English For Today chapter 15: Reading for Pleasure - Drama

THE PROPOSAL

A Joke in One Act

[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: Anton Chekhov, "The Proposal" (A Joke in One Act), cast list, opening stage direction and dialogue of scene I, as printed]

I

[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: Anton Chekhov, "The Proposal", stage direction opening scene I]

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[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: Anton Chekhov, "The Proposal", dialogue and stage directions of scene I (Chubukov and Lomov), as printed]

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[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: Anton Chekhov, "The Proposal", dialogue and stage directions of scene I (end) and scenes II and III opening (Lomov, Chubukov, Nataliya Stepanovna), as printed]

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[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: "The Proposal", play by Anton Chekhov (running head "The Proposal"; scene VI opening, dialogue and stage directions, printed pages 281; author name not printed on this page)]

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[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: "The Proposal", play by Anton Chekhov (dialogue, printed page 284; author name not printed on this page)]

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[COPYRIGHTED EXCERPT OMITTED: "The Proposal", play by Anton Chekhov (dialogue, stage directions and the word "Curtain", printed page 286 up to "CHUBUKOV (trying to shout over them). Champagne! Champagne!"; author name not printed on this page)]

Curtain

--Translated by Laurence Senelick

Glossary

Impertinence: Disrespect or rudeness.

Litigious: Tending to engage in lawsuits or legal disputes.

Embezzlement: Theft or misappropriation of money or property that one is entrusted with

Spiteful: Showing malice or a desire to hurt someone.

Pedigreed: Describing an animal with pure lineage, often referring to its genetic background being of superior quality or officially recognized.

Underslung jaw: Refers to a condition where the lower jaw is shorter than the upper one, resulting in a misaligned bite.

Pipsqueak: An insult referring to someone who is insignificant, small, or unimportant.

Study Questions

1. How does social status and land ownership influence the characters' motivations for marriage?
2. In what ways does the play highlight the absurdity of human behaviour in romantic situations?
3. How does Chekhov critique societal expectations about marriage in The Proposal?

The End