She Stoops to Conquer Act the First

Team A: 1-“The play touches the theme of the clash between country life
and city life” Do you agree with this claim? Provide support for your
answer.

We agree with the claim that "the play touches the theme of the clash between
country life and city life" since it focuses on the social conventions of the
society. There is a conflict between the refined attitudes of town and the simple
behaviors of the country. These two lifestyles have different habits, beliefs,
personalities and even ways of dressing. On the one hand, country life is
embodied in Mr. Hardcastle, who thinks people from the city have superfluous
lives. On the other hand, Mrs. Hardcastle and Kate live in the country, but they
dress in the city' s fashion and read magazines from London to be up to date.
There are two more characters described as the
Londoneers/ LONDONERS, George and Marlow. They come from the city and
are the perfect example of it/ REFERENCE?: they are refined, educated and
aware of social classes.
In the first act,, we see how Mrs. Hardcastle and Mr. Hardcastle talk about the
advantages and disadvantages of life in town and life in the countryside. Life in
town is associated with quality education, comfortable lifestyle and commuting/
WE CANNOT SPEAK OF "COMMUTING" IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
THAT CONCEPT APPEARD MUCH LATER.. It's where young people desire to
live, but it is also associated with vanity and false showiness. Mr. Hardcastle
shows his point of view BY telling his wife that people who go to town --" bring
back vanity and affectation to last them the whole year." He is simple, traditional
and down to earth, that is why he considers town manners pretentious. He also
believes that people only become shallow in town. Contrary to her husband´s
opinion, Mrs. Hardcastle thinks of London as a model for civilization since the
city helps to "rub off the rust". We can see her love for London and her constant
attempts to imitate London ways as she dresses, does her hair, and tries to
behave following the model of a city woman, which she gets from magazines.
Kate adheres to this model as well. When her father refers to her, he comments
"the fashions of the times have almost infected her too. By living a year or too in
town, she is as fond of gauze and French frippery as the best of
them", TROUGH THIS QUOTATION, WE MAY SEE THAT HE THINKS
LONDON IS A BAD INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE. Finally, George and Marlow
are town characters and represent fashion, sofistication and manners. They see
country manners as coservative, old-fashioned and bumpkinish. MARLOW
SHOWS HIS FEELINGS WHEN HE tells George "I am unwilling to lay myself
under an obligation to every one I meet, and often stand the chance of an
unmannerly answer". 
As a conclusion, we can see there is an assumption of certain behaviors which
determine if a character belongs to one social class or the other. Mr. Hardcastle
is conservative and follows countryside traditions, whereas Mrs. Hardcastle and
Kate wish they could live in the city, that is why Kate likes the idea of getting
married to Marlow, who comes from the city of London.

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Team B: 2-Although the play is essentially a comedy, Goldsmith does
indeed make reference to social problems. Analyze this issue in the
following passage:

Mr. Hardcastle: “Blessings on my pretty innocence! Dressed out as usual, my

Kate! Goodness! What a quantity of superfluous silk hast thou got about thee,
girl! I could never teach the fools of this age that the indigent world could be
clothed out of the trimmings of the vain” (page 5)

In the First Act, Goldsmith uses Mr. Hardcastle to criticize society's vanity,
reflecting upon social inequality. 

Mr. Hardcastle is a very conservative man who despises the ways of the town,
and is dedicated to the simplicity of country life and old-fashioned traditions,
therefore, he considers that all the new trends and fashionS spreading through
London are something problematic, and which emphasizes/ EMPHASIZE the
differences between the wealthy and the poor. He does not understand (or
approve of ) the need for extravagance and lavishness as it is shown when he
tells his daughter that he "could never teach the fools of this age that the
indigent world could be clothed out of the trimmings of the vain". WHAT IS THE
MEANING OF THIS QUOTATION? HE IS SAYING THAT POOR PEOPLE
COULD BE FULLY CLOTHED (COULD BE GIVEN DECENT CLOTHES)
WITH JUST THE ORNAMENTS THAT WEALTHY PEOPLE USE TO
ENHANCE THEIR GARMENTS. We can say that Mr. Hardcastle is not able to
comprehend the way in which his daughter has been corrupted by London’s
tendencies as it is stated when he tells her that she is wearing "a quantity of
superfluous silk".

If we go on reading, we can see that Miss Hardcastle answers to that last

statement in the evening when she says that she is going to put on her
"housewife's dress" to please his father, implying that a housewife dress is
something unsightly, old fashioned and worthy of an old, poor woman. THIS
PASSAGE SHOWS that she still keeps the London manners, despite the fact
that she is not living there anymore.

To conclude, we can say that in the First Act of "She Stoops To Conquer",
Goldsmith criticizes the appearance of the characters in order to lay emphasis
on the inequalities between the different social classes.

Team C: 3-Gender roles. What roles are assigned to men and women in
the play? Analyze this issue by referring to the conversation between Mr.
Hardcastle and Kate on pages 5 and 6.

The first Act of "She Stoops to Conquer" relates some many/ COVERS

SOME issues according to the class, that/ REFERENCE? is dealing with
character´s behaviours imposed by gender roles.

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The development of the conversation between Kate and Mr. Hardcastle points
out how the members of a family behave according to social impositions. As he/
MR. HARDCASTLE is interested in the suitability of Kate's election about her
suitor, he promotes the manner and elegancy ??ELEGANCE that she
should be???? at the moment of the meeting.

At the same time, Mr Hardcastle Establishes the virtues of being bashful and

reserved in men. Being in contrast of some of/ OPPOSED TO her father's
opinions, she??? MISS HARDCSTLE has to develop a "good personality" to be
accepted by her future husband. Although she accepted his father's condition,
she is afraid of being in love with somebody who she doesn´t know. It deals of
some of other connection to the submission of not having right to elect.
NOT CLEAR
As regards family relationshipS, the conversation between Hardcastle and his
daughter is a good example of society organization. Mr Hardcastle has a lot of
expectations on his daughter, who is a well-educated girl, because she has to
choose her future husband. As the dialogue is developed, Kate´s father shows
a huge admiration for her due to “the fashions of the times have almost
infected her too. By living a year or two in town, she is as fond of gauze
and French frippery as the best of them”. HE DOES NOT "ADMIRE" HER,
HE IS ACTUALLY CRITICIZING HER!!! What is explained in this phrase is that
Kate´s father highlights that his daughter has a lot of qualities to get married to
the best man in town. Besides, this fact explains how families arrange
marriages with other members of wealthy families in order to get a better social-
economical/ ECONOMIC position.
To sum up, what is highlighted in this topic is the differenciation in gender roles,
that is to say, that women are submissed by men's imposition.???? Men are
in charge of managing some personal aspects of women´s expectations, thus
women do not have a right to choose. The short dialogue between this father
and daughter reflects how a girl has to follow the manners and rules that are
imposed by society.

Team D: 4-

a- Which two institutions does Tony criticize in his song and what does he
say about them? (Page 8)
b- Provide the definitions of: “Genus”, “Lethe”, “Styx”, “Stygian” and “Their
Quis, and their Quaes and their Quods”.
a) One of the institutions Tony critizes is the school. He considers it puzzles
people´s brains with grammar, nonsense and learning. Besides, it treats
people as a group of animals or plants which are enclosed in a
parce. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN HERE

On the other hand, Tony is criticizing the church for coming down.
If the preacher drink is sinful,NOT CLEAR. HE SAYS THAT PRIESTS
REPRIMAND PEOPLE FOR DRINKING BUT THAT THEY DRINK
THEMSELVES, SO, THEY ARE HYPOCRITES. for that reason, Tony
says that preachers always preach best with a skinful.

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 What is more, in stanza number 2 he critizes the church ironizing
the way in which preachers act and how people are cheated in order
to take money off them. Preachers usually use the phrase "DO AS I
SAY NOT AS I DO" ironically because they do the opposite of this,
that means that they can do whatever they want because they have
control over people, and these people give them money in order to
receive a reward from church but they are actually being cheated.

THESE TWO PARAGRAPHS SHOULD BLEND INTO ONE SINCE

THEY ARE ABOUT THE SAME TOPIC

Apart from that, the words defined in item b are words which belong to
the song on page 8. Some of these words are Greek, BELONG TO
Roman mythologY OR ARE Latin words. That is, in stanza 1 he is
criticizing school by using these words that he had learned there so, in
this way he is being ironic.

Finally, Tony loves to play practical jokes, and he uses his jokes in this
song. He proves to be good-natured and kind despite his superficial
disdain for everyone.

b) Importan definitions to be considerED before reading the song on

page 8:
GENUS: a group of animals or plants, more closely related than a family,
but less similar than a species.

LETHE:in Greek mythology it was an imaginary river whose water, when

drunk, was thought to make the dead forget their life on Earth.

STYGIAN: very dark, and therefore frightening stigyan bloom.ORIGIN,

from the STYX, the river in the underworld which the souls of the dead
had to cross in Greek myth.

THEIR QUIS: it is a latin word that means who in English.

THEIR QUAES: This word is a latin word and means WHAT.

THEIR QUODS: This word means WHY.

Team E: 5-“Class distinctions are clearly marked in the play” Do you

agree? Provide support for your answer.

You may analyze the conversation among the patrons at “The Three Little
Pigeons” on pages 8 and 9.

