Detailed explanation of “The Proposal”, including definitions of difficult words. In addition, the explanation is followed by a lesson summary. Also, NCERT Question and Answers are also provided to help students understand this Chapter and do well in their exams.
Introduction
The Proposal (originally titled A Marriage Proposal) is a one-act play, a farce by Anton Chekhov. The play highlights the tendency of wealthy families seeking ties with other wealthy families to increase their estates by encouraging marriages that make good economic sense.
Summary
The play begins in a drawing room of Chubukov ‘s house. Ivan Lomov comes to meet Chubukov. Chubukov is extremely happy to meet him. He is surprised to see Lomon wearing a formal dress and asks him if he was going somewhere. Lomov informs him that he has come to meet him because he needs his help. Chubukov thinks that Lomov must have come to borrow money from him. Finally, Lomov told that he has come to ask for Natalya’s (Chubukov’ s daughter) hand for marriage.
Chubukov gets very excited after hearing about the proposal. He hugs and kisses Lomov. He informs Lomov that he waited for this proposal since a long time. He even guarantees that Natalya would also agree to the proposal and goes to call her. Lomov starts trembling (shaking) due to over excitement. Lomov is left alone in the drawing room. He starts talking to himself. He finds Natalya to be a good housekeeper. She is well educated and not bad looking. He thinks that he needs to get married now because he is thirty-five years old. He thinks that now he needs to live a quiet and peaceful life. He also thinks that he is always restless and cannot sleep properly.
Natalya enters the drawing room and is surprised to see Lomov. She asks Lomov why he had not come there for a long time. She welcomes Lomov and starts talking about the work in the fields. Suddenly, she notices Lomov’s dress. She asks him why he was dressed in an evening (formal) dress and enquired if he was going to a ball (party). Lomov tells her the purpose of his visit. But instead of talking about the proposal, Lomov tells her about the good relations between Lomovs and Chubukovs. He also mentions about Oxen Meadows that he had inherited from his aunt.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
| Agitating | Disturbing, exciting or angering someone |
| Aloud | Very loudly |
| Assure | Convince |
| Ball | A large formal gathering for social dancing |
| Beating | Pulsation or throbbing, typically of the heart |
| Behaviour | The way in which one acts or conducts onself, especially towards others |
| Bitten | To cut into someone with teeth |
| By Jove | Used to express surprise or emphasis. |
| Carafe | A glass container that has a wide mouth and is used to serve drinks |
| Clutch | To hold with the hand |
| Confounded | Used for emphasis, especially to express anger or annoyance. |
| Consent | To give permission for something |
| Continual | For a long time |
| Drunkard | A person who is drunk or who often gets drunk |
| Embezzlement | One who argues about small issues To steal the money of your employer |
| Evidence | Proof |
| Excruciating | Very painful; causing great mental or physical pain |
| Expense | Expenditure |
| Fetch | To go after and bring back someone |
| Frump | A colourless person |
| Gambler | One who gambles |
| Grab | To obtain immorally |
| Grown up | Adult |
| Guzzle | Eat or drink (something) greedily |
| Gypsie | A homeless person |
| Heaps (here) | Much |
| Hoarse | Loud |
| Hump backed | Having a hump at the back |
| Implore | To make a very serious or emotional request to someone |
| Impudence | Quality of not showing respect for others |
| Impudent | Failing to show proper respect and courtesy |
| Inherited | Received from somebody |
| Interrupt | To ask questions or say things while another person is speaking |
| Intriguer | Cheater |
| Lame | Having an injured leg or foot that makes |
| Yell | To say something very loudly especially as you are very angry |
| Late | No longer alive |
| Lovesick | Sick with love |
| Lunacy | Madness |
| Lunatic | A crazy person |
| Marsh | A place with loose earth and water |
| Meadow | A place for grazing cattle |
| Misfortune | Bad luck |
| Mower | A person who cuts grass |
| Negligee | Gown |
| Overshot | Having the upper jaw extending the lower. |
| Palpitation | Expressing surprise, anger or affirmation |
| Pardon | To excuse |
| Peasant | A farmer |
| Pedigree | The history of the family members in a animal’s past especially when it is good or impressive |
| Perpetuity | The state of continuing for a long time |
| Principle | A moral rule that helps one know what is right and wrong. |
| Privilege | A special right |
| Rascal | A cruel or dishonest man |
| Reckon | Believed |
| Regard | A feeling of respect and admiration for someone |
| Restrain | To stop somebody from doing something |
| Rot | To decay |
| Scarecrow | A person who is very badly dressed, odd-looking or thin |
| Splendid | Glorious |
| Squeeze | To press something firmly |
| Stagger | To move unsteadily from side to side |
| Stuffed | Having things put inside something. |
| Temporary | For some time |
| Thoroughbred | Of pure and unmixed breed |
| Threshing | Process of separating the grains from the plant |
| Treasure (here) | Used to address a person you like |
| Tremble | To shake slightly as you are afraid, nervous, excited etc. |
| Twisted | Forced out of its natural or proper shape |
| Twitch | (of the heart) to beat quickly and strongly and often in a way that is not regular because of excitement, nervousness etc. |
| Wedged | To force into a narrow space, squeeze |
| Wizen-faced | Wrinkle-faced |
| Worn-out | Tired |
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