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 | Word | Meaning |
| Agitating | Disturbing, exciting or angering someone | Late | No longer alive |
| Aloud | Very loudly | Lovesick | Sick with love |
| Assure | Convince | Lunacy | Madness |
| Ball | A large formal gathering for social dancing | Lunatic | A crazy person |
| Beating | Pulsation or throbbing, typically of the heart | Marsh | A place with loose earth and water |
| Behaviour | The way in which one acts or conducts onself, especially towards others | Meadow | A place for grazing cattle |
| Bitten | To cut into someone with teeth | Misfortune | Bad luck |
| By Jove | Used to express surprise or emphasis. | Mower | A person who cuts grass |
| Carafe | A glass container that has a wide mouth and is used to serve drinks | Negligee | Gown |
| Clutch | To hold with the hand | Overshot | Having the upper jaw extending the lower. |
| Confounded | Used for emphasis, especially to express anger or annoyance. | Palpitation | Expressing surprise, anger or affirmation |
| Consent | To give permission for something | Pardon | To excuse |
| Continual | For a long time | Peasant | A farmer |
| Drunkard | A person who is drunk or who often gets drunk | Pedigree | The history of the family members in a animal’s past especially when it is good or impressive |
| Embezzlement | One who argues about small issues To steal the money of your employer | Perpetuity | The state of continuing for a long time |
| Evidence | Proof | Principle | A moral rule that helps one know what is right and wrong. |
| Excruciating | Very painful; causing great mental or physical pain | Privilege | A special right |
| Expense | Expenditure | Rascal | A cruel or dishonest man |
| Fetch | To go after and bring back someone | Reckon | Believed |
| Frump | A colourless person | Regard | A feeling of respect and admiration for someone |
| Gambler | One who gambles | Restrain | To stop somebody from doing something |
| Grab | To obtain immorally | Rot | To decay |
| Grown up | Adult | Scarecrow | A person who is very badly dressed, odd-looking or thin |
| Guzzle | Eat or drink (something) greedily | Splendid | Glorious |
| Gypsie | A homeless person | Squeeze | To press something firmly |
| Heaps (here) | Much | Stagger | To move unsteadily from side to side |
| Hoarse | Loud | Stuffed | Having things put inside something. |
| Hump backed | Having a hump at the back ’ | Temporary | For some time |
| Implore | To make a very serious or emotional request to someone | Thoroughbred | Of pure and unmixed breed |
| Impudence | Quality of not showing respect for others | Threshing | Process of separating the grains from the plant |
| Impudent | Failing to show proper respect and courtesy | Treasure (here) | Used to address a person you like |
| Inherited | Received from somebody | Tremble | To shake slightly as you are afraid, nervous, excited etc. |
| Interrupt | To ask questions or say things while another person is speaking | Twisted | Forced out of its natural or proper shape |
| Intriguer | Cheater | Twitch | (of the heart) to beat quickly and strongly and often in a way that is not regular because of excitement, nervousness etc. |
| Lame | Having an injured leg or foot that makes | Wedged | To force into a narrow space, squeeze |
| Yell | To say something very loudly especially as you are very angry | Wizen-faced | Wrinkle-faced ‘ |
| Worn-out | Tired |
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