We agree with the opinion that states that "class distinctions are clearly marked
in the play". Goldsmith makes us notice the customs and manners of high class

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people in contrast with the customs of lower class people by establishing a
dialogue between Tony Lumpkin and his fellows at the pub. Tony likes spending
time with lower class friends at "The three Little Pigeons" which shows that he is
not interested in class distinctions. He shows certain kind of friendship with
these fellows when he refers to them as "my boys" but at the same time it could
be observed some type of superiority at Tony´s figure because he says
"my..."THIS QUOTATION IS TOO SHORT! IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN MUCH I'M
AFRAID. as if these fellows belong to him. Reinforcing this idea, Goldsmith
points out that Tony seats at the head of the table in a little higher position than
the rest. At that place, Tony feels himself superior and important because in his
house he is constantly being disturbed by his doting mother. Besides, Mr
Hardcastle does not approve OF Tony´s behaviour at those places with those
fellows.

As regards the fellows at the pub, they are evidently from the lower class, and
not very well educated people. These aspects are shown by their pronunciation
("bekays" instead of "because") or when the third fellow adds “S” as in “I likes”.
Apart from that, they look like shabby fellows.Tony´s father is called “old 'Squire
Lumpkin” by one of the fellows. This fellow adds that Tony’s father “kept the
best horses, dogs, and girls, the whole county” and was “the finest gentleman”
he ever set his eyes on. Followed by this, Tony promises his fellows
to become/ HE WILL BEHAVE JUST AS HIOS FATHER DID as his father; for
instance, he likes gambling. He does/ MAKES that promise thinking about the
day when he receives/ WILL RECEIVE his inheritance. He thinks so much
about Bet Bouncer, a girl whereof ?????Tony is in love with.

In the conversation, two concert pieces that were very popular in the 18th
century are mentioned by one of the fellows: “Water parted” and “The minuet in
Ariadne”. These two opera songs are named by the fellows in the conversation
in order to demonstrate that they also possess some cultural knowledge.

In conclusion, Goldsmith shows the distinctions between classes througout this

particular part of the play. Tony´s character clearly represents the upper classes
while the group of fellows identify/ STAND FOR- SYMBOLIZE the lower class
citizens. The main differences between the characters who represent the social
classes are those based on education and behavior.

Team F: 6-“The play is a masterpiece of dramatic irony” Do you think this

claim is valid for Act the First? Provide support for your answer.

Dramatic irony” as a plot device in which the audience’s or reader’s knowledge
of events or individuals surpasses that of the characters. The words and actions
of the characters therefore take on a different meaning for the audience or
reader than they have for the play’s characters. This may happen when, for

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example, a character reacts in an inappropriate or foolish way or when a
character lacks self-awareness and, thus, acts under false assumptions.
We consider the claim, "the play is a masterpiece of dramatic irony", is valid for
Act the first since it can be noticed a distinctive quality of humor / A
DISTINCTIVE QUALITY OF HUMOUR CAN BE NOTICED in the play that,
indeed, is mostly ironic. Moreover, at any given moment there is always some
character who is unaware of the fact that he or she is being deceived and as it
was mentionED before we can realize that the play accomplishes the main
characteristics of the dramatic irony definition, principally at the end of the act.
An example of "dramatic irony" could be the fact that Tony provides fake
information to Marlow and Hastings by telling them "[...] the old Buck's Head on
the hill, one of the best inns in the whole country". That inn that Tony is talking
about is Hardcastles' house. Here the author provides the reader extra
information that gives a different meaning to the words and actions that the
characters experience throughout the play.

Team G: 7-Cultural clashes and stereotyping are present in the play. Can
you identify examples of these concepts in the following dialogue?

Landlord: “There be two gentlemen in a post-chaise at the door. They have lost
their way upo’ the forest; and they are talking something about Mr. Hardcastle”

Tony: “As sure as can be, one of them must be the gentleman that’s coming
down to court my sister. Do they seem to be Londoners?”

Landlord: “I believe they may. They look woundily like Frenchmen” (page 9)

Firstly, the landlord says “there be two gentlemen in a post-chaise at the door”.
With this assertion, he assumes that those men belong to the upper social
class, although he has just met them for the first time.

Secondly, Tony asks the landlord "if they seem to be Londoners". By the use of
the word “seem”, we can understand that Tony has a fixed stereotype of people
who belong to different social classes due to the clothing they wear. Another
example of A stereotype is the fact that Tony is so sure that one of them is the
waiting????? man that has come to court his sister; just because the way they
look.

Finally, there is one example of cultural clash when the landlord exclaims that
“they look woundily like Frenchmen”. Here, he expresses his disagreement and
criticises the way French men dress, because as they do not share the same
taste in clothing, he considers that they are extreme or excessive on their
appearances.

In conclusion, both characters prejudge people beforehand. In this dialogue, we

can clearly state that they stereotype people and it /THIS is clearly seen an
example of cultural clash.
She Stoops to Conquer Act the Second

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Team A: 8-The play is said to be a “masterpiece of dramatic irony”. What
role does the use of dramatic irony play in Act 2? You may focus on
Marlow and Hastings’s behaviour towards Mr. Hardcastle (pages 15-19).

As it WAS EXPLAINED in the first act, dramatic irony,in literature, is a plot

device in which the audience’s or reader’s knowledge of events or individuals
surpasses that of the characters. The words and actions of the characters,
therefore, take on a different meaning for the audience or readers than they
have for the play’s characters. In the play, at the end of the first act, Tony plays
a trick on Marlow and Hastings. He tells them that they are too far away from
their actual destination and he sends them to an inn to spend the night (which is
actually Mr. Hardcastle´s mansion). When they arrive, Mr. Hardcastle uses their
first names and offers them a "hearty reception", which is perfectly acceptable
for their host, but because of Tony's lie, they believe him to be the innkeeper
and consider his behaviour impudent for a landlord.

It can be stated that the play is a comedy of manners, since it is a comedy that
satirically portrays the manners and fashions of a particular class, the
aristocracy YOU MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE SOURCE FOR THIS
INFORMATION. WHERE DID YOU TAKE IT FROM???. Since behaviour is
connected with social class, many characters are often blinded to a character´s
behaviour because of an assumpton of his/her class. Hastings and Marlow act
under false assumptions, which lead them to disrespect and make fun of Mr.
Hardcastle. This is clearly seen when Hastings comments, "I see this fellow
wants to give us his company, and forgets that he's an innkeeper, before he has
learned to be a gentleman". Because they believe he is an innkeeper, they
consider him inferior and reject his company, that is why they ignore Mr.
Hardcastle when he tries to tell them the anecdotes about the Duke of
Marlborough and Prince Eugene and ask for a glass of punch. Moreover, they
ask Mr. Hardcastle “ What has your philosophy got in the house for supper?”,
which is a rude question to make to their host. Finally, they want to check their
beds, but Mr. Hardcastle tells them not to worry and to leave that to him, which
they refuse TOO. This humorous situation confuses Mr. Hardcastle and also the
Londoners. He cannot understand them and they cannot understand him, as an
innkeeper is not expected to have the refined attitudes of town.This confusion is
expressed when Mr. Hardcaslte says “ This may be modern modesty, but I
never saw anything look so like old-fashioned imprudence."
The lack of information about the countryside Marlow and Hastings seem to
have, makes them fall for Tony's practical joke and provokes this
misunderstanding: a situation they could not prevent and that we, the readers,
find interesting and enjoyable.

As a conclusion, we can say the use of dramatic irony plays a huge role in the
second act. We see Marlow and Hastings´s opinion about Mr. Hardcastle have
a different meaning or CONNOTATION as we know the truth, but the characters
involved in the situation do not. They are entangled in a web of lies and
misunderstandings, which makes the whole play a "masterpiece of dramatic
irony".
 

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Team B: 9-Marlow‘s views on women are bizarre and seemingly
contradictory. Do you agree? What may be the reason for his awkward
opinions? (Pages 14, 15).

 We must say that we agree with this idea that "Marlow’s views on women are
bizarre and seemingly contradictory" because we can see the way in which
Marlow acts differently according to what he believes the social standing of the
company to be.????? NOT CLEAR

Marlow's particular contradiction is clearly shown when Hastings describes him

as “such an idiot, such a trembler”(14), referring to the fact that Marlow acts
significantly “shy” whenever he is surrounded by high-class women whereas he
does the entire opposite THING with females of a lower class. Marlow
expresses his preference for humble women, however. He admits that to him "a
modest woman, drest out in all her finery, is the most tremendous object of the
whole creation", making it impossible for us to figure out what kind of women he
actually considers to be "perfect".

We believe that his lack of resolution when it comes to this matter is COMES
FROM his inexperience since he admits that he has spent most of his life “in a
college or an inn”. Marlow doesn’t feel confident enough to interact with ladies
of his own class and finds himself unable to “break the ice.” This inability can be
considered as a "consequence" of all the time he has spent in the company of
women of lower classes, such as bar-maids and bed-makers. 

As a conclusion, we can say that Marlow's views on women are contradictory.

Indeed, we believe that the reason behind his awkward opinions about women
lies in his inexperience with what he and the society of the time consider to be
"respectable and proper females".

Team C:10-Despite being very good friends, Marlow and Hastings seem to
be very different from each other. Do you agree? If so, in what ways are
they different?

 In the second act of “ She stoops to conquer”, characters ‘behaviours and
personalities are highlighted in order to show which are the prejudices of the
society at that time. As regards two of the male characters of this story, Marlow
and Hasting use to be so closed concerning their styles of life, meetings,
education, and social classes. Despite this friendship, they are very different
related to their personalities.
To begin with, Marlow and Hastings reflect how men think and act as regards
women. The first one is extremely shy around refined young ladies, although he
is completely at ease with humble women who belong to working-class status.
He is also a bashful boy trying to control his meeting with Kate. On the contrary,
Hastings shows himself as a very self-confident man. Besides, he is not

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interested in social classes because he does not have prejudices against that.
What is more, he is so surprised that “one who is so warm a friend can be so
cool a lover”. What is explained here is the fact that he cannot believe why his
friend establishes differences between wealthy and humble women. His
unchanging ideas are developed through being in touch of his lover Miss Neville
who is planning to run away together. At the same time, they show
subconsciously something in common relating to Mr. Hardcastle. They think he
belongs to lower social class. This misunderstanding is cleared when Miss
Neville tells Hasting about Tony's trick.
To end up, what is shown in this topic is the differences and similarities which
personalities and behaviours of different characters are still linked to aristocratic
points of view. Although Marlow and Hasting are different in some opinions,
they are connected to the same social class which is indeed the assumption of
this play.

