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   lit24 Teacher
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   Godsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer" (1773) is an 'anti-sentimental comedy.' Goldsmith reacted against the then popular sentimental comedy by combining elements of the Comedy of Manners {the neo-classical drama} and Shakespearean Romantic Comedy {the romantic age drama}.

   Blank verse was the popular line during Shakespeare's time. The neo-classical dramatists never succeeded in writing poetic drama because by then prose had become the popular medium and neo-classical dramas were written in prose. However their prologues and  epilogues were in 'heroic couplets' the popular verse form of the day. 

   The division of a neo-classical play into 5 acts in keeping with Aristiotle's dictum that a drama must have a five part structure was superimposed on the neo-classical editions  of Shakespeare's plays which were originally published without act divisions.

   Other important similarities are:

   • The love for the rural countryside is a typical romantic characteristic and it is echoed in Mr.Hardcastle's remark in the opening scene, "I wonder why London cannot keep its own fools at home!"

   • The witty, bold and independent heroine Kate is based on the characters of Shakespeare's heroines like Portia and Viola.
   • Tony Lumpkin is often compared to Puck.

   • Mistaken identities which create so much of the fun and laughter in the play owe much to similar situations in many Shakespearean comedies.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/she-stoops/characters

   http://www.enotes.com/she-stoops/essays-criticism

   http://www.enotes.com/she-stoops/summary

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   Posted by lit24 on Tuesday November 25, 2008 at 7:18 PM