BEFORE YOU READ
Activity
1. The word ‘proposal’ has several meanings. Can you guess what
sort of proposal the play is about?
(i) a suggestion, plan or scheme for doing something
(ii) an offer for a possible plan or action
(iii) the act of asking someone’s hand in marriage
A Russian Wedding
Do you know anything about a Russian marriage ceremony?
Read this article about a Russian wedding.
Preparations for a Russian Wedding: A Russian wedding
is very simple. The planning only includes arranging for
rings, brides’ dress, cars, and a reception. Earlier, the bride’s
family paid for the reception, but now-a-days brides’ and
grooms’ families usually share expenses. A Russian wedding
lasts for two days; some weddings last as long as a week,
and the occasion becomes something to remember for years.
The necessary part of the wedding ceremony is a wedding
procession of several cars. The best friends of the groom/
bride meet before the wedding a few times, make posters,
write speeches and organise contests. When the groom
arrives to fetch the bride for the registration, he has to fight
to get her! Russians usually live in apartments in tall
buildings, and the groom has to climb several stairs to reach
his bride. But at each landing he must answer a question
to be allowed to go up. The bride’s friends ask difficult
questions (sometimes about the bride, sometimes just
difficult riddles), and the groom must answer with the help
of his friends. For example, he may be shown a few photos
of baby girls and he must say which one his bride is. If he
guesses wrong, he must pay cash to move ahead. After the
Reprint 2025-26
, marriage registration, the newly-married couple leaves the
guests for a tour of the city sights. After two or three hours
of the city tour the couple arrives at the reception. The couple
sits at a specially arranged table with their family, friends
and invited guests. The reception starts with toasts to the
couple. A wedding toast is a custom where a close friend or
relative of the groom or the bride says a few words to wish
the couple, then everyone raises their glass of wine, and
drink it up at the same moment. The groom is then asked to
kiss the bride. After a few toasts, people start eating and
drinking, and generally have fun. After some time, the bride
gets ‘stolen’! She disappears, and when the groom starts
looking for her, he is asked to pay a fee. Usually it is his
friends who ‘steal’ the bride. Then there are the bride’s
friends — they steal the bride’s shoe. The groom must pay
money for the shoe too. The guests enjoy watching these
tussles, and continue partying.
2. Do you think Indian and Russian weddings have any customs
in common? With the help of a partner, fill in the table below.
Wedding Ceremonies in Russia and India
Customs similar to Customs different from 121
Indian ones Indian ones
The Proposal
‘‘The Proposal’’ (originally titled ‘‘A Marriage Proposal’’) is a one-
act play, a farce, by the Russian short story writer and dramatist
Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1888–89.
The play is about the tendency of wealthy families to seek ties
with other wealthy families, to increase their estates by encouraging
marriages that make good economic sense. Ivan Lomov, a long time
wealthy neighbour of Stepan Chubukov, also wealthy, comes to
seek the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter, Natalya.
All three are quarrelsome people, and they quarrel over petty issues.
The proposal is in danger of being forgotten amidst all this
quarrelling. But economic good sense ensures that the proposal is
made, after all — although the quarrelling perhaps continues!
Reprint 2025-26
, Characters
STEPAN STEPANOVITCH CHUBUKOV : a landowner
NATALYA STEPANOVNA : his daughter, twenty-five years old
IVAN VASSILEVITCH LOMOV : a neighbour of Chubukov, a large and
hearty, but very suspicious, landowner
A drawing-room in Chubukov‘s house.
Lomov enters, wearing a dress-jacket and white gloves. Chubukov rises
to meet him.
CHUBUKOV : My dear fellow, whom do I see! Ivan Vassilevitch! I am
extremely glad! [Squeezes his hand] Now this is a
surprise, my darling... How are you?
LOMOV : Thank you. And how may you be getting on?
CHUBUKOV : We just get along somehow, my angel, thanks to your
prayers, and so on. Sit down, please do... Now, you know,
you shouldn’t forget all about your neighbours, my darling.
My dear fellow, why are you so formal in your get-up!
First Flight
Evening dress, gloves, and so on. Can you be going
anywhere, my treasure?
LOMOV : No. I’ve come only to see you, honoured Stepan
Stepanovitch.
CHUBUKOV : Then why are you in evening dress, my precious? As if
122 you’re paying a New Year’s Eve visit!
LOMOV : Well, you see, it’s like this. [Takes his arm] I’ve come to you,
honoured Stepan Stepanovitch, to trouble you with a request.
Not once or twice have I already had the privilege of applying
to you for help, and you have always, so to speak... I must
ask your pardon, I am getting excited. I shall drink some
water, honoured Stepan Stepanovitch.
[Drinks.]
CHUBUKOV : [aside] He’s come to borrow money. Shan’t give him any!
[aloud] What is it, my beauty?
LOMOV : You see, Honoured Stepanitch... I beg pardon Stepan
Honouritch... I mean, I’m awfully excited, as you will
please notice... In short, you alone can help me, though I
don’t deserve it, of course... and haven’t any right to
count on your assistance...
CHUBUKOV : Oh, don’t go round and round it, darling! Spit it out! Well?
LOMOV : One moment... this very minute. The fact is I’ve come to
ask the hand of your daughter, Natalya Stepanovna,
in marriage.