She Stoops to Conquer is a play in the form of a comedy which ridicules the
manners of the upper classes. In the second act, behaviours and personalities
of two of the main characters of the story are higlighted in order to show this
peculiar aspect of English men belonging to upper classes.
These two men, Marlow and Hastings, are introduced as being very good
friends belonging to the upper class. They belong to the same social class and
share the same education and style of life. However, they are very different as
regards personalities.
These two very fancy and fashionable men reflect how males think and act as
regards women. Marlow responds to women solely on the basis of their status
in society. He is extremely shy around refined young ladies but he is completely
at ease with humble women who belong to working-class status. On the other
hand, Hastings, Marlow's friend, shows himself as a very self-confident man.
Unlike Marlow, Hastings has not prejudices with respect social classes. What is
more, Hastings can not believe the fact that Marlow is a very good friend but not
a good lover. He can not understand the fact that his friend establishes
differences between wealthy and humble women.
To end up, what is intended to convey in a funny or satirical way is the different
point of view of two fashionable englishmen who belong to the same social
class.

Team D: 11-Class is a central theme in the play. What is Mr. Hardcastle’s

behaviour towards his servants like? (Pages 12,13).

 Mr. Hardcastle wants his servants to behave in a perfect way when the guests
are eating in the table. He has been teaching them the way to do it perfectly.
Besides, each one of them has A specific "place" to stay and must respect what
Mr. Hardcastle has told them to do. They must not be so talkative. So, Mr.
Hardcastle wants them to act IN this way and not to act as frightened rabbits
that run and hide.

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In other words,Mr. Hardcastle is authoritarian when he gives different orders to
his servants and he points OUT the bad manners and bad things they have. He
works hard in order to his servants to "adopt" GRAMMARthe behaviour of
high class, but this work becomes harder and harder because the servants
belong to the low class and have different ways of working and speaking.
We can see from the way Mr Hardcastle behaves that he marks the difference
between social classes. He shows that IT is a perfect norm for people from the
upper class to treat the lower class in a certain way,and the lower class also
acceptS it. His behavior towards his servants shows how the lower class is
expected to behave in front of the high class. They are expected to be obedient
and willing to do anything they are ordered to do. AndIt seems that THE high
class does not accept the manners and the way in which THE low class
lives, and ( THE high class) is constantly trying to change them in order to
be similar TO them when they are in front of people FROM THE high class.
One of the themes that appears in the story is social class. The importance to
belong to the high or lower class is CLEARLY showN in the character
´s perspective on one another.They are all based on what class they are
part of. For example, the story shows how Tony loves low class people
like his friends in the "Three Pigeons". (In addition, Marlow and
Hastings`reaction to Hardcastle is another example of the importance of
class, because they find him absurd and they think that he is from low
class, but his behavior would be expected from a member of the upper
class that he really belongs to OFF SUBJECT.On the other hand,his step-
father treats low class(servants)in a rude and disrespectful way by saying
that they are "awkward", "blockheads" and "dunces".

YOU HAVE RETOLD WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PLAY BUT WHAT IS THE
RELEVANCE/IMPORTANCE OF THIS SCENE? WHAT CAN YOU
INFER/DEDUCE FROM THE WAY MR. HARDCASTLE BEHAVES? WHAT
WERE THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CLASSES LIKE?

Team E: 12-Analyze the conversation between Hastings and Mrs.

Hardcastle on pages 23 and 24. Is Hastings being ironic? How do you
know? Does Mrs. Hardcastle realize he is being ironic? What does this
fact tell us about her personality?

(You may provide a definition of irony and of the following words and names:
Ranelagh, St. James’s, Tower Wharf, degage, friseur, inoculation).

 In the conversation between Hastings and Mrs. Hardcastle on pages 23 and
24, we can perceive how Hastings makes use of irony. To begin with, "to be
ironic" is to use words which contain the opposite meaning of what somebody
really trieS to say as a way of being funny. For instance, when Mrs. Hardcastle
mentions that she has never been to London, Hastings pretends to be surprised
in order to make her believe HE THINKS she IS a natural fashionistA. In this

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case, he is being sarcastic. He says that he believed that she had been bred all
her life at Ranelagh, St. James's, or Tower Wharf but that was not his real
thought. He compliments her clothes as if they resemble the looks of women
from London and her hair as if it was treated by A French hairdresser (friseur).
He mentions that her hairstyle is “degage”, which means “relaxed”. Besides,he
motivates her BY PAYING HER compliments such as "and that young
gentleman, a brother of yours, I should presume?” which makes Mrs.
Hardcastle feel younger and optimistic. On the other hand, Mrs. Hardcastle,
who is a very vain and innocent woman, believes every word that Hastings says
about her and she doesn't realize that Hastings is being ironic. Mrs. Hardcastle
is constantly looking up to women and men from London because she
considers tHOSE people from that place AS fashion inspiration. She also
considers that what people wear at that city is the most appropriate FASHION
TREND, she TRIESto be a Londoner in all aspects BE IT SOCIAL ASPECTS
OR FASHIONABLE ONES.This attitude towards Londoners makes her
vulnerable in terms of the amount of trust she puts in everything that a
Londoner might say to her, in this case, the false compliments she receives
from Hastings. This particular fact of Hastings making comments with irony
towards Mrs. Hardcastle and the lack of reaction from her lets us know that she
is not a quite well educated womAn so this situation does not allow her to notice
Hastings´ contemptuous behaviour.

As regards Ranelagh (Gardens), it was a place for members of the fashionable

society to meet and promenade (show off/strut their stuff), St. James's was a
palace where the former seat of the British court was and Tower Wharf is part of
the royal palace in London. All these places represent the upper-class who are
fashion forward.

In conclusion, Hastings tries to avoid Mrs. Hardcastle all the time and from the
very beginning he replies TO her comments ironically. She is not able to realize
about this because her perspective of what is true and what is not is perhaps
minimal. Her will to become a londoner or at least to look like one confuses her
senses and judgement.

Team F: 13-What metaphor do Hastings and Marlow use on pages 15 and

16? Why do they use it? How is this metaphor connected to Mr.
Hardcastle’s words?

 At the end of the page 15 there is a conversation between Marlow and
Hastings where they use a metaphor, the person who starts it is Hasting that
says “[…] the first blow is half the battle.” comparing the battle with the game of
seducing the ladies, Kate and Constance, and the first blow as the first
impression. Moreover, he adds that he wants to open “the campaign” with an
extravagant suit. After this, Marlow exclaims “[…] if we open the campaign too
fiercely at first, we may want ammunition before it is over. I think to reserve

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embroidery to secure a retreat” explaining that they should be more discreet
and do not show all their “weapons” ON the first date.
This metaphor is connected to Mr. Hardcastle’s words because he interprets
that Hastings and Marlow are talking about the real war time and he takes it as
an opportunity to mention his anecdotes of war time mentioning the one about
"the Duke of Marlborough".

Team G: 14-Is Hastings using irony when he tells Marlow the following:

“You never spoke better in your whole life. Keep it up, and I’ll assure you
the victory”

“Cicero never spoke better. Once more, and you are confirmed in
assurance for ever “(page 21) ?

Why does he use irony? What effect is achieved by his use of irony?

You may provide the definition of “irony” and also explain who Cicero
was.

 We believe that Hastings is definitely using irony in this dialogue. We think that
his aims are: to make Marlow feel more comfortable than he is, to prove that he
is capable of handling in the situation of being in front of a [[#|woman]] that he
dreads to encounter. Also, BY being ironic Hastings tries to be humorous in
order to encourage Marlow to deal with that situation.

Firstly, it is very clear that Hastings uses irony to make Marlow feel confidence
when he says to him that “ he never spoke better in his whole life”. Because the
truth is that Marlow is unable to say anything, and Kate has to help him. In fact,
it is obvious that he cannot manage the meeting because he keeps his head
down during the whole conversation to avoid looking at her eyes; and she is the
one who controls the conversation, amusing herself with the man's shyness

Secondly, Kate notices Marlow’s difficulties to talk and begins the conversation
asking him about the inconvenient that he and his friend have had on his travel.
So, he says “only a few, madam. Yes, we had some. Yes madam, a good many
accidents, but should be sorry-madam-” (Page 21). The repetition of the word
“madam” many times clarifies that Marlow not only does not speak better
than Cicero but he is really nervous. GRAMMARIndeed, Hastings’s words
are the opposite of what he really thinks. We consider that he does it in order to
be funny.

To conclude, we conceive that Hastings’s words mean the contrary of what he

really thinks and we suppose that he does it to be comic with his friend. While,
Marlow is suffering by the embarrassing situation that he is living.

12
IRONY: The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of their
literal or actual meaning. An outcome opposite to what was, or might have
been, expected.

CICERO: Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer,

orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy
municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is widely considered one
of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

 She Stoops to Conquer Act the Third

Team A:15-Why are Constance’s jewels so important? Think about

Constance herself, Hastings, Mrs. Hardcastle and Tony.

