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The Boor by Anton Chekhov
ABOUT THE PLAY
The Boor by Anton Chekhov
The Boor is a one-act comedic play written by Anton Chekhov. The play is about a desperate young widow named Helena Ivanovna Popov. Her husband is already dead. As time passes, she never accepts that her beloved husband is already dead. Mr. Smirnov finally falls in love with her, though they have a duel.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
The Boor by Anton Chekhov
Mrs. Popov: A landowning young widow
Mr. Smirnov: A middle-aged landowner
Luka: An old servant of Mrs. Popov
Other servants of Mrs. Popov
DETAILED SUMMARY
The Boor by Anton Chekhov
This one-act play, "The Boor," is a farce that has been written by the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov. This play was initially published on October 28, 1888. This one-act play is a short comedy play about a desperate young widow named Mrs. Helena Ivanovna Popov. This play has presented a comic union between Mrs. Popov and a visitor named Smirnov, with whom she has a duel at first. We find various themes here in this play, such as the emotions of humans, love, loneliness, and companionship.
The main character Mrs. Popov is a widow who always wears black dresses. She is quite sad because of her husband’s (Nikolai Michailovitch's) death. She has been mourning for seven months in the memory of her dead husband. She has locked herself inside her house since her husband's death. She doesn't want to look at any other men or go outside of her house. She wants to spend her entire life in the memory of her dead husband, peacefully being a faithful wife.
When the play begins, we find Mrs. Popov sitting in her drawing room, gazing at a photograph. Her servant, Luka, is also present there. He doesn't like this act of mourning for his mistress. As an old and mature man, he always tries his best to convince her to go out to see other men and enjoy her life, but Mrs. Popov ignores his offers, saying that she made a promise to her husband to remain faithful forever to his memory. She knows very well about her husband's cheating. She has many secret love letters from her husband inside his desk after his death. But Mrs. Popov wants to remain faithful to him even after his death. She wants to spend her whole life this way.
A bit later, a middle-aged man named Smirnov enters. He is a retired lieutenant and a landlord. He politely greets Mrs. Popov and introduces himself to her. He informs her about a debt of 12 hundred roubles that her husband had to pay him for the cost of his oats. Her husband had bought oats for his horse, Tobby. Smirnov demands that his money be paid immediately. He even informs his problem that if he doesn't pay interest at the agrarian bank by tomorrow, the bank will confiscate his lands. Mrs. Popov tells him that she doesn't have money today and asks him to come the day after tomorrow to meet her manager. She tells him that she doesn't have the mood to discuss the money matter. Smirnov demands his amount instantly, whereas Mrs. Papov refuses his demand. They both engage in arguments. They both confront and even insult each other.
When Mrs. Papov leaves, Smirnov becomes quite upset. All his debtors have fooled him in different ways. He asks for water from the servant, Luka. He doesn't want to leave the house until he gets his money paid. He prefers to stay there for his money for as long as he can.
Smirnov starts making noise. He keeps on complaining about various things in the house in a loud voice. Mrs. Popov gets disturbed by his noise. She comes to Smirnov once again and tries to make him calm. But Smirnov insists that he wants his money at the same time. Mrs. Popov requests that he not disturb her. Being angry with Smirnov, Mrs. Popov calls him a vulgar man, a boor, and a monster. Smirnov also ridicules her mourning and even her sex.
Later on, they start talking about both men and women in terms of being true and faithful in love. Smirnov criticises Mrs. Popov and all women in the world. According to him, all the women are insincere, cruel, and vain.
On the other hand, Mrs. Popov also calls men cruel and faithless. She explains the cheating of her husband, who had illegal relations with many women. When Smirnov behaves rudely with her, she tells him that decent people do not behave with women in this rough manner. Mrs. Popov calls her servants to throw him out. But none is there except Luka. Mrs. Popov calls him Boor three times.
