Culture: old vs. new; age vs. youth; country vs. city.

Goldsmith creates a clash of cultures between country and city. We laugh at the reactionary nature of Hardcastle but also at the empty superficiality of Marlow: neither way of life is presented as ideal. Goldsmith undercuts the surface sophistication of city types by contrasting them with Tony Lumpkin, a man often of blunt and unsophisticated common sense.

This is evident from the very first scene, where Hardcastle presents himself as old in age and manner in contrast to the youth of his daughter and city ideals embraced by Mrs Hardcastle.

Example exam question: Compare one of the younger characters in the play with one of the older characters to show what Goldsmith achieves by creating such a contrast (GCSE).