What role do farce and humorous characters play in She Stoops to Conquer?

In She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith utilizes farce and humorous characters to actively mock the "simple morality" and "tearful" nature of the sentimental comedy that dominated the 18th-century stage.12

Rather than focusing on the virtuous, distressed characters typical of his contemporaries, Goldsmith designed his play as a "lighthearted farce" that derives its charm from elaborate misunderstandings. The central humorous engine of the plot is Tony Lumpkin, a recalcitrant character whose deceptions drive the action; by tricking Marlow and Hastings into believing Mr. Hardcastle’s home is an inn, Lumpkin creates the chaotic environment necessary for the play’s comic mishaps.1

These characters and their follies serve a specific purpose: to reintroduce "comic gaiety" and ridicule human faults rather than merely exhibiting private virtues. By prioritizing laughter over the moralizing tone of sentimental drama, Goldsmith successfully challenged the contemporary trend of treating comedy with a seriousness that he famously labeled a "bastard tragedy".12