Ivan Vassilievich Lomov, a long-time neighbor of Stepan Stepanovich Chubukov has come to propose marriage to Chubukov’s 25-year-old daughter, Natalia. After he has asked and received joyful permission to marry Natalia, she is invited into the room, and he tries to convey to her the proposal. Lomov is a hypochondriac, and, while trying to make clear his reasons for being there, he gets into arguments with Natalia about a disputed piece of land and ends up having “palpitations” and a numb leg. After her father notices they are arguing, he joins in, and then sends Ivan out of the house. Stepan then tells his daughter that Lomov was about to propose, and at this news she immediately starts “dying” and screams for her father to bring him back. He does, and Natalia and Ivan get into a second big argument, this time about the superiority of their respective dogs. Ivan collapses and they fear he’s died. However, after a few minutes he regains consciousness, and Tschubukov all but forces him and his daughter to accept the proposal with a kiss. Immediately following the kiss, the couple get into yet another argument. |