She Stoops to Conquer

The conclusion of She Stoops to Conquer suggests that all social interaction necessitates a degree of performance and disguise, speaking to The Instability of Social Class Identity, but that a person's true character is revealed gradually through their actions. While all of the misapprehensions are exposed at the end of the play, Goldsmith indicates that Kate's disguise has been valuable because it has tested and revealed Marlow's real personality. Her humility and willingness to perform a lower social identity leads to her gaining a great fortune and a loving husband, suggesting that pride and strict adherence to proper manners are a detriment rather than a benefit to romantic affection.

When Marlow's father, Sir Charles Marlow, arrives at the Hardcastle household, he is initially skeptical that his son has truly fallen in love with Kate. While she claims that he has been warm and romantic towards her, his adamant claim to not love Kate and his reputation for social awkwardness around women cause Sir Charles to doubt her. Sir Charles protests, “I know his conversation among women to be modest and submissive: this forward canting ranting manner by no means describes him; and, I am confident, he never sat for the picture” (79). This dialogue compares Kate's verbal description of Marlow to a painted portrait, and Sir Charles argues that the artwork does not resemble the real person. This artistic metaphor underscores the idea of The Deceptive Nature of Appearances. Kate must therefore prove through a final trick that her impression is accurate, putting the burden of proof upon her because her description does not match up with Marlow's previous outward appearance. She uses disguise and limited perception one final time, having both fathers hide behind a screen. Ironically, by concealing them from sight, she allows them to see more clearly.

When Marlow and Kate converse again, they both begin to understand each other's true personality through actions rather than dress or visual mannerisms. While Kate initially found Marlow only intriguing due to his handsome face, she admires his honorable conduct towards her once he realizes that she is a modest and virtuous woman. Since he does not continue to flirt with her after realizing she is not a bar-maid, telling her that he will not continue to string her along or compromise her virginity when he is obliged to marry another woman of higher social class, Kate finds herself growing to respect his character. Similarly, Marlow begins to like Kate's personality more once he sees her demonstrate compassion for his situation. He exclaims “what at first seemed rustic plainness, now appears refined simplicity. What seemed forward assurance, now strikes me as the result of courageous innocence and conscious virtue” (87). This sentence repeats the word “seemed” to indicate that wrong first-impressions will eventually be replaced by more accurate assessments of character after a person's reactions are tested in various situations.

The conclusion of the play depicts the ambiguity and uncertainty of the previous Acts finally resolving into certainty. Sir Charles Marlow does away with the language of “seeming“ and the metaphor of art and performance, instead switching to terms of absolute certainty. He tells Kate, “I know you like him, I'm sure he loves you, and you must and shall have him” (91, emphasis added). The confidence of this final proclamation indicates the victory achieved through Kate's method. By willingly placing herself in a more vulnerable position, stooping to take on the role of a servant, she has been able to see through the social performance of the aristocracy and discern the true character of her lover. Marlow, meanwhile, has been better able to perceive her real virtues when not distracted by her high status. Thus, Goldsmith argues that the problem with formal manners and class expectations is that they cover up, rather than reveal, a person's real value.