The Wedding by Anton Chekhov (1898)

Name: The Wedding
Author: Anton Chekhov

At a lavish wedding supper, the bridegroom Epaminond Maximovitch Aplombov confronts his mother-in-law Nastasya Timofeyevna over the promised lottery tickets, now revealed to be pawned, and complains bitterly that no general has been produced for the feast as agreed. Guests dance the grand ronde while the midwife Zmeyukina flirts with the telegraphist Yats, demanding "atmosphere" and poetry and singing snatches of song, and Zhigalov, the bride's father, quizzes the Greek confectioner Dimba about whether Greece has tigers, lions, whales, and lobsters, receiving the same "yes, everysing" to each. The party sits down to supper, and the sailor Mozgovoy proposes the first toast to the newlyweds. Yats praises the room but laments the absence of electric light, provoking Zhigalov into denouncing electricity as a swindle; when Yats remarks that people nowadays marry for profit, Aplombov and Nastasya Timofeyevna take it as an insulting hint about the modest dowry, and Aplombov orders Yats to leave, though the guests intervene and he is allowed to stay after asking first for five roubles he is owed. Amid toasts to the bride's parents and Dimba's baffled non-speech about Russia and Greece, Andrey Andreyevitch Nunin rushes in to announce he has finally secured a real general for the party, and after a march is played, he brings in Fyodor Yakovlevitch Revunov-Karaulov. Revunov-Karaulov is introduced to the company as "your excellency," though he privately tells Nunin he is not actually a general but a retired second-class naval captain; Nunin begs him to let the title stand since the family respects rank. Seated at the table, half-deaf and lost in nostalgia, the old sailor launches into long, technical reminiscences of naval commands — hoisting topsails, braces, and halyards — oblivious to the bewildered and increasingly bored guests, who try in vain to redirect him or get a proper wedding speech going. Yats attempts to compete by tapping out mock telegraph messages, one of which he claims means an embrace for a "madam," further confusing Revunov. As Revunov grows more animated describing the excitement of tacking a ship, Zmeyukina and the guests openly complain of dullness, and Nastasya Timofeyevna finally explodes, accusing him of shameful manners "at his age." When he corrects her that he is not a general but a captain, she accuses him of having taken money — 25 roubles — from Nunin to impersonate a general. Confused, Revunov realizes he has been hired as a fake dignitary, denies pocketing any money, and angrily denounces the insult to an old officer's honor before storming out asking for the door. Nunin brushes off the scandal and calls for another toast and march for the bride and groom, while Zmeyukina again cries for "atmosphere," Yats gazes at her in besotted delight, and a groomsman tries once more, amid the general uproar, to begin his speech.

By Anton Chekhov · First published 1898 · Genre: Drama, Social satire, Comedy · 5,836 words

First lines

CHARACTERS / EVDOKIM ZAHAROVITCH ZHIGALOV, a retired Civil Servant. / NASTASYA TIMOFEYEVNA, his wife / DASHENKA, their daughter / EPAMINOND MAXIMOVITCH APLOMBOV, Dashenka's bridegroom / FYODOR YAKOVLEVITCH REVUNOV-KARAULOV, a retired captain / ANDREY ANDREYEVITCH NUNIN, an insurance agent / ANNA MARTINOVNA ZMEYUKINA, a midwife, aged 30, in a brilliantly / red dress / IVAN MIHAILOVITCH YATS, a telegraphist / HARLAMPI SPIRIDONOVITCH DIMBA, a Greek confectioner / DMITRI STEPANOVITCH MOZGOVOY, a sailor of the Imperial Navy ( / Volunteer Fleet) / GROOMSMEN, GENTLEMEN, WAITERS, ETC.

Open reader

What this Textopian page supports

The Wedding is listed on Textopian as a play by Anton Chekhov, dated 1898 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Play
Author: Anton Chekhov
Date: 1898 CE
Language: English
Genres: Drama, Social satire, Comedy, Realism, Short story
Length: 5,836 words
Structure: 1 section, 165 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for The Wedding by Anton Chekhov
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Similar titles

Genres

Drama — The plot revolves around a pending marriage and its preparations, full of conflicts and peculiarities of life. The dramatic elements are prominent throughout the narrative.
Social satire — The book critiqued many societal conventions of the time, showing Checkov's signature disdain for hypocrisy and pretentiousness.
Comedy — The book uses humor and absurdity to highlight the ridiculousness of the society it portrays.
Realism — The story is grounded in the realities of its time, exploring the nuances of everyday life with a keen eye for detail.