The court councilor Podkolesin, lying on the sofa with a pipe and thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to get married, calls on the servant Stepan, whom he questions both about whether the matchmaker came by, and about his visit to the tailor, about the quality of the cloth used for the tailcoat and not did the tailor ask why the master needed a tailcoat of such fine cloth and whether, they say, the master wanted to get married? Turning then to the polish and discussing it in the same detail, Podkolesin laments that marriage is such a troublesome thing. Matchmaker Fekla Ivanovna appears and talks about the bride Agafya Tikhonovna, a merchant’s daughter, her appearance (“like refined sugar!”), her reluctance to marry a merchant, but only a nobleman (“such a great man”). Satisfied, Podkolesin tells the matchmaker to come the day after tomorrow (“I’ll lie down and you’ll tell me”), she reproaches him for laziness and says that soon he will be unfit for marriage. His friend Kochkarev runs in, scolds Fyokla for marrying him, but, realizing that Podkolesin is also thinking about getting married, he takes a very active part in this. Having asked the matchmaker where the bride lives, he sends Fyokla away, intending to marry Podkolesin himself. He describes to his still unsure friend the delights of family life and was about to convince him, but Podkolesin again thinks about the strangeness of the fact that “he was always unmarried, and now suddenly married.” Kochkarev explains that now Podkolesin is just a log and doesn’t have any significance, otherwise there will be “sort of little channels” around him, and everyone will look like him. Just getting ready to go, Podkolesin says that tomorrow would be better. Kochkarev takes him away with abuse.
Agafya Tikhonovna and her aunt, Arina Panteleimonovna, are telling fortunes on cards; she remembers Agafya’s late father, his greatness and solidity, and thereby tries to attract her niece’s attention to the “cloth line” merchant Alexei Dmitrievich Starikov. But Agafya is stubborn: he is a merchant, and his beard is growing, and a nobleman is always better. Thekla comes and complains about the hassle of her business: she kept going home, she was tired of going to offices, but she found about six suitors. She describes the suitors, but the dissatisfied aunt quarrels with Thekla about who is better - a merchant or a nobleman. The doorbell rings. Everyone runs away in terrible confusion, Dunyasha runs to open the door. Ivan Pavlovich Yaichnitsa, the executor, entered, rereads the dowry list and compares it with what is available. Nikanor Ivanovich Anuchkin appears, slender and “giant,” looking for knowledge of the French language in his bride. Mutually hiding the true reason for their appearance, both suitors wait further. Baltazar Baltazarovich Zhevakin, a retired lieutenant of the naval service, arrives and from the doorway mentions Sicily, which starts a general conversation. Anuchkin is interested in the education of Sicilian women and is shocked by Zhevakin’s statement that everyone, including men, speaks French. Scrambled egg is curious about the build of the men there and their habits. Discussions about the oddities of some surnames are interrupted by the appearance of Kochkarev and Podkolesin. Kochkarev, wanting to immediately evaluate the bride, falls to the keyhole, causing Fyokla’s horror.
The bride, accompanied by her aunt, comes out, the grooms introduce themselves, Kochkarev is recommended by a relative of a somewhat vague nature, and Podkolesin is presented as almost the manager of the department. Starikov also appears. The general conversation about the weather, disrupted by Eggs' direct question about what service Agafya Tikhonovna would like to see her husband in, is interrupted by the embarrassed flight of the bride. The grooms, planning to come in the evening “for a cup of tea” and discussing whether the bride’s nose is too big, disperse. Podkolesin, deciding that her nose is too big and she hardly knows French, tells his friend that he doesn’t like the bride. Kochkarev easily convinces him of the bride’s incomparable merits and, having taken his word that Podkolesin will not back down, he undertakes to send the rest of the suitors away.
