Why Did Hastings and Miss Neville Plan to Elope?

Answer

Why did Hastings and Miss Neville plan to elope?

“She Stoops to Conquer” (1771) is a comedy play by Oliver Goldsmith’s (1728-1774). In this play, George Hastings and Miss Neville plan love each other. They elope due to a combination of love and external pressures. This comedy revolves around the attempts of young lovers to overcome obstacles in their path to happiness.

Love and Misdirection: Hastings and Miss Neville are deeply in love, but their romance faces significant hurdles. Miss Neville is under the guardianship of her aunt, Mrs. Hardcastle. She wants her to marry Tony Lumpkin, Mrs Hardcastle’s son from a previous marriage. However, Miss Neville and Tony have no affection for each other, and Tony is uninterested in the match. Miss Neville says to Hastings about her cousin Tony Lumpkin:

 You’d adore him if you knew how heartily he despises me.

To add to the complexity, Miss Neville is set to inherit a fortune in jewels, which Mrs. Hardcastle is eager to keep within her family by ensuring Miss Neville marries Tony. Given these constraints, Miss Neville and Hastings see elopement as their only viable option for being together.

Deception and Plans: The plan to elope is also driven by misunderstandings and deceptive schemes. Tony Lumpkin, who is sympathetic to Miss Neville’s plight and wishes to avoid marrying her, supports their plan. He helps orchestrate a series of events that create confusion and intends to distract Mrs. Hardcastle and facilitate the couple’s escape. Hastings says:

But in the company of women of reputation I never saw such an idiot, such a trembler; you look for all the world as if you wanted an opportunity of stealing out of the room.

Throughout the play, Hastings remains optimistic about elopement. He believes running away is the only way to circumvent the imposed marital arrangements and be with the woman he loves.

To sum up, Hastings and Miss Neville’s decision to elope in “She Stoops to Conquer” responds to the pressures of unwanted marriage and the strong desire to be together.