The Proposal

Iván Vassílievich Lómov visits his neighbor Stepán Stepánich Chubukóv’s farmhouse and nervously explains that he has come to ask for Chubukóv’s daughter Natásha’s hand in marriage. Chubukóv is overjoyed and hurries off to find Natásha. Alone, Lómov muses aloud that at 35 and in poor health, he can’t afford to wait around for the perfect wife or for true love.

Natásha enters, and she and Lómov make small talk until Lómov begins a speech about their childhood acquaintance, their families’ mutual respect, and the fact that their families’ properties border each other. When he mentions his piece of land called the Meadowland, it triggers a heated argument between them over which family owns the field. Amid the shouting, Lómov clutches his chest and complains of heart palpitations. Chubukóv confirms that Natásha is right about the Meadowland, and he and Lómov hurl insults at each other until Chubukóv kicks Lómov out.

After Lómov has left, the Chubukóvs grumble about him. But Chubukóv shocks Natásha by mentioning that Lómov had come to propose, and she begs her father to make Lómov come back. Chubukóv does, leaving Natásha to deal with her suitor. Natásha apologizes to Lómov, claiming she just remembered that Meadowland does indeed belong to him. But after she changes the subject to hunting, they get into another argument about Lómov’s old hound dog, Guesser. Eventually, Lómov complains of his racing heart and starts to cry. Chubukóv comes in and joins his daughter’s criticisms of Guesser, then he and Lómov trade insults until Lómov says he’s dying and abruptly faints.

Thinking Lómov is dead, Natásha and Chubukóv grow frantic. When Lómov wakes in a daze, Chubukóv hurriedly joins Lómov’s and Natásha’s hands, claims that Natásha accepts Lómov’s proposal, and calls for champagne. The dazed couple hesitantly agrees, and they are happy about their engagement. Then the two get into another shouting argument about their hound dogs. Chubukóv yells over them both, “And they lived happily ever after!”