Later on, seeing Smirnov's discourteous manner, Mrs. Popov asks him about his wish for a duel. Smirnov answers her question by saying "immediately." Mrs. Popov moves out and brings out her husband's pistols, furious. She shows pistols to Smirnov but requests that he teach her how to shoot before their duel. Smirnov tells her the difference between pistols and revolvers. He provides her with every detail of the revolver and teaches her the way of aiming and shooting. While teaching her, he comes quite close to her body. He starts feeling for her. He sees her as a real woman with beautiful eyes.
Mrs. Popov asks him to move to the garden to fight their duel. She doesn't want to shoot inside the house. But Smirnov tells her that he is going to shoot in the air. When Mrs. Popov asks him the reason, Smirnov expresses his liking for her. He feels trapped like a rat in a trap of Mrs. Papov's love. He relates his life's story related to women and love. He kneels before her and says that he has refused twelve women; nine women have refused him, but he has never truly loved any one of them. He expresses his deep feelings of love for her.
He keeps on begging for her hand. Mrs. Popov refuses him at first, but later, when he describes his property, earnings, and wealth, she becomes quite dilemmatic. She doesn't know whether she should stop him or let him go. Finally, she accepts his proposal of marriage quite dramatically. They have a long kiss out of nervousness. When the servants of Mrs. Popov arrive there with different weapons to beat Smirnov, they are surprised to see that Mrs. Popov and Smirnov are embracing each other.
The play ends quite dramatically with a dialogue by Mrs. Popov. At last, she orders Luka to tell them in the stables that Tobby isn't to have any oats at all today. This dialogue shows that Mrs. Popov has completely forgotten her late husband and has accepted Smirnov as her husband.
SHORT SUMMARY
The Boor by Anton Chekhov
Mrs. Popov is a young widow who has been mourning inside her house for seven months for her dead husband. Her old servant Luka tries his best to convince her to move outside, see other men, and enjoy her life. According to him, she is young enough to enjoy the life ahead of her. But Mrs. Popov wants to be faithful to her dead husband and spend her whole life in his memory inside the walls of her house.
A man named Smirnov comes there to meet her. He demands his twelve hundred roubles, which her husband had to pay him for his oats. Mrs. Popov asks him to come the day after tomorrow for his money. Smirnov tells her his problem and demands his money instantly. They argue with each other and exchange rude remarks. Mrs. Popov leaves the room, but Smirnov starts complaining against Mrs. Popov in a loud voice. When Mrs. Popov returns, he insists on paying his money instantly. He speaks quite rudely to her. Both of them start arguing with men and women about being true and faithful in a love relationship. Both of them talk against their sexes. The rude manner of Smirnov makes Mrs. Smirnov feel quite angry. She calls her servants, but Luka is only present there. She asks Smirnov about his wish for a duel. Smirnov replies to her "immediately." She moves out and brings the pistols of her husband. She requests that Smirnov teach her to shoot with a pistol before their duel. Smirnov gives her every detail of the pistol and revolver and gives her a chance to come close to her body while teaching. He teaches her the way of aiming the target and shooting. He starts liking her. When Mrs. Popov asks him to move to the garden for their duel, he expresses his liking for her and puts forward his marriage proposal. Mrs. Popov refuses him at first, but later on, she accepts him. Finally, there is a long kiss between them. Mrs. Popov's servants are quite surprised to see them in such a state.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Boor by Anton Chekhov
1. How long has Popov locked herself in the house and why?
Answer:
Popov has locked herself in the house for seven months. She has been inside her house since her husband Nikolai Michailovitch's death because she wants to be a faithful wife and spend her entire life in the memory of her dead husband.
2. Why has Mr. Smirnov come to meet Mrs. Popov?
Answer:
Mr. Smirnov has come to meet Mrs. Popov to ask for his debt of twelve hundred roubles, which her husband had to pay him for his oats. Mrs. Popov's husband had bought oats from him for his horse.
