![]() One of Goldsmith's great accomplishments in She Stoops to Conquer is the naturalness with which he presents such a contrived and complicated plot. ![]() Kate asks for more time to reveal his true character-his "virtues that will improve with age." Hardcastle denies her until she promises to prove her point by the end of the evening, a limit to which he agrees.Īct III is primarily concerned with complicating the plot, though the confrontation between Kate and Marlow that ends the Act is central to its primary themes. Marlow quickly exits, and Hardcastle confronts Kate, accusing her of lying about Marlow's modesty before since he just saw such an aggressive move. Overcome with passion, he pulls her close right as Mr. Kate also says, in character, that she has lived in the house for 18 years. Kate asks whether he was so free when he spoke with Miss Hardcastle (which is of course herself, but he doesn't realize that), and he insists he is not in awe of her. They speak with great wit, and he confesses to his ability with ladies in town, speaking in lively tones of his life there. He grows immediately flirty and open, remarking on the "nectar" of her lips. ![]() Kate, acting the barmaid, approaches him and asks if she can help, offers he refuses until he notices her beauty. Marlow enters, remarking to himself how terrible is his situation and how he will leave soon. Kate sees in this mistake an opportunity to deceive him, and decides to continue playing the barmaid so that she can glimpse his true character and so that she "shall be seen." The maid wonders whether Kate can pull off such a ruse, but Kate promises she has the required acting skills. The maid tells Kate that, as they passed Marlow moments before, he asked the maid about Kate, believing her to be a barmaid because of her simple dress, and because he was so shy with her before that he had never seen her face. Her attempts to convince him the jewels are actually stolen (which he of course knows to be the case) only lead him to play-act harder, which makes her angrier until she charges offstage.Īll exit, and Kate enters with a maid, laughing about the joke Tony played on the men. She laments their loss dramatically, and Tony plays along, as though this is still their play-acting for Constance's benefits. Hardcastle returns quickly, having discovered the jewels have actually been stolen. While she is gone, Tony confesses his plan to Constance, who is happy. Hardcastle nevertheless leaves to fetch them. Hardcastle's offer to lend the girl her garnets does nothing to comfort her, but Mrs. ![]() Hardcastle makes a mock confession of the missing jewels, which Constance refuses to believe until Tony stands as witness to the lie, claiming he too has seen them missing. Hardcastle, who admits to him that she merely wants to save the jewels for him (and hence does she try to set them up in marriage), gladly accepts the plan. Tony pulls his mother aside, and suggests she lie to Constance, claiming the jewels have been stolen so as to put an end to the matter. Hardcastle attempts to have Tony praise her beauty to dissuade her from pursuing the jewels. Constance does not accept the argument, so Mrs. Hardcastle attempts to convince Constance that a young woman does not need jewels, which should be reserved to disguise her faded beauty when she gets older. ![]() They hear the women approaching, so Hastings exits quickly with the casket. Tony calms him, assuring Hastings that he himself will take care of any resentment that might arise in Mrs. Hastings joins him, and Tony reveals he has stolen the jewels, which concerns Hastings since he knows Constance is slowly finding success at convincing the old woman to turn over the jewels willfully. They leave, and Tony rushes on, holding the casket containing Constance's jewels. Hardcastle finds such an outcome unlikely, but grants her license to attempt to correct his first impression, assuming her desire to do so is only because she thinks he is good-looking, and so wants to find something to like in his character. They realize the contradiction but Hardcastle does see they both know enough to "reject him," a decision Kate approves unless she can reveal him to be more pleasing to each of them than they yet realize. Of course, Kate is confused over his modesty (expecting impudence), and Hardcastle over his impudence (expecting modesty). Kate enters, in a plain dress per her father's wishes, and both express their shock at how different Marlow is from his or her expectations. Hardcastle is particularly worried that the behavior will put off his daughter. Hardcastle enters alone, confused over what his friend Charles Marlow meant by describing the young Marlow as modest, considering the young man's behavior thus far. Act III is set solely in Hardcastle's home. ![]()
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