Constance is Mrs. Hardcastle´s niece. Since she is an orphan and not of age,
Mrs. Hardcastle is her guardian and has also the sole management of
Constance´s inheritance, which was left to her by her uncle, the India director,
and chiefly consists in jewels. Mrs. Hardcastle wants to keep the jewels in the
family by uniting her son, Tony, and Constance in marriage. However, neither of
them is willing to join together. What is more, Constance already has an
admirer, Mr. Hastings, but she is reluctant to elope until she gets hold of the
jewels.

For Constance, the jewels are so important that, in order to persuade her aunt
to let her wear them, she pretends to be in love with Tony. What Mrs.
Hardcastle does not know is that Constance loves Hastings. She explains
her design by saying: "A fortune like mine, which chiefly consists in jewels, is
no such mighty temptation. But at any rate, if my dear Hastings be but constant,
I make no doubt to be too hard for her at last. However, I let her suppose that I
am in love with her son; and she never once dreams that my affections are fixed
upon another." Although Constance is in love with Hastings, she knows once
they escape together they will be on their own and they will need money. She is
very down-to-earth and pragmatic. THAT'S WHY SHE DOESN'T WANT to
leave her "little fortune" behind . When Hastings arrives at Mr. Hardcastle´s
mansion, Constance tells him: "The instant they are put into my possession, you
shall find me ready to make them and myself yours." 
For Hastings, the jewels are not important because he only wants to be with

13
Constance. He tells her: "Perish the baubles! Your person is all I desire." It may
be also infered that Hastings had claim for Constance´s hand before her father
died, but now her aunt is not aware of his proposal. That is why he goes to Mr.
Hardcastle´s mansion with Marlow because, as his friend, he is sure of a
reception. This is seen when he tells Marlow: "Were I a wretch, meanly seeking
to carry off a fortune, you should be the last man in the world I would apply to
for assistance. But Miss Neville´s person is all I ask, and that is mine, both from
her deceased father´s consent, and her own inclination."
For Mrs. Hardcastle, the jewels are very precious because of the monetary
value and THEIR beauty so she wants Tony to marry Constance to keep them
in her family. We can see that Mrs. Hardcastle refuses to give Constance her
jewels by saying " Constance, you amaze me. Such a girl as you want jewels! It
will be time enough for jewels, my dear, twenty years hence, when your beauty
begins to want repairs." She tries to justify her refusal by explaining that she is
too young to wear them. She also tells her, WITH the pretext of refusing the
jewels: "Besides, child, jewels are quite out at present" to show Constance they
are not fashionable at the moment.The implication of Mrs Hardcastle's
actions portray NOT CLEARher to be extremely class-conscious because she
attempts to use the age-old trick of marriage for the sake of social elevation.

Finally, Tony really longs for his mother and cousin to let him and his good
alone.NOT CLEAR When Mrs. Hardcastle asks him what he has been saying
to his cousin, he replies: "I have been saying no soft things, but that it´s very
hard to be followed about so. Ecod! I´ve not a place in the house now that´s left
to myself, but the stable." For him, the jewels mean getting married to
Constance, who he really dislikes. If Constance runs away with Hastings and
the jewels, he will not have to give up his freedom and the nights at the
Alehouse with his friends. For this reason, when he finds out about Hastings
and Constance´s plan, he decides to help them: he promises a pair of fresh
horses, steals Constance´s jewels from his mother´s bureau and gives them to
Hastings. Tony is determined to do as much as he can to avoid marrying his
cousin, which his mother has not made him yet because he is not of age.
NOT CLEAR 

Team B: 16-Kate and her father speak about appearances. Both have
different views upon the issue. Who do you agree with? Why?

Act the third begins with a dialogue between Kate and her father in which both
of them express their different points of views about first appearances; more
especifically, about their initial impression of Mr. Marlow. Upon this matter, we
must say that we agree with Kate's view rather than with Mr. Hardcastle's.

Kate considers that first impressions are not the most important thing when it
comes to define someone because she says that impressions do not determine
a person's value as she clearly states when she says that "there might be many

14
good qualities under the first appearance". It seems plausible to say that Kate's
view of this issue is somehow strengthened by the fact that, by the time she
speaks to her father, she already knows that there is more to Mr. Marlow than
meets the eye.

It is clear for us that Goldsmith, through the diverse opinions that Kate and Mr.
Hardcastle state about Mr. Marlow, wants to show that Kate's view is right and
probably less superficial than her father's. However, we believe that both of
them are right and wrong at the same time when it comes to Mr. Marlow's
personality since they have interacted with him previously and, from their own
point of view, both of them already "know" him. This is a clear example that first
appearances are not everything and we cannot judge what a person truly is
solely based on first impressions, which is what Mr. Hardcastle does.

As a conclusion, we have come to an agreement on the belief that even though

the first impression is of considerable importance when it comes to assessing
another person, it is impossible to define someone else's personality, character
and virtue solely based on the impression left on their initial appearance
because there are clearly more factors to take into consideration. 

Team C:17-What example of “dramatic irony” can be identified in this Act?

(Think about Kate’s plan to discover Marlow’s real personality).

 She Stoops to Conquer is a masterpiece of dramatic irony which can be

defined as a device where words and actions of the characters take a different
meaning for the readers than they have for the play's characters. This may
happen when, for instance, a character reacts in an inappropriate or foolish
way.
A very good example of dramatic irony is strongly focused on Kate’s plan to find
out what kind of person Marlow actually is. In consequence, Kate becomes
determined to look deeper into Marlow's character.
The different opinion about her father let her the position to prove Marlow´s real
face, neither modest nor impudent. The first time Kate´s father met Marlow, he
acted as if he were imprudent and arrogant. On the contrary, Miss Hardcastle
found in Marlow a sullen attitude. "He treated " her ..."with diffidence and
respect; censured the manners of the age; admired the prudence of girls that
never laughed; [...] the left the room with a bow". This is the reason why, kate
decides to cheat Marlow. She desires to find in him a "more importunate"
person and his father a "less imprudent and more respectful" man.
As the events happen, the play shows what the reader is expecting to see. Kate
decides to dress herself as one not belonging to the high class. Consequently,
Marlow's manners are very different as what she has thought concerning to his
relaxing behaviours. What is more, Marlow tells her that "at the Ladies´Club" he
is called "their agreeable Rattle" and suggests Miss Hardcastle to be part of this
club remarking all the time the "nectar" of her lips. Although Kate is lying and

15
pretending to be someone else, little by little she is discovering that Marlow can
be both respectful and lively. Thus, she gets her objective and the readers get
anxious to know how the plan continues and which possible consequences of
this lie are.
To sum up, Marlow is a character in which "dramatic irony" can be found
through his actions. As regards humble ladies, he acts in a relaxing manner
while in front of wealthy women his behaviour changes completely. Marlow acts
prudently and this makes Kate thinks that this is something ironic as regards
what her father has told her about Marlow.

Team D: 18-Throughout the play, Goldsmith uses different kinds of

allusions. Analyze this passage:

Maid: But what is more, madam, the young gentleman as you passed by in your
present dress, asked me if you were the barmaid. He mistook you for the
barmaid, madam!

Miss Hardcastle: Did he? Then as I live I’m resolved to keep up the delusion.
Tell me, Pimple, how do you like my present dress? Don’t you think I look
something like Cherry in The Beaux’ Stratagem? (page 33).

What allusion can you identify? In your opinion, what is the connection
between the allusion and the story?

IN this allusion, Kate tries to win Marlow by pretending to be a maid. The

quotation that Kate mentions is FROM a famous play from George Farquhar,
which has similarities and connections with the story. THE MAIN
PROTAGONIST OF "THE BEAUX' STRATAGEM" IS CALLED CHERRY.
Cherry is a girl who wants to get information from Archer because her relatives
distrust him . Although she falls in love, she cannot get the information that
everybody wants. Like Cherry, Miss. Hardcastle changes her real name in
ORDER TO look for a real and true love.
In the play the marriage and divorce are in discussion. The divorce threatened
the supposed stronghold of marriage. The legal system does not allow divorce
in terms of incompatibility and any divorce at the time left women in disgraced
and penniless. This topic touches on the contemporary problem of women's
dependent status in marriage, but easily resolves the problem in fictional terms
with staging an unofficial divorce between the incompatible husband and wife.
In fact, we can make a comparision between these two plays in which marriage
is one of the most important issues at that time. And we can see this when Mrs
Hardcastle wants her son Tonny to get marrIED TO Constance and Mr.
Hardcastle wants a man with money for her daughter. But another important
issue that is shown between these two plays IS the division between the low
and high classES.

The connection between the allusion and the story is that the situation in which

16
Miss Hardcastle changes her dress and name, makes reference to the tittle of
the play "She Stoops to Conquer". Although Miss Hardcastle belongs to the
high class, she decides to show that she belongs to an inferior social class by
wearing a similar dress worn by ladies of the low class. And when she discovers
that the gentleman she is interested in has confused her with a barmaid, she
decides to continue playing the role of a servant
"She Stoops to Conquer" is connected to the allusion of Cherry in order to show
that by wearing a particular piece of cloth, you can demonstrate to which social
class you belong to.

THE CONNECTION IS ALSO THAT IN BOTH STORIES, THE HEROINES

MUST PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT IN ORDER TO FIND
TRUE LOVE.

Team E: 19-Mr. Hardcastle believes Marlow is an impudent young man

whereas his daughter, Kate, thinks he is too timid for his own good. Can
you explain this contradiction?

