The entire plot of this comedy gyrates on the center of intrigue and right from the beginning to the end it is consider to be a comedy of intrigue. Tony Lumpkin is the master of intrigue and he plays mischief from the beginning to the end. He intrigues sometime for the sake of fun and sometime to tease, vex and to bring to bring to book his betenoire. He thinks his stepfather, Mr. Hardcastle, to be his enemy as he snubs him all the time. Tony Lumpkin quite advertently misleads Marlowe and Hastings in a locating the house of Mr. Hardcastle. They are new comers and Tony knows the purpose of their visit to Mr. Hardcastle. He tells them that in this late hour of night, there is no accommodation in this ale house. However, he suggests them that Hardcastle’s house is the best inn. He also apprises them of the nature and out look of the inn keeper, Mr. Hardcastle. Tony Lumpkin misinform them with the sole purpose of intriguing them.
In this comedy many an intrigue is perpetrated by Mrs.Hardcastle and Tony. Miss Hardcastle intrigues against Miss Neville whose jewels are in her custody. She is intriguing to settle the marriage of her son, Tony with miss Neville to grab the jewels. But her tricks utterly failed in persuading her son to give in to her proposal. Her tricks have smells of avarice and greediness. She fails to met Tony in her stratagem. Tony on the other hand is in love with Bet Bouncer and succeeds in making her in his life long partner.
Infact, She Stoops to Conquer is surfeit with the intrigues of Tony. Although he is not literate yet his presence of mind, his Potentiality of scheming intrigues are excellent. His another significant intrigue is the stealing of the casket of jewel from Mrs. Hardcastle. Tony’s master intrigue is noticeable at the closing of the play when he takes his mother to a drive in the night round and round in the garden. Tony does this with the sole purpose Of creating shock and awe.
Miss Hardcastle also plays intrigue in order to woo the love of Marlowe. Miss Hardcastle with the same in ingenuity of her brother Tony, intrigues of appearing before Marlowe in the dress that is commonly worn by the barmaid of an inn. He takes her to be a barmaid and frolics with her with much ease and soon becomes very intimate with Miss Hardcastle. Her intrigues become fructuous and she gets the fruits of her labour and finally she weds Marlowe.
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Interestingly, the intrigues perpetrated are interestingly and they provoke our laughter. Their intrigues show their presence of mind and wit where as the intrigues of Mrs. Hardcastle show her ulterior motive and mercenary Fun, laughter, humour are the important ingredients of this play. Intrigue is not the theme of this play, However, this element dominates in accelerating the pace and the plot. It is through intrigue, the heroine of the play succeeds in her plan to be united with Marlowe and Tony Lumpkin the engine and dynamo of this play with his intrigue and fine display of humour gets success in being united with the love lady Bet bouncer. The very foundation of the plot is based on the intrigue of Tony Lumpkin.
Although She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy of restoration. But the intrigue of this play She Stoops to Conquer is somewhat different from the intrigue of restoration comedy. The intrigues in this play are done with a view of providing fun and humorous situation. Miss Hardcastle intrigues not to entrap Marlowe but to overcome his bashful nature. The play cannot be completely branded as a play of intrigue but intrigue, Infact, it is the sustenance of this play.
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