Drama Assignment "The Proposal" Analysis

SITI SULASTRI EPENDI

A320080354

KELAS I

THE PROPOSAL ANALYSIS

a play in one-act

By Anton Chekhov

1.      Character and Characterization

a.       Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov

Chubukov is a landowner. His physical looks like 70 years old. He is a kind-man and polite, for instance to his neighbor. He is relax and senile.

b.      Natalya Stepanovna

Natalya is a Chubukov’s daughter. She is 25 years old. Natalya is a fussy girl. She wants to get everything what she wants. She is in love, egad, she is like a lovesick cat.

c.       Ivan vassilevitch Lomov

Ivan is a neighbor of Chubukov. He is 35 years old, a critical age. Ivan is a large and hearty. If he gets nervous, his heart is palpitating awfully, especially when face with Natalya. He does not have a brave in front of woman.

2.      Setting

a.       Place

It is happened in Chubunkov’s country-house, exactly a t drawing room.

b.      Time

It is happened in evening, about 7 p.m.

3.      Plot Summary

In the evening, Lomov comes to Chubunkov’s house. He wears evening dress, gloves, hat, and so on. Chubunkov is surprised but feels so glad when meet him. Lomov says that he wants to propose Natalya, Chubunkov’s daughter. Chubunkov is very happy when hears that and directly accepts the proposal. Lomov feels he is not proper man to Natalya. It is the right time for Lomov to ask Natalya in marriage.

 Chubunkov shouts to call Natlya. Natalya enters to drawing room. She seems happy and shy. First, they are talking about the weather. Then when Lomov discusses Oxen meadows is his mine, Natalya becomes dies angry and says disagreement. She quarrels with Lomov to get land right. Natalya humiliates Lomov, she thinks that he is a good neighbor but Lomov is just a Land-grabber, Lomov cannot control has emotional sense and shout to Natalya. Natalya complains to her father and ask to him to state that Meadows is Chubukov’s mine. Lomov accuses Chubukov has taken the Meadows from Lomov’s family. He thinks that the Lomov’s is honorable people.

The situation becomes more critical, Lomov and Chubukov humiliate their families each other. Lomov’s heart cannot stop palpitate. Then he decides to leave that house. After Lomovs leaving them, Chubukov forgets to say that actually Lomov’s coming is to propose Natalya. He wants to make a proposal. Natalya is shocked when hear that. She wants Lomov comeback soon. Natalya shall acknowledge that Oxen Meadows is Lomov’s mine. She also asks forgiving about debating before. Chubukov is greatly astonished with the alteration of his daughter opinion.

Natalya and Lomov talk of something else. They talk about their dogs. Nevertheless, they repeat their fight anymore. Lomov argues that Guess is the best dog. He is a first-rate dog. However, Natalya disagree it, the squeezer is better than Guess. They do it again, humiliate to each other. Chubukov joins the dispute. They compare their dogs and tell the ugliness.

Suddenly, Lomov feels numb and collapse. Natalya shouts to her papa, Lomov has died. Chubukov is frightened and take a drink to make Lomov awake. Unexpectedly, Lomov becomes aware, and Chubukov ask to them marry as quickly. Natalya is willing to marry with Lomov. They kiss each other, and Natalya said that Lomov wants to admit Guess is worse that squeezer. Lomov disagree it, and argues that Guess is the best.

4.      Conclusion

The conclusion is a relationship between man and society. It appears when the Lomov visits to Chubukov’s house and want to propose Natalya. Chubukov’s attitude to Lomov is kind and polite; it can be called a good neighbor. From the story, we can take message, if we want to make a good neighborhood; we have to be nice and do not fight to each other.

TUGAS DRAMA Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller

Nama: Siti Sulastri Ependi

NIM: A320080354

Kelas: I

A.    The Character and Characterization

Main Characters

o   Willy Loman - A 63 year old once popular salesman who’s lost his popularity and sales, not to mention his mind.

o   Biff Loman -  A 34 year old son of Willy who has been searching for himself while working on farms in the west to the dismay of his father.

o   Happy Loman - The younger brother of Biff who tries in all he can to please his father and attempts to continue his father’s dream after he dies.

o   Linda Loman - The wife of Willy who tries to protect Willy’s feelings and can’t make herself confront him if it means hurting his feelings.

Minor Characters

o   Bernard - A bookish friend of Biff and Happy who urges Biff to study in high school to no avail, however, he himself makes it as a prominent lawyer and goes to argue a case to the supreme court at the end of the play.

o   Charley - Bernard’s father who is fairly successful and offers Willy a job which Willy refuses on the basis of pride.

