THE PROPOSAL
BY ANTON CHEKOV
WRITER –ANTON CHEKOV
• Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who
is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His
career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are
held in high esteem by writers and critics.
• Chekhov wrote about ordinary events and the relationships of people in small
towns and villages. He employed a variety of techniques, including pacing and
word choices that paint imagery, create his characters and reveal their
changing moods.
• Greatest Works of Anton Chekhov: The Steppe, Ward No. 6, Uncle
Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, On Trial, The Darling, The Bet,
Vanka, After the Theatre and many more (Unabridged): Plays, Short Stories,
Novel and A Biography.
RUSSIANS CUSTOMS OF WEDDING CEREMONIES SIMILAR
AND DIFFERENT T0 INDIAN ONES
Similar Different
Groom coming to bride’s house to fetch her No fights involving this
Wedding procession No making posters, writings speeches
Reception No registration in India, No city tour
Ring ceremony No toasting ceremony
Serving food No climbing over the stairs
Fun elements No stealing of bride
Honeymoon No organising contests
CHARACTERS AND OTHER DETAILS
 STEPAN STEPANOVITCH CHUBUKOV : a landowner.
NATALYA STEPANOVNA : his daughter, twenty-five years old.
IVAN VASSILEVITCH LOMOV : a neighbor of Chubukov, a large and hearty, but
very suspicious, landowner
• ‘The Proposal’ (originally titled ‘A Marriage Proposal’) is a one-act play, a farce, by
the Russian short story writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1888–
89. The play is about the tendency of wealthy families to seek ties with other wealthy
families, to increase their estates by encouraging marriages that make good
economic sense. Ivan Lomov, a long time wealthy neighbour of Stepan Chubukov,
also wealthy, comes to seek the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter,
Natalya. All three are quarrelsome people, and they quarrel over petty issues. The
proposal is in danger of being forgotten amidst all this quarrelling. But economic
good sense ensures that the proposal is made, after all — although the quarrelling
perhaps continues!
OVER VIEW OF THE PLAY
•
The Proposal Introduction
• The Proposal is a one-act play that begins with a young man, Lomov presenting a
marriage proposal to his neighbour’s daughter. Before he could actually convey it to the
girl, they enter into an argument about Oxen Meadows. Chubukov, the lady’s father also
joins the heated discussion. After they end this, they enter into another argument about
their dogs and which one is better than the other. In the midst of all this, proposal gets
forgotten until Lomov falls off due to his palpitations and Chubukov instantly puts her
daughter’s hands in Lomov’s. Unfortunately, the quarrelling still continues.
•
• There are three characters in this play, they are; Ivan Vassilevitch
Lomov, a large and hearty, 35 year-old man, who is a neighbour of
Chubukov and also a very suspicious landowner. And then, Stepan
Stepanovitch Chubukov, a 70 year-old man, who is a landowner, too.
And the last is Natalya Stepanovna, a 25 year-old woman, who is a
daughter of Chubukov. Chekov tried to satire the Russian social life
through this play. This play seems to satire the marriage inside the
courtship that get married because of their property possesion and
superiority rather than for love. However, Chekhov had displayed it
successfully in a ridiculous romantic scene.
FLOW OF THE PLAY
• The curtain rises with Lomov entering his neighbour Chubukov’s house
fully dressed up in his evening attire. Chubukov is surprised to see him
well-dressed and asks him the occasion. Lomov reveals that he had
come to make a request. Chubukov anticipates that he must have come
to ask for money which he doesn’t intend on giving. On being revealed
that Lomov had come to ask for Chubulov’s daughter, Natalya’s hand in
marriage, Chubukov gets filled with excitement and leaves to call
Natalya.
• Lomov is a 35 year- old gentleman who suffers from palpitations, gets
upset very easily and doesn’t sleep well. He thinks it is the best age for
him to get married and he is happy that he has his mind made-up about
Natalya. According to him, Natalya is average-looking and a good
housekeeper. When Natalya arrives, Lomov begins the conversation
about how grateful and glad he is that both their families are on good
terms since the very beginning. While continuing to talk about his land,
he somehow mentions about Oxen Meadows which earlier was a
disputed property but is now his. Natalya couldn’t believe a word he was
saying because she believes that Oxen Meadows belong to her family.