3. What does Popov say when Mr. Smirnov asks her to pay the debt taken by her husband?
Answer:
When Mr. Smirnov asks her to pay the debt taken by her husband, Mrs. Popov says that she doesn't have money and that she will notify her manager tomorrow. She asks him to come the day after tomorrow. She also adds that she can't satisfy his request at the moment.
4. How does Mrs. Popov insult Smirnov and why?
Answer:
Mrs. Popov insults Smirnov using rude words like a vulgar man, a boor, and a monster. She calls him Boor three times. She insults him in this way because Smirnov speaks quite rudely to her. His speaking manner makes her feel quite angry.
5. Why do Mrs. Popov and Mr. Smirnov have a duel? Describe how they do it.
Answer:
Mrs. Popov and Mr. Smirnov have a duel because their debate reaches a high level. Both of them reach a high level of aggression. They exchange very rude remarks about each other. Being quite angry with Smirnov, Mrs. Popov shows him her husband's pistols. She wants to shoot Mr. Smirnov's head. But she expresses her inability to use a pistol. She asks Smirnov to teach her how to shoot with a pistol before their duel. Mr. Smirnov informs her about the differences between pistols and revolvers. He teaches her the way of aiming and shooting, being so close to her body. He feels love for her at last and expresses his feelings of liking towards her.
6. When does Mr. Smirnov confess that he is in love with Mrs. Popov?
Answer:
Mr. Smirnov confesses that he is in love with Mrs. Popov after teaching her the way of aiming and shooting with a pistol. He gets a chance to be close to her. Being so close to her body, he starts feeling for her. He confesses his love to her when she asks him why he wants to shoot into the air.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
1. Explain the following extracts:
a. My life is over. He lies in his grave, and I have buried myself within these four walls. We are both dead.
Answer:
This extract has been taken from Anton Chekhov's one-act play "The Boor." These lines of this extract have been spoken by the main character of this play, Mrs. Popov, to her servant Luka. She has spoken these lines in response to her servant Luka's advice. Mrs. Popov has stated these lines in a very mournful way after seven months of her husband's death. Here she is expressing her sorrows to her servant Luka related to her lonely life. According to her, her life is also over, along with her husband's death. She says that her husband's dead body is buried inside the grave. Similarly, she has also buried herself within the four walls of her house. She feels herself dead along with her husband. Here in this extract, she wants to tell her servant Luka that she doesn't want to move further in her life except to mourn for her dead husband.
b. Shall I run away from my creditors in a balloon? Or knock my head against a stone wall?
Answer:
This extract has been taken from Anton Chekhov's one-act play "The Boor." These lines of this extract have been spoken by the character of this play, Mr. Smirnov. He has said these at Mrs. Popov's house. He has used these lines after Mrs. Popov leaves the room, saying that she doesn't have the mood to talk about money matters. Being so upset, he talks alone, complaining and even seeking possible ways to get rid of his problems. According to him, all his debtors have played tricks on him. His creditors won't leave him. In this critical situation, there are no more options left for him except to escape away from all his creditors in a balloon or knock his head against a stone wall. He is too fearful about his creditors; that's why he has spoken these lines in a tense mood.
2. Write a summary of the play.
Answer:
See above in short summary
LITERARY ANALYSIS
1. Justify the title of the play 'The Boor'.
Answer:
The title of this one-act play, "The Boor," is fairly justified. At the beginning of the play, the concept of the title "The Boor" is somewhat missing for the readers. But the thorough study of this one-act play provides us with the meaning of the title as well as the character for whom this title has been provided. The study of the play makes it clear that the hero, Smirnov, has been titled "The Boor" by the major character, Mrs. Popov. Here in this play, we find this hero character quite rude in his manners who doesn't have a manner of speaking. He uses very harsh as well as rough words while speaking, even with women. In the play, we find him making very rude remarks against the main character, Mrs. Popov, a young widow. Due to his foolish and uncultured behaviours, Mrs. Popov calls him boor not only for a single time but for three times at once. His rude remarks make Mrs. Popov quite angry. Thus, the title of the play "The Boor" is fairly justified with this hero character, Smirnov. This particular title suggests Smirnov's rude and uncultured manner in the play.
