The Proposal

 

Anton Chekhov

The theme is that marriage is not as romantic as some people believe. The theme is based on two people who love each other by fighting. Lomov and Natayla act like a married couple before they become engaged.

Summary

The curtain rises with Lomov entering his neighbor Chubukov’s house in neatly dressed up attire. Chubukov in great curiosity to see him well-dressed and asks him the occasion. Lomov reveals that he had come for a desire. Chubukov assumes that he must have come to ask for money which he does not want to return. After knowing that Lomov had come to invite Chubulov’s daughter, Natalya’s hand in marriage, Chubukov leaves to call Natalya. Lomov is a 35 years old gentleman who suffers from palpitations and gets upset very easily. He thinks it’s the right age for him to marry and is happy that he is choosing Natalya. He believes, Natalya is average-looking and an honest caretaker. On Natalya’s arrival, Lomov initiates the conversation about the cordial terms of both the families. While continuing to speak about his land, he somehow mentions Oxen Meadows which earlier was a disputed property but is now his. Natalya is in the perception that Oxen Medows belong to her family. Both enter into a heated discussion and act childishly and Chubukov’s entry made it more heated. They shout and scream while Lomov suffers from extreme palpitation and a numb foot. They throw Lomov out of the house and continue abusing him. While defaming him, Chubukov accidentally reveals that he had a wedding proposal for Natalya which surprises Natalya, and she suddenly regrets sending him out. She tells her father to bring him back and Chubukov banes himself for being the father of a young daughter. When Lomov returns, Natalya tries to deviate the topic by talking about shooting. Little later they enter into a debate on their dogs. Natalya strongly believes that her dog Squeezer is better in comparison to Lomov’s Guess. They continue arguing when Chubukov enters the scene only to form things worse again. Everyone gets hyper and Lomov finally falls because of palpitations. Even then, the cursing continues when suddenly Natalya notices that he’s unconscious. As they find him unable to drink water, declare him dead. After a while Lomov moves a bit, they give him some water to drink and Chubukov forcefully hands over Natalya’s hands to him, gives his blessings and asks them to kiss. After regaining his senses, he expresses his excitement and kisses Natalya’s hands. Natalya again keeps convincing him that Squeezer is better than Guess but Lomov, being adamant refuses to accept this and the quarreling continues.

 

Thinking about the Play

1. What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.

Ans: At first, Chubukov suspects that Lomov has come to borrow money. He is not sincere when he tells Lomov that he had always loved him and that he was like his own son. He had decided that he would not give Lomov any money, if he tried borrowing from him. If he truly meant what he had said, then he would not have thought of not giving him money. He said so only because Lomov had come with the proposal to marry his daughter.

 

2. Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.

Ans: Chubukov thought that Lomov was a good marriage prospect for his daughter. He had been waiting for this proposal since long. When Lomov expressed his doubt regarding Natalya’s consent to the proposal, Chubukov immediately told him that she was in love with him. However, this was not true. Natalya did not seem to be in love with Lomov at any point in the play. It seemed like she was more attached to her land, meadows and dogs than to Lomov. In fact, the way they kept getting into arguments about trivial matters suggests that neither Lomov nor Natalya was in love with the other.

 

3. (i) Find all the words and expressions in the play that the characters use to speak about each other, and the accusations and insults they hurl at each other. (For example, Lomov in the end calls Chubukov an intriguer; but earlier, Chubukov has himself called Lomov a “malicious, double faced intriguer.” Again, Lomov begins by describing Natalya as “ an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated.”)

Ans: (i) Several words and expressions have been used by the characters to describe each other. Some of them are as follows: Chubukov : grabber; intriguer; old rat; Jesuit Natalya : a lovesick cat; an excellent housekeeper; not bad-looking, well-educated Lomov : a good neighbor; a friend; impudent; pettifogger; a malicious, double-faced intriguer; rascal; blind hen; turnip-ghost; a villain; a scarecrow; monster; the stuffed sausage; the wizen-faced frump; boy; pup; milksop; fool

 

Thinking about the Language

1. This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?

2. Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.

