EXAMINE THE APTNESS OF
THE TITLE OF ‘SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER’
The
present title ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ was chosen after careful
consideration. Goldsmith first called the play, The Mistakes of a Night. Later
this original title The Mistakes of a Night was replaced by She
Stoops to Conquer which constitutes the main title of the play and the
original title The Mistakes of a Night was retained as the sub-title of
the play.
The
Main Title: Apt and Suggestive: -
The main title She Stoops to Conquer is attractive and it at once
catches the attention of the readers. It refers to the stratagem of Miss Hardcastle
who has fallen in love with Marlow, and who stoops to play the role of a
barmaid in order to conquer him. The main incident of the play is no doubt, the
conquest of Marlow by Miss Hardcastle. Marlow is shy and reserved in the
presence of ladies of high strata, where as he is free and frank before the
ladies of lower strata. So Marlow presents himself before Miss Hardcastle with
shyness and reserve. Miss Hardcastle does not find any alternative to win Marlow’s
heart except stooping to the level of a barmaid. Doing so, she wins the heart
of Marlow. Thus the main story is suggested by the title. Hence She Stoops
to Conquer is both apt and attractive and the dramatist’s choice is
justified.
The Sub-title: Its Significance: - The sub-title Mistakes of a Night is
also apt, but it is not so very eye-catching. It refers to the mistake of Marlow
and Hastings in taking Hardcastle’s house to be an inn. From the initial
mistake follow the other two chief mistakes- Marlow’s taking of Mr. Hardcastle
to be the landlord of the inn and that of taking Miss Hardcastle to be the
barmaid of the inn. Then there is the mistaken journey undertaken by Mrs. Hand
castle and also the consequent mistake of her taking her own husband to be a
highway man. She is also mistaken in taking appearance for reality and assuming
that Miss Neville is in love with her unworthy son, Tony. Thus there are ‘mistakes’
resulting from misdirection, errors of judgment, and deliberate intrigues. Thus
the dramatist was right in retaining The Mistakes of a Night as the sub-title,
for it stresses the mistakes of the night on which the play hinges. He was
again justified in not making it the main title, for it is not so attractive
and eye-catching........................
Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.