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A Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov
MAIN SUMMARY
A Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov
Being landlords, both families are so greedy by nature. They are so proud of their lands, and they don't want to lose even an inch of it.
They are boastful about what they have. They are quite fond of hunting. All these characters belong to a middle-class family. They never showed their kindness to the poor in the matter of help. Choobokov's dialogue proves the landlords' greed. While he sees Lomov is coming, he says, "He is after the money. Fat chance," which means if Lomov asks for money, he won't get a penny.
All the characters show childish behavior. Their dialogues as well as actions create laughter each time. Choobokov is an old man who is full of greed. He looks foolish. Natalia is a 25-year-old girl. She isn't bad, good-looking, or educated. Her father is very worried about her future. He is expecting a suitable groom for her. On the other hand, Lomov is 35 and still unmarried. He is also expecting the right life partner. He is looking for a woman who is full of qualities in her life.
He becomes much more critical about the selection of a life partner. Only because of this nature is he still unmarried. So, he decides to marry his neighbour Natalia, who is looking good and educated. If he doesn't try at the age of 35, he won't get another chance to marry in the future. Lomov himself isn't good for his health. He is a thin guy with a weak heart. He is suffering from palpitations. He gets excited, nervous, and angry very soon. He is also too proud of his possessions and his ancestors.
PLAY IN SERIES OF ACTIONS AND DIALOGUES
A Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov
Lomov moves to his neighbour's house in a formal dress. He visits there to ask Choobokov for his daughter's hand. When Choobokov sees him, he thinks that Lomov visits his house to ask for money. He utters the line, "He is after money. Fat chance", which means Lomov doesn't have a chance to get money from him. Lomov, as a nervous guy, doesn't express his intention of coming clearly to Choobokov. But when Choobokov knows his intention, he becomes overjoyed.
"It is so cold. I'm shaking all over, like before a final exam." (Lomov)
Choobokov is overjoyed. He calls his daughter Natalia. He doesn't tell Natalia about Lomov's intention; instead, he says that a businessman has come to buy something. When Natalia sees Lomov, she recognises him. She feels hesitation in front of Lomov because Lomov is in a formal dress and she is wearing an apron. She asks for an excuse for some time.
Natalia serves him with smoke. Natalia appreciates Lomov's wear. She says that Lomov is looking better in the formal dress. Lomov becomes nervous and excited after hearing such praising words from Natalia. Because of his nervousness, he doesn't propose to her directly. He passes time talking about another topic.
Choobokov leaves them in the room so that they can settle their proposal. Lomov talks about the relationship between Choobokov and Lomov. Lomov says that his ox meadows touch her woods. Natalia is quite surprised to hear that. She claims that the ox meadows belong to her. Natalia doesn't bear any tyranny or injustice against herself or her property, so she contradicts his claim immediately. Lomov tries to clarify the matter, but Natalia doesn't listen to his explanation. When the father hears this dispute, he also joins the quarrel and takes the side of his daughter. Both the father and daughter show rude behaviour towards Lomov. Lomov becomes too nervous and goes away.
But when Natalia knows about Lomov's intentions, she blames her father as a brute. She begins to weep and compels her father to bring Lomov back. She utters the line, "Hurry up! Hurry! I fell sick. Bring him back." She wants Lomov to come back at any cost. She cries and forces her father to call Lomov back immediately.
As a father, nobody knows Choobokov's suffering. In the marriage of a grown-up daughter, the father has to bear anything. Father supports daughter and moves out to call Lomov back, feeling shame.
Choobokov: "He is coming, I tell you. Oh God!, what did I ever do to deserve a grown-up daughter?"
In the next scene, Lomov comes back. Natalia shows her kind behaviour and also asks for excuses. She also adds that the ox meadows belong to him. She tries to change the earlier topic of a quarrel. When Natalia asks him about hunting, he claims that his hunting dog, Guess, is better than her dog, Leap. Both dogs are hunters. Lomov says that he has paid a hundred twenty-five rubles for his dog, whereas Choobokov has paid only eighty-five rubles for it. He claims that Leap is a small and worse dog with a pug jaw. Natalia and her father become angry with Lomov again. They claim that his guess is old and skeletal-looking. They say that it has a short muzzle. Lomov gets extremely excited, angry, and finally faints. Natalia thinks that Lomov is dead and weeps a lot. She asks her father to call a doctor. When Lomov comes back to consciousness, Choobokov puts Lomov's hand on his daughter's. Lomov and Natalia kiss each other, but they again begin to quarrel to prove their dogs better. But Choobokov says that the dispute is different from the previous one. To distract them from fighting, Choobokov shouts 'Champagne Champagne' to celebrate their happy reunion. The main purpose of Choobokov is to make Natalia and Lomov silent or leave their debate.
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