VOCABULARY – WORDS AND MEANINGS
Privilege Right
Awfully Greatly
Deserve To be worthy to have
Interrupting Disturbing
Embraces Hugs
Consent Agreement
Lovesick Sick with love
Palpitation Beating of heart
Twitch Pull with a jerk
Lunatic Mad
VOCABULARY – WORDS AND MEANINGS
Apron Outer clothes
Negligee Loose clothes
Splendid Excellent
Stacked Stored
Hay Stray
Ball Dance party
Inherited Received property as heir
Wedged Sandwiched
In-perpetuity In continuity
Peasant Farmers
VOCABULARY-WORDS AND MEANINGS
Dispute Clash
Reckoned Thought, understood
Dessiatins Currency
Implore Request
Make head and tail To understand
Threshing-machine Machine separating grain and chaff
Gypsies One who wanders from one place to
another
Impudent Rude, disrespectful
Carafe Water container
Mowers Crop cutters
CONTROVERSY OVER – OXEN MEADOWS WEDGED
BETWEEN BIRCH WOODS AND BURNT MARSH
• Both of them enter into a heated discussion and act childishly when
Chubukov enters just to get the conversation more heated. They shout
and scream while Lomov suffers from extreme pounding of the heart, a
side pull and a numb foot. They throw Lomov out of the house and
continue cursing him. While speaking ill of him, Chubukov
unintentionally reveals that he had come with a marriage proposal for
Natalya which surprises Natalya and she immediately regrets sending
him out. She tells her father to bring him back immediately and
Chubukov curses himself on being a father of a grown-up daughter.
When Lomov returns, Natalya tries to deviate to another topic and
starts talking about shooting.
CLASH OVER DOGS
VOCABULARY – WORDS AND MEANINGS
Restrain Resist, control
Accustomed Habitual of
Excruciating Painful
Yelling Shouting
Pettifogger Clever, crafty person
Embezzlement Fraud
Lunacy Madness
Intriguer Planner
Malicious Wicked
Numb Senseless
VOCABULARY-WORDS AND MEANINGS
Scarecrow Figure to resemble a man dressesd
in man’s cloth
Impudence Arrogance, rude
Blind hen, turnip-ghost An abuse
Confounded cheek A confused state of mind
Stuffed sausage, wizen face frump An abuse
Wails Weeps
Hysterics Tired
Pedigree Race, descent
Overshot Timid, run away
Worn-out cab horse Weak carriage horse
VOCABULARY-WORDS AND MEANINGS
Demon of contradiction Disagreement
Intriguer The activity of plotting
Whip cane with string
Pup Small dog
Partridge A derogatory word
Mist Haze
Champagne Costly liquor
Bliss Happiness
Guess (Lomov’s pet dog) A breed of dog
Squeezer (Natalya’s pet dog) A breed of dog
• Somehow they enter into an argument involving their dogs. Natalya feels that her
Squeezer is better than Lomov’s Guess. They continue arguing when Chubukov
enters the scene only to make the situation worse, once again. Everyone gets hyper
and Lomov finally falls due to his palpitations. Even then, the cursing continues when
suddenly Natalya notices that he is unconscious. They try to get water down his
throat but end up getting unsuccessful and declare him dead. It is only when Lomov
moves a little bit, they feed him some water and Chubukov forcefully hands over
Natalya’s hands to him, gives his blessings and asks them to kiss. Lomov, still not
fully conscious doesn’t understand what is going on. When he finally comes to his
senses, he expresses his excitement and kisses Natalya’s hands. Natalya, being
childish as she is, manipulates him into accepting that Squeezer is better than Guess
but Lomov, being adamant as he is, refuses to accept it. Thus, once again, the
quarrelling continues.
