A proposal

a proposal is a Play of Anton Tchekhov which presents the mishaps of 3 people in front of the need for marrying ( D'ailleurs, it is necessary that I Marie , known as one of the characters).

The part can be seen in a way so various that it is difficult to classify it: drama, study, ubuesquery… the most natural category is probably that of joke.

This part is located in the best tradition of the parts into 1 act.

History

The intrigue is very simple: a man comes to ask for a woman in marriage. He is received by the father, who marks his enthusiasm, and will seek his daughter. The continuation is a series of misunderstandings désopilants.

Work

The first impression is a very traditional and very easy part. It resembles a popular part. And in fact one finds there the largest strings of the light comedies: general incomprehension, panics, comic of repetition, situation, dramatic turns of events of course, etc

By twice, in love delicate (and especially hypochondriac, the intellectuals would say, or hypersensitive the romantic ones would say), and an young woman a little obstinate (but probably very sensitive it also, with its manner), try to be explained to be given in marriage. But each time they dispute for trifles.

Very funny, of a happy outcome (though…), this part allures initially because one is identified with the characters: any man was afraid one day to declare his flame, any woman fell one day on a sanctimonious hypocrite… and each time, the small things, small the riens, decide success or failure of the relation.

To looking at there more closely, many processes make this part original.

Main characters and secondaries

The row of the characters plays also an original part.

They are three: Lomov, which come to require the marriage, Natalia, the young woman, and Stépane Stépanovitch the father.

Lomov, the young person, or almost, man, in the place of main character.

However, it acts only by defect, that pushed by a delicate situation ( I am already 35 years old, it is the critical age, so to speak, and then I test the need for a well regulated life… ).

Opposite, it tonic Natalia Stépanovna is filled of initiatives ( I made mow large the pre ), and the father is placed as an organizer, a Justice of the Peace, but of a peace directed not towards the future marriage, the principal argument of the part, but towards the last one of the supporting characters, situation that Natalia and defend nozzles and nails to him.

Two characters intervene then nonknown as who untie the situations: plays of absence and presence, and the disease, probably imaginary, of Lomov.

In turn one of the characters of flesh goes away. It is created then between those which remain a micro-universe which derives towards the absurdity and blocking, blocking that the entry of absent or the one present exit solves ( That it goes to the devil! ).

Lomov is the king of imaginary, the patient, double-space, the double identity. But it is a king against him even (Natalia, being addressed to him: Hold! It is you? And dad who says to me: will see, it is a merchant who wants to buy something to you …). It is in that it has a row of main character: its be delirious extend to the normal characters, who have all the sorrows of the world to keep their cold blood. In this play these characters are taken with the trap of normality, because the drift of the feelings and the bodies imposes a social drift ( Everyone knows - oh! my heart! - how your late wife beat you ), and only the disease, the absence, to see death, allow a return to balance ( Donnez me a revolver! Give me a knife! … It would be said that it ressuscite… Drink-therefore of water. ).

States of hearts and feelings social

For example the role of the disease, the weakness. Does it causes sometimes the take-off of time ( But the worst, it is the night ), its suspension ( Of what act it? Eh well? ), the appearance of parallel universes ( I do not feel any more my left leg… And you, you are a go-getter… Oh! my heart! Everyone knows that before the elections… ), the urgency ( Quickly! Quickly! I feel badly. Point out it! ), and thus, a whole theatrical paddle.

The disease, the weakness, and even death are imagined, or simulated, or made fun, or real. Practically each time, that causes a shift in the state of heart of the involved characters, one, by calling upon a weakness, asks for a kind of recognition, of breathing, pauses that the other refuses (Lomov to him: Miss, cease, please; my heart will burst… Silence! - Natalia: Non I will not keep silent myself! ).

These diseases and weaknesses also cause the desarticulation of the main character, physical desarticulation ( My shoulder is detached… ), desarticulation social ( I am terribly moved, as you see… ), without speaking about the sentimental desarticulation ( I am very frozen ). These désarticulations open infinite possibilities (and difficulties) for the play of actor, and the pleasure of the public.

Social dimension is as well crunched, and encloses the characters in a whole network of family relations ( My late aunt like its husband, of which, you are not unaware of it, I inherited the grounds ), with the guaranteed comic effect.

Tchekhov manages to show very simply that the social status is in relation direct with the sentimental state of the characters. The series of the Priceless Natalia Stepanovna / Natalia Stepanovna / Miss / you Conceal! marks out the part, in parallel with the Très dear friend / Stépane Stépanovitch / my dove / young man / Gamin! Greenhorn! , that it is answered him and that one does not weary oneself to hear, and who mark a whole register of legal references ( Ainsi you take to me for a usurper ), policies ( Intriguing! ) and others. Enough curiously the religion is saved, with share in the counterpart Vieux rat! Jesuit! , in which old , rat and Jesuit are supposed to be insults.

The action

The action is organized around the objective of the proposal - request which is finally never made really.

When the involved people have the capacity to carry out this request, therefore when the young man and the young woman are in presence, it is the crisis; but, when the involved people do not have the capacity, only the wish, that they can reflect, then the things are calmed and are arranged.

From where an effect dramatic - and comic - where the characters do not manage to obtain what is with their range, while they run after what escapes to them.

They do not manage to obtain it, because their future objective drowns in the interpretation of the present and last ( But that occurred at all like that! My grandfather, like my great-grandfather…. )

They manage to find force, by the analysis of their state of heart ( Which we made? will say Natalia).

But they are never really aware to be able to them, or of their absence of being able. It is as if there were a curse which made them powerful impotent when they would be able to succeed, and when they cannot succeed, without them being aware of it.

One sees it while following the unfolding of the part.

At the beginning, the father and Lomov, the applicant, in the absence of Natalia, put agreement easily; Lomov relatively easily manages to say to the father the goal of his visit, and the father in change of joy; it leaves to seek his daughter who, according to him, can only be happy.

The applicant, one moment alone, encourages himself.

But, when they are together, Natalia and Lomov dispute on trifles for a field. Lomov does not even have time to be declared. The father between trying to calm the situation, but it does nothing but pour oil on fire. They put Lomov at the door.

The father and the girl remain alone. They then realize that they made an error, and point out Lomov.

Again together, they are redisputent for new trifles, which causes the fainding of Lomov.

Believing died Lomov, the father and the girl find themselves with the roof of concern.

And, benefitting from an alarm clock from Lomov…

The happy outcome makes it possible to be optimistic: The men and the women can live together, on the condition of having moments when they can reflect in their heart, and to have a valve when the crisis is without exit (here, the valve is the fragile health of Lomov). However, the meeting man - woman is explosive, because, if they seek a future commun run, they do not have the same analysis of the world present.

Around work

The legend says that Tchekhov died in (Re) saying the last counterpart of this part…

Elsewhere on the Web

A data base on the part in Nababuloscope: Faithful text, together sympathetic, but the feelings of the characters are returned in way a little punt. Beautiful work on the decorations, environment and the costumes. Good base of work if one wants to put in scene the part, or if one wants to discover it and that one has evil to read the theater in the text.

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