Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer
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Comment on the dramatic function of Tony Lumpkin in 'She Stoops To Conquer.'
Tony Lumpkin is the central figure in 'She Stoops To Conquer' — the very key-stone of arch on which whole comedy is built. It is he who sets the main plot in motion and introduces complications in it. As a life-force of the comic subplot, Tony develops it, introduces complications in it and rounds it off. Apparently he is a 'fool', a 'booby', a 'whelp and hound' as his step-father calls him. But his role in the play shows him not as a fool, but as a youngman with a highly fertile and inventive brain. Throughout the play he is the most interesting character. For this William Blake commented "Tony Lumpkin is one of the special favourite of the theatre going public and no wonder."
While criticising the main title of the play, Robert Herring assigned Tony the role of the central character. He says, "The title is somewhat misleading, for the central character is not Miss. Hardcastle, but Tony Lumpkin. Though the main incident is her stooping to be a barmaid, this could not have occured [... ...] had not Tony first misdirected the travellers." So Miss. Hardcastle is not the central character though someone think so as she manipulates the main plot. Marlow is one such character around whom the main plot is evolved. But Marlow is not the central character as he does not act rather he is acted upon.
Tony shaped the action of the main plot. The main plot, Marlow-Kate love story is set in motion by the prank. Tony plays on Marlow and Hastings. In order to avenge himself on his stepfather for calling him 'whelp and hound' and to retakiate against Marlow for calling him, "an awkward booby reared up and spotted at his mother's apron string" he sends Marlow and his friend Hastings to his father's house as an inn.
As directed by Tony, Marlow and Hastings take Hardcastle's home as Buck's Head inn and Hardcastle as the innkeeper. This initial mistake on the part of Marlow paves the way for Kate's stooping to be a barmaid. If Tony does not misdirected Marlow, she does not get the chance to play the role of a barmaid to conquer her object of love as a husband. Thus the main plot owes its very existence to Tony's intrigue.
Tony's role is more crucial in Hastings constance love-story which constitutes the sub-plot of the play. Mrs. Hardcastle wants her niece Miss. Neville to marry Tony to keep Neville's fortune in her family. But neither Tony not Miss. Neville desires this marriage as Tony loves Bey Bouncer and Neville loves Hastings. When Tony comes to know that Hastings wants to clear his way by taking Neville to France he promises to help Hastings to the last drop of his blood.
At the eleventh hour Hastings plan of elopement failed and the Hardcastle decides to send Neville to her cruel aunt pedigree. At this point Tony comes forward to fail his mother's scheme. He takes her mother on a mockrble and rescues Miss. Neville. She is united with Hastings. Thus Tony is the central figure in the subsidiary story.
The casket episode which is part and pared of the subplot and which provides much fun and laughter hinges on Tony intrigues. Again various episodes in the play are closely interlinked because of the presence of Tony Lumpkin in all of them.
Tony is the fountain source of comedy in the play. He is like Shakespeare's Falstaff who says of himself, "I am not only witty in myself but the cause of wit in other men." It is great source of laughter when he fools his doting mother mocking her over the lost jewels and frightening her in the dark garden. Though uneducated, he speaks wittily as "A damned up and down hand as if it was disguised in liquor." His melapropism are a source of humour.
Tony provides the play with youthful vitality. Indeed he represents rhe eternal youth which brakes the danger and difficulties that come its way. Being a spirited young man with life and vivacity, he helps those who need help. The song sung by Tony is very characteristic of him:
That fears no noise
Where the thundering cannons roar."
Tony develops and grows as no other character does. We see him more in the
Lumpkin's puckish energy drives the play on. He reapers whenever the whole preposterous plot is likely to founder and speeds up the pace. He allows neither the character nor the audience a moment's for reflection that would help them to realise the absurdity of the whole business. Thus his role in the play is crucial one.
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