Agafya Tikhonovna cannot decide which suitor she should choose (“If only I could put Nikanor Ivanovich’s lips on Ivan Kuzmich’s nose...”) and wants to cast lots. Kochkarev appears, convincing him to take Podkolesin, and definitely only him, because he is a miracle man, and the rest are all rubbish. Having explained how to refuse the suitors (saying that she is not in the mood to get married yet, or simply: get out, fools), Kochkarev runs away after Podkolesin. Scrambled Eggs arrives, demanding a straight answer: yes or no. Zhevakin and Anuchkin are next. Confused Agafya Tikhonovna blurts out “get out” and, frightened by the sight of Fried Eggs (“Wow, he’ll kill you!..”), runs away. Kochkarev enters, leaving Podkolesin in the hallway to straighten his stirrup, and explains to the taken aback grooms that the bride is a fool, she has almost no dowry and she doesn’t speak French well. The suitors scold Thekla and leave, leaving Zhevakin, who did not hesitate to marry. Kochkarev sends him away too, promising his participation and undoubted success in matchmaking. To the embarrassed bride, Kochkarev certifies Zhevakin as a fool and a drunkard. Zhevakin eavesdropped and was amazed at the strange behavior of his protector. Agafya Tikhonovna does not want to talk to him, adding to his bewilderment: the seventeenth bride refuses, and why?
Kochkarev brings Podkolesin and forces him, left alone with the bride, to open his heart to her. The conversation about the pleasures of boating, the desirability of a good summer and the proximity of the Ekaterinhof festivities ends in nothing: Podkolesin takes his leave. However, he was returned by Kochkarev, who had already ordered dinner, agreed to go to church in an hour and begged his friend to get married without delay. But Podkolesin leaves. Having awarded his friend with many unflattering nicknames, Kochkarev hastens to return him. Agafya Tikhonovna, reflecting that she hasn’t even spent twenty-seven years as a girl, is waiting for her groom. Kicked into the room, Podkolesin cannot get down to business, and finally Kochkarev himself asks for Agafya Tikhonovna’s hand in marriage. Everything is arranged, and the bride hurries to get dressed. Podkolesin, already satisfied and grateful, is left alone, since Kochkarev goes away to see if the table is ready (Podkolesin’s hat, however, he wisely tidies up), and ponders what he has been up to now and whether he understands the meaning of life. He is surprised that so many people live in such blindness, and if he happened to be a sovereign, he would order everyone to get married. The thought of the irreparability of what is about to happen confuses him somewhat, and then seriously frightens him. He decides to run, even if through the window, since he can’t go through the door, even without a hat, since he doesn’t have one - he jumps out the window and leaves in a cab.
Agafya Tikhonovna, Fekla, Arina Panteleimonovna and Kochkarev, appearing one after another, are in bewilderment, which is resolved by the summoned Dunyashka, who has seen the entire passage. Arina Panteleimonovna showers Kochkarev with abuse (“After that, you’re a scoundrel, if you’re an honest person!”), he runs away after the groom, but Fyokla considers the matter lost: “if the groom rushed out the window, then there’s just my respect!”
Retold
"Marriage" has the subtitle: "A completely incredible event in two acts." This is a way to draw the reader's attention to the problem. First published in “The Works of Nikolai Gogol” in 1842. The first performances of the comedy took place in December 1842 at the Alexandrinsky Theater and in February 1843 in Moscow at the Maly Theater.
The comedy took about 9 years to create, was started in 1833 and was originally called “Grooms”. According to the first plan, it was a three-act story, the action took place not in St. Petersburg, but in the village, among the landowners (later the bride became a merchant's wife). There were suitors, but there were no main characters: Podkolesin and Kochkarev. The plot of the comedy is traditionally farcical: rival grooms push each other aside with flattery, cunning, and fists, and the bride does not know whom to choose.
In 1835, a new edition of the play was ready, it was already called “Marriage.” Gogol interrupted his work because of The Inspector General and resumed it in 1836 at the insistence of Shchepkin, who was promised a benefit performance. The comedy was completed in 1842.
Genre and artistic direction
“Marriage” is considered the first Russian domestic comedy. Gogol abandoned his original plan to portray Little Russian landowners and turned to the bureaucratic environment. Through his heroes, Gogol manages to show the lifestyle of St. Petersburg in the 30s. Heroes at home manifest themselves primarily as social types, which is why Gogol’s comedy is social. Many researchers believe that “Marriage,” like “The Inspector General,” belongs to the realistic movement in literature. Podkolesin is the direct predecessor of Oblomov. He is ready to give up happiness, just not to take active actions. But Oblomov’s character is explained by the circumstances of his life and, ultimately, by serfdom. The viewer does not know why Podkolesin is timid. This example can show the logic of those researchers who consider Gogol a romantic. Podkolesin's indecision in matchmaking can be considered a typical phenomenon, but the fact that the groom jumped out of the window is in no way explained by realism.
