Drama 4 "The Proposal"

The Proposal

1.      Character and characterization

Ø  Stepan Stepanovitch Tschubokov, 70 years old, a landowner

Ø  Natalia Stepanovna, his daughter, 25 years old

Ø  Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov,35 years old, a neighbour of Tschubukov, a large and hearty, but very suspicious landowner

2.      Setting of place           : CHUUKOV’S country-house

3.      Plot      : Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov, a long-time neighbor of Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov, has come to propose marriage to Chubukov's 25-year-old daughter, Natalia. After he has asked and received joyful permission to marry Natalia, she is invited into the room, and he tries to convey to her the proposal. Lomov is a hypochondriac, and, while trying to make clear his reasons for being there, he gets into an argument with Natalia about The Oxen Meadows, a disputed piece of land between their respective properties, which results in him having "palpitations" and numbness in his leg. After her father notices they are arguing, he joins in, and then sends Ivan out of the house. While Stepan rants about Lomov, he expresses his shock that "this fool dares to make you (Natalia) a proposal of marriage!" This news she immediately starts into hysterics, begging for her father to bring him back. He does, and Natalia and Ivan get into a second big argument, this time about the superiority of their respective hunting dogs, Otkatai and Ugadi. Ivan collapses from his exhaustion over arguing, and father and daughter fear he's died. However, after a few minutes he regains consciousness, and Tschubukov all but forces him and his daughter to accept the proposal with a kiss. Immediately following the kiss, the couple get into another argument.

4.      Point of view  :

Ø  Participant

Ø  1^st Person

5.      Styles

a.       Grammatical structure       :Standard

b.      Sentence constraction (In naration and dialogues) are long

c.       Figurative Language         :

Ø  Metaphor   : In this story The play as a metaphor for marriage as a continuing battle ground.

Ø  Satire         : The satire is conveyed successfully by emphasizing the couple's foolish arguments over small things.

6.      Theme : Themes for this one act play by Chekhov that is a comedy or a satire, include making fun of romance and marriage.

The farce explores the process of getting married and could be read as a satire on the upper middle class and courtship. The play points out the struggle to balance the economic necessities of marriage and what the characters themselves actually want. It shows the characters' desperation for marriage as comical.

7.      Conclussion

In Chekhov's Russia, marriage was a mean of economic stability for most people. They married to gain wealth and possessions or to satisfy social pressure. The satire is conveyed successfully by emphasizing the couple's foolish arguments over small things. This drama is man vs. society.