 In the use of dramatic irony, Goldsmith allows us to see from THE outside OF
the story the different misunderstandings, mistakes and contradictions that the
characters are not able to understand.
It would seem a contradiction at first sight the fact that Mr. and Miss
Hardcastle have a different perception of Marlow's character  WORD
ORDER but it is just a product of his NOT CLEAR WHOSE
ATTITUDE? attitude towards people depending on his level of confidence.
Regarding Marlow's behaviour, he acts in two different ways. While Mr.
Hardcastle sees one side of Marlow's personality, Kate sees another one.
Marlow’s attitude changes dramatically depending on who he is addressing . If
they are directed to people who belong to the upper class, he is courteous and
polite, but concerning women, he turns into the shyest person ever. However,
WHEN HE MUST DEAL with lower class people he feels confident and secure
of himself.
Marlow's behaviour is extremely rude when he is with Mr. Hardcastle. He
disdains Mr. Hardcastle because he thinks that Kate's father is just an
innkeeper. However, WHEN Marlow is in THE company of Miss Hardcastle he
is very shy. He shows himself as if he was a man of the world when Miss
Hardcastle pretends to be a lady from the lower class. From the point of view of
Mr.Hardcastle, Marlow appears TO BE "...the most imprudent piece of brass
that ever spoke with a tongue". He can't stand Marlow because of his imprudent
IMPRUDENCE? IMPUDENCE? and over friendly attitude towards him; such
attitude makes Mr. Hardcastle worry and think about what his daughter could
think about Marlow and also about the way she could react IF SHE BECOMES
AWARE OF Marlow's shocking behaviour . However, for Kate, Marlow seems to
be a deeply shy person THERE IS NO LINK FOR THIS QUOTATION "He met
me with a respectful bow, a stammering voice, and a look fixed on the ground";

17
this kind of behaviour makes Kate realize that he won't have her consent at all.
Tha fact that Marlow behaves in one way with Mr. Hardcastle and in another
one totally different with Miss Hardcastle finally makes them both, Mr. and Miss
Hardcastle, conclude that they agree about rejecting Marlow because of his
hypocritical attitude.

Team F: 20-Take into account Tony’s behaviour towards his mother in

Acts 1, 2 and 3. How can their relationship be described? Remember to
give your opinion and support it with examples from the text.

We can describe the relationship between Tony and Mrs Hardcastle as a

complicated one. Mrs Hardcastle, who is a very over-protective mother, has not
got authority over Tony. We can identify this in act 1 wheN Tony tells his mother
that he will go to the pub even though she complains about this situation and
detains him, he answers her “We’ll see which is stronger, you or I” and leaves
the house; showing that he is a mischievous and an uneducated person.
Moreover, we can see that he finds satisfaction in tormenting his mother with
his behaviour, he sometimes behaves like a fool and like someone who does
not understand his mother's words. For example, in act 3 Mrs Hardcastle and
Tony agree to tell Miss Neville that her jewels have been stolen and Tony would
beAR witness TO this situation. Later, Mrs Hardcastle realises that the jewels
have been truly stolen and tells Tony, who has certainly stolen them, about that
but he pretends to believe Mrs Hardcastle is acting and tells her "[...] you must
be in a bitter passion, and then nobody will suspect either of us". As a result, in
this quotation it is demostrated how Tony mocks his mother.
There is a psychological topic developed by Sigmund Freud, THE father of
psychoanalysis that describes a relationship between a mother and a son called
"Oedipus complex". Tony’s relationship with his mother can be the result of an
unresolved "Oedipus complex". According to S. Freud theory, when a male
child did not solve the fascination and attraction for his mother before the age of
5 or 6 years, he would develop a conflictive and problematic relationship with
her. 

Team G: 21-In Act 3, Kate and Marlow have a second meeting. Compare
their first encounter in Act 2 with the one in this Act 3. Also, analyze
Marlow’s behaviour in both meetings. Does he have “double standards”?

In Act 3, Kate and Marlow have a second meeting. There are many differences

between the first encounter in Act 2 and the one in Act 3.
The maid tells Kate that Marlow does not remember her face. Kate takes
advantage of this situation to discover if Marlow is that simple and modest man
she has met before or if Marlow is a brazen man as Mr Hardcastle thinks,
making Marlow believe that she is a barmaid. Comparing his behaviour in both
meetings, we MAY CONCLUDE that he has double standards.

18
To begin with, Marlow can´t imagine that he is talking to Miss Hardcastle. So
he treats her according to whom he thinks she is and behaves in an improper
way attempting to kiss her. Furthermore, in this second encounter he claims to
be "a great favourite" at the Ladies' [[#|Club]] and lists all the ladies that prefer
him (Act 3,page35).This is an example of him showing that he has double
standards. He has an indecorous behaviour with her, because he thinks she
belongs to an inferior class. This attitude is completely opposite to that
manifested in their first meeting in which he is always trying to escape from her.

Also, In their first meeting, Marlow has "never once looked up during
the interview" ( Act 3,page 33), he keeps his head down during the whole
conversation and it is Kate who manages and LAUGHS AT Marlow's difficulty to
talk. At the end of the chat, she says that "he scarce looks full in her face the
whole time" (Act 2,page 23), but in the second one, he looks full in her face,
manages the meeting and says to her that "he has never seen a more sprightly
malicious eye" (Act3,page 34).

To conclude, we may assume again that Marlow has double standars. In their
first meeting, he stammers and stutters since he is so nervous ABOUT talking
with a lady of his same social class. But in the second one, he is extrovert and
talkative. The cause of his change is that he feels security when he talks to
women who do not belong to a high social class. Indeed, he feels superior with
them. So, He has two ways of behaving: one toWARDS women of his own
class and another one toWARDS women of a lower class.

 She Stoops to Conquer Act the fourth 

TEAM B: 22-Analyze the conversation between Mr. Hardcastle and Marlow

on pages 40 and 41. Is this yet another example of the use of “dramatic
irony”?

On pages 40 and 41, a crucial conversation between Mr. Hardcastle and

Marlow is developed. This conversation is a clear example of dramatic irony
because the audience has information that characters themselves do not.
Dramatic irony is a stylistic device where the readers or the audience have
more information and knowledge than the characters themselves; therefore, the
characters’ lack of awareness when it comes to certain information inevitably
causes them to act under false assumptions, or else, react in ways that seem to
be imprudent or inappropriate. One of the best examples of how this device is
used in this play is the way in which Mr. Hardcastle and Marlow’s interaction
occurs during act the fourth as a result of the latter’s belief that the house
wherein he is staying at is nothing but an inn and Mr. Hardcastle is a simple
landlord.

19
In this act, both Mr. Hardcastle and young Charles Marlow have an interesting
conversation in which Mr. Hardcastle confronts his guest about the changes
that he sees in his home, ever since his arrival. And most specifically about the
way in which his "drinking habits" has polluted his servants' minds.
I DON'T AGREE WITH THIS PART. IT'S NOT MARLOW THE ONE WHO
DRINKS. RATHER, HE HAS ORDERED HIS SERVANTS TO DRINK AND
THEY HAVE GOTTEN DRUNK.
To Mr. Hardcastle, the way in which Marlow behaves and expresses himself is
inexcusable, improper and disrespectful towards him and his family, and that's
why he says, "I desire that you and your drunken pack may leave my house
directly" (41). But to Mr. Marlow, who believes he is staying at an inn, all the
things he does or says are fit for the situation he believes he is in. Thus, when
Mrs. Hardcastle orders him to leave his house he replies "this is my house,
mine, while I choose to stay" (41).
As a conclusion, we can say that all the misunderstandings that occur because
of false assumptions are not lost on the audience, as they are aware of what is
really happening from the very beginning of the play. The use of dramatic irony,
in this case, makes the characters, their frustrations, embarrassment, and
reactions amusing because the audience understands the jokes due to the fact
that they already have crucial information, but the characters do not know what
is actually happening.

TEAM F: 23-Explain the meaning of what Jeremy, one of the servants,

says in this passage (page 40):

JEREMY: Please your honour, liberty and Fleet- Street for ever! Though I’m but
a servant, I’m as good as another man.

Connect what he says with the ideas of: status quo, tradition and rebellion.

When Jeremy exclaims, “Please your honour, liberty and Fleet- Street for
ever! […]”, he uses an ambiguous reference to the slogan, liberty and Fleet-
Street, of the 1760s in support of John Wilkes,the politician, journalist, and
agitator whose vituperative attacks on the government produced severe judicial
retaliation and turn his martyrdom for the cause of a free press.
Analizing this, we think Jeremy uses this phrase because he was drunk; due to
the effects of alcohol, he feels uninhibited and free to say whatever he
thinks, free press similar to feel himself free to express thoughts. NOT
CLEAR / LANGUAGE The servant is traying to rebell himself against his social
position, he is not happy with his situation and he talks about equality " I'm
good as another man" - he is challenging WHAT IS HE CHALLENGING?.
This idea is connected with the "Status Quo". This topic refers to a situation
that people find mutually undesirable but the outcome of any changes it
may be not possible or risky. THIS DEFINITION IS NOT CLEAR. HAVE A
LOOK AT THIS ONE:

STATUS QUO: the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or

political issues.
"they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo"

20
In that sense, nobility and servants depend in certain way one on the other. In
these cases, there is a balance that not necessarily needs to be equa
lLANGUAGE; predominantly one of the parts has control over the other. This
Status quo also refers to a tradition which is a belief, custom or way of doing
something that has existed for a long time among a particular group of people. It
is a continuing pattern of practices belonging to a particular family, country.
THIS DEFINITION IS BETTER And here we continue with the idea of feedback,
Marlow belongs to a powerful family, who have certain customs, for example,
give orders and Jeremy is a person in a condition of servitude, required to
render services and follow orders to a lord, in this case Marlow’s order.
“WHERE IS YOUR CONCLUSION?WHERE IS THE OTHER DEFINITION OF
FLEET STREET THAT WE DISCUSSED IN CLASS? I THINK YOU SHOULD
HAVE INCLUDED IT.” 