“Marriage,” like “The Inspector General,” is a satirical comedy. Not only the character traits and individual characteristics of the characters are ridiculed, as in classic comedy, but also certain social phenomena, for example, marriage as a way to change social status. Life without sincere feelings, marriage without love and responsibility are subjected to satire.
Theme, plot and composition
The theme of the play is contained in the title. Marriage is not the result of a love relationship between the characters, but a transaction, a commercial enterprise. The structure of the play is very harmonious and has a clear plan. Gogol found a formula for the unity of the situation around which the action is built. Everything is determined by marriage and rivalry between suitors. The final version adds the motif of fear of change.
The composition of the play is circular: the comedy ends and begins with the same thing. Y. Mann called the intrigue of the play a mirage. “Mirage” and circularity convey the essence and properties of Russian reality.
The plot of the comedy is to find a profitable groom. A merchant's daughter wants a nobleman husband, and nobleman grooms are looking for a rich bride. The main characters of the comedy are indecisive. These features reveal Gogol's psychologism: habits in a person are stronger than the desire to improve social status (bride) or improve matters (groom). Fear of people of a different class and misunderstanding of them also matter. Indecision leads to the immobility of events (“miracle”). Comic techniques arise from the clash of desires and immobility. The bride hesitates, making one ideal out of all the suitors. Podkolesin also has doubts. Indecision leads to a denouement - Podkolesin's jump through the window, the only purpose of which was to move a huge distance away from the desired object.
A comic disaster occurs at the moment when the common efforts almost lead to success.
Heroes and images
The system of characters in a comedy, according to A. Bely, is “two-relief,” that is, the characters form pairs. In each pair, similar heroes, when united, cause laughter, because their activity does not lead to the goal, but is extinguished by the other of the pair. The first couple is Agafya Tikhonovna and Podkolesin. They have a similar goal and a similar obstacle - fear. The second couple is professional matchmaker Fyokla and friend of the groom Kochkarev. Kochkarev, unlike Fyokla, himself does not know why he is busy with his friend’s marriage. The third couple - Podkolesin and Kochkarev - are unsuccessful groom and matchmaker. Double-relief parallelism leads to “miracle”: activity is ineffective, everything happens the other way around. Comedy roles are reinterpreted or parodied: the groom travesties his lover, the groom's friend is a confidante who helps to unite the lovers.
If we analyze comedy from the point of view of realism, then several types emerge. Podkolesin is the type of person who goes towards a goal only in words, but in reality is inactive. This is the entire bureaucratic system of Russia in the 1930s.
Kochkarev is a man who wastes his energy on empty things and does not understand why. His desire to marry his friend has no motive (except perhaps out of harm, so as not to be free). But to achieve his mirage goal, Kochkarev resorts to any means: deceiving, inventing.
Agafya Tikhonovna is the type of rich bride who cannot make a choice. Her reasoning about how to make her husband ideal (take lips from one, nose from another, etc.) is the most famous part of comedy. It is the bride’s view of the wedding as a trade that destroys the very essence of marriage.
Conflict
The conflict in comedy is external and internal. The external conflict between the suitors is easily resolved by Kochkarev, but the internal conflict between Podkolesin (to marry or not to marry) and Agafya Tikhonovna (who to choose) is insoluble and leads to a comic ending.
Artistic originality
The main trope that creates the artistic world of comedy is hyperbole. Scrambled egg is too wide, Anuchkin is too slender. The characters' character traits are exaggerated to the point of ridicule: Podkolesin's indecisiveness, Yaichnitsa's efficiency, Kochkarev's energy.
Gogol resorts to a favorite technique that was widely used by playwrights of the 20th century. He brings the situation and the actions of the characters to the point of absurdity. But the heroes perceive it as normal and even ordinary. Except for one single event - jumping out the window. It is he who gives Gogol the right to call the comedy an incredible event in the subtitle.
In assignments on literature, the topic is often found: “Summary (Marriage,” Gogol).” The author filled the work with satire and characters, depicting the realism of the life of the nobility in the provinces. Now this play is rightfully considered a classic. This article will introduce you to the play “Marriage”. A brief summary (Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol originally titled the work “Grooms”) will lift the curtain on what would be worth seeing on the theater stage. You won't regret it.
