Explore the Aspects of Comedy That Are Presented in the Prologue and Act the First in She Stoops to Conquer

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Explore the aspects of comedy that are presented in the prologue and Act the first. Consider: The establishment of the plot Impressions of the characters Use of language Emerging themes She Stoops to Conquer written by Oliver Goldsmith is considered by many as a “comedy of manners” and is one of the few plays from the 18th Century that is still being performed today. Goldsmith develops this idea of comedy through the courteous behaviour that the characters strive to maintain which contrasts with their genuine behaviour creating a comical outcome. At the beginning, the focal point is Mr and Mrs Hardcastle’s argument. Mrs Hardcastle is aggravated at her husband's refusal to take trips into London, while he insists he is not interested in the "vanity and affectation" of the city. He is tired of the exaggerated London trends that find their way into his removed country community. Mrs Hardcastle mocks him for his love of old-fashioned trends by slating the visitors and entertainment “‘lame’ dancing master” and states she “hates such old fashioned trumpery”. So much that he keeps his house in such a way that it "looks for all the world like an inn." Consequently, the audience are laughing as they realise that Mr Hardcastle is anxious his small town will be overpowered by the trends of London and they how much he is trying to resist this fated change. This adds to the development of the plot later on as we see this is a significant feature to ensure the theme realism is maintained. We also witness the mockery of Mrs Hardcastle’s age. He says that he ‘loves everything that’s old’ also referring to Mrs Hardcastle as one of these of these old items. Mrs Hardcastle is irritated at this remark because she is a woman of high social class. She is quick to reply with a witty remark “add twenty and twenty, and make money of that”, claiming she is only fourty years old.

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