Thoughts on Comedy: Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer

Shakespeare revolutionized stage comedy with his four greatest comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. After this explosion of genius, the Great Tradition of stage comedy went dormant for nearly 200 years. There were a few sparks, but nothing ignited the stage with laughter like Shakespeare had.

On March 15, 1773, Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, and the light of comedy shone brightly again on the English stage. It was a hit then, and it continues to delight audiences to this day.

Goldsmith was a friend and contemporary of several leading literary minds of the age, including the first great American man of letters, Washington Irving, who wrote a biography of Goldsmith; and Samuel Johnson, to whom She Stoops to Conquer is dedicated.

As a comic playwright, I remain constantly delighted and amazed by Goldsmith’s play, which hits every note in terms of plot, character, and dialogue. He declared that he would write the funniest play he was capable of writing, and he succeeded. 250 years later, it’s still, page-for page, line-for-line, one of the best laugh-getters in the English language.