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The Proposal Quotes
CHUBUKÓV: (Aside) He wants me to lend him some money. I won’t. (To him) So! What exactly are you here for, hm? A big strong boy like you.
LÓMOV: You see, I really have the greatest respect for you, Stepán Respéctovich—excuse me, I mean Stepán Excúsemevich. What I mean is—I’m really nervous, as you can plainly see….
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As the play begins, Lómov has just arrived at Chubukóv’s farmhouse wearing a fancy tailcoat and white gloves, announcing that he wants to ask Chubukóv a favor. Chubukóv had welcomed Lómov in a jovial, fatherly way, but here, his aside to the audience suggests that he is a little more cynical than he first let on, assuming that Lómov wants money and determined to refuse him even before hearing out the younger man’s request. There is also a touch of dramatic irony at work, since the audience expects the play to center on a marriage proposal due to the play’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aper
CHUBUKÓV: Lover boy! Buddy boy! I can’t tell you how happy I am and everything. And that’s a fact. And all the rest of it. (Gives him a bear hug) I’ve always hoped this would happen. It’s a longtime dream come true. (Sheds a tear) I have always loved you, boy, just like you were my own son, and you know it. God bless you both and all the rest of it.
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Immediately after Lómov asks Chubukóv for his daughter Natásha’s hand in marriage, Chubukóv utters this joyful outburst. His joy is humorously ironic because, moments before, Chubukóv grumbled to the audience about Lómov probably wanting money, suggesting that his current gushing is at least a bit disingenuous. At any rate, his exuberance likely has more to do with the relief of marrying off his daughter—thereby securing her status in the aristocracy as well as freeing himself from a financial burden—than with Lómov as a son-in-law. The sheer inanity of Chubukóv’s words adds to that impression, as he constantly litters his conversation Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Per
LÓMOV: It must be cold in here. I’m starting to shiver, just like I was going to take an exam. The main thing is, you have to make up your mind. You just keep thinking about it, you argue back and forth and talk a lot and wait for the ideal woman or for true love, you’ll never get married. Brr…it’s cold in here. Natásha is a very good housekeeper, she’s kind of good-looking, she’s been to school…What more do I need? I’m starting to get that hum in my ears again; it must be my nerves.
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Chubukóv has left the room in search of Natásha, leaving Lómov alone and giving the audience insight into his true feelings through this soliloquy. While waiting for Natásha to appear, he gives himself a pep talk that also reveals his thought processes in deciding to propose. While readers might expect Lómov to mention love for Natásha as one of his reasons for proposing to her, at the very least, it doesn’t even make the list. Rather, he apparently talked himself into marrying (indeed, it appears that he’s still doing so) despite the fact that he’s not in love with her, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic te
LÓMOV: The Lómovs and the Chubukóvs have always been on very friendly terms, almost like we were related. And besides—well, you already know this—and besides, your land and mine are right next door to each other. Take my Meadowland, for instance. It lies right alongside of your birch grove.
NATÁSHA: Excuse me. I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I think you said “my Meadowland.” Are you saying that Meadowland belongs to you?
LÓMOV: Well, yes; as a matter of fact, I am.
NATÁSHA: Well, I never! Meadowland belongs to us, not you!
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Lómov gets off to a good start with his proposal to Natásha, or at least a conventional one, by flattering her family and citing the two families’ good relations in the past. Things start to derail when he turns to the subject of property, namely the proximity of “his” Meadowland to the Chubukóvs’ birch grove. While there’s nothing very romantic about this, it does reveal what’s important to Lómov and, implicitly, to aristocratic families in general: maintaining and ideally expanding one’s property holdings so as to shore up one’s social status, too. In other words, for the Russian landholding class, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex con
LÓMOV: I can show you the papers, Natálya Stepánovna!
NATÁSHA: Oh, you’re just teasing! You’re trying to pull my leg! This is all a big joke, isn’t it? We’ve owned that land for going on three hundred years, and all of a sudden you say it doesn’t belong to us. Excuse me, Iván Vassílich, excuse me, but I can’t believe you said that. And believe me, I don’t care one bit about that old meadow: it’s only twelve acres, it’s not worth three hundred rubles, even, but that’s not the point. It’s the injustice of it that hurts. And I don’t care what anybody says—injustice is something I just can’t put up with.
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Lómov and Natásha continue their disagreement about which family owns the Meadowland property, the Lómovs or the Chubukóvs. At this point, they are still maintaining a pretense of polite conversation—for example, Natásha says, “Excuse me, Iván Vassílich,” using Lómov’s patronymic and showing outward courtesy even as she objects to his claim of owning Meadowland. However, the argument threatens to spiral out of control, as Natásha refuses to grant that Lómov has a provable case and surely must be kidding with her. Then, she goes so far as to accuse him of being unjust for claiming the land. Significantly, she insists Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserun
CHUBUKÓV: Every single one of the Lómovs was crazy! All of them!
NATÁSHA: All of them! Every single one!
CHUBUKÓV: Your uncle was a falling-down drunk, and that’s a fact! And your aunt, the youngest one, she used to run around with an architect! An architect! And that’s a fact!
LÓMOV: And your mother was a hunchback! (Clutches his chest) Oh, my God, I’ve got a pain in my side…my head’s beginning to pound!
