She_Stoops_to_Conquer_Few_Questions_and_Answers

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER Q.1.Critically justify the title She Stoops to Conquer. The title of Goldsmith’s drama refers to the "stooping down" of Kate Hardcastle from her position in high society to the position as a barmaidand then of poor relation . She does this in order to test the feelings of Marlow, to make sure that he loves her for herself and not for her money. In the end, she gets what she wants, and proves a point. She learns that Marlow's feelings are genuine and demonstrates that love is not controlled by social position. By "stooping down", she conquered society. .Q.2.Is it a Laughing Comedy in protest of Sentimental Comedy' Ans:When the play was first produced, it was discussed as an example of the revival of laughing comedy over the sentimental comedy . Truly speaking it is a comic laughing comedy or ‘pure comedy’ (as Goldsmith calls it)in celebration of fun, frolic and humour .The affectation of sentimentalism, pathos and moralization is altogether omitted here. In the prologue Goldsmith has attacked sentimental comedy –“on the mawkish drab of spurious breed who deals in sentiments”. Q.3..How is She Stoops to Conquer a Comedy of Manners' Ans: The play can also be seen as a comedy of manners, where, set in a polite society, the comedy arises from the gap between the characters' attempts to preserve standards of polite behaviour that contrasts to their true behaviour. It satirizes the manners and affectations of social class( Especially upper class as pretentiously represented by Mrs. Hardcastle), duality in character( as seen in Marlow). Q.4.How is She Stoops to Conquer A Romantic Comedy' Ans:It also seen by some critics as a romantic comedy, which depicts how seriously young people take love, and how foolishly it makes them behave (similar to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream); in She Stoops to Conquer, Kate’s stooping and Marlow’s nervousness are good examples of romantic comedy. Q.5. Write a short note on humour as used in She Stoops to Conquer. Ans: Oliver Goldsmith‘s She Stoops to Conquer is one of the most hilarious comedies produced on the English stage. Here is profusion of pure fun and humour. Humour in the play is mainly derived from - comic situations( dramatic ironies), comic characters(Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle and Marlow) and comic dialogues. If there are mistaken identities or situation, there are incompatible comic personae with the sting of verbal wit. Q.6.How is She Stoops to Conquer A Satire' Ans: She Stoops to Conquer can also be seen as a soft satire, where characters are presented as either ludicrous or eccentric. Such a comedy might leave the impression that the characters are either too foolish or corrupt to ever reform. Through farcical humour, Goldsmith ridicules the craze for fashion in Mrs Hardcastle, spoiled child in Tony Lumpkin, duel personality in Marlow, the class-consciousness of the English society in several stooping etc. Q.7. critically comments on the Title of the play and its source. Ans:The title refers to Kate's ruse of pretending to be a barmaid to reach her goal. It originates in the poetry of Dryden, which Goldsmith may have seen misquoted by Lord Chesterfield. In Chesterfield's version, the lines in question read: "The prostrate lover, when he lowest lies, But stoops to conquer, and but kneels to rise." Q.8. what kind of stooping do you find in She Stoops to Conquer' Ans: As the title indicates the play revolves around several stooping made by the various characters. Marlow stoops physically to win the heart of Kate .While Kate stoops socially to win the heart of Marlow. Both Hastings and Neville, on the other hand, have moral stooping en route their love and marriage. Q.9. critically comment on the subtitle of the play' Ans:The alternative title of the play ‘Mistakes of the Night’ refers to the several mistakes that Marlow committed during a single night. First,he mistakes the residence of a respectable country Squire Hardcastle to be an inn. Secondly he takes Hardcastle himself to be an innkeeper and thirdly he mistakes Miss Hardcastle to be a bar-maid.It also illustrates that the unity of time is carefully observed in the play. With all of the events occurring in a single night, the plot becomes far more stimulating too. Hence the sub-title is apt. Q.10.. Comment on the improbability in She Stoops to Conquer. Ans: In the play She Stoops to Conquer all the mistakes and all funny things including three hours delusory journey of Mrs. Hardcastle round and round the garden take place in a single night which violates probability of time.The initial mistake of blunder of Hastings and Marlow in mistaking a respectable house for an inn, the second mistake of taking Mr. Hardcastle as the inn-keeper, failure to recognize Kate Hardcastle when she reappears –all these constitute the plausibility of improbability.