Title of the Paper: English III

Subject code: ENG113

Topic: Analyse the play “The Marriage Proposal” in your own words
with the help of textual quotes.

Date of Submission:11/12/2021

Submitted to: Dr.Gowher Ahmad Naik

School of Social Science

Lovely Professional University Phagwara, Punjab

Submitted by: Sahil Prashar

Registration No:12020134

Roll No: RU2003B64

Section: U2003
Abstract:
‘The Marriage Proposal’ is an one act play, a farce by Anton Chekhov (1860-
1904). It was written in 1888-89. This one act play is about the tendency of fat Russian families
or people to seek marriage ties with other fat families or people to increase their estates by
encouraging marriages that make good profitable sense. Lomov comes to seek the hand of
Chubukov’s 25-time old son Natalya. All three are quarrelsome. They quarrel over petty issues.
The offer is in peril of being forgotten amidst all this jarring. But profitable good sense ensures
that the offer is made successful, after each-although the jarring maybe continues.

About the Author:

Anton Chekhov, also known as Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was a Russian dramatist and master
of the ultramodern short storey. He was born on January 29, 1860, in Taganrog, Russia, and
died on July 14/15, 1904, in Badenweiler, Germany. He was an intellectual laconic
perfectionist who delved behind the surface of life, exposing his characters' hidden agendas.
Chekhov's elegant plays and short stories demand intricate storylines and tidy conclusions.
They create a unique ambiance by focusing on seemingly little details, which has been
described as haunting or lyrical on occasion. Chekhov is recognised as the most prominent
exemplar of the late 19th-century Russian realist school, describing Russian life in a
deceptively simple manner devoid of intruding academic bias. After the events of The Seagull
in 1896, Chekhov quit the stage, but the play was resurrected in 1898 by Konstantin
Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which also presented Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and
premiered his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four classes give a
challenge to both the performing ensemble and the cult, because Chekhov presents a "theatre
of mood" and a "submerged life in the textbook" in place of traditional action. Chekhov began
writing stories to get money, but as his cultural ambition expanded, he developed stylistic
inventions that have chronicled the storey of the development of the ultramodern short storey.
He made no excuses for the problems this caused compendiums, claiming that an artist's job
was to ask questions, not to answer them.

The theme of the story

“The Marriage Proposal” is a one-act play. Actually, it is a farce written by Anton Chekhov
in1888-89. The play is about the tendency of wealthy families to seek matrimonial ties. The
real purpose is to increase their estates and landed properties. Ivan Lomov was a wealthy
neighbour of another wealthy farmer Stepan Chukov. Lomov comes to seek the hand of
Chubukov’s twenty-five years old daughter, Natalya. Lomov, Chubukov and Natalya all three
are quarrelsome people. They quarrel over petty or small issues. Each one of them has a claim
over a particular piece of land. They also quarrel over their dogs. Amidst this quarrelling, they
completely forget the real issue – the marriage proposal. But good sense prevails in the end.
Economic good sense ensures that the proposal is made. Chubukov doesn’t want to miss the
opportunity. He puts his daughter’s hand into Lomov’s hands. He doesn’t waste any time and
blesses them. However, Old habits die hard. The newly married couple starts their married life
with a fresh quarrel.

Introduction:

The scene opens in Chubukov’s drawing area. Lomov pays a visit to his neighbour, Chubukov.
He was carrying a dress-suit. Chubukov expresses a good pleasure. He welcomes him and
offers him a heat handclasp. However, he was stunned to check him during a formal dress, and
thought that maybe he's on his thanks to some engagement. Lomov tells him that he has no
engagement except with him. He tries to elucidate the aim of his visit; however, he gets nervous
and excited.

