to the
trendy and pretentious ways of upper-crust London.
2. Mrs. Dorothy Hardcastle: Wife of Mr. Hardcastle.
Unlike her husband, she yearns to sample life in
high society. She also values material possessions
and hopes to match her son (by her first husband)
with her niece, Constance Neville, in order to keep
her niece's inheritance in the family.

25. 3. Young Charles Marlow: Promising young man
who comes to the country to woo the Hardcastle’s
pretty daughter, Kate. His only drawback is that he is
extremely shy around refined young ladies, although
he is completely at ease—and even forward—with
women of humble birth and working-class status. He
is a pivotal character in the play, used by Playwright
to satirize England's preoccupation with, and
overemphasis on, class distinctions.
However, Marlow's redeeming qualities make
him a likeable character, and the audience tends to
root for him when he becomes the victim of a
practical joke resulting in mix-ups and mistaken
identities.

26. CLASS WORK
Attempt character analysis of Kate
Hardcastle
ASSIGNMENT
Give detailed profile of the following
Characters:
1.Tony Lumpkin
2.Hastings
3.Constance Neville

27. THEMATIC PRE-OCCUPATIONS
Class and Class bias: The play is not explicitly a
study on class but the theme is central to it. The
decisions the characters make and their
perspectives on one another, are all largely based
on what class they belong. For instance, Tony
openly loves low-class people like the drunks in the
three pigeons, Marlow hides his love of low-class
women from his father and “society”. His dynamic
relationship with Kate and the way he treats her is
defined by who he thinks she is at the time –from
high-class Kate to poor barmaid to a woman from a
good family but with no fortune. Hastings and
Marlow’s reaction to Hardcastle is another instance
of class, they find him disrespectful and ridiculous.

28. Class bias manifests in the way some of the
characters respond to one another and situations.
For instances, until Kate teaches him lesson, Marlow
responds to women solely on the basis of their status
in society. He looks down on the women of the lower
class but is wholly at ease around them; he esteems
women of the upper class but painfully shy around
them.
Good up-bringing of a child: Another theme which
the play explores is that of the need for a good up-
bringing of a child. Perhaps, all the mental agonies in
the play which Mrs. Hardcastle undergoes could have
been avoided had she given her son Tony a good
training. She denies her son formal education and
could not care what the son goes to the house to do.

29. The theme of Deceit:Much of this play’s comedy
comes from the trickery played by various
characters. The most important deceits come from
Tony, including his lie about Hardcastle’s home and
his scheme of driving his mother and Constance
around in circles. However, deceit also reaches to
the centre of the play’s more major themes. In a
sense, the only reason we learn anything about their
deep assumptions about class and behaviour is
because they duped into seeing characters in
different ways.

30. Behaviour and Appearance:This is very dominant
in the play. Goldsmith emphasizes the aristocratic
behaviour as a gauge of character. Even though the
audience believe that one's behaviour –in terms of
“low” versus “high” class behavior –does not
necessarily indicate who someone is, many
characters in the play are often blinded to a
character's behaviour because of an assumption. For
instance, Marlow and Hastings treat Hardcastle
cruelly because they take for him for the landlord of
an inn, and are confused by his behaviour, which
seems forward.

31. The same behaviour would have seemed
appropriately high-class if they hadn't been fooled by
Tony. Throughout the play, characters (especially
Marlow) assume they understand someone's
behavior when what truly guides them is their
assumption of the other character's class.
Moderation VS Excess:Throughout the play runs a
conflict between the refined attitudes of town and the
simple behaviors of the country. The importance of
this theme is underscored by the fact that it is the
crux of the opening disagreement between
Hardcastle and his wife. Where country characters
like Hardcastle see town manners as pretentious,
town characters like Marlow see country manners as
unsophisticated.

32. The best course of action is proposed
through Kate, who is praised by Marlow as
having a "refined simplicity." Having lived in town,
she is able to appreciate the values of both sides
of life and can find happiness in appreciating the
contradictions that exist between them.
Other themes in the play are:
a.No hindrance to true love
b.Hope for flawed humanity
c.Culture: old vs new; age vs youth; country vs
city.
d. Parental Responsibility.

33. LANGUAGE AND STYLE
Style:Style is a unique form, a unique and
identifiable form is an artistic medium in the literary
works. Goldsmith uses sardonic, witty and simple
style. From the beginning to the end, the play is
entertaining and easy to understand, uses few
words and idioms that modern audience would not
understand. It is well constructed. In the modern
terms, the play is a pager-turner for readers.
Goldsmith observes the classical unities of time and
place, for the action of the play takes place in a
single locale (English countryside) in a single day.
Some of the forms used by the playwright to achieve
his style are examined below.

34. TYPES OF COMEDY
There have been different opinions on what type
of comedy She Stoops to Conquer represents.
However, there is a consensus among the critics that
the play is a comedy of manners. It can also been
seen as one of the following comedy types.
1.Laughing Comedy or Sentimental Comedy:
2.Comedy of manners
3.Romantic comedy
4.Satire
5.Farce or comedy of errors

35. Other Dramatic techniques employed by the
playwright include:
a. Dramatic Irony:Being a device of giving the
spectator an item of information that at least one of
the characters in the drama is unaware of the
incident thus placing the audience a step ahead of at
least one characters, Goldsmith uses dramatic irony
effectively in the play.
b. Plots –within –plots:The main plot of the play is
designed to match-make Marlow and Kate for
marriage. It is clearly to determine whether Kate will
marry Marlow, while the primary subplot is whether
Constance will marry Hastings. In unveiling the main
plots, a lot of mix-ups set in necessitating a number
of subplots.

36. c. Foreshadowing:Goldsmith uses foreshadowing
to create expectations and explain subsequent
developments. For instance, Mrs. Hardcastle in act
one describes their house as “an old rumbling
mansion that looks for all the world like an inn”. This
helps the audience to understand what gave Tony
the idea for his practical joke and generally Act1 is
full of set-up for the rest of the play.
ASSIGNMENT
Write short notes on the following:
1.Laughing Comedy or Sentimental Comedy:
2.Comedy of manners 3.Romantic comedy
4. Satire 5.Farce or comedy of errors.