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She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith summary

 She Stoops to overcome opens with a prologue during which an actor mourns the death of the classical comedy at the altar of sentimental, “mawkish” comedy. He hopes that Dr. Goldsmith can remedy this problem through the play close to being presented.

Act I is filled with set-up for the remainder of the play. Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle sleep in an old house that resembles an inn and that they are expecting the arrival of Marlow, son of Mr. Hardcastle’s old flame, and a possible suitor to his daughter Kate. Kate is extremely on the brink of her father, such a lot so that she dresses plainly within the evenings (to suit his conservative tastes) and fancifully within the mornings for her friends. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hardcastle’s niece Constance is within the old woman’s care, and has her small inheritance (consisting of some valuable jewels) held until she is married, hopefully to Mrs. Hardcastle’s spoiled son from an earlier marriage, Tony Lumpkin. the matter is that neither Tony nor Constance loves the opposite, and actually, Constance features a beloved, who are going to be traveling to the house that night with Marlow. Tony’s problem is added that he’s a drunk and a devotee of low living, which he shows when the play shifts to a pub nearby. When Marlow and Hastings (Constance’s beloved) reach the pub, lost on the thanks to Hardcastle’s, Tony plays an antic by telling the 2 men that there’s no room at the pub which they will find lodging at the old inn down the road (which is, in fact, Hardcastle’s home). 

Act II sees the plot gets complicated. When Marlow and Hastings arrive, they’re impertinent and rude with Hardcastle, whom they think maybe a landlord and not a number (because of Tony’s trick). Hardcastle expects Marlow to be a polite young man and is shocked at the behavior. Constance finds Hastings and divulges to him that Tony must have played a trick. However, they plan to keep the reality from Marlow, because they think revealing it’ll upset him and ruin the trip. They decide they’re going to attempt to get her jewels and elope together.

Marlow features a bizarre tendency to talk with exaggerated timidity to “modest” women while speaking in lively and hearty tones to women of low-class. When he has his first meeting with Kate, she is dressed well and hence drives him into a debilitating stupor due to his inability to talk to modest women. She is nevertheless interested in him and decides to undertake and prolong his true character. Tony and Hastings decide together that Tony will steal the jewels for Hastings and Constance so that he is often obviated his mother’s pressure to marry Constance, whom he doesn’t love.


Act III opens with Hardcastle and Kate each confused with the side of Marlow they saw. Where Hardcastle is shocked at his impertinence, Kate is disappointed to possess seen only modesty. Kate asks her father for the prospect to point out him that Marlow is quite both believe. Tony has stolen the jewels, but Constance doesn’t know and continues to beg her aunt for them.

Tony convinces Mrs. Hardcastle to pretend they were stolen to dissuade Constance, a plea she willingly accepts until she realizes they need to be been stolen. Meanwhile, Kate is now wearing her plain dress and is mistaken by Marlow (who never looked her within the face in their earlier meeting) as a barmaid to whom he’s attracted. She decides to play the part, and that they have an active, fun conversation that ends with him trying to embrace her, a move Mr. Hardcastle observes. Kate asks for the night to prove that he is often both respectful and lively.

Act IV finds the plots almost falling apart. News has spread that Sir Charles Marlow (Hardcastle’s friend, and father to young Marlow) is on his way, which can reveal Hastings’s identity as beloved of Constance and also force the question of whether Kate and Marlow are to marry. Hastings has sent the jewels during a casket to Marlow for safekeeping but Marlow, confused, has given them to Mrs. Hardcastle (whom he still believes is that the landlady of the inn).

When Hastings learns this, he realizes his decision to elope with wealth is over and decides he must convince Constance to elope immediately. Meanwhile, Marlow’s impertinence towards Hardcastle (whom he believes is that the landlord) reaches its apex, and Hardcastle kicks him out of the house, during which altercation Marlow begins to understand what’s happening. He finds Kate, who now pretends to be a poor reference to the Hardcastle’s, which might make her a correct match as far as a class but not an honest marriage as far as wealth. Marlow is beginning to love her, but cannot pursue it because it might be unacceptable to his father due to her lack of wealth, so he leaves her.

Meanwhile, a letter from Hastings arrives that Mrs. Hardcastle intercepts, and she or he reads that he waits for Constance within the garden, able to elope. Angry, she insists that she is going to bring Constance distant, and makes plans for that. Marlow, Hastings, and Tony confront each other, and therefore the anger over all the deceit results in a severe argument, resolved temporarily when Tony promises to unravel the matter for Hastings.

Act V finds the reality coming to light, and everybody happy. Sir Charles has arrived, and he and Hastings laugh together over the confusion young Marlow were in. Marlow arrives to apologize, and within the discussion over Kate, claims he barely talked to Kate. Hardcastle accuses him of lying since Hardcastle saw him embrace Kate (but Marlow doesn’t know that was indeed Kate). Kate arrives after Marlow leaves the space and convinces the older men she is going to reveal the complete truth if they watch an interview between the 2 from a hidden vantage behind a screen. She Stoops to Conquer read more…

Meanwhile, Hastings waits within the garden, per Tony’s instruction, and Tony arrives to inform him that he drove his mother and Constance everywhere in a circle, so that they think they’re lost far away from home when they need to be been left nearby. Mrs. Hardcastle, distraught, arrives and is convinced she must hide from a highwayman who is approaching. The “highwayman” proves to be Mr. Hardcastle, who scares her in her confusion for a short time but ultimately discovers what’s happening. Hastings and Constance, nearby, decide they’re going to not elope but rather appeal to Mr. Hardcastle for mercy. Back at the house, the interview between Kate (playing the poor relation) and Marlow reveals his truly good character, and after some discussion, everyone agrees to the match. Hastings and Constance ask permission to marry and, since Tony is aged and thus can of his own volition decide to not marry Constance, the permission is granted. All are happy (except for miserly Mrs. Hardcastle), and therefore the “mistakes of a night” are corrected


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