Chubukov incorporates a girl. Her name is Natalia. She is twenty-five, however unmated.
Lomov has keep company with a proposal to marry Natalia. He was thus nervous that he found
it terribly tough to inform Chubukov the aim of his visit. He says that he has return to raise him
for a favour, tho' he doesn't be it. Chubukov thought that he has return to borrow cash, and
asked him to not search the bush. once abundant hesitation and stuttering, Lomov tells him that
he has return to kindle the hand of his girl, Natalia. Chubukov naturally feels terribly happy
and kisses him. He says that he can head to decision his girl and assures Lomov that she's going
to right away settle for his proposal. once Lomov is left alone, he feels that he's cold and his
whole body is trembling. He thinks that Natalia is a superb domestic, good-looking, educated
- what a lot of he ought to raise. Moreover, if he doesn't The Virgin currently, he can ne'er
marry. He has been already. He incorporates a weak heart, and he suffers from palpitation. The
worst of all is that the method he sleeps. He hardly lies down and begins to doze once he gets
a pull in his left aspect and one thing begins to hammer in his left shoulder and in his head. He
walks a few very little, lies down again and feels constant method once more. This continues
the complete night. He thinks that solely a well-regulated life will facilitate him during this
respect. wedding alone will bring this much-needed peace and regularity in his life.

Natalia enters the room and is stunned to check Lomov, as a result of her father has told her
that there could be a merchandiser UN agency has return for his product. She begs to be excused
for carrying AN apron and a previous dress. She asks if he would love to possess one thing to
eat. Then she offers him smoke, and talks regarding the sheep. She is additionally stunned to
search out him during a formal dress, and tells him that he looks to be trying better. She thinks
that maybe he's on his thanks to a ball. Lomov gets excited. he's unable to express the aim of
his visit. He desires to be transient, however in his excitement he starts beating regarding the
bush. He speaks of the previous relations of the Lomov and also the Chubukov. He tells her
that his late auntie and his late uncle had a good regard for her father and her late mother, and
moreover his property adjoins hers; his Oxen meadows bit her birch-woods.

Natalia is shocked to listen to that the Oxen Meadows belong to Lomov. She claims that the
meadows area unit hers, and not his. Poot Lomov feels all a lot of excited. He tries to elucidate
that after there was a dispute over the Oxen Meadows, however currently everyone is aware of
that they belong to him. His aunt’s grannie places the meadows, free from all prices, into the
hands of the peasants of her father's gramps for a particular time whereas they were birth bricks
for his grannie. These individuals used the meadows freed from price for regarding forty years
and started to contemplate the land as theirs. Natalia, however, doesn't believe it. Lomov was
prepared to point out the papers, however of no use. She tells him that they need owned the
property for nearly 300 years; the meadows don't seem to be price abundant, however she
cannot stand injustice.

If he keeps explaining it for 2 days, she's going to not be convened. She doesn't wish to require
his property, and he or she refuses to convey up what belongs to her. The discussion turns into
a quarrel and also the marriage proposal is forgotten. Natalia tells him that she will like a shot
send her reapers to the meadows. Lomov guarantees to show them out. They shout at one
another.

In the course of their quarrel, Chubukov enters. When he's arguing about the Oxen Meadows,
he sides with his son. Lomov again tries to explain, but Chubukov doesn't hear. He tells Lomov
that he cannot prove anything by yelling. He'd rather give them to the peasants than let him
claim them. Lomov becomes rude. Chubukob begs him to address him hypercritically for he's
not used to have people address him in that tone of a rude person. Lomov calls him a land-
theft, and tells him that he will prove in the court. Chubukov gets furious, calls him an intriguer
and accuses his whole family. In this way, they start to pull each other's family. Lomov says
the entire race of the Lomov has always been honourable, and no way has one been brought to
trial for embezzlement as Chubukov's uncle has been. Chubukov tells Lomov that his forefather
was a tippler and his aunt had eloped with an architect. Lomov say that Chubukovs mama was
humpbacked. So, they're dragging their ancestors in their foolish quarrel.

Now Lomov gets much agitated. The pulsation of his heart becomes unsupportable. His eyes
are blurred. His bottom goes numb. It seems as though he was dying. He took his chapeau, and
staggers out of the room. Chubukov warms him not to come into his house again. The father
and the son curse him and tell him all feathers of dirty names.

