This module is designed to immerse candidates in the text, encouraging them to actively search for answers to specific questions. While answers will be provided, I strongly recommend that candidates make the effort to discover them on their own for a deeper understanding.
| Reading Strategy: She Stoops to Conquer
1. Understand the Plot & Themes Thoroughly
2. Focus on Characters & Their Traits
3. Analyze Important Quotes
4. Study Literary Devices & Language
5. Look at Background & Author Information
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| About the Dramatist |
| 1. Goldsmith born in Ireland in 1728
2. He was Anglo-Irish by origin. 3. obtained B.A degree from Trinity College. 4. studied medicine at Edinburgh (Scotland) but did not completed it. 5. In London, he came to be known as Dr. Goldsmith—Doctor being the courtesy title for one who held the Bachelor of Medicine—but he took no degree while at Edinburgh. 6. applied for the post of surgeon in India but he was found “not qualified”. 7. toured the continent- Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy. 8. In 1757 he started working under Ralph Griffits of the Monthly Review (a periodical) 9. He became a hack-writer. Hack writer is a colloquial and usually pejorative term used to refer to a writer who is paid to write articles or books “to order”, often with a short deadline. 10. He published Enquiry into the State of Polite Learning in Europe. 11. For some time he used the pseudonym “James Willington” 12. Wrote articles for: The Bee, The Public Ledger 13. Famous work- The Citizen of the World, first published as Chinese Letters 14. Famous work -The Traveller (narrative poem) 15. Drama: Good- natured Man was received unfavourably 16. Famous poem– Deserted Village 17. Dr. Johnson was his intimate friend 18. Besides, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Percy, David Garrick, Edmund Burke, and James Boswell were also his friend. 19. The only novel: The Vicar of the Wakefield 20. Wrote against sentimental drama in “The Present State of Learning” |
| Critical Reception |
| 1. He was called “an inspired idiot” by Horace Walpole
2. Garrick said he “wrote like as an angel, and talked like a poor poll”. 3. Dr. Johnson on him: “(Goldsmith)…left scarcely any kind of writing untouched and who touched nothing that he did not adorn” 4. Dr. Johnson on him: “No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had.” |
| Compositional Context |
| Ø She- Tragedies: The term she-tragedy, also known as “pathetic tragedy“refers to a vogue in the late 17th and early 18th centuries for tragic plays focused on the sufferings of a woman, sometimes innocent and virtuous but often a woman who has committed some sort of sexual sin. It brought pathos dominantly in the stage.
Ø Sentimental comedies: – Dominated by sentiments and pathos – Ridiculous pathetic situations – Middleclass people wanted reflection of their world marked by un-heroic yet pathetic contents – Was a reaction to the Comedy of Manners Ø Hazlitt: “It is almost a misnomer to call them comedies; they are rather homilies of dialogue”. Ø Important Sentimental Dramatists: · Colley Cibber · Richard Steele · Hugh Kelly · Richard Cumberland Ø Goldsmith wrote against Sentimental comedy in his essay “A Comparison Between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy”. Ø Goldsmith wrote in the poem, Retaliation: “His (Cumberland’s) gallants are all faultless; his women divine”. Ø Goldsmith called Cumberland “Terence of England” in the poem. Ø Goldsmith and Sheridan were alike in practice. Ø Goldsmith wrote in the essay “A Comparison Between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy”: “The true function of a comedy is to a humorous exhibition of the follies and vices of men and women and to rectify them by exciting laughter”. |
| The Context of the Text |
| Ø She Stoops to Conquer is a “pure comedy” as described by Goldsmith.