3. Look up the following phrases in a dictionary to find out their meaning, and then use each in a sentence of your own. (i) You may take it that (ii) He seems to be coming round (iii) My foot’s gone to sleep

Ans: Expressions not used in contemporary English

1. “my darling”, “my beauty”, “my precious”, “my angel”, “my beloved” (here, an older man is addressing an adult man)

2. “…and so on…” (here, it is used after a sentence in order to complete it)

3. “…and all that sort of thing.” (not explaining what it is, just leaving it as it is)

4. “...and all that.” (again leaving the sentence as it is)

5. “the scarecrow”, “the stuffed sausage”, “the wizen-faced frump” (In this way, they hurled insults at each other)

6. “And how may you be getting on?” (Here, Lomov is asking Chubukov about his well-being)

 

Modern English expressions

1. “Madam”, “my heart”, “honored Natalya Stepanovna” (used by Lomov for Natalya)

2. “Honored Stepan Stepanovitch” (used by Lomov for Chubukov)

3. “I beg your pardon…”

4. “My dear fellow” (Chubukov addressing Lomov)

5. “malicious, double-faced intriguer”, “fool” (Chubukov insulting Lomov)

 

3. Meanings of the phrases:

(i) You may take it that I am lying, but in fact it will help you in the long run.

(ii) He seems to be coming round after the trauma of his father’s death.

(iii) After the three hour long yoga session, my foot’s gone to sleep.

II. You mush have noticed that when we report someone’s exact words, we have to make some changes in the sentence structure. In the following sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred in the above pairs of sentences. One has been done for you.

1. To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked(as in Sentence Set 1).

2. To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb __________. 3. The adverb of place here changes to ___________. 4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the ______________ tense (as in Sentence Set 3). 5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to ______________tense. For example, ____________ changes to was getting. 6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb _______________in the reporting clause (as in Sentence Set 1). 7. The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to third person pronouns such as____________, ___________, ___________ or __________in reported speech.

Ans: 1. To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked. 2. To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb declared. 3. The adverb of place here changes to there. 4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the past tense. 5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to past continuous tense. For example, am getting changes to was getting. 6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb respectfully in the reporting clause. 7. The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to second person pronouns such as he/she, him/her, their or his/hers in reported speech.

 

III. Here is an excerpt from an article from the Times of India dated 27 August 2006. Rewrite it, changing the sentences in direct speech into reported speech. Leave the other sentences unchanged. “Why do you want to know my age? If people know I am so old, I won’t get work!” laughs 90-year-old A. K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema’s most famous character actors. For his age, he is rather energetic. “What’s the secret?” we ask. “My intake of everything is in small quantities. And I walk a lot,” he replies. “I joined the industry when people retire. I was in my 40s. So I don’t miss being called a star. I am still respected and given work, when actors of my age are living in poverty and without work. I don’t have any complaints,” he says, adding, “but yes, I have always been underpaid.” Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. “No doubt I am content today, but money is important. I was a fool not to understand the value of money earlier,” he regrets.

Ans: 90-year-old A.K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema’s most famous character actors, laughingly asked why we wanted to know his age. If people knew he was that old, he would not get work. For his age, he is rather energetic. We asked him what the secret was. He replied that his intake of everything was in small quantities and he walked a lot. He said that he had joined the industry when people retired. He had been in his 40s. So he did not miss being called a star. He was still respected and given work, when actors of his age were living in poverty and without work. He said he did not have any complaints, adding that he had always been underpaid. Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. He said that no doubt he was content at present, but money was important. He said regretfully that he was a fool not to understand the value of money before.

 

Moral

The moral of the story is to learn to forgive and forget. In the story The Proposal by Anton Chekov, the 3 main characters Natalya, her father Chubukov, and Lomov lose their temper on silly and trivial issues.

 

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