Question 8
OLIVER GOLDSMITH: She Stoops to Conquer
Assess the role of Tony Lumpkin in the play.
Observation
This was a popular question. However, many of the candidates narrated Tony Lumpkin’s character without focusing much on his role in the play.
The required answers should include:
* Tony’s family background which reveals the fact that he is a step-child of Mr. Hardcastle.
* His uneasy relationship with his step-father who would have him brought up properly vis-à-vis the permissive attitude of his mother.
* His retaliating pranks which are at the heart of the comedy.
* Tony’s role in the development of the plot.
* His being the instrument in the resolution of mistakes.
Candidates’ performance in this question was fair.