Reprint 2025-26
Activity
1. The word ‘proposal’ has several meanings. Can you guess what
sort of proposal the play is about?
(i) a suggestion, plan or scheme for doing something
(ii) an offer for a possible plan or action
(iii) the act of asking someone’s hand in marriage
A Russian Wedding
Do you know anything about a Russian marriage ceremony?
Read this article about a Russian wedding.
Preparations for a Russian Wedding: A Russian wedding
is very simple. The planning only includes arranging for
rings, brides’ dress, cars, and a reception. Earlier, the bride’s
family paid for the reception, but now-a-days brides’ and
grooms’ families usually share expenses. A Russian wedding
lasts for two days; some weddings last as long as a week,
and the occasion becomes something to remember for years.
The necessary part of the wedding ceremony is a wedding
procession of several cars. The best friends of the groom/
bride meet before the wedding a few times, make posters,
write speeches and organise contests. When the groom
arrives to fetch the bride for the registration, he has to fight
to get her! Russians usually live in apartments in tall
buildings, and the groom has to climb several stairs to reach
his bride. But at each landing he must answer a question
to be allowed to go up. The bride’s friends ask difficult
questions (sometimes about the bride, sometimes just
difficult riddles), and the groom must answer with the help
of his friends. For example, he may be shown a few photos
of baby girls and he must say which one his bride is. If he
guesses wrong, he must pay cash to move ahead. After the
Reprint 2025-26
, marriage registration, the newly-married couple leaves the
guests for a tour of the city sights. After two or three hours
of the city tour the couple arrives at the reception. The couple
sits at a specially arranged table with their family, friends
and invited guests. The reception starts with toasts to the
couple. A wedding toast is a custom where a close friend or
relative of the groom or the bride says a few words to wish
the couple, then everyone raises their glass of wine, and
drink it up at the same moment. The groom is then asked to
kiss the bride. After a few toasts, people start eating and
drinking, and generally have fun. After some time, the bride
gets ‘stolen’! She disappears, and when the groom starts
looking for her, he is asked to pay a fee. Usually it is his
friends who ‘steal’ the bride. Then there are the bride’s
friends — they steal the bride’s shoe. The groom must pay
money for the shoe too. The guests enjoy watching these
tussles, and continue partying.
2. Do you think Indian and Russian weddings have any customs
in common? With the help of a partner, fill in the table below.
Wedding Ceremonies in Russia and India
Customs similar to Customs different from 121
Indian ones Indian ones
The Proposal
‘‘The Proposal’’ (originally titled ‘‘A Marriage Proposal’’) is a one-
act play, a farce, by the Russian short story writer and dramatist
Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1888–89.
The play is about the tendency of wealthy families to seek ties
with other wealthy families, to increase their estates by encouraging
marriages that make good economic sense. Ivan Lomov, a long time
wealthy neighbour of Stepan Chubukov, also wealthy, comes to
seek the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter, Natalya.
All three are quarrelsome people, and they quarrel over petty issues.
The proposal is in danger of being forgotten amidst all this
quarrelling. But economic good sense ensures that the proposal is
made, after all — although the quarrelling perhaps continues!
Reprint 2025-26
, Characters
STEPAN STEPANOVITCH CHUBUKOV : a landowner
NATALYA STEPANOVNA : his daughter, twenty-five years old
IVAN VASSILEVITCH LOMOV : a neighbour of Chubukov, a large and
hearty, but very suspicious, landowner
A drawing-room in Chubukov‘s house.
Lomov enters, wearing a dress-jacket and white gloves. Chubukov rises
to meet him.
CHUBUKOV : My dear fellow, whom do I see! Ivan Vassilevitch! I am
extremely glad! [Squeezes his hand] Now this is a
surprise, my darling... How are you?
LOMOV : Thank you. And how may you be getting on?
CHUBUKOV : We just get along somehow, my angel, thanks to your
prayers, and so on. Sit down, please do... Now, you know,
you shouldn’t forget all about your neighbours, my darling.
My dear fellow, why are you so formal in your get-up!
First Flight
Evening dress, gloves, and so on. Can you be going
anywhere, my treasure?
LOMOV : No. I’ve come only to see you, honoured Stepan
Stepanovitch.
CHUBUKOV : Then why are you in evening dress, my precious? As if
122 you’re paying a New Year’s Eve visit!
LOMOV : Well, you see, it’s like this. [Takes his arm] I’ve come to you,
honoured Stepan Stepanovitch, to trouble you with a request.
Not once or twice have I already had the privilege of applying
to you for help, and you have always, so to speak... I must
ask your pardon, I am getting excited. I shall drink some
water, honoured Stepan Stepanovitch.
[Drinks.]
CHUBUKOV : [aside] He’s come to borrow money. Shan’t give him any!
[aloud] What is it, my beauty?
LOMOV : You see, Honoured Stepanitch... I beg pardon Stepan
Honouritch... I mean, I’m awfully excited, as you will
please notice... In short, you alone can help me, though I
don’t deserve it, of course... and haven’t any right to
count on your assistance...
CHUBUKOV : Oh, don’t go round and round it, darling! Spit it out! Well?
LOMOV : One moment... this very minute. The fact is I’ve come to
ask the hand of your daughter, Natalya Stepanovna,
in marriage.
Reprint 2025-26