TEAM C: 24-Does Marlow intend to marry Kate while he still thinks she is
a poor woman? Why? Why not? What reasons does he give for what he
says? How may his answer be connected to the theme of social class?

One of the main themes in "She stoops to conquer" is the distinction between
upper and lower social classes. In fact, this play was written in the eighteenth
century when members of the aristocracy and nobility arranged marriages in
order to raise the amount of money of the families. This distinction between
different social classes is developed through Kate and Marlow's behaviours in
acts three and four. Concerning Marlow's behaviour, the way in which he
addresses Kate shows a strong contradiction between his feelings and his
moral obligations. However, overestimating the aristocracy and his father
´s opinion, he prefers to resign himself to loving her, since he assumes that she
belongs to a lower class.

As it is developed during the third act, Marlow shows a kind of attraction to Mrs
Hardcastle even though she pretends to be a servant who is working in the
house,first as a bar-maid girl and then as “a poor woman” who is habitually in
touch of Hardcastle’s family relation. As soon as the fourth act goes on, Marlow
expresses a contradiction because he thinks that Kate is a "lovely little thing that
runs about the house with a bunch of keys to its girdle". However, he also tells
Hastings that he "knows the honour of the bar-maid of an inn". This phrase
explains that a simple servant cannot be anything else in life, that her destiny is
to work depending on her landowner because she" is only appointed to keep
the keys and to see that the guests want nothing in" her" power to give them".

During the chatting with Hasting,Charles Marlow assures that Kate" has virtue"
and that he "should be the last man in the world that would attempt to corrupt
it". Here, Marlow expresses another contradiction because he seems to adore
this lady but then he says that "there ´s nothing in this house "he"shan´t honesty
pay for". This phrase does not refers only to material things, it also refers that
there is nothing in the house that can keep his interest alive.

21
Although he notices Kate´s different situation as being a poor woman, he does
not do another thing to apologize her, and he gives her up, moreover, he gives
importance to the world view of the aristocratic class. He explains her that she
is "the only part of the family " he "leaves with reluctance" but to be plain with
her "the difference of their birth, fortune and education, makes a honourable
connexion impossible". By telling this, Marlow emphasizes the distinction
between two status or "worlds" which coexist in a society which establishes
differences all the time.

To analyse this topic, it is claimed that, this kind of approach that Marlow insists
on, is a representation of the hypocrisy that people of high position make
themselves think they are superior relating to people of lower classes.By doing
this, they show their worst part in an ordinary way and establish impudence and
appropriation. In addition, to this critical point of view is crucial to see two
important issues along the play, the absurdities of high classes dealing with
"material" over "affection". In this way, it is important to analyse this strong
contradiction between Marlow’s feelings and what he must do according to the
moral obligations of the social class he belongs to.

TEAM G: 25-Is Tony Lumpkin the hero or the villain of the story? Support
your answer with examples from the text.

Even though Goldsmith shows Tony as a villain at the beginning, we believe

that Tony is the hero because we can see a change in his attitude during the
story and the trick he plays to Mr Marlow and Hastings finally helps Kate to
know Marlow's real personality; also it is clear his desire to help Constance
and Hastings's romance because he does as much as he can to keep
them together. LANGUAGE/ WORD ORDER

Firstly, Tony's trick, indirectly, helps Kate to know Marlow's real personality. As
a consequence, they fall in love. Moreover, at the beginning of the story, Tony is
shown as a trickster and also is defined as an "undutiful boy" and AS AN
"unfeeling monster" (Act 2, page 26) by Mrs Hardcastle but his ironic stupidity is
matched with a genuine desire to help others and we can observe the change in
his behaviour when he expresses that " he will not be made a fool of no longer"
(page 26)

Secondly, Tony tries to help Constance and Hastings to escape from the house.

He says that he "has got for them a pair of horses that will fly like whistle-
jacket" (page 44). Additionally, in front of his mother, he says that he "always
loves cousin Con's hazle eyes and her pretty long fingers" (page 45). He
pretends to court Miss Neville as his mother has always wished. So, he is able
to fool her for a while and Constance and Hastings escape. Also, after stealing
the jewels, Tony makes Mrs Hardcastle believe that it has been all a mistake of
the servants.

22
To conclude, we affirm again, that Tony is a hero. Through the story we can see
Tony´s clear desire to help others to escape from their reality, because he does
not accept the rules of the aristocractic world.

TEAM A: 26-Explain the allusion used in the following passage:

TONY: Here’s another. We shall have old Bedlam broke loose.

Why does Tony say this?

An allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of

historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail
the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer
expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp
its importance in a text
(retrieved from http://literarydevices.net/allusion/)

In this case, Tony makes reference to Bethlem Royal Hospital, which is Europe
´s first and oldest institution to specialize in mental illnesses. According to
Wikipedia, it was founded in 1247 and has operated continuously for over 600
years. It has also been the continent´s most famous and, indeed, infamous
specialist institution for the care and control of the insane. It has been known by
various names including St Mary Bethlehem, Bethlem Hospital, Bethlehem
Hospital and, informally and most notoriously, Bedlam. The word "Bedlam",
meaning uproar and confusion, is derived from the hospital's prior nickname.
Although the hospital became a modern psychiatric facility, historically it was
representative of the worst excesses of asylums in the era of lunacy reform.

Tony says, "Here is another. We shall have old Bedlam broke loose presently"
after being faced and insulted by Miss Neville and Mr. Hastings. Mr. Marlow
JOINS them with the same intentions. They all blame Tony for their misfortune.
Miss Neville reproaches Tony that he should have realised about the content of
the letter Hastings sent him because she made him nods and signs. Mr.
Hastings accuses Tony of betrayal; since he let his mother read the letter.
Finally, Mr. Marlow approaches them in search of an explanation, as he has just
been undeceived: Kate is not the barmaid, but Mr. Hardcastle´s daughter.
The practical joke Tony plays on Marlow and Hastings in the first act to take
revenge on Mr. Hardcastle and to have fun, causes all the misunderstanding
which leads to "the mistakes of a night" (another way by which this play is

23
 known.) Tony does not assume his responsibility and thinks that they are crazy
to accuse HIM. THAT'S WHY HE SAYS the house resembles a mental
institution. He might also mean that they are lunatics who have escaped from
Bedlam.

In conclusion we may say that Bedlam is an archaic word which stands for
'insane asylum' and it is employed to refer to "a situation where confusion and
scandal prevails." In simple words, Tony is saying sarcastically that the others
are about to overreact to the situation AS IF THEY WERE lunatics.

TEAM D: 27-Explain the episode of the letter Tony receives. What role
does this letter play in the conclusion of the story?

After Constance and Tony have been found by his mother, pretending to be
caught fondling each other, Tony
receives a letter from Hastings in which he says to him that he is waiting for
Constance. A servant brings a letter to Tony. Constance immediately
recognizes the handwriting as belonging to Hastings.Tony, who cannot read,
tries to sort it out.Before he can give it to his mother to read, Constance grabs it
and pretends to read it, making up a nonsense letter on the spot,. Tony does
not know what to do and gives it to her mother. When Mrs. Hardcastle reads it,
she gets very angry and wants to take Constance to another house using the
horses that Tony has prepared for Constance and Hasting. Mrs. Hardcastle
takes Constance far away from Hastings. Some minutes later a servant enters
to inform Constance that Mrs. Hardcastle awaits her for a quick departure but
Tony , who is more clever than what everybody thinks, arranges a meeting on
the garden.

In addition, the confusion that the letter has caused between them is solved at
the end of the play. Tony refuses to marry Constance so, Hastings and
Constance decide to get married and Marlow gets married to Kate. In the play
you can see how Tony grows in terms of behaviour. At the beginning of the
play, he is described as a cheater, and at the end he ties to change the way that
he acts. Maybe Tony's reaction is a simple desire to defeat his mother. The play
concludes with a happy ending when the confusion that the letter has created is
solved.

The role that the letter plays in the conclusion of the story is that it
generates discord among the characters who take place in this situation,
and leaves an effect of disappointment IN them. It shows what is really
happening in that place. Some consequences of reading the letter are :

 Constance argues with her aunt and leaves her angry and
devastated.
 Hastings and Marlow feel bad about Tony´s mistake. They consider
that the situation is a torture and must face it with bravery. Tony also feels
bad with himself and the only useful thing he thinks he can do is to act as
a good-natured fellow as Hastings and Tony think he really is. So, by

24
 giving them his best horses, Tony thinks he can demonstrate he really
feels pity and wants to be forgiven.
 Miss Neville feels completely ruined and ashamed. She wants Tony
to feel guilty.
 Mrs Hardcastle is really upset with Tony. She cannot tolerate his
son has deceived her and all the family.

In conclusion, the letter makes all of them feel disappointed and angry
with ??themselves and unable to face the real situation they are in, by
hIDING their own feelings. 

TEAM E: 28-Are the main characters in “She Stoops to Conquer” “flat” or

“round”? Support your answer with examples from the story.

