Why does Lomov think Natalya will make an acceptable wife? Explain your answer.

Lomov comes to Chubukov’s house to make a marriage proposal to Natalya. When he is alone at Chubukov’s place, Lomov, in his soliloquy, reasons with himself why he should get married to Natalya. He thinks that the Lomovs have known the Chubukovs for generations. He also remarks that Natalya Stepanovna is an ‘excellent housekeeper, and also ‘not bad-looking’. She is also well- educated’. He thinks these reasons are enough to marry her. As Natalya owns land herself, it is an added advantage for Lomov. Lomov wants to get married to gain a “quiet and regular life”. He is not looking for true love and he himself admits that if he looks for real love, he will never get married in his life. So, after thinking about all these aspects rationally, he concludes that Natalya is definitely an acceptable wife and he should get married to her as soon as possible.

Why did not Lomov directly ask Natalya to marry him?

Lomov went to Chubukov’s house to ask Natalya’s hand in marriage. But Lomov became nervous when he saw her in front of him. He somehow gained the courage to ask her, but suddenly they started to quarrel over the ownership of the Oxen Meadows. After a while, the quarrel stopped but again they started to quarrel over their dogs, without speaking a word about the marriage and then Lomov became so much excited that he fainted. Therefore, because of the arguments they had, Lomov could not directly ask Natalya to marry him.


Why did Lomov leave Chubukov house?

How did Lomov regain his senses finally by Chubukov? How was the marriage between Lomov and Natalya accomplished?


Who made the proposal and to whom? What was the proposal? How was the proposal realised?

How did the illness of Lomov help to unite Lomov and Natalya?


The playwright has used some funny adjectives with which the characters use to blame each other. How do they contribute to the comic elements of the play?

Do you find the play funny? Support your answer with illustrations from the text.


Do you think “The Proposal can be defined as a play of contradictions? Support your answer with reasons.

Make a brief sketch of social life as you see in the play.


What is the focus in the play? Is it a character? Is it an action? Is it the unpredictability of the people? Explain your answer.

Write a brief note on Chekhov’s depiction of aristocratic society in ‘The Proposal’.


Why does Chekhov choose only three characters to deliver his message to us?

What aspects of the human condition and society does the play make fun of?


What is Anton Chekhov trying to say about the manner in which neighbours interact/ behave? Support your answer with evidence from the play.

How would you best describe the personalities of each of the characters in the play?


How does Chekhov alternate the actual proposal and the arguments? Explain your answer.

What are the effect of this alternating the proposal and the arguments? Explain your answer.


Comment on the setting of the play with reference to costume, customs and mannerism. Does it relate to the socio-economic background of that period?

Discuss the reasons why the marriage proposal is important to all the characters.