How the play is divided into fragments
You will not waste time by going to a play based on a play by such an author as N.V. Gogol (“Marriage”). A summary of the chapters will not be able to convey the irony of what is happening.
Plays of that time are very difficult to break into pieces, because they contain 2-3 actions and an infinite number of phenomena. There is no division in the novel format, so you will have to break everything down into logical scenes yourself.
It is quite difficult to give a summary. “Marriage” (Gogol is a master of dialogue) has the most important component of the play - unique conversations between the characters. But even without them, the author’s irony is understandable.
The beginning of the story
The beauty of the play lies in its plot, this is confirmed by the summary. “Marriage” (Gogol repeatedly wanted to stage it on stage to no avail) was performed for the first time on December 9, 1842 in St. Petersburg. The comedy received mixed reactions from critics.
The beginning of the play is the home of the bachelor Podkolesin.
Lazy, smoker, nobleman Ivan Kuzmich Podkolesin lies on the sofa all day long (if he is not on duty, of course). Bachelor life seems to suit him completely, but something is missing! Carrying out the duties of an adviser, Podkolesin behaves like a colonel, despising people of low rank. To give his person even more importance, he decides to get married. Of course, not for the sake of love, but for the sake of talking about him and about the significant event.
The matchmaker, Fekla Ivanovna, “ate the dog” on people like him. It is not so important for them who to marry and what dowry the bride will have. If only there was. Therefore, such issues are resolved quickly and for a “good fee”. However, Ivan Kuzmich was lucky - just at the same time they were looking for a groom for Agafya Tikhonovna Kuperdyagina, and Fyokla intended to bring them together.
Disservice
At the very moment she comes to talk with Podkolesin, Ilya Fomich Kochkarev, Ivan Kuzmich’s best friend, arrives with her. At one time, Thekla married him too, and not very successfully. Having found out information about Agafya Tikhonovna from the matchmaker, Ilya Fomich kicks her out, declaring that he will match his friend. Yes, the fact is that Kochkarev is an extremely stubborn guy, he is used to, as they say, right off the bat. Therefore, he takes Podkolesin to Agafya Tikhonovna immediately.
Three more suitors arrive at the Kuperdyagins’ house together with Podkolesin, but under the leadership of Thekla. They get to know each other, communicate - each understands why the other came. Finally, the bride herself appears. The suitors vying with each other to talk to her as it should be during Russian matchmaking - initially on unrelated topics. Only Ivan Kuzmich is silent, Kochkarev says everything for him.
Perseverance
However, their hints are clear to Agafya Tikhonovna. Unable to stand it, she simply runs away into another room. The stunned men are left alone with the matchmaker, who invites them to wait until the evening. Everyone agrees.
Kochkarev alone cannot calm down. He urges you to go to the bride right now. Podkolesin insists that the lady must choose herself. But he agrees to get married right away if all the other suitors fall away.
The power of cunning
In the evening, Agafya Tikhonovna tries to determine by lot who is more dear to her. She likes all the suitors equally, and she simply cannot make up her mind. Suddenly Kochkarev appears in the room, insisting on the need to choose Ivan Kuzmich.
He praises him, telling him what a wonderful person he is. He condemns all the other suitors: he is a brawler, he is a brawler. He suggests slamming the door in their faces and just talking to Podkolesin in private to see how right Ilya Fomich is.
Every groom strives to come first in the evening to chat with the bride. In the end, they all gather at the Kuperdyagins’ house ahead of schedule and almost at the same time. Once again they are forced to communicate with each other, hardly hiding their disgust. Everything is there except the main character.
Here Agafya Tikhonovna appears. The suitors immediately attack her with conversations. She, frightened, takes Kochkarev’s advice, kicks everyone out and runs out of the room herself. Ilya Fomich immediately appears, reproaching the bride. His trick works. Future grooms are almost convinced that the bride is bad. They leave the Kuperdyagins, opening the way for Ivan Kuzmich.
Alone
The next scene (scene XIV) is very important. And it is necessary to mention it if we are going to present a summary. “Marriage” (Gogol opened up the characters in a new way with such a small dialogue) is a play filled with absurd scenes that amazingly convey the comedy and absurdity of the situation, the heaviness hanging in the air. Such a dialogue must be read, delving into every word.
