Anton chekhov biography a marriage proposal

Home / General Biography Information / Anton chekhov biography a marriage proposal

Natalia blames her father and calls him brutal. Natalia tells him that she will immediately send her reapers to the meadows. Tschubukov tells Lomov that the latter's grandfather was a drunkard and that his aunt had eloped with an architect. Stephan represents the stubbornness and pride often seen in older generations, while Natalya's quick temper and inability to communicate her feelings reveal the impulsive nature of youth.

He tries to explain that once there was a dispute over the Oxen Meadows, but now everybody knows that they belong to him. He is wearing a dress-suit. He holds a glass of water to Lomov's lips, but the latter does not drink water. When Lomov is left alone, he feels that he is cold and his whole body is trembling. Tschubukov warns him not to come into his house again.

Through humor, irony, and well-drawn characters, Chekhov encourages the audience to question the values and conventions of their time while shedding light on the timeless absurdities of human interactions. Chekhov himself thought farces were not really worth much as literature; before its success, he called The Proposal a "wretched, boring, vulgar little skit." He advised its director, Leontiev, to "roll cigarettes out of it for all I care."

When Vassar College staged The Proposal in the 1920s, they performed it three times in one evening, each with a very different staging: "as realism, expressionism, and constructivism." In the second version, played closer to tragedy, the actors were masked, and in the third the actors were all dressed in work suits in a playground, tossing a ball between them.

In 1935 in the Soviet Union, the seminal Russian theatre practitionerVsevolod Meyerhold combined The Proposal with Chekhov's other short plays The Bear and The Anniversary to form a three-act play called 33 Swoons that demonstrated the weakness of the pre-revolutionary intelligentsia.

Tschubukov thinks that he has come to borrow money, and asks him not to beat about the bush. Stephan supports his daughter once more, leading to Ivan fainting from the tension.

A Change of Heart

Stephan feels guilty and calls for a doctor to attend to Ivan. He wants to be brief, but in his excitement he starts beating about the bush.

Ivan returns, and Natalya talks to him calmly, accepting his proposal. He speaks of the old relations of the Lomovs and the Tschubukovs. The palpitation of his heart becomes unbearable. She is also surprised to find him in a formal dress, and tells him that he seems to be looking better. She asks him if he is going on hunting soon. In his opinion Leap is over-short; he has a short lower jaw, and therefore he cannot catch his prey.

She thinks that perhaps he is on his way to a ball. Ivan's sudden proposal to Natalya is not driven by love, but rather by his desire to expand his land holdings by marrying into Stephan's property. Chekhov uses humor to highlight the irrationality of human behavior and the tendency to bicker over insignificant issues.

Irony and Miscommunication:

Throughout the play, Chekhov employs irony and miscommunication to create humor and underscore the misunderstandings between the characters.

Stephan feels relieved as a father, as he had been worried about his unmarried daughter.

Conclusion

In Anton Chekhov's "The Proposal," the story revolves around unexpected romantic feelings, heated arguments, and a change of heart.