PREPARED BY
Shivakumar S
TGT. English
JNV Ramanagara. Karnataka

The Proposal PPT by NVS Teacher.pptx CLASS 12

  • 1.
  • 3.
    WRITER –ANTON CHEKOV •Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. • Chekhov wrote about ordinary events and the relationships of people in small towns and villages. He employed a variety of techniques, including pacing and word choices that paint imagery, create his characters and reveal their changing moods. • Greatest Works of Anton Chekhov: The Steppe, Ward No. 6, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, On Trial, The Darling, The Bet, Vanka, After the Theatre and many more (Unabridged): Plays, Short Stories, Novel and A Biography.
  • 4.
    RUSSIANS CUSTOMS OFWEDDING CEREMONIES SIMILAR AND DIFFERENT T0 INDIAN ONES Similar Different Groom coming to bride’s house to fetch her No fights involving this Wedding procession No making posters, writings speeches Reception No registration in India, No city tour Ring ceremony No toasting ceremony Serving food No climbing over the stairs Fun elements No stealing of bride Honeymoon No organising contests
  • 5.
    CHARACTERS AND OTHERDETAILS  STEPAN STEPANOVITCH CHUBUKOV : a landowner. NATALYA STEPANOVNA : his daughter, twenty-five years old. IVAN VASSILEVITCH LOMOV : a neighbor of Chubukov, a large and hearty, but very suspicious, landowner
  • 8.
    • ‘The Proposal’(originally titled ‘A Marriage Proposal’) is a one-act play, a farce, by the Russian short story writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1888– 89. The play is about the tendency of wealthy families to seek ties with other wealthy families, to increase their estates by encouraging marriages that make good economic sense. Ivan Lomov, a long time wealthy neighbour of Stepan Chubukov, also wealthy, comes to seek the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter, Natalya. All three are quarrelsome people, and they quarrel over petty issues. The proposal is in danger of being forgotten amidst all this quarrelling. But economic good sense ensures that the proposal is made, after all — although the quarrelling perhaps continues!
  • 9.
    OVER VIEW OFTHE PLAY • The Proposal Introduction • The Proposal is a one-act play that begins with a young man, Lomov presenting a marriage proposal to his neighbour’s daughter. Before he could actually convey it to the girl, they enter into an argument about Oxen Meadows. Chubukov, the lady’s father also joins the heated discussion. After they end this, they enter into another argument about their dogs and which one is better than the other. In the midst of all this, proposal gets forgotten until Lomov falls off due to his palpitations and Chubukov instantly puts her daughter’s hands in Lomov’s. Unfortunately, the quarrelling still continues. •
  • 10.
    • There arethree characters in this play, they are; Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov, a large and hearty, 35 year-old man, who is a neighbour of Chubukov and also a very suspicious landowner. And then, Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov, a 70 year-old man, who is a landowner, too. And the last is Natalya Stepanovna, a 25 year-old woman, who is a daughter of Chubukov. Chekov tried to satire the Russian social life through this play. This play seems to satire the marriage inside the courtship that get married because of their property possesion and superiority rather than for love. However, Chekhov had displayed it successfully in a ridiculous romantic scene.
  • 11.
  • 13.
    • The curtainrises with Lomov entering his neighbour Chubukov’s house fully dressed up in his evening attire. Chubukov is surprised to see him well-dressed and asks him the occasion. Lomov reveals that he had come to make a request. Chubukov anticipates that he must have come to ask for money which he doesn’t intend on giving. On being revealed that Lomov had come to ask for Chubulov’s daughter, Natalya’s hand in marriage, Chubukov gets filled with excitement and leaves to call Natalya.
  • 14.
    • Lomov isa 35 year- old gentleman who suffers from palpitations, gets upset very easily and doesn’t sleep well. He thinks it is the best age for him to get married and he is happy that he has his mind made-up about Natalya. According to him, Natalya is average-looking and a good housekeeper. When Natalya arrives, Lomov begins the conversation about how grateful and glad he is that both their families are on good terms since the very beginning. While continuing to talk about his land, he somehow mentions about Oxen Meadows which earlier was a disputed property but is now his. Natalya couldn’t believe a word he was saying because she believes that Oxen Meadows belong to her family.
