She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith

Explanations

       Act- II, Scene- I

i)                    Hastings: …..that you have seen so much of the world………..a requisite share of assurance.

ii)                   Marlow: …..My life has been chiefly spent in a college…….single modest woman-except my mother.

iii)                 Hastings: Ay, among them………of all conscience.

iv)                  Marlow: They are of us, you know.

v)                  Hastings: But in the company of woman…….stealing out of the room.

vi)                 Marlow: ….An impudent fellow may counterfeit……can ever counterfeit impudence.

vii)               Marlow: …..a modest woman, dressed out……..object of the whole creation.

The above line/lines is/are taken from the play named “She Stoops to Conquer”, written by Oliver Goldsmith. Here the dramatist shows the attitude of the hero towards woman from different class through the conversation between the hero Marlow and his friend Hastings.

Marlow, the hero of the play, is a very over confident, arrogant upper class boy who doesn’t feel simplest interest to show modesty to the lower class people. Marlow can easily shows his authoritative manners in front of the ladies who are from lower class. But at the same time we find another Marlow who is abnormally bashful to even continue a single communication with the girls belongs to his class. It happens because Marlow in his early years, when boys are become familiar with the girls, has spent his life on boarding college. So, in his lifetime he has only become familiar with his mother. Marlow also thinks that an immodest man can pretend as a modest, but modest man, indicating himself, can never counterfeit as an immodest. A modest woman is the most fearful thing of the world towards Marlow. So, he becomes very much timid and bashful in front of upper class girls.

Through this conversation we find the dualism in Marlow. One hand, he can treat the lower class girls in an authoritative manner, on the other hand, in front of the upper class girls he feels very shy and tries to escape from the situation.


 

viii)                    Marlow: To be explicit, my dear Hastings………..your happiness, not my own.

ix)                   Hastings: …….you should be the last man…………and her own inclination.

The above line/lines is/are taken from the play named “She Stoops to Conquer”, written by Oliver Goldsmith. Here the dramatist shows the heroic attitude of Hastings and his confidence upon his love through the conversation between Hastings and Marlow.

Hastings is the hero of the sub plot. He is a brave, decisive and a man of one word. He is devoted towards his love Miss Neville. But her (N) aunt wants to give her marry with his loafer son Tony. So, Hasting is made his accompany with Marlow not only to support him (M), but also to elope with her love. When Marlow says to him that he has come here not for his marriage rather to help him (H) to elope with his love. Then Hastings says that he has the full confidence on his love and Marlow will be the last person to whom he will want help. He can manage the situation individually.

Throughout the play we find Hasting very much heroic then Marlow and face his problems bravely. So, when the audience feels upset with Marlow, at the same time Hastings fills up the lacking of the hero.

She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (explanations- act:2,scene:1)