SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER AS AN ANTI SENTIMENTAL COMEDY

SSTC as an Anti-Sentimental Comedy:

Sentimental Comedy- This form becomes popular in 17th century. Sentimental comedy is related to our emotions. It appeals especially to our feelings of sorrow, pity, and compassionate sympathy. Richard Steele was pioneer of sentimental comedy.

 Anti-Sentimental comedy is reaction against sentimental comedy. The pioneer of anti-sentimental comedy is Oliver Goldsmith. Oliver Goldsmith writes that the true function of a comedy was to give a humorous exhibition of the follies and vices of men and women and to rectify them by exciting laughter. Goldsmith opposed sentimental comedy because in place of laughter and humor, it provided tears and distressing situations.

Generally, it deals with the relations and intrigues of men and women living in sophisticated upper class society. So, it is called comedy of manners. Oliver Goldsmith’s ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ is one of the best examples of anti-sentimental comedy, and follows all the characteristics of anti-sentimental comedy.

The entire play with its fun and humor, its intrigues and sparkling dialogues, its mischievous tricks and roguish attempts by Tony Lumpkin is a direct blow on the sentimental comedy. The principal characters of this comedy are Hardcastle, who loves ‘everything that is old’; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine. Mrs. Hardcastle, Miss. Hardcastle, Their daughter, Mrs. Hardcastle’s son by former marriage, Tony Lumpkin, young Marlow are the chief characters.

Tony Lumpkin, a frequenter of the ‘Three Jolly Pigeons’ is idle and ignorant, but cunning and mischievous, and doted on by his mother; and young Marlow, is one of the most bashful and reserved young fellows in the world, except with barmaids and servant-girls.

  Losing their way, they arrive at night at the ‘Three Jolly Pigeons’, where Tony Lumpkin directs them to a neighboring inn, which is in reality Hardcastle’s house. The fun of the play arises largely from the resulting misunderstanding. Marlow treating Hardcastle as the landlord of the supposed inn, and making violent love to Miss Hardcastle, whom he takes for one of his servants. The arrival of Sir Charles Marlow clear up the misconception and all ends well.

 All characters are drawn very well and plot is constructed very well that generate laughter in our mind. The confusion and mentality or the portrait of all characters are very humorous and has many element of laughter in the play. It is a true form of comedy. We can also evaluate it. We love its characters because it is like real and we laugh with them, not laugh at them. In ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ or ‘The Mistakes of a Night’ Goldsmith succeeds in introducing humor of the finest type. The plot is well-knitted and the characters have everything of comedy about them. The old mawkish sentimentality is driven out, and the sense of pathos is sub -planted by delight.

 ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ is also a good satire and farce because it is based on multiple misunderstandings. Like Marlow and Hastings believing Hardcastle’s house as an inn. Sometimes, ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ is compared with the great dramatist Shakespeare’s comedies. There is also unity of time, place and action- the concept also show in Shakespeare, is also very well described.

The prologue of the play gives the conception of comedy of Goldsmith. It is also a direct satire on sentimental comedy. ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ by Oliver Goldsmith has element of anti-sentimentalism. Goldsmith wanted to criticize sentimental comedy of Richard Steele in his contemporary era. So, he wrote ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ his second play better than the first, as an example of pure comedy, comedy of humors, comedy of manners, anti-sentimental comedy.

       Thus, ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ is the best example of anti-sentimental comedy not only because it has characteristics and element of anti-sentimentalism but also it has spirit of “anti-sentimentalism” which we can easily find in Goldsmith. It is a very intellectual with emotional comedy where Goldsmith shows his spirit of anti-sentimentalism. And make it the best anti-sentimental comedy – a pure form of comedy.