THE PROPOSAL (Summary)
“The Proposal” is a one-act play written by famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov. This humorous play is popularly known as “A Marriage Proposal”. The three important characters in this drama are – Lomov, Chubukov, and Natalia. Lomov is a rich man. He is 35 years old and not married. He wants to marry Natalia, daughter of Chubukov. But, the whole incident of marriage proposal turns into a farce.
Lomov visits his neighbor Chubukov. After much effort, he reveals his desire to marry Natalia. Chubukov feels very happy. He goes inside to inform the same to his daughter Natalia. Natalia is twenty-five. She is an excellent housekeeper, good looking, and well-educated. When Natalia comes out, she is surprised to see Lomov. She does not know the purpose of his visit. Her father informed only that some one came on the purpose of business. Lomov also fails to express his proposal directly. Their casual talk gradually turns into a serious argument. They start fighting to claim ownership on a piece of land. Chubukov also joins the argument and supports his daughter. Lomov becomes angry and leaves the place.
When Natalia comes to know the true purpose of Lomov’s visit, she blames her father for not revealing the truth. Actually, she is happy to marry Lomov. She asks her father to bring Lomov back. When Lomov comes back, Natalia feels sorry for her mistake. She wishes Lomov to make the proposal straight away. Unfortunately, they start quarrelling again about their pet dogs – Guess and Leap. They start abusing each other. Suddenly Lomov falls into a chair and faints.
Seeing Lomov faint, Natalia thinks that he is dead. She starts crying. The poor father feels miserable. He wants to shoot himself. In the meantime, Lomov comes to senses. Chubukov does not want to take any more chance. So, he at once speaks out that his daughter is willing to marry Lomov. He thrusts Lomov’s hand into his daughter’s hand and gives them his blessings. At last they kiss each other and are reconciled. But they again start quarrelling over their dogs. Amid their shouting, Chubukov shouts, “Champagne, Champagne”.
Thus, the drama ends on a happy, yet humorous note. It shows how sometimes silly arguments dominate the original purpose of communication.
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NOOJILLA SRINIVAS
Lecturer in English,
Govt. Degree College, Alamuru, East Godavari Dist, Andhra Pradesh, India
Ph: 7981862200; email: noojillasrinivas@gmail.com
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