Podkolesin comes on stage. He doesn't know what to talk about, what to discuss.
They jump from topic to topic, from the weather to the workers. They are simply lost, but they feel sympathy for each other. This is especially noticeable in Agafya Tikhonovna, who, despite the modesty of her interlocutor, cannot help but be amazed by his soul. And this is probably the best scene in the entire play.
Final part
So, it would seem that everything has been settled. The newlyweds timidly talk to each other, they both like each other... But Kochkarev appears again. He (speaking into his ear) demands that Podkolesin propose to Agafya Tikhonovna. But he refuses.
Then Ilya Fomich does it himself, citing Ivan Kuzmich’s timidity. The bride answers “yes” and runs off to change clothes, because the wedding is today!
However, Podkolesin does not dare to take such a desperate step. He and Kochkarev quarrel, then make up. Emotionally, Ivan Kuzmich thanks Ilya Fomich, and he leaves to check if everything is okay with the bride. At the same time, he takes his friend’s hat so that he doesn’t leave. However, Podkolesin is not going to leave anyone. On the contrary, he is indescribably happy. He conducts a monologue with himself about all the delights of marriage, walks around the room, reasoning that now he will not be alone!
And at some point he realizes that he doesn’t like all this. But where to go? Just run. And he escapes through the open window.
The bride enters the room, but does not find her future husband in it. A silent scene, after which all eyes turn to Kochkarev. He himself doesn’t know what to do. Everyone begins to scold him at all costs.
This is how you can end the summary of the book “Marriage” (the author, whose name is N.V. Gogol, is known to everyone today).
Conclusion
Gogol had amazing qualities.
Being a person prone to mysticism, the dark, the incomprehensible, he loved to instill fear in the reader, but at the same time remained an incredibly humorous person. Satire in the form of the play “Marriage” is a vivid example of this. Here Nikolai Vasilyevich managed to laugh at everything, from the bad institution of matchmaking among nobles, from cowardice to excessive determination and self-confidence.
The author would probably be surprised how popular the play has become, and how often on theater posters you can read: “Marriage,” Gogol. A very brief content, of course, does not allow you to fully enjoy many of its aspects. For example, dialogues that were in many ways reminiscent of the future Ostrovsky.
We can only hope that the summary of Gogol’s play “Marriage” will make it possible to at least feel the “aroma” of the author’s gigantic irony, his ability to show everything from a funny side. And if this makes you want to read the play or see its production, then believe me, you won’t regret it. This work deserves its place on your bookshelf.
The play was created by Nikolai Gogol for nine years: from 1833 to 1842. It was staged in St. Petersburg at the Alexandrinsky Theater. “Marriage” is a comedy of everyday life and morals, opening a series of plays about merchant life, subsequently continued by Alexander Ostrovsky. We will look at Gogol’s idea, the features of the work and the image of the characters, for which we will analyze the play “Marriage”. First of all, let's look at the plot. Everything will be presented here in a condensed form, but on our website you can also read a summary of the play “Marriage”.
The plot of the play “Marriage” by Gogol
Indeed, it is impossible to imagine analyzing the play “Marriage” without understanding the plot line. Gogol's entire work is built around a central event - the alleged marriage of Podkolesin and his matchmaking with the merchant's daughter Agafya Tikhonovna. She certainly wants a groom from the nobility. The matchmaker and friend Kochkarev have difficulty convincing the main character to get up from the couch and go see the bride. It turns out that several more suitors come to her, each with their own demands: one needs a good dowry, another needs his future wife to know French. And what?
As a result, Kochkarev arranges it so that Podkolesin remains the only groom and the girl gives preference to him. However, when the friend is away on business, the groom, tormented by indecision, runs out the window of the bride’s house.
Comic content does not negate the seriousness in the depiction of various types of Russian society. Although this is not a summary of the play, the essence is clear. Let us continue the analysis of the play “Marriage”.
The image of the characters in the play “Marriage” by Gogol
In the work we see representatives of several classes and professions: merchant daughter Agafya Tikhonovna, court councilor Podkolesin, retired officer Anuchkin, sailor Zhevakin, matchmaker Fyokla Ivanovna.