2. Draw the character sketch of Mrs. Popov.
Answer:
Mrs. Popov is the main character of the play "The Boor" by Anton Chekhov. She is a young widow who has been grieving for her dead husband, Nikolai Michailovitch, for the last seven months. She is a determined woman who wants to spend her entire life in the memory of her dead husband as a faithful wife. She doesn't want to look at any other men or go outside of her house. She knows about her husband's cheating, but she wants to spend her life being faithful. She even ignores her old servant Luka's proposal to enjoy her life. She seems quite bold in her decisions. The arrival of Smirnov and his rude remarks make her feel quite angry. She behaves with him being dominant. She hated him during their discussion. She becomes ready to fight a duel with him without having any kind of fear in her mind. She learns ideas related to the pistol from him and asks him to move into the garden. Smirnov expresses his feelings of love for her. She becomes angry with him at first. She wants to hit a bullet in his head. But later on, she also falls for Smirnov's love. Her last dialogue with Tobby proves that she has forgotten her dead husband and accepted Smirnov as her husband.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
1. What is a farce? Discuss the one-act play 'The Boor' as a farce.
Or
Discuss 'The Boor' as a light comedy.
Answer:
A farce is a light comedy that centres around a ridiculous plot. It usually involves exaggerated and improbable events. The main aim of the farce is to create laughter among the audience. We find less character development in Farce. There is no specific moral, constructive purpose, or topic discussed in Farce. Farce is mostly based on absurdity, physical humour, and the skillful exploitation of a situation. Farce is performed basically in just one place, where all the events occur. Farce creates extreme laughter from ridiculous ideas.
This one-act play, "The Boor," is a farce. This light comedy has many ridiculous events and dialogues. These different ridiculous events and dialogues have created laughter among the audiences. The set of the play has been presented in a single place where all the ridiculous events have been performed with characters and their dialogues. There are many comic scenes related to absurdity, physical humour, and skillful exploitation of the situations in the play that aim to create laughter for the audience. The absurd arguments between the characters have made this play quite funny and suitable for the audience. If we talk about characters' development here in this play, we find very few characters. This play has been presented with no specific moral or constructive purpose or topic.
All three characters of the play, i.e., Popov, Smirnov, and Luka, act funny and share absurd dialogues. The story of the play is a romantic advancement between a male and female character through strange and unusual dialogue. At the very beginning of the play, Luka, the servant of Mrs. Popov, advises her to leave mourning the death of her husband in a very comic way. He puts his example in a humorous way about his mourning over the death of his old lady. Luka's dialogues make audiences laugh every time.
Next, the entry of Smirnov and his behaviour, actions, and dialogues in the play are so comic. For instance, he says to Popova, ‘Tell me truthfully, have you ever seen a woman who was sincere, faithful, and constant?’ He ridicules her, saying, “You have buried yourself alive, but you haven’t forgotten to powder your face!’ Like this, when he proposes to her, he says, ‘I‘ve refused twelve women; nine have refused me, but I never loved one of them as much as I love you.' The fear of old Luka and his fearful dialogues are so funny to hear. The funniest situation comes in the play when Mrs. Popov brings the revolvers of her husband and asks Smirnov to teach her how to fire.
At the end of the play, Mrs. Popov's dialogue with Luka also makes audiences laugh. Mrs. Popov says to Luka, ‘Tell them in the stables that Toby isn’t to have any oats at all today’. Here, the audience gets the humorous meaning that she has forgotten her husband and accepted Smirnov as her husband. Thus, the play ‘The Boor’ can rightly be called a farce - a play full of comic and absurd situations and dialogues. The dialogues and actions of almost all the characters create laughter.
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