Ø First performed in 1771 experimentally and then in Covent Garden in March 15, 1773. Ø The first title of the play is “The Mistakes of a Night”. Ø The title She Stoops to Conquer is taken from Dryden’s The Hind and the Panther’s line “But kneels to conquer and but stoops to rest”. Ø Goldsmith thanks Dr. Samuel Johnson for his “partiality to this performance”. Ø Garrick was manager of Druary Lane, Street actor and producer and director. Ø What was the personal experience that was behind the plot of the play? |
| Literary Type |
Most people agree that the play is a Comedy of Manners. However, it can also be seen as one of the following comedy types:
Laughing comedy over sentimental comedyWhen the play was first produced, it was discussed as an example of the revival of laughing comedy over sentimental comedy. Comedy of MannersThe play can also be seen as a comedy of manners, in which the comedy arises from the gap between the characters’ attempts to preserve standards of polite behaviour, which contrasts with their true behaviour. Romantic comedyIt is also viewed by some scholars as a romantic comedy, highlighting the seriousness with which young people approach love and how foolishly it can make them behave. SatireIt can be seen as a satire, where characters are presented as either ludicrous or eccentric. Farce or comedy of errorsThe play is sometimes described as a farce and a comedy of errors because it is based on multiple misunderstandings. The play is also sometimes referred to as a drawing-room comedy. Goldsmith observed the classical unities of time and place, for the action of the play takes place in a single locale (the English countryside) on a single day. |
| Inside the Text |
| Prologue |
| 1. “The comic muse, long sick, is now-a-dying”. Which muse pretends over comedy?
Ans: Thalia 2. Why long sick? A. Figuratively, because of the dominance of the sentimental comedies on the stage during the time. 3. What is ‘now-a-dying’? A. In a dying state 4. Who is referred to as ‘Shutter’? A. Edward Shutter, an actor who played the role of Mr. Hardcastle. 5. What is meant by ‘Mawkish’ here? A. sentimental in an exaggerated or false way. 6. “All is not gold . . . she stumble.” taken from A. Dryden’s The Hind and the Panther. [Not from The Merchant of Venice] 7. ‘A doctor comes’- who is the doctor? A. Goldsmith 8. “Five draughts” refers to A. Five acts of the drama. B. “The college you . . .” College means? (1.1) A. The Board of judges [the audience] 9. Where does the play open? A. A chamber in an old-fashined house [of Mr. Hardcastle] |
| Acts I-V |
| 10. “Mr. Hardcastle, you are very particular.”- What is the meaning of particular here?
A. Having a hard view 11. “Ay, and bring back vanity and affection to last them the whole year.”- ‘affection’ means? A. Affected manners of the city 12. “Learning, quotha!”- What does it mean? A. Ironical, nonsense 13. “You may be Darby, but I’ll see no Joan”: A. Typical names of husband and wife attracted to one another in old age. 14. “Twenty added to twenty, makes but fifty and seven” “make money of that”- meaning. A. He means 57 [age of Mrs. Hardcastle] [“make money of that” making meaning of that] 15. “. . . the ale house and the stable are the only school he’ll ever go to!”- meaning? A. Tony’s fascination for bad places 16. The “three pigeons”- meaning? A. Ale-house 17. Tony’s companions: A. Dick Muggins, the exciseman, Jack Slang, the horse doctor, Aminadab grinding the music box, Tom Twist spinning the pewter platter. 18. “… there goes a pair that only spoil each other.” – Spot the figure of speech. A. Sarcasm 19. “I’m told he’s a man of an excellent understanding.”- Spot the figure of speech. A. Dramatic irony 20. “But I vow I’m disposing of the husband…”- Explain. A. I am dealing with the husband before I have won him as a lover 21. “tete- a-tetes”- What does it mean? A. Conversation [private] 22. “Allons!” means A. “let us go”. 23. What dramatic function does Tony’s song function? A. Introduces the farcical 24. “I loves to hear him sing . . . nothing that’s low.”- A. Goldsmith ridiculing the dramatic convention of that time by opposing them through drunken rustics 25. “Water Parted”- A. A song from Thomas Arne’s opera ‘Artaxeres’. 