Agafya Tikhonovna demonstrates the desire to become a noble, characteristic of wealthy representatives of the merchant class. To do this, she is looking for a nobleman groom. When making a choice between several candidates, she is guided only by their external data, so she cannot make a decision: if she were to add the lips of another to the nose of one, and combine them with the corpulence of a third, she would get an ideal husband. When analyzing the play “Marriage”, do not miss one more character. This is Podkolesin.
Podkolesin is a type of indecisive person, who is therefore incapable of action. At first, he lies on the sofa, postponing everything until tomorrow. Then he cannot decide whether he needs to get married: how he was unmarried, but suddenly became married. Then, due to doubts, he runs away before the wedding. Podkolesin is a parody of the hero-lover, who usually climbs through the window to his beloved. In addition, running away from the wedding is the prerogative of girls, thereby emphasizing the weakness and lack of male will in the hero.
Kochkarev, on the contrary, is an active and energetic person. However, he does not know why he wants to marry his friend and what his efforts will lead to. He is also a kind of parody of the traditional image of a lover’s friend and confidant.
The rest of the suitors are caricatures, each of them emphasizing one exaggerated character trait.
However, an analysis of the play “Marriage” shows that Gogol is not simply ridiculing a failed attempt to get married. It shows the hypocrisy and pretense that accompany family relationships in modern society. In their choice, the heroes are guided not by feelings, but by profit.
In addition, analyzing the play “Marriage”, it can be noted that Gogol emphasizes a typical feature of the Russian person: the desire to dream, but the inability to live. In his dreams, Podkolesin imagines himself with his family, but escapes from reality through the window. It turns out to be a comic and dramatic collision of ideal ideas and reality at the same time.
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Gogol's play "Marriage" was written in 1835. The work, which at one time caused a lot of talk and gossip, is considered the first Russian everyday comedy. With the help of heroes - petty officials and merchants - the writer reflected the way of life of St. Petersburg in the 30s of the 19th century.
For a reading diary and preparation for a literature lesson, we recommend reading online a summary of “Marriage” by action. You can test your knowledge using a test on our website.
Main characters
Ivan Kuzmich Podkolesin- an official, a court councilor who decided to get married.
Ilya Fomich Kochkarev- a friend of Podkolesin, who decided to help him in matchmaking.
Agafya Tikhonovna Kuperdyagina- a beautiful girl, bride, merchant's daughter.
Other characters
Arina Panteleimonovna- Agafya Tikhonovna’s dear aunt.
Fekla Ivanovna- matchmaker, nosy, cunning woman.
Ivan Pavlovich Scrambled eggs- an official, an important, serious man.
Nikanor Ivanovich Anuchkin– a retired infantry officer, a pleasant person to talk to.
Baltazar Baltazarovich Zhevakin- retired sailor, poor groom.
Act one
Court councilor Ivan Kuzmich Podkolesin decided to get married. To do this, he turned to a matchmaker for help, who had been dealing with this issue for three months now. Podkolesin ordered a black tailcoat from a tailor, choosing the most expensive thin cloth, and bought the best polish to give his boots a mirror shine. Tired of worries, Ivan Kuzmich came to the conclusion that “marriage is a troublesome damn thing.”
Matchmaker Fekla Ivanovna came to Podkolesin and began praising the virtues of the bride, the merchant daughter Agafya Tikhonovna, who dreamed of marrying a nobleman. She had a decent dowry: “a stone house in the Moscow part,” two outbuildings, a large vegetable garden.
Fekla suggested that Podkolesin not waste time and get to know a girl of marriageable age. Such an enviable bride has other contenders for her hand and heart, but Ivan Kuzmich “seems to have a gray hair in his head.” Hearing this, the man became seriously alarmed and rushed to the mirror to look at his hair.
Kochkarev ran into the room. Having learned about his friend’s upcoming marriage, he decided to take up this issue on his own. He began to convince Podkolesin to immediately go to his bride, but he was not yet ready to give up his single life so quickly. Kochkarev began to persuade him, describing all the delights of marriage. He managed to convince his friend, and they went to the Kuperdyagins.
Meanwhile, Agafya Tikhonovna was telling fortunes with cards. She passionately dreamed of marrying a nobleman, but her aunt Arina Panteleimonovna reminded her that her late father despised those who were ashamed of their merchant title. The woman was sure that Thekla would not find a worthy groom for her niece, since she was a big liar.
