A Marriage Proposal

The Proposal (Russian Предложение ) is a one-act play ( official name: " joke in one act " ) by Anton Chekhov in 1888.

Action

As with all of Chekhov's plays Handlungsort is an estate somewhere in the Russian provinces. In the guest room Squire Stepan Tschubukow a friendly neighbor, the bachelor Ivan Lomov appears. He has a tailcoat and white gloves and reveals Tschubukow immediately that he wanted his 25 - year-old daughter Natalya make a marriage proposal. Tschubukow was attracted to it, Natalya sends in and can be both alone. After the welcome Lomov begins his speech. But before he can respond to the real goal of his visit, it comes between the two into a relentless fighting over a piece of land: Lomov claiming the village Luschki belonged to him, while Natalya disputes this with the utmost determination and ownership of Luschki or for themselves. their father claimed. Both argue so loudly that it sounds Tschubukow and again enters. This also claims Luschki belonged to him, so it comes a bit later, insulting remarks on both sides. Tschubukow finally throws Lomov addition, this leaves the house and threatens Lomov with a court process. Only when he 's gone, Natalia learns that he had come actually to make her a proposal of marriage. It will become hysterical and demands in a panic to retrieve Lomov immediately. When he is back, they tried him with a conciliatory tone and admits that Luschki well in fact belonged to him. It directs the call to the hunt, and immediately ignited a dispute between the two again, this time to see whose hunting dog is faster. Again comes Tschubukow in; Lomov yells at him so loud that he finally complains of shortness of breath and collapses, so that father and daughter first think that he had died. But then he comes back to himself. Tschubukow says the two, they may at last get married and leave him alone. Both kissing and getting the paternal blessing, but begin unabated to argue further. For this Tschubukows closing words: "This is it, the beginning family happiness! Bring champagne! "By which the play ends.

Background

With its very simple constructed, exaggerated comic action, the piece is not typical of Chekhov's work - in this respect it is more akin to his other one-act plays such as the bear. Generally served this one-act play to the author in his mature creative period ( mid -1880s ) as a kind of outlet for his humorous vein, which he accomplished in his early stories to use, while his style increasingly thoughtful and reserved was in later works. Especially in the marriage proposal, the for Chekhov's early works typical, subtle situational comedy mixed with a satirical allusion to the hypocritical morals and the smugness of the Russian gentry, for each marriage because of the elaborate dowries primarily a question of money, instead of genuine love.

Chekhov himself valued his one-act plays, compared to longer stories and stage plays a rather low; he wrote about the recently completed marriage proposal in a letter of 7 November 1888 in a usual ironic manner: I have specifically for the province a stupid Vaudevillechen called " The Proposal " is written and sent it by Zensurien. Nevertheless, the piece on 12 April 1889, premiered in St. Petersburg and in Moscow on August 9, apparently with success, as the actor then Chekhov reported. On 30 May, it was a proposal of marriage in the Prague National Theatre, and thus first performed abroad. To Chekhov's lifetime, the play has been translated among others into German, English and Hungarian.

Radio plays

In Germany, a total of 8 radio play versions of the one-act opera emerged after 1945.