26. “Ariadne”? A. An opera by Handel. 27. ‘Minnet”-means A. graceful dance. 28. “. . . forty miles across the country, and we have come above threescore.”- A. Threescore means 60. 29. “A troublesome old blade” A. ‘blade’ is a slang term for ‘fellow’, referring to Mr. Hardcastle. 30. “Ould Grouse in the gun–room“- A. Refers to a story by Mr. Hardcastle. 31. “By the elevens my place is gone quite out of my head.” A. By God, I have forgotten my place 32. “You numskulls”- means A. “blockheads, having thick skulls”. 33. “The Englishman’s melody” A. Refers to a lack of self-confidence before ladies of a respectable class. 34. “like an Eastern bridegroom”- A. The eastern (oriental) custom is to be introduced to the bride after marriage. 35. “This is Liberty Hall, gentleman.”- Figure of speech? A. Dramatic irony and pun 36. “Duke of Marlborough”- Who is referred to here? A. Famous for the Duke’s great attack against the French at the battle of Blenheim 37. “Ventre d’or” – What does it mean? A. Gold-embroidered front 38. “Punch Sir” A. Punch, a wine of five ingredients: spirit, sugar, water, lemon juice and salt 39. “Warm work, now and then, at elections…” Figure of speech? Ans: Irony 40. “Heyder Ally, Ally Cawn.”- Explain. A. Hyder Ali and Ali khan of India 41. “Let’s see your list of the ladder… a favour.” What is the meaning of “list of the ladder”? 42. “Bill of fare” 43. Explain “modern modesty”, “old fashioned impudence” , “assiduities”. 44. “You’d adore him if you know how heartily he despises me.” 45. “Thou dear dissembler!” 46. “Perish the baubles” 47. “Of all women she, that I dread most to encounter”- Locate 48. “Cicero never spoke better”- Who was Cicero? A. Roman philosopher and senator 49. “The folly of the most people is rather an object of mirth than uneasiness.” Figure of speech? Ans: Dramatic irony. 50. But I love to converse only with . . . part of the sex.”- A. False statement 51. “There must be some . . . they are incapable of tasting.” 52. “. . . those who have most virtue in their mouths, have least of it in their bosoms.” 53. “. . . want to courage upon some. . . want to excel.”- Dramatic irony. 54. “If I could teach him a better confidence” 55. “There is nothing in the world I love to talk of so much as London” 56. “Degagee” 57. “No lady begins now to put on jewels till she is forty.” 58. “I shall be too young for the fashion.” 59. “The Blenkis mouth to a T”. 60. “You have been dosing me ever since I was born” 61. “I have seen her. . . it made them cry” 62. “Bandbox”? 63. “. . . his massive honte . . . at the first sight.”-‘massive honte’ means? 64. “I look something like cherry in the Beaux Stratagem”- Who wrote “Beauxe Stratagem”? 65. “They say women and movie should never be dated.”- What is the context here? 66. “. . . he has only the faults… that will improve with age.”- Locate the line. 67. “I generally make my father’s son welcome wherever he goes”- Dramatic irony. 68. “What do you think of the Rake’s Progress…?” Ans: Engraving by Hogarth (1735) depicting the ruin of a young man. 69. “He shall not go . . . I stooped to conquer. . .” – Locate. 70. “. . . aunty of all kinds are dammed bad things”- Who is the speaker? 71. “your old aunt Pedigree . . .” – Pedigree? 72. “We shall have old Bedlam broke loose . . .”- What does Bedlam mean? 73. “Ecod, I have hit it . . . It’s here. Your hands”- Context? 74. “I saw the lady without emblem, and parted without reluctance.”- Context? 75. “upon Crackskull Common”? 76. “I shall remember the horse pond as long as I live.”- Context. 77. “Mother, all the parish says you have spoiled me” 78. “There is morality, however, in his reply.”- Figure of speech. 79. “By heavens, madam, fortune was ever my smallest consideration.” 80. “You can say” 81. “Mistake of the Night shall be crowned” |
| Epilogue |
| 82. “having stooped to conquer . . .”- locate
83. “Our life is all a play composed to please.” 84. “We have our exits and entrances” 85. “The chop-house toast of ogling connoisseurs.” 86. “quit her Nancy Dawson for Che Faro.” 87. “The Barmaid now for your protection prays/ Turns female Barrister and pleads for Bayes.” |
| Questions on Comprehension |
| 1. Who recites the play’s prologue?