Thekla appeared to warn Agafya Tikhonovna about the imminent visit of the suitors whom she managed to find. Six people will come - and all of them are nobles, but if they “don’t like it, they’ll leave.”
Thekla began to describe the merits of the suitors. Thus, Baltazar Baltazarovich Zhevakin “served in the navy” and loved brides in the body, but was poor. Ivan Pavlovich Scrambled eggs is “so important that there’s no attack,” but Agafya Tikhonovna didn’t like his last name. Nikanor Ivanovich Anuchkin was distinguished by his delicacy and gentle character; he wanted the bride to be “pretty, well-mannered, and able to speak French.” Only he was of a thin build, and Agafya Tikhonovna preferred large men. Akinf Stepanovich Panteleev is a pleasant, quiet, modest, but drinking official. Fekla didn’t even want to talk about Podkolesin - “no matter how hard it is to climb, you can’t lure him out of the house.”
The first to appear was Ivan Pavlovich Scrambled eggs, who immediately began to compare the bride’s dowry with his notes. Following him, Anuchkin appeared, mistaking the fat, elderly Yaichnitsa for Agafya Tikhonovna’s “daddy.”
The next guest was Zhevakin, who started talking with Anuchkin about Sicily. When meeting Ivan Pavlovich, Zhevakin thought that he had eaten scrambled eggs.
Then Kochkarev and Podkolesin came. Agafya Tikhonovna, embarrassed, disappeared into her room, and the grooms began to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the bride. Kochkarev promised Podkolesin to ward off all the suitors if he seriously decided to get married.
Act two
It was not easy for Agafya Tikhonovna to choose between four suitors. If only she could, she would take the best qualities from each of the men - that would make the ideal husband. Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Kochkarev. He began to convince the girl to choose Podkolesin, since all the other suitors were “rubbish against Ivan Kuzmich.” However, Agafya Tikhonovna was “somehow ashamed” to refuse other suitors. Kochkarev advised them to simply tell them: “Get out, fools!”
Hearing a knock on the door, Kochkarev disappeared from the house along the back stairs. The first visitor turned out to be Scrambled eggs in order to have time to talk with Agafya Tikhonovna about the matter. However, she refused him, saying that she was still too young and “not in the mood to get married yet.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Zhevakin and Anuchkin. Scrambled egg, as an “official” and very busy man, demanded an immediate answer from Agafya Tikhonovna. The Bride, in confusion, kicked everyone out, and immediately disappeared into her chambers, afraid that Scrambled Egg would kill her.
At that moment, Kochkarev and Podkolesin appeared in the house. Scrambled eggs asked them if the bride is a fool or something. Kochkarev, pretending to be a distant relative of Agafya Tikhonovna, said that she was strange “from childhood.” And, besides, she doesn’t have a penny to her name, and the house has been mortgaged for a long time. Kochkarev told Anuchkin that the bride did not know “no belmes” in French.
The hardest part was getting Zhevakin away from the bride, who was not even embarrassed by the lies about her poverty. Kochkarev promised him to find a suitable girl if he agreed to immediately leave this house.
So the cunning Kochkarev managed to ward off all the suitors, and he told Podkolesin that the bride was simply crazy about him: “Such passion - it just boils!” " He advised his friend to take advantage of the opportunity and propose to Agafya Tikhonovna.
Left alone with the girl, Podkolesin struck up a non-binding conversation with her. He managed to make the most pleasant impression on Agafya Tikhonovna.
Kochkarev was annoyed - he was sure that his friend had opened his heart, and the lovers would immediately go down the aisle. Podkolesin, in turn, could not make an important decision so quickly. Kochkarev, on his knees, began to beg him not to delay the marriage. He helped him propose, and Agafya Tikhonovna accepted him.
When the bride retired to her chambers to change clothes, Podkolesin began to talk about the advantages of family life. At the last moment, he was afraid of responsibility and disappeared from the bride’s house through the window.
No one in the house could understand where the groom had disappeared to. Having learned that he jumped out the window and drove away in a cab, Arina Panteleimonovna began accusing Kochkaerv of unprecedented meanness: “Apparently, you have enough nobility only for dirty tricks and fraud!” Kochkaerv promised to return the groom, but the matchmaker said that the one who could be returned was the one who left through the door and did not jump out the window.
Conclusion
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