The Proposal

 VIVEKANANDA COACHING CENTRE 

Tutor : - Swapan Kumar Ray ( M.A ) 

Drama : - The Proposal 

1. Sketch the character of Natalya . 

Ans : In the play " The Proposal ' Natalya Stepanovna is the twenty five years old daughter of the wealthy landowner Chubukov . She is well educated , an excellent housekeeper and not bad looking . But She is very quarrelsome by nature . She begins a bitter quarrel with Lomov over Oxen meadows. But when she learns that Lomov has come to propose to her , she became excited . She requests her father to bring him back . But when Lomov came once again , she started quarrelling with him over the superiority of their hunting dog . As a daughter of a landowner she plays an interesting role in the play .

 2. Make a brief sketch of social life as you find in the play , ' The Proposal . 

Ans : In the play " The Proposal ' Anton Chekhov beautifully presented the social economic conditions of Russia in the nineteenth century . Here Lomov , Natalya and Chubukov were a part of upper class society . Most of the land in the century was under the ownership of the landed gentry . They passed their time in futility occupations like hunting and racing dogs . Marriage and relations had become almost like a business deal where there was no place for love and trust . Girls could not decide or choose their life partners . Daughters were considered only economic liabilities . Thus , Chekhov presented the degeneration of the aristocratic society through this play .

 3. Sketch the character of Chubukov . 

Or . , Describe the role of Chubukov as a responsible father .

or,

"She is a love sick cat" -- Who said this and about whom ? Analyse the character of the referred to here, under the light of the comment above person.

 Ans :Chubukov said this and about his daughter Natalya Stepanovna.

 in Chekhov's play " The Proposal ' , Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov is a wealthy landowner . He is a sensitive father but he is tried to protect his property and aristocracy . Natalya is his twenty five years old daughter . He has the responsibility to find out a perfect life partner of his daughter . When Lomov came to chubukov's house with his marriage proposal for Natalya , Chubukov readily accepted it . But later he engaged with an argument with Lomov taking Oxen Meadows . However , when he found Natalya getting excited for bringing back Lomov , as a sensible father he realised that Natalya and Lomov should get married . 

4. Consider ' The Proposal ' as a one act play .

 Ans : A one act play , as the name suggests , is a play that take place in a single act . The Proposal by Anton Chekov describes . the events of the day when Lomov goes to Chubukov house to pray his daughter hand in marriage . All the scenes of the play takes place at Chubukov's drawing room . The play deals with a special issue and all the three character Lomov , Natalya and Chubukov revolve the theme of the play . So , ' The Proposal ' is a good example of one act play . 

5. Why did Lomov think about taking a decision about getting married ? Whom did he want to marry ? Why ?

or, Lomov came with a proposal to marry Natalya Stepanovna. What logic does he give for his decision ?

or, "And it is imposible for me not to marry." --- Why is the speaker so interested to marry ? Whom does he want to marry ? Why?

 Ans : - Lomov thought about taking a decision on getting married for many reason .

 Firstly , he was going through a critical age . He was thirty five years old . 

Secondly , he thought himself to be a weak man suffering from palpitations . 

Thirdly , he was in leading a quiet and regular life . He did not waste his time in search of an ideal bride or real love . 

He wanted to marry Natalya Stepanovna . 

Lomov wanted to marry Natalya because she was well educated , excellent housekeeper and not bad looking .

6. ' Bring him back ! Back ! Ah ! Bring him here . Who says this to whom ? When it is said ? Why is the speakeer so excited ?

or, 

 ' Oh , unhappy man that I am ! I'll shoot myself ! I'll hang myself ! " Who is unhappy ? Why does the speaker wish to die ?

or, 

 ' Oh , what a burden ---- to be the father of a grown up daughter ! Who is the father ? Who is the daughter ? Why is the daughter a burden to the father ? 

or, 

"What a weight of my shoulders .. " --Who is the speaker? Why does he say this quoted line? Why does the speaker call it " a burden" to be a father of a grown up daughter?

 Ans_ Natalya says this to her father chubukov . She said it when she learned that Lomov came there to propose her . 

  In the above quoted line , Chubukov is unhappy . In the evening Lomov comes to chubukov's house to propose Natalya . 

 Here the father is Chubukov and the daughter is Natalya . In the evening Lomov comes to chubukov's house to propose Natalya . 

When Lomov came to Chubukov's house,  Immediately after this all of them engaged themselves in an argument . When the situation becomes more critical , Lomov leaves the house , feeling sick . Natalya learns about the proposal when Chubukov confesses that Lomov's actual propose her . Now she becomes desperate and ask her father to bring him back . The unable to decide what to do Chubukov wishes to die . In the evening Lomov comes to chubukov's house to propose Natalya . Immediately after this all of them engaged themselves in an argument . When the situation becomes more critical , Lomov leaves the house , feeling sick . Natalya learns about the proposal when Chubukov confesses that Lomov's actual propose her . Now she becomes desperate and ask her father to bring him back . The unable to decide what to do Chubukov wishes to die . - *** 

7. Comment on the title of the play ' The Proposal ' .

 Ans : - The title ' The Proposal ' directly expressed the theme of the play . The story of the play was based on Nineteenth century Russia when a thirty five years old Lomov came to his neighbour Chubukov's house with a proposal to marry Chubukov's daughter Natalya . But he could not express the proposal to Natalya rather he engaged in a hot argument with Natalya over common issues like Oxen Meadows or pet dogs . After a long chain of funny incidents , the marriage took place without the proposal . So the title is appropriate .

1. ''Go there's a marchant come for his goods.'' --- Who said this and to whom ? Who is the merchant ? What is referred to as goods ? In what way does it bring out the attitude of the person and the society at that time ? 2+1+1+2

A:- Chubukov said this to Natalya in the play 'The Proposal'.

Lomov is the merchant here.

Natalya is referred to as goods in the play 'The Proposal'.

See Q.2 (Social life.)

2. ''We have had the land nearly three hundred years.'' --- Who is the speaker?  Who is spoken to ? What is referred to here as the land ? What do you know the land from there conversation ? 1+1+1+3

Or,  Describe the first argument over the oxen meadows. 6

Or, ''If you like I'll make you a present of them '' --- Who is the speaker ? Who is the person spoken to ? What would the speaker make a present of ? Why did the speaker say so ? 1+1+1+3

Or, 'You pettifogger! All your people like that' --- Who is the speaker ? Who is called pettifogger and Why?  What does the speaker say this ? 1+2+3

Or, ''You will remember that my oxen meadows touch your birchwoods.'' --- Who is the speaker ? What are oxen meadows and birch woods? Why have this been meantioned? 1+2+3

Or, '' These Meadows are not worth for me.'' --- Who is the speaker here ? In what context does the speaker say this ? What attitude of the speaker is revealed here? 1+1+4

Ans:- Oxen Meadows became the subject of dispute between Lomov and Natalya. Both of them claimed the same property to be theirs. Lomov wanted to establish the dispute in his favour. He said that his aunt's grandfather gave the land to Natalya's father's grand father. In return of which the peasants made bricks for Lomov's aunt's grandfather. He can present it to Chubukov's.  On the other hand Natalya claimed that the land was theirs. She knew it nearly three hundred years. Lomov behaved them as if they did not have any properties. Later Chubukov joined the querrel and called Lomov as a pettifogger.