Woodward 2. What does Mr. Hardcastle disdain most of all? Town manners 3. Why does Mrs. Hardcastle defend Tony? She is a mother who is quite blind to the faults of his son. 4. Why does Mr. Hardcastle worry about Kate? He worries the town manners have infected her 5. How does Kate dress in the morning? Fashionably 6. How does Kate dress in the evenings? Plainly 7. Who does Hardcastle hope Kate will marry at the beginning of the play? Constance Neville 8. Who does Mrs. Hardcastle hope Tony will marry? Constance Neville 9. Which character is the best example of moderation? Kate 10. What is Mrs. Hardcastle’s great vice? Vanity 11. Why is Constance excited to hear Marlow is visiting? Hastings is with him 12. What is Constance’s inheritance? Jewels 13. Who is Tony’s ally in fooling Marlow and Hastings? The landlord 14. Why is Tony’s practical joke believable? The Hardcastle home looks like an inn 15. What warning does Hardcastle give his servants? Not to laugh at his stories 16. What is the name of the head servant? Diggory 17. Which character has a complicated relationship with his or her mother? Tony 18. What happens when Marlow speaks to a “modest” woman? They petrify him. 19. What do Hastings and Marlow want for dinner? Calf’s brains 20. Who discovers Tony’s lie first? Hastings |
| Some Annotations
Act 1, Scene 1 1. Who was Prince Eugene? Ans: Prince Eugene was an Austrian commander who helped the Duke of Marlborough against the French at Blenheim, Oudenarde etc 2. Who was the Duke of Marlborough? General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim , [better known as the Duke of Marlborough] was a general of exceptional caliber and defeated the French in the Battle of Blenheim. 3. “…make money of that” means? Ans: Look for the satisfaction the answer brings to… 4. Is there anything historical about the Three Pigeons? Ans: There was an inn of the same name between Abingdon and Thame. Nobody can be sure whether Goldsmith borrowed the name from the inn. 5. “Am I in face?” means? Ans: Am I looking good? 6. “Would it were bed time and all were well”. Where is the line taken from? What is its dramatic importance? Ans: This is taken from Shakespeare’s Henry IV (Act V, Sc. 1) where Falstaff utters this before the battle of Shrewsbury. In SSTC it indirectly points to the impending battle of the sexes. Act 1, Sc 2 7. “But you, my friend, are the pigeon”. What is the meaning of ‘pigeon’ here? Ans: Dupe 8. “Let their Lethe, their Styxes, and Stygians” Lethe: River of forgetfulness in Hades, mentioned by Homer et al. Styx: River of Hate of Hades. Stygians: Inhabitants of the lower world or Hades. 9. “When Methodist preachers…” Who founded the Methodist Church and why? Ans: The Methodist sect was created by John Wesley (1703-1791) to revive the ancient purity of Christianity. 10. “Water parted”: What is it? Ans: A song from Arne’s opera Artaxerxes, 1762. 11. What is Ariadne: Ans: an opera by Handel. 12. What is ‘Minuet’:? Ans: a kind of musical movement with dance. 13. What is ‘blade’? Ans: a rogue (suggested by metonymic association of the sword) 14. “We wanted no ghost.” Where is the expression taken from? Ans: Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where Horatio answers Hamlet’s question: “…he’s an arrant knave” 15. “Trolloping” means? Ans: slovenly, untidy 16. “Find out the longitude”: What is the contemporary event referred to here? Ans: It refers to the contemporary discovery of system by John Harrison for determining the longitude correctly. In 1773, the production year of SSTC, he got the award from the Parliament.
Act II Sc 1 17. “By the elevens”: what is it? Ans: It is thought to be standing for “by the eleven apostles”. 18. “Inflame a reckoning”? Ans: increase the price of a bill. 19. “facetious” means? Ans: humorous, witty 20. The expression “Duchess of Drury Lane” refers to Ans: a woman of disreputable character. 21. “Zounds” Ans: God’s wounds 22. “Comet…burning mountain”: What is the contemporary event alluded to here? Ans: It alludes to the eruption of Vesuvius in 1767 and the appearance of a bright comet two years after. 23. “There was a time indeed when I fretted myself about the mistakes of government…” What was the contemporary context? Ans: Hardcastle here refers to the disturbances in Bengal and Madras and other places in the Empire.
Act III Scene 1 24. “Mouvaise honte” means? Ans: bashfulness 25. “Morrice! Prance!” means? Ans: “Get off quickly”. Morrice is also associated with Morris dance.
Act IV Scene 2 26. What is the meaning of “izzard”? Ans: It was an Old name for the letter Z.
Act V, scene 2 27. What does the expression “rabbit me” mean? Ans: beat me down, make me humble. 28. “Kiss the hangman”: Was it really in practice? Ans: It was practiced by some criminals as a mark of forgiveness.
