The Bear

‘The Bear’, what an interesting title.  As we first examine the title we will think it is a story about an animal, but as we go through we will realize it is a humorous play full of absurd comments and situations. Here there are two main characters, Popova and Smirnov. Both characters make the audience laugh through their actions.  First, their relationship takes up with a conflict but ends with a prolonged kiss.  Here both are hot-tempered, and their temper goes up as the play runs, in an instance, their temper reaches hundred and starts to vapor as steam, in the end, both are melted as a pure water. Once there are two flowers with different shapes, but in certain day pollen deposited by a bee and as a result both flowers start a new life. Here also love deposited as pollen in their life and they bloom as a new flower.

“The Bear” which is a one-act play was written by Anton Chekhov during the Victorian era. It is a farce that contains impossible actions, unexpected and surprised situations, and absurd and exaggerated behaviour of characters.

At the beginning, the footman Luka advises Popova to leave from her mourning, but he advises by comparing with the cat, midges, and spiders in nature. It makes us all laugh.

“Even the cat understands how to enjoy herself and walks about in the yard, catching midges”

And then Smirnov the bear enters the dining room while saying ‘ass’ to Luka and then he introduces himself and his purpose of visiting. At that time Popova ordered Luka to give an extra feed of oats to Toby, which is the favourite horse of her late husband. Meanwhile, we can notice how Popova behaves at the end of the play.

“Luka, tell them in the stables that Toby isn’t to have any oats at all today.”

Merely it is an irony as well as it makes us laugh. Moreover, Smirnov asks his debt, but Popova refuses as she in a state of mind.  After that instance, we can see how Smirnov is rude and brutal. His comments and remarks tell how he is rude at the same time it gives fun to the audience.

First, he says “do you think I can fly away from my creditors in a balloon, or what?” and then he is frustrated and says “I’d rather sit on a barrel of gunpowder than talk to you”. Also, he says “who are you talking to? I’ll chop you into pieces” to Luka when he requests him to leave. Moreover when Popova accepts the challenge of the duel of Smirnov, he states that he will bring her down like a chicken.  The word ‘chicken’ is very peculiar. So these comments of Smirnov make readers as well as audience laugh.

Further, Smirnov seriously mocks Popova.  He tells “you may have buried yourself alive, but you haven’t forgotten to powder your face” and when Popova refuses to pay the money he says an interesting mock “I have not the pleasure of being either your husband or your finance, please don’t make scenes.”

So in the most of the scenes, Smirnov’s actions give fun. Similarly, when we consider the actions of Popova, they also make us laugh. Popova mourns for seven months since her husband died. Is it possible for anyone to mourn for seven months? Likewise, she is also hot tempered like Smirnov, that’s why she couldn’t control her emotions. At the beginning, she mourns and then she fights after that she falls in love with Smirnov. It shows that her behaviors are not constant.

We find the most comic and absurd situation in the play when Popova brings her husband’s revolvers and asks Smirnov to teach her how to fire.  This is really absurd that she asks her enemy to teach her how to fire. It is also very absurd that Smirnov starts teaching her. What a funny and absurd situation it is! He not only teaches her how to fire, but he also tells her the prices of different revolvers.

“Here are the pistols … But before we fight you must show me how to fire. I’ve never held a pistol in my hand before”

Another situation is very funny when Popova changes her mind repeatedly. At one time, she asks him to leave and at another asks him to stay.

Therefore, we can say that it is a play that is representative of the genre of farce. One of the aspects of the farce that is definitely present in this hilarious play is the occurrence of absurd situations that only becomes more and more ridiculous.