B.     Setting, place and time

Setting

Late 1940s; Willy Loman's house; New York City and Barnaby River; Boston

Place

o   Willy’s house - Small house in New York surrounded by apartments.

o   Restaurant - Restaurant where Stanley works where the Lomans were supposed to have dinner at the end of the play.

o   The hotel - The hotel where Willy stays while in New England for his business trips.  This is where Biff catches his father in the affair.

Time

Date premiered     : 10 February 1949

C.    Language style

     The style and devices Miller uses enhances Willy’s mental state.  By using flashback and reveries, he allows the audience to get into the mind of Willy Loman and brings us into a sense of pity for him.  Miller also uses a lot of motifs and repeated ideas through the play to give the viewers an idea of what Willy and his situation is all about.  Personal attractiveness is an oft repeated motif.  It shows that Willy believes that personal attractiveness makes one successful, but his belief is shot down by the success of Charley and Bernard who, in his mind, are not personally attractive.  Other motifs are debt which sadly the Lomans escape after Willy dies, stealing which Willy condones, even encourages, the boxed-in feeling of Willy, the idea that Willy’s life is passing him by, expressed in the quote, “The woods are burning,” and Ben’s success and the qualities that brought about his success.

D.    Plot the story

     Biff returns from the west to visit his family although he doesn’t know how long he’s going to stay.  Happy is glad to see him, but Willy seems strangely irritated.  He talks to old friends he imagines to the chagrin of his family, but no one has the heart to confront him about it.  Willy has a flashback of a time when Biff and Happy were promising high school students.  In the flashback, Willy gives his sons a punching bag.  He also condones Biff’s stealing of a football and doesn’t encourage them to study as much as they should.  He emphasizes being well liked.  After the flashback, Happy talks with Willy and asks him why he didn’t go to New England for his business trip.  Willy explains that he almost hit a kid in Yonkers.  He also tells his sons of his brother Ben who made a fortune on a trip to Africa.

     Charley comes to Willy’s house at night complaining of not being able to sleep.  Charley and Willy play cards, but at the same time, Willy hold a conversation with his imaginary brother.  Charley has no idea what’s going on and leaves.  Willy continues the conversation regretting that he stayed in American while he could have gone to Alaska or Africa with his brother and made a fortune.  While Willy is having this imaginary conversation, Biff talks with Linda and asks her about Willy’s condition.  Linda explains that she can’t bring herself to confront Willy about it.  She also tells Biff that Willy has attempted suicide by crashing the car several times.  Willy comes out of his reverie and speaks with his family about their jobs.  Happy has an idea of starting a line of sporting goods so Biff decides to go to Bill Oliver to ask to borrow money.  Willy decides to go to Howard the next day to ask if he can work in New York so that he wouldn’t have to drive 700 miles to work..  The next day Willy goes to Howard and Biff goes to see Oliver.  They decide to celebrate their success by going out for dinner at night.  When Willy talks with Howard, he loses his temper and begins yelling at Howard who in turn fires him.  After Biff goes to see Bill, Bill doesn’t remember him and doesn’t lend him money.  At night, Biff and Happy arrive at the restaurant before their father.  Biff explains to happy that he didn’t get the money, and happy encourages his brother to lie.  Willy arrives.  Biff tries to tell Willy that he didn’t get the money and that he stole a fountain pen from Bill.  However, Happy is at the same time lying to Willy that Bill warmly welcomed Biff.  Willy apparently accepts Happy’s version.  Willy tells his sons that he was fired and falls into his reverie having a flashback of the time Biff caught him in his affair.  He remembers that it was that moment that Biff’s life ended.  Happy does not want to put up with his father and leaves with Biff and two girls they met earlier at the restaurant.  The two of them arrive home late and the coldly receives by Linda.  Biff confronts Willy about his suicide attempts and Willy denies everything.  He tells Biff that he did not get any money from Oliver and has no hope go get any money.  He accuses Willy of not know who he really is.  However, after this, Biff cries and leaves.  Willy realizes that Biff loves him and decides to celebrate by killing himself by crashing the car which would give his family 20 thousand dollar in life insurance.  No one but his family and Charley goes to his funeral.

E.     Conclusion

o   The moral value of the story

If we want to get what we want and being needed by others we should hard work to get and to be that. If we just imagine and imagine or day dreaming, that won’t be come true.

o   Kind of The Story

This story is classified as “man vs. society”, because the conflict arises because of Willy cannot be proper father for his family and as a man in his society he is failed.