She Stoops to Conquer (or, The Mistakes of a Night), is a comedy by Irish dramatist
Oliver Goldsmith.
Mr and Mrs Hardcastle have a daughter, Kate. Mrs Hardcastle has a son by a previous marriage, the spoiled and not too brilliant Tony Lumpkin. She wants him to marry her niece, Constance Neville so her niece's inheritance will remain intact within the family.
Sir Charles Marlow has proposed a match between his son and Kate Hardcastle in which Mr Hardcastle is most agreeable too. The trouble with young Marlow is he gets tongue-tied in the presence of women of his social status but clever, polite and pleasantly glib when with women lower his status.
Young Marlow and his friend Hastings make the journey to the
Hardcastles' home in the country, but with Tony Lumpkin's misdirections as a hoax to victimize young Marlow and Hastings, they were led to believe that the home of the Hardcastles is an inn.
Incidentally, Constance, is secretly engaged to young Marlow's friend, Hastings.
The scene is laid out expertly for the comedy that follows…
Young Marlow takes Kate to be a servant and falls in love with her. Kate is pleased to find the young Marlow gentle, charming and witty. She tries to tell him that she is on the poor side-relation of the Hardcastles. Hearing this, he acknowledges his love for Kate. He also frees himself of the inhibitions he usually feels in the presence of ladies. Further comic situations are created by Tony. Mrs Hardcastle is disappointed to know that Constance is in love with Hastings. In the end, everything is straightened out among the lovers by Mr Hardcastle.