  • 15.
    VOCABULARY – WORDSAND MEANINGS Privilege Right Awfully Greatly Deserve To be worthy to have Interrupting Disturbing Embraces Hugs Consent Agreement Lovesick Sick with love Palpitation Beating of heart Twitch Pull with a jerk Lunatic Mad
  • 16.
    VOCABULARY – WORDSAND MEANINGS Apron Outer clothes Negligee Loose clothes Splendid Excellent Stacked Stored Hay Stray Ball Dance party Inherited Received property as heir Wedged Sandwiched In-perpetuity In continuity Peasant Farmers
  • 17.
    VOCABULARY-WORDS AND MEANINGS DisputeClash Reckoned Thought, understood Dessiatins Currency Implore Request Make head and tail To understand Threshing-machine Machine separating grain and chaff Gypsies One who wanders from one place to another Impudent Rude, disrespectful Carafe Water container Mowers Crop cutters
  • 18.
    CONTROVERSY OVER –OXEN MEADOWS WEDGED BETWEEN BIRCH WOODS AND BURNT MARSH
  • 19.
    • Both ofthem enter into a heated discussion and act childishly when Chubukov enters just to get the conversation more heated. They shout and scream while Lomov suffers from extreme pounding of the heart, a side pull and a numb foot. They throw Lomov out of the house and continue cursing him. While speaking ill of him, Chubukov unintentionally reveals that he had come with a marriage proposal for Natalya which surprises Natalya and she immediately regrets sending him out. She tells her father to bring him back immediately and Chubukov curses himself on being a father of a grown-up daughter. When Lomov returns, Natalya tries to deviate to another topic and starts talking about shooting.
  • 21.
  • 22.
    VOCABULARY – WORDSAND MEANINGS Restrain Resist, control Accustomed Habitual of Excruciating Painful Yelling Shouting Pettifogger Clever, crafty person Embezzlement Fraud Lunacy Madness Intriguer Planner Malicious Wicked Numb Senseless
  • 23.
    VOCABULARY-WORDS AND MEANINGS ScarecrowFigure to resemble a man dressesd in man’s cloth Impudence Arrogance, rude Blind hen, turnip-ghost An abuse Confounded cheek A confused state of mind Stuffed sausage, wizen face frump An abuse Wails Weeps Hysterics Tired Pedigree Race, descent Overshot Timid, run away Worn-out cab horse Weak carriage horse
  • 24.
    VOCABULARY-WORDS AND MEANINGS Demonof contradiction Disagreement Intriguer The activity of plotting Whip cane with string Pup Small dog Partridge A derogatory word Mist Haze Champagne Costly liquor Bliss Happiness Guess (Lomov’s pet dog) A breed of dog Squeezer (Natalya’s pet dog) A breed of dog
  • 25.
    • Somehow theyenter into an argument involving their dogs. Natalya feels that her Squeezer is better than Lomov’s Guess. They continue arguing when Chubukov enters the scene only to make the situation worse, once again. Everyone gets hyper and Lomov finally falls due to his palpitations. Even then, the cursing continues when suddenly Natalya notices that he is unconscious. They try to get water down his throat but end up getting unsuccessful and declare him dead. It is only when Lomov moves a little bit, they feed him some water and Chubukov forcefully hands over Natalya’s hands to him, gives his blessings and asks them to kiss. Lomov, still not fully conscious doesn’t understand what is going on. When he finally comes to his senses, he expresses his excitement and kisses Natalya’s hands. Natalya, being childish as she is, manipulates him into accepting that Squeezer is better than Guess but Lomov, being adamant as he is, refuses to accept it. Thus, once again, the quarrelling continues.
  • 29.
    PREPARED BY Shivakumar S TGT.English JNV Ramanagara. Karnataka