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After Chubukóv returns to the room and joins in Natásha’s and Lómov’s argument (obviously taking Natásha’s side), the conversation quickly deteriorates. Where the discussion started out at least superficially polite and measured, now the three have dropped any pretense of courtesy and begun yelling insults at one another. The exchange is rife with irony. For one thing, just moments earlier, Chubukóv was overjoyed at the prospect of his daughter marrying Lómov, whom he described as being a dream son-in-law. Now, he accuses Lómov’s family of being “crazy,” distinguished only by drunkenness and for keeping questionable company—the opposite of an ideal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusan
CHUBUKÓV: And would you believe that wig-worm, that chicken-brain, had the nerve to come here and propose? Hah? He proposed!
NATÁSHA: He proposed what?
CHUBUKÓV: What? He came here to propose to you!
NATÁSHA: To propose? To me? Why didn’t you tell me that before!
CHUBUKÓV: That’s why he was all dressed up in that stupid coat! What a silly sausage!
NATÁSHA: Me? He came to propose to me? Oh, my God, my God! (Collapses into a chair and wails) Oh, make him come back! Make him come back! Oh, please, make him come back! (She has hysterics)
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After Chubukóv kicks Lómov out of the house for insulting the Chubukóv family and insisting that he owns the Meadowland, he and Natásha mutter about how terrible Lómov is. However, their united front soon breaks down. Though Lómov never actually got around to proposing to Natásha, Chubukóv assumes that he did, as his string of insults shows. This instance of dramatic irony, where the audience knows Lómov’s intentions and Natásha was oblivious until now, is one of the most comedic exchanges in the play. Situational irony also mounts in this scene. A short time ago, Chubukóv had rejoiced at the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit
LÓMOV: He has an underslung jaw!
NATÁSHA: (Shouting) It’s not true!
LÓMOV: What are you shouting for?
NATÁSHA: What are you lying for? I can’t stand any more of this. You ought to be getting ready to put your old Guesser out of his misery, and here you are comparing him to our Messer!
LÓMOV: You’ll have to excuse me, I can’t go on with this conversation. I’m having a heart murmur.
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After Lómov returns to the Chubukóvs’ house to try proposing again, Natásha brings up hunting as a suitable conversation topic, but this subject fails even more spectacularly. While Natásha mocks Lómov’s hound Guesser as old and worthless, Lómov insists that the Chubukóvs’ hound Messer has a malformed jaw that makes him a lousy retriever. The absurdity of this conflict is meant to generate more laughs as audiences picture Lómov doing something as foolish as measuring his neighbor’s dog’s jaw to prove that his dog is a superior specimen. It’s also funny because the audience expects Lómov to finally spit out Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliq
LÓMOV: Wait wait wait…here it comes! A heart attack! My shoulder just came undone—where’s my shoulder? I’m going to die! (Collapses into a chair) Get a doctor! (Faints)
CHUBUKÓV: Whippersnapper! Milk sucker! Snoop! You make me sick! (Drinks some water) Sick!
NATÁSHA: What kind of a hunter are you? You can’t even ride a horse! (To Chubukóv) Papa! What’s the matter with him? Papa! Look at him, Papa! (Screeching) Iván Vassílich! He’s dead!
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Natásha and her father have been hurling insults at Lómov’s hunting dog Guesser and at Lómov himself for supposedly being an inadequate hunter. Just as he did the last time an argument grew heated, Lómov complains about his heart. Only this time, he goes so far as to claim he’s having a heart attack and collapses. Again, the faint is played for laughs—the audience is meant to understand that Lómov isn’t really having a heart attack, but he might well believe that he is. At any rate, he’s so worked up from the quarrel that he passes out, once again Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Inc
CHUBUKÓV: […] Get some water! Get a doctor! (Puts glass to Lómov’s mouth) Here, drink this…He’s not drinking it…That means he’s really dead…and everything! Oh, what a mess! I’ll kill myself! I’ll kill myself! Why did I wait so long to kill myself? What am I waiting for right now? Give me a knife! Lend me a gun! (Lómov stirs) I think he’s going to live! Here, drink some water. That’s the way.
LÓMOV: Spots…everything is all spots…it’s all cloudy…. Where am I?
CHUBUKÓV: Just get married as soon as you can and then get out of here! She says yes! (Joins Lómov’s and Natásha’s hands) She says yes and all the rest of it. I give you both my blessing and whatever. Only please just leave me in peace!
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After Lómov faints, Chubukóv frantically tries to rouse him. The chaos of the scene builds toward a hilarious climax as Chubukóv assumes that Lómov must be “dead…and everything!” because he doesn’t accept the offered water. This assumption leads Chubukóv to wail for a suicide weapon in the belief that it’s his fault, or at least that he will be blamed. Chubukóv’s melodrama is meant to be purely comedic—presumably, the audience can guess all along that Lómov isn’t really dead, and Chubukóv forgets his despair the moment Lómov stirs. At this point, the play reaches its climactic (or anticlimactic) moment as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Dele
NATÁSHA: But all the same—you can admit it now, can’t you?—Messer is better than Guesser.
LÓMOV: He’s worse!
NATÁSHA: He’s better!
CHUBUKÓV: And they lived happily ever after! Bring on the champagne!
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At the play’s conclusion, a confused Natásha and Lómov have hesitantly agreed that they’re happy to be engaged. The next moment, Natásha revives the argument that Lómov’s faint interrupted, trying to get her new fiancé to concede that the Chubukóvs’ hunting dog is, in fact, better than Lómov’s. This is another ironic moment because audiences would expect a newly engaged couple to be overjoyed and for a fitting resolution to include loving words and embraces. Instead, Natásha still won’t let go of the argument about hound dogs, and she uses Lómov’s weakness and their newly engaged status to press the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex
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