“Go; there’s a merchant 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?
Chubukov said this to Natalya Stepanovna. Here ‘the merchant’ is Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov. Natalya Stepanovna, the daughter of Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov is referred to as ‘goods.
Natalya is twenty-five years old and unmarried. Therefore, she is a burden to her father because, at that time, a girl in her twenties was supposed to get married as soon as possible. She is considered as ‘goods’ as she is unmarried and Lomov is considered as a ‘merchant’ because he will take her away with him after marriage just like a merchant. Therefore, from the above-mentioned remark, we come to know that people married for personal gain rather than love because women needed financial security and men needed a perfect homemaker. So a mutual understanding was needed rather than true love.
“I’m trembling all over,’ -Who is ‘I’ here? How does the speaker express his nervousness?
Here is the speaker, Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov. Lomov decides to propose Natalya Stepanovna for marriage and so he comes to her father Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov to seek his permission. Lomov becomes nervous when Chubukov calls Natalya. In his soliloquy he mentions that he suffers from palpitations, he is always excitable and gets awfully upset. When he becomes nervous, his lips tremble and his right eyebrow twitches. He thinks that he is already 35 and he has to marry someone who can take care of him. Therefore, he is thinking about how he will make her agree to his proposal and expresses his nervousness through his soliloquy.
“You must excuse my apron and négligé…”. – above-mentioned line has been extracted. Who is the speaker of the quoted line? What is négligee? What was the speaker engaged in before arrival? What did the speaker offer the person addressed as you?
“We’ve had the land for nearly three hundred years…”—Who is the speaker? Who is spoken to? What is referred to as ‘the land’? What do you know of the land from their conversation?
“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?
“How have you the right to give away somebody else’s property?” – Who is the speaker? What property is referred to here? Why does the speaker ask this question?
“Darling, the Meadows are ours!”- Who said this and to whom? Whom did the meadows belong to? Why was there an argument over them?
“You’re not a neighbour, you’re a grabber!”-Who said this and to whom? Why is this said?
“I don’t want anything of yours and I don’t want to give up anything of mine.”-Who says this? To whom does the speaker say this? When does the speaker say this? Bring out the irony latent in it.
“l’ll have the matter taken to court, and then l’ll show you!”-Who is the speaker? Why does the speaker say this? What is the reaction of the person spoken to?
“… and not one has ever been tried for embezzlement, like your grandfather!”-Who said this and about whom? Analyse the character of the speaker under the light of the above statement.
“Oh, unhappy man that I am! I’ll shoot myself! I’ll hang myself!”—Who is unhappy? Why does the speaker wish to die?
“Bring him back! Back! Ah! Bring him here.”-Who says this to whom? When is it said? Why is the speaker so excited? What light does the line throw on the character of the speaker?
“What have they done to me! Fetch him back!”-Who is the speaker? Who is ‘him’? What ironic about the speaker’s request to bring ‘him’ back?
“Forgive us, Ivan Vassilevitch, we were all a little heated.” – Who is the speaker? Who is referred to by ‘us’? Why were the persons referred to ‘a little heated’? Why does the speaker ask for forgiveness?
“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?
“My land is worth little to me, but the principle ..”-Who is the speaker? Which land he referring to? What ‘principle’ does he mean? What made him utter such a statement?
“He got left behind because the Count’s whipper-in hit him with his whip.”- Who is ‘he’ in this sentence? Name the master of him. Name his two contenders. When did the speaker say this?
“What sort of a hunter are you?”-What does Natalya want to say and why does she say so? What suggestions does she make after that?
“I’ve noticed that those hunters argue most who know least.”-State context and explain the content.