Thematic Questions 1. Three principal mistakes of the night: a. Marlow and Hasting’s mistake of the house for an inn. b. Mistaking Mr. Hardcastle for the innkeeper. c. Mistaking Ms. Hardcastle for a barmaid. 2. Who is the central protagonist of the play? a. Tony b. Marlowe c. Kate d. All of them 3. Who is the real ‘hero’ of the play? a. Tony b. Kate c. Marlow 4. What is the dramatic function of the opening scene? Ans: The opening scene prepares the audience with all the information about the characters, about the impending intrigues and above all conflict of contrary elements. 5. What is the dramatic function of Tony’s song? Ans: It provides a response to the conservative attitude of his stepfather, offers a lot of fun to the audience, and serves as a humorous prelude to the confusion created by the mistakes of the night. 6. How is the title justified? Ans: Kate stoops by assuming the role of a barmaid from that of a respectable woman in order to woo and win Marlow. 7. Who pointed out the fault in the title, as it does not do proper justice to the role played by Tony? Ans: Robert Herring criticized the title because he thought Tony to be the central figure, having a pivotal role in both the main plot and the sub-plot. 8. Which character, Tony Lumpkin, is sometimes compared with? a. Falstaff [ans] b. Puck c. Shakespeare’s Fool
9. What particular quality of stagecraft is seen in the SSTC? a. Memorable dialogue b. Smooth movement of action c. Dramatic irony d. Swift movement of action necessary for a comedy. [Ans]
10. What is the dramatic function of the garden scene? Ans: The Garden Scene is a cathartic event that leads to the resolution of all conflicts and confusion. It also shows Tony in a triumphant light and proves that he is an intelligent person, contrary to the view of Mr. Hardcastle. 11. “…there goes the pair that spoil each other…” Who said this and where?
12. Which magazine is referred to as “The Scandalous Magazine”? Ans: The Town and the Country Magazine. 13. What is the most dominant form of verbal technique used in the play? Ans: Dramatic irony 14. How is India present in the play? Ans: As the East India Company was in the ascendancy after 1757, it was much in the news during Goldsmith’s time and he referred to some incidents in Bengal and Madras and to some native royal persons (Hyder Ali, Ali Khan). 15. What is the reason for the popularity of the play? Ans: Humour. Almost Shakespearian and Chaucerian acceptance of life with a bright, positive attitude. 16. What is the setting of the play, place and time? Ans: Place: in the English countryside around the Hardcastle mansion, about sixty miles from London.Time: 18th century. 17. What is the name of Mrs. Hardcastle? Ans: Mrs. Dorothy Hardcastle: 18. What is Kate’s final strategy to conquer? 19. What is the didactic element in the play SSTC? Ans: A Lesson for Mrs. Hardcastle that wealth can spoil children. 20. Who called SSTC “the lowest of all farces”? Ans: Horace Walpole. 21. Who said: “the incidents are so prepared as not to seem improbable”? Ans: Dr. Samuel Johnson. 22. Spot the meanings of the following in the context of the play: Degage: Friseur: Obstropalous: Garnets: Outrageous: |
| Test Your Preparedness (TYP) |
| 1. Who played vital role in bringing SSTC on stage?
A. Dr. Johnson B. Mr. Garrick C. Horace Walpole D. Sheridan 2. The title of the play is taken from- A. “All for Love” by Dryden B. “Hind and the Panther” by Dryden C. “Rape of the Lock” by Pope D. “Comedy of Errors” by Shakespeare
3. Who played the role of Mr. Woodward in SSTC? A. Mr. Garrick B. Dr. Johnson C. Edward Shutter D. Mr. Woodward himself
4. What does the word ‘shutter’ refer to? A. A comic actor of that period B. A statement that makes all shut up C. An instrument attached to the coffin D. The lid of the coffin
5. “All is not gold that glitters.”- The lines are taken from: A. Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” B. Dryden’s “Hind and the Panther” C. Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors” D. Pope’s “Dunciad”
6. “I vow Mr. Hardcastle, you are very particular”. – ‘particular’ means: A. Fastidious B. Obsessed C. Prejudiced D. Having a hard view
7. “. . . he’s not come to years of discretion yet”- ‘Discretion’ means here? A. Adulthood B. Maturity C. Youth D. Judgement
8. Who among the persons does not belong to Tony Lumpkin’s company? A. Dick Muggins B. Jack Slang C. Tom Twist D. Diggory
9. ‘Concatenation’ means: A. Consternation B. Falsehood C. Chain of thoughts or events D. Continuation
10. The Garden scene occurs in: A. Act II Scene III B. Act V Scene I C. Act V Scene II D. Act III Scene I
Answers 1. A 2. B 3. A 4. A 5. A 6. D 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. C
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