 In the play “She stoops to conquer” written by Oliver Goldsmith, we can see
how well developed the characters are. We can divide them into two kinds of
characters: flat and round characters. According to the English novelist Edward
Forster, flat characters are two-dimensional in that they are relatively
uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. By contrast,
round characters are complex and undergo development, sometimes
sufficiently to surprise the reader.1

As regards flat characters, we can say that; for instance, Mr. Hardcastle is a
very clear example of that because he stays the same throughout the play. He
represents old-fashioned values, and he is entirely unashamed of this. He tells
Mrs. Hardcastle that he loves everything which is old like “old friends, old
manners, old books and old wine”. He is very polite even WHEN he is angry.
Mrs. Hardcastle is also a flat character. She represents the stereotype of a
selfish, ambitious and vain woman. When she says "I´m not old as you´d make
me..." she shows us that she is an old lady pretending to be young. Another
example of A flat character is Tony Lumpkin. He seems to have renounced to
all the social values of his family. He shows his happiness by sharing with
his fellows at the pub. LANGUAGE PROBLEMS

Concerning round characters, there are many examples of them. Marlow and
Miss Hardcastle ARE round characters because they have split personalities
with many different characteristics and undergo development. In the case of
Marlow, he is a character who actS differently according to the social class he
belongs to. This changing attitude, especially towards women from different
social classes, can clearly be seen through his nervous behaviour with Kate
when he believes her to be Mr. Hardcastle's daughter and his forthright manner
when he believes her to be a barmaid. He falls in love with Kate in her role OF
barmaid; however, he rejects her by saying "the difference of our birth, fortune,
and education, make an honourable connection impossible". In addition,

25
Marlow's complicated behaviour is partially explained in his own words when he
says to Hastings that "...to me, a modest woman, drest out in all her finery, is
the most tremendous object of the whole creation". Another example of
Marlow's contradictory behaviour is GIVEN IN Mr Hardcastle and Miss
Hardcastle's dialogue as Kate says "he met me with a respectful bow, a
stammering voice, and a look fixed on the ground" while Mr Hardcastle says "he
met me with a loud voice, a lordly air, and a familiarity that made my blood
freeze again". In the case of Miss Hardcastle, she pretends to be a barmaid in
order to conquer Marlow. When she has the first encounter with Marlow, he acts
very shyly and she is not vey fond of that attitude so she decides to change her
appearance in order to help him to clear his mind.

To conclude, the play displays a series of characters who have their own
characteristics. Some of them are round because they aremore deep
LANGUAGE and have complicated and contradictory attitudes based on their
life experiences and undergo certain development throughout the play, while
others are flat because they have pretty much the same attitude from the
beginning to the end of the play. Marlow and Miss Hardcastle are round
characters while Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle and Tony are flat characters.

Questions Act the Fifth and Questions for Analysis

TEAM A: 29- Is “She Stoops to Conquer” a chauvinist play? Why? Why

not? Support your opinion with examples from the text.

It is our opinion that "She Stoops to Conquer" is a chauvinist play since male
chauvinism is the belief held or alleged to be held by certain men, that they are
inherently superior to women. In the play there are certain beliefs, attitudes and
behavior of male chauvinism, that is to say, men who patronize, disparage, or
otherwise denigrate females in the belief that they are inferior to males and thus
deserving of less than equal treatment or benefit (retrieved
from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/male+chauvinism).

The first example of male chauvinism can be identified in the title of the play.
"She stoops to conquer" refers to a female embodied by Kate who lowers her
moral standards by pretending to be the bar-maid. She decides to disguise her
appearance to reveal a side of Marlow´s personality which he does not show to
modest women, that is to say, to women of his own social class, he feels
superior to kate as a bar-maid. It can be shown when Marlow tells Hastings "
We all know the honour of the bar-maid of an inn. I do not pretend to rob her,
take my word for it, there is nothing in this house I shan´t honestly paid for",
here we can see how Marlow thinks about the honour of the bar-maid as
something he had already paid for, turning the bar-maid into an object. Kate`s
decision makes her the heroine because of her ability to laugh at folly rather
than judging harshly a person´s lapse from virtue. However, pretending to be

26
the bar-maid means to be a low-class woman whose reputation nobody cares
for. It is an unpleasant situation she decides to undertake in order to get to
know the man she is to marry. This depicts the lack of power women used to
have: Kate accepts the man her father has chosen to be her husband and
lowers herself to the status of a servant so as to know her future husband. We
think she takes the best course of action to have an acceptable marriage.

Another example of chauvinism is the authority of Mr hardcastle in the

relationship with his wife. Mr Hardcastle prefers to the simple rural life and its
old-fashioned manners and customs to the trendy and pretentious ways of
upper-crust London. When Mrs. Hardcastle complains that they never go to
London, ‘Is there a creature in the whole country but ourselves, that does not
take a trip to town now and then(...)’ she can’t go to London because of
Mr.Hardcastle beliefs that London is a bad influence. When he talks about his
daugther he coments, ‘...the fashions od the times have almost infected her too.
By living a year or too in town, she is as fond of gauze and French frippery as
the best of them.’

As for Kate Hardcastle in the play, she is a strong woman who knows what she
wants. An example of this is the relationship she has with her father. She does
as he pleases and dresses as he wishes but she also manage to establish her
conditions to his demands. We realize about it when she says "You know our
agreement, sir. You allow me the morning to receive and pay visits, and to
dress in my own manner; and in the evening I put on my housewife dress to
please you." Kate strong personality and strong relationship with her father
allows her to get what she wants. This is how we know why Kate knows that
she is able to conquer Marlow.

TEAM B: 30-Analyze the following conversation:

Hastings: Such a tedious delay is worse than inconstancy. Let us fly my

charmer. Let us date our happiness from this very moment. Perish fortune! Love
and content will increase what we possess beyond a monarch‘s revenue. Let
me prevail! 

Miss Neville: No, Mr. Hastings, no. Prudence once more comes to my relief,
and I will obey its dictates. In the moment of passion fortune may be despised,
but it ever produces a lasting repentance (page 57). 

What two opposing views are described? Which one succeeds?

In act the fifth, on page 57, we find a conversation between Hastings and Miss
Neville in which they discuss whether to elope with nothing but their love, or to
stay and get her jewels.
Niece of Mrs. Hardcastle, Miss Neville is heir to a large fortune of jewels which
her aunt wishes to keep in the family, and for this reason, she insists on

27
marrying Constance with Tony, her cousin. However, she is actually in love with
Hastings, with whom she is planning to elope. The point is that Miss Neville is a
very realistic, down-to-earth person, and she is very much aware of the fact that
running away with Hastings with nothing but their love and leaving Constance's
jewels behind is probably not the best idea. Being a realistic person, she is
conscious that they cannot live of love, and that's why she does not want to
leave until she gets the jewels.
Hastings, on the contrary, is a very passionate and quixotic man who clearly
does not care about anything concerning money or jewels due to the fact that
he basically believes that love is all that matters. This particular trait of his is
visibly shown when he tells Miss Neville "Love and content will increase what
we possess" (57). Being a romantic person, he is head over heels for
Constance and does not understand that love is not enough to survive in the
real world.

Miss Constance Neville and Mr. Hastings are deeply in love, but they seem to
have different ideas about the future they will face once they leave Miss
Neville's adoptive family. On the one hand, Constance is a very realistic young
woman who knows that their love is pure and selfless, but she also believes that
it is important to be prudent when making decisions as it is shown when she
says "Prudence once more comes to my relief, and I will obey its dictates." (57).
Mr. Hastings, on the other hand, is more idealistic and romantic. He firmly
believes that everything will be all right once they elope and as long as they are
together. For him, there are no worries about their future needs, their living
arrangements or food because his only wish is to enjoy their love.

In these opposing points of view, we can see that the one who undoubtedly
succeeds is Constance because she is the one who does not allow her feelings
to cloud her judgment and actually takes into consideration that neither
Hastings nor her can throw themselves into the uncertainty of a future together
without having the necessary money to live a comfortable life.

After seeing the contrasting points of view of Constance Neville and George
Hastings, we came to the conclusion that Miss Neville is the voice of reason in
this conversation since she is the one who, despite being truly in love with
Hastings, remains pragmatic and thinks about building a future with George but
with a concrete and materialistic vision because she acknowledges that life
cannot always be seeing through rose-colored glasses and if they truly want to
survive in the real world, they will need to take the small fortune she has
inherited with them.

TEAM C: 31-The play is called “She Stoops to Conquer” and also “The
Mistakes of a Night”. Which of the two names do you think is more
appropriate? Why?

28
"She Stoops to Conquer" is a comedy by Irish author Oliver Goldsmith that was
first titled "Mistakes of a night". We think that the last title is more appropiate
than the first one because all the events within the play take place in the same
night. The whole misunderstandings which occurs troughout the story are then
resolved by the end of the play. We also think that it is the best title because it
gives the idea of including not only Kate´s misunderstandings but also the
misunderstandings of the other characters.

As regards the relationship between Kate Hardcastle and Charles Marlow, he

continues thinking that she is a poor woman who is part of the Harcastle family
and that "the disparity of education and fortune" make their union impossible.
Nevertheless, he discovers that this humble girl is Mr Hardcastle´s daughter
and that she has been cheating him all the time. Having been caught, Kate
continues mocking him, asking which of his "characters" he intends to use now.
What is more, little by little Kates shows him that his "imprudence" is not a tool
of seduction, it is his real behaviour. Besides, Marlow confesses to Kate that
every moment that she shows him her merits it increases his "defficence and
confusion". This phrase explains that Marlow starts changing his mind about
modest women and that her "pride begins to submmit to his passion".
Although Marlow has a strong conviction about social status, he finally lets the
situation be, and he learns and understands Kate's position, lastly. By using her
skillful method to tell the gentleman the real fact, Kate finally reaches her aim.