After Lomov has gone, Chubukov say that the fool had the courage to come to him with a
marriage offer. When Natalia hears that he'd come to propose to her for marriage and that's
why he was dressed in evening clothes, she begins to weep and falls into an armchair. She
blames her father for not telling her that ahead. She goes into hysterics, and ask her father to
bring him back incontinently. The poor father feels embarrassed. They've disrespected him and
thrown him out of their house and now he should call him back. How ridiculous! He feels like
shooting himself. Natalia blames her father and calls him brutal. She thinks if it weren't for
him, Lomov would not have gone. Her gets, indeed, is veritably funny. Chubukov rushes out
and calls him back.

Lomov returns. He was in a wretched state. His heart was beating terribly; his side was hurting
him; his leg was mutilated. Natalia feels sorry for her mistake, and admits that the Oxen
Meadows belong to him. She suggests that they should talk about commodity differently. She
wants to avoid every possibility of disagreement, and wishes Lomov to make the offer straight
down. She asks him if he's going on hunting soon. Lomov replies that he expects to begin after
the crop. His canine, Guess, has gone lame maybe it's a dislocation, or perhaps he has been
stunk by some other canine.

Lomov is veritably proud of his canine; he has bought him for a hundred and twenty-five
roubles and thinks it's veritably cheap. Natalia still, doesn't agree. Her canine, Squeezer, bring
further than eighty-five roubles & he's in every way better than Guess. They're again dragged
into an argument over the superiority of each other's tykes. In his opinion, Squeezer is over-
shot; he has a short lower jaw, and therefor he canot catch his prey. Natalia cannot stand this.
She thinks that her canine is pure- bred, whereas his canine is old, unattractive and skiny and
nothing can figure out his pedigree. She doesn't like when a person doesn't say what he really
thinks. In the course of hot discussion, Lomov agaim gets agitated; he feels the pulsation of
heart, and his heart is bursting.
The father again enters the room. Both turn to him for opinion. He says Guess clearly has his
good points. He's from a good bred, has a good stride, strong haunches & so forth. But he has
two faults he's old & he has a short lower jaw. Lomov tells Chubukov that on hunting passage
his canine, Guess, had run neck to neck with the Counts canine. But Squeezer was left before.
Chubukov says that the Count struck his canine with a scourge; that’s why he was left before.
Lomov reminds him that his canine was whipped because rather of running after the fox, he
smelled the lamb. Chubukov, still, doesn't agree. He requests Lomov to stop that argument.
But that doesn't feel possible. Chubukov gets angry. He tells Lomov to stay at home with his
pulsation; he's not fit for stalking. They again abuse each other and call names. Lomov begins
to see stars; every part of his body is bursting. He falls into a president and faints.

Conclusion:

Seeing Lomov faint, Natalia thinks that he's dead. She starts weeping and crying, and requests
her father to call in a croaker. The poor father feels miserable. He holds a glass of water to
Lomov's lips, but he doesn't drink water. The father finds himself in a terrible situation. He's
so frenetic with despair that he wants to shoot himself. In the meantime, Lomov comes to
senses. He sees mist before his eyes. Chubukov doesn't want to take any further chance by
leaving them alone. He at formerly speaks out that his son is willing to marry. He thrusts
Lomov's hand into his son's hand and gives them his blessings. He just wants to be left in peace.
Lomov is still dazed. He's not suitable to understand what's going on. At last, they kiss each
other and are conformed. But they again start jarring over their tykes. Natalia says," Guess is
worse than Squeezer. Lomov says, “Better". Amid their shouting, the poor old father shouts,
“Champagne, Champagne".

In short, “The Marriage Proposal" is a pleasurable gem of a comedy. It's a humorous

exemplification of connubial unions among the Russian upper class in late 19th century Russia.
This was Chekhov's world during his late 20s.

References:

1. https://www.thoughtco.com/chekhovs-the-marriage-proposal-overview-2713457
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Marriage_Proposal
3. Main Text