Question 7
OLIVER GOLDSMITH: She Stoops to Conquer
Examine the conduct of Young Marlow in the Hardcastle home.
Observation
A good number of candidates attempted this question. Most of the candidates’ responses were filled with mere narration.
The required answers should include:
- Relation to the themes of love and marriage in a typically Upper/Middle class society; deception and reconciliation.
- Character identification: Marlow is the son of Sir Charles Marlow; He is a close friend of George Hastings
- Young Marlow has come to woo Kate by his father’s arrangement;
- The deception by Tony Lumpkin, stepson of Mr. Hardcastle who describes Mr Hardcastle‘s home as an inn
- Young Marlow takes Mr Hardcastle for an inn keeper and behaves insolently towards him.
- He meets with Kate Hardcastle whom he mistakes to be a barmaid and talks down to her
- Mr Hardcastle is confounded by the dismissive attitude of Mr Hastings and Young Marlow’s attitude towards him
Candidates’ performance in the question was good.