A Marriage Proposal

While “hypochondria” in contemporary usage typically refers to the fear of illness, its meaning in the 19th century was closer to what are now called psychosomatic disorders—physical conditions that arise partly or wholly from psychological factors. It overlapped with a wide range of so-called “nervous disorders” and, as such disorders were more commonly associated with women, was sometimes seen as “feminine” and thus played for laughs in male characters. This is true in A Marriage Proposal, where Lomov’s hypochondria indicates, among other things, his failure to embody the role of husband—particularly to a woman like Nataliya, whose assertiveness and aggression are stereotypically “masculine” traits.

More broadly, Lomov’s hypochondria operates as a motif that externalizes the psychological pressures afflicting both the character and his class. The pattern repeats throughout the action: Social interaction begins calmly, conflict arises, emotional intensity escalates, and Lomov experiences physical crises including palpitations, numbness, blurred vision, paralysis, fainting. This cycle occurs twice and threatens to begin a third time in the final moments, establishing hypochondria as the organizing principle structuring the play. That the symptoms are themselves cyclical—he describes them occurring “twenty times over” in a single night (437)—associates them even more closely with the play’s repetitive structure. The motif functions to create comedy through Lomov’s elaborate complaints and physical reactions while simultaneously generating tension regarding whether the marriage can be accomplished. Each physical crisis threatens to derail the proposal entirely, and the final collapse leads Chubukov to force a resolution. 

The hypochondria thus serves the plot while also revealing character depth. Lomov’s ailments are presented as genuine rather than fabricated, establishing him as someone whose body rebels against the social and emotional pressures he faces. In this, the motif carries symbolic weight as a representation of gentry anxiety and fragility. Lomov’s failing body suggests a failing class, unable to maintain control over even itself, let alone others. 

The motif supports the theme of The Instability of Civility Under Emotional Strain by demonstrating how quickly Lomov’s composed exterior collapses under duress. His body makes visible what his conscious mind attempts to suppress—the reality that he cannot control himself or his situation. The hypochondria also reinforces the theme of Marriage as Social Transaction by revealing the human cost of treating relationships as business arrangements. He seeks marriage as a cure for anxiety, yet the process of marrying generates the very anxiety he hopes to escape, his body protesting against maintaining a cool, logical posture in inherently emotional circumstances. The cyclical pattern of his symptoms further suggests that no resolution or change is possible. Lomov will continue to experience these crises throughout his married life, just as he experiences them during courtship. The motif thus contributes to Chekhov’s pessimistic vision of human nature and social relations, suggesting that fundamental behavioral patterns remain fixed regardless of changing circumstances or conscious intentions.