Another mistake of the night that takes place in the whole play is Mrs
Hardcastle’s wish to get engagament between his son Tony and his niece
Constance. As the events happen , and their feelings are not unrequited, Tony
finally decides to help Hasting and Constance to reach their wish of running
away together. Putting his mother and his cousin in a circle journey, Tony
assures himself of cheating his mother to arrive their own house again. After the
arrival, and with Mr Hardcastle presence , they can notice all what is happening
about Tony´s trickment. After that, the young couple decides to confess their
love each other to Mr hardcastle. Furthermore, they ask permission to marry
themselves. So, Mr Hardcastle accepts the request and tells his son, he can
release his decision as he is actually "of age". The concluding chapter is
considered as a part of “The Mistakes of the Night”, that finishes on happy
solvency, with the exception of Mrs Hardcastle´s position, which according to
Mr. Hardcastle is accused to be “mercenary”.
To sum up, "The mistakes of the night" is definitely the most appropiate title if
we consider the events related before. Such a title centers the reader´s
attention on most of the characters behaviour and not only in Kate´s behaviour
as the title "She stoops to conquer".

29
TEAM D: 32-Goldsmith criticizes extreme behaviour and favours
moderation. Do you agree? Which character seems to be the most
moderate?

In the play, Goldsmith criticizes the aristocratic emphasis on behaviour because

he does not like extreme bahaviour. We agree with this claim because
nowdays, we believe that one`s behaviour in terms of the law versus the high
class behaviour does not necessarily indicate who someone is. In the play there
are many characters that are often blinded to a character`s behaviour because
of that assumption. For example, you can see this critical point of view when
Marlow and Hastings treat Hardcastle cruelly because they think that he is the
landlord of an inn, that's because they get confused with his behaviour. In fact,
It is very clear that they belong to the upper class because they treat Mr.
Hardcastle in such a bad way showing that he belongs to the low class. One
example of this is when Mr. Hardcastle starts to retell one of his famouse story,
non of then listen to him. They act as is Mr. Hardcastle is no speaking and they
only speak to him when they want something from him atention. 

Speaking in terms of moderation, we can see that throughout the play one of
the most important conflict is between the town citizen's refined attitudes and
the countryside people's simple behaviors.It is shown by Goldsmith through the
disagreement of some characters like Hardcastle and his wife. Country
characters like Hardcastle see town manners as pretentious,when town
characters like Marlow see country manners as bumpkinish. 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. So we can see that the character who is the most moderate is
Kate.

First of all, Goldsmith loves moderate people and we think that it is a bit
sarchastic that he has incorporated many characters to the story who have a
very extreme behaviour. On one hand, Mr Hardcastle is extreme according to
his thoughts about traditional, old-fashioned and London. He hates them
completely and has a rigurous feeling that is very difficult to change. On the
other hand, there are other characters who have the same extreme feelings as
Mr Hardcastle, but in the opposite way.Mrs Hardcastle, Marlow and Hastings
love traditional, new fashions and London. Their feelings about them are very
strong and cannot be changed. These main characters have extreme behaviour
which must be respected.
But if there is a character who seems to be the most moderate, this is Kate. She
does not share her parents´ thoughts. She is in the middle because she has a
peculiar behaviour and demonstrates that she does not care about changing
her appearance in order to conquer her true love. And for the reason that Kate

30
has a moderate behaviour, she is the main protagonist in this story and the tittle
of it refers to her.
We think that Goldsmith might have felt identify with Kate because of having a
moderate behaviour within a society that seemed to have an extreme
behaviour, meant to be a rebel. So, throughout Kate, Goldsmith might have
demonstrated his real behaviour in the society by hidding behind Kate´s
personality. 

TEAM E: 33-What is the role of “money” in the play? Provide support for
your opinion with examples from the text.

 From our point of view, the role of money is an important one in the play. It
represents the main element which defines the characters regarding their
personalities, relationships and goals. Besides, the two different social classes
(the lower class and the high class) and their stereotypes are shown through
money . Therefore,we can perceive throughout the story how the different
characters are influenced by money and how important it is in their lives.

To begin with, in the case of Constance Neville, she cannot run away with
Hastings because she worries about a life without her inheritance. She says
that “Prudence” once more comes to her relief, and she will obey its dictates;
furthermore, she says that “in the moment of passion, fortune may be despised,
but it ever produces a lasting repentance”. She does not seem very greedy but
quite rational and prudent by being worried about her future with Hastings
without a financial support.
As regards Marlow, thinking that Kate is a barmaid on the Hardcastle’s house or
"inn" ,he rejects the idea of having a relationship with her saying that “the
difference of fortune and education makes an honourable connexion
impossible”. However, at the beginning of the play, we can see that Marlow
goes to Mr. Hardcastle's house, as it's been his father's request, because if he
refuses to marry Kate, he may lose his inheritance.
Tony is also influenced by money. Indeed, it is the most important thing for him.
He wants to get his inheritance in order to live his own life but his mother denies
it to him saying that he is not of age yet. The fact that he may receive his
inheritance represents his own "freedom" because he will have the possibility to
do whatever he wants; for instance, gambling as his father used to do . As well
as his dead father, Tony predicts: "...and when I'm of age, I'll be no bastard, I
promise you. I have been thinking of Bet Bouncer and the miller´s grey to begin
with."
As regards Mrs. Hardcastle, her avarice has no limits. She lies to her own son
and tries to keep her niece's jewels in her possession. She represents the
stereotype of a high-society woman who tries to maintain her status even
though that may imply lying, cheating and manipulating others.

31
To Mr. Hardcastle money is important as well. He and his friend Sir Charles,
Marlow´s father, have arranged the marriage of their daughter and son but Mr.
Hardcastle is concerned about money when he says "my daughter´s fortune is
but small-". This shows us their interest (very common at those times) in raising
the amount of money of the families.

To conclude, the main characters represent the aristocracy in the play while the
lower class is represented by servants who are the less important character.
While the latter have very limited access to the surplus of their productions, the
former have complete access to maintain and even increase their money.
Social classes are defined by their ability to obtain money in a capitalist system.
This play is a critic about classes, high class specifically, so we can say that the
role of money is very important.

TEAM F: 34-Analyze these lines:

Mrs. Hardcastle: (to Tony) And it is to you, you graceless varlet, I owe all this?
I’ll teach you to abuse your mother, I will.

Tony: Ecod, mother, all the parish says you have spoiled me, and so may take
the fruits on’t.

Mrs. Hardcastle: I’ll spoil you, I will.

Hardcastle: There’s morality, however, in his reply.

What is the meaning of Mr. Hardcastle’s words? What is the connection

between the previous lines and the English saying, “you reap what you
sow”?

Through the whole play, we could identify that the relationship between Tony
and his mother, Mrs. Hardcastle, is a complicated one; she is an over- protected
mother, and he likes tormenting her with his behaviour.

In this extract, Mrs. Hardcastle complains about her son's behavior, and she is
angry to see how Tony mocks her. But Tony does not care what his mother
thinks and he tells her "Ecod, mother, all the parish says you have spoiled me,
and so may take the fruits on’t." 
The English saying “you reap what you sow” means that a person cannot
escape from the consequences of its own actions; What you do, comes back to
you. That is what Tony is saying to his mother when he says "[...] you may take
the fruits on't", referring to “I am what you made of me... My behaviour just
reflects what you have taught me”

At the end of this conversation Mr. Hardcastle exclaims “There’s morality in his
reply”, underlying the concept of rightness in Tony’s words. Morality can be

32
understood as a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct
(right and wrong behaviour) from a particular culture, religion or group. Morality
can also be used as a synonymous of "goodness" or "rightness". She has to
deal with the consequences of the upbringing that she gave her son. 

TEAM G: 35-Of all the themes included in the play, which is the most
important in your opinion: class- money- appearances- country and city-
generational conflicts.

 Although all the themes are strongly related, we consider that the most
important one is "appearances". Because some of the characters in the play
act in a different way according to the situation they face.

In Act the first, when Marlow and Hastings arrive to the alehouse,

the landlord says “there be two gentlemen in a post-chaise at the door" "they
look woundily like Frenchmen". By telling this, he takes into account only their
physical appearances and he assumes that those men belong to the
uppersocial class. In the same act Mr. Hardcastle keeps a conversation with his
daugther Kate, in which he persuades her to wear simple clothing
because he thinks that education is more important than superficiality and she
answers him "you allow me the morning to receive and pay visits, and to dress
in my own manner, and in the evening I put on my housewife´s dress to please
you" (page 5 ). What she wants to say here is that she accepts her father’s
advice only because she respects him, what does not mean that she is willing to
change completely her usual habits.

In act the second Mr. Marlow chats to Hastings where it is exposed that Marlow
can´t say good things to modest women because "they freeze, they petrify him"
(page 14) on the contrary, among females of another class he is "impudent
enough of all conscience" (page 14). There is, In Act the third, a clear example
to show how Mr. Marlow changes his behaviour when he talks to Miss
Hardcastle in their first meeting and in the second one when she looks like a
servant. Also, Marlow and Hastings are cruel to Mr. Hardcastle when they think
he is an innkeeper. But their behaviour is totally opposite when they know who
he really is. The same behaviour would have been appropiate if they hadn't
been fooled by Tony. Therefore, at the end, Marlow "asks pardon for his
strange conduct" (page 50).
As for Mrs. Hardcastle, she appears to treat a person according to the value of
his or her possessions. Besides, she likes dressing according to what she sees
in the magazines to look as fashionable as she can. 

Throughout the play, all the characters, specially Marlow, believe that each
character's class is what justifies their behaviour. Every character's assumption
is that each character behaves according to their class: refined attitudes from
the higher class and simple behaviours from the lower class. This can be seen

33
when Marlow says the following: "My very pride begins to submit to my passion.
The disparity of education and fortune, the anger of a parent, and the contempt
of my equals, begin to lose their weight..." (Page 58) He explains that what is
expected of him because of his class starts to lose importance for him because
of Kate. His expected behaviour is becoming less relevant to him because he
wants to be with who he thinks is a bar-maid.

34