Hello friends today we are discuss this question, the question is -Comment on the setting of the play with reference to costume, customs and mannerism. Does it relate to the socio-economic background of that period?
Anton Chekhov shows his complete mastery of stagecraft and dramatic technique in the play. The setting of the play is not Moscow and its fashionable lavish mansions, but a simple country- house belonging to Chubukov. The whole play takes place in the drawing-room of Chubukov’s country- house. The characters wear dress-jacket, gloves and negligee (loose gown) as typical Russians did. They are full of grand mannerisms in the beginning but immediately after the argument they reveal the unsophisticated manners. of the country people. Their luxurious lifestyle is in stark contrast to the landless peasants working on their lands. Lomov’s formal dress and manners and Natalya’s informal dress and words augment the comic elements in the play. It also makes fun of the custom of formally proposing before marriage which is prevalent among the upper class.