We present to you a brief retelling of the play by Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky “Our People - Let's Count” in four actions. Enjoy reading!
Content:
1. Action one
2. Action two
3. Act Three
4. Act Four
Action one
The daughter of a wealthy merchant Lipochka Bolshova reflects on his hobby - dancing. Most of all she likes to waltz with the military, but her mother reproaches her for such a shameful occupation and does not approve of her passion. However, Lipochka, waltzing badly, objects to her mother, reproaching her with “superstitions” and does not want to part with her beloved hobby.
A mother comes and begins to reproach her with frivolity for which Lipochka is tempering: she has to get married for a long time, and her parents refused the noble groom just now. Moreover, Lipochka certainly wants to marry a nobleman, and not a merchant. Mother argues, but in the end gives up and leaves with a cry, promising to call a matchmaker.
The matchmaker Ustinya Naumova arrives and complains that it is extremely difficult to choose a bridegroom today: give the bride a nobleman, the father of anyone who is only wealthy, his mother wants a merchant with a good name, and to be baptized in the old way. Not to please everyone. However, she still find a suitable option - a brunette, a smart and wealthy nobleman - everything as the bride wants. However, the mother still doubts - she does not know what to talk about with the nobleman. A lawyer of Rizpolezhensky comes and tells the story that God does not need to be angry with despondency.
The father of the Samson Silych family appears. With a lawyer, they discuss the fraud of fictitious bankruptcy, which the merchant wants to go to. He has accumulated a lot of debts, but he does not want to repay them. Rispolozhensky advises to rewrite all his property to some kind of dummy person, so that there was nothing to take from him. Without debts on the remaining money, the merchant can live comfortably the rest of his life and end the trade. They decide to make the clerk Lazar Podkhalyuzin a front man. They call the clerk, he comes, assenting and agreeing in everything. Once Bolshov sheltered him and gave him work, for which the clerk is immensely grateful to him.
Action two
The clerk Podkhalyuzin is a hypocrite. After the merchant and lawyer leave, he disrespectfully talks about his boss in a conversation with a servant Tishka. Then he says that the merchant is no longer a decree to him and sends a servant for the liquor.
Left alone with himself, Podkhalyuzin reflects on how he can benefit from the situation in which he finds himself.
After all, he will have to look for a new job after 20 years of excellent service. Through blackmail, he decides to marry the daughter of the merchant Lipochka and become the real owner of the entire fortune. The noble one still will not take it after the merchant declares himself bankrupt - he muses. To establish contact with the matchmaker, Podkhalyuzin sends her treats.
Then the clerk meets the lawyer and bribes him. He asks to observe his interests in a bankruptcy transaction. After all, it’s not difficult to deceive Bolshov, he still doesn’t understand anything in business.
Then the clerk goes to the matchmaker and tries to bribe her with the promise of two thousand and a fur coat, so that she upset the wedding of Lipa and the nobleman. He is lying that he has in mind a noble and wealthy merchant who will not regret the ransom for this bride. The matchmaker hesitates, but Podkhalyuzin takes out a trump card - he secretly tells her that the merchant will soon go bankrupt and the matchmaker agrees to this fraud.
A drunk Bolshov arrives and the clerk is lying to him that the rich nobleman is giving up Lipochka’s hands. He again crumbles in compliments to him of his daughter, in every possible way extolling and praising their qualities. The merchant finally understands what he is driving at and offers himself the hand of his daughter. He pretends that he did not expect such an offer and is not worthy of it. However, in the end, they agree on a matchmaking.
Action Three
A wife and a daughter come to the Bolshoi. The wife reproaches her husband for coldness and indifference towards her daughter - he does not praise her beautiful outfit, but only criticizes her. He deliberately knocks down the price of Lipochka. The mother creeps before her, and the daughter reacts to the praise of the mother very arrogantly. The matchmaker comes and says that the nobleman breaks down and does not want to come to visit, to which Bolshov says that he will find the groom himself.
The matchmaker speaks with Lipochka and either scolds or praises her for the dress. The girl, however, declares that she wants to marry a military man, to which Bolshov laughs and says that he has already found a groom and is waiting for him for dinner. A clerk comes and the merchant forcibly takes his daughter’s hand and blesses the marriage between them. Lipochka has a tantrum, he cries and repeats: “Where is it seen so that the raised daughters marry their workers?”
Newly made bride and groom are left alone. Podkhalyuzin tries to calm the girl and promises her that they will live as she wants. To which Lipa replies that he wants to live like a noblewoman, and the nobles live poorly, and the clerk has money and a father’s shop. Lipochka complains about life in her parents' house and says she wants to leave and live her own way. The clerk promises her this and they agree, and then announce their consent to marriage.
A drunken merchant rejoices at this event and promises to shower gold with his newly-made son-in-law. Podhalyuzin for a view refuses, but still accepts the offer. Everyone celebrates the engagement. In the heat, the Merchant pours wine over the scruff of the lawyer.
Action four
Podkhalyuzin with his young wife in the new rich house of the clerk. They are dressed richly and in the latest fashion. Podhalyuzin pleases his wife with everything. Soon the matchmaker comes and begs Lipa for one of the rich dresses, but she does not give her only the cheapest. Then the matchmaker goes to the clerk and left alone with him reminds him of the promise of two thousand and a fur coat. However, Podkhalyuzin gives the matchmaker only one hundred rubles and is sent home.
Merchant Bolshov arrives - he was briefly released on a visit from a debt hole. The merchant’s wife complains that he left her completely without money, an orphan. Samson Silych asks his son-in-law to buy him out of the debt hole and repay part of the debt from his fortune, as promised. But the clerk and his young wife tell him that they need to think about future children, and not about old people. Big in despair, he is ashamed to live in a debt hole, he faces a prison. But the children do not want to change decisions. Mother curses her daughter, but she is indifferent to her words.
Podkhalyuzin decides to pity the creditors, I will give them 10 kopecks for a ruble for a long time. To do this, he decides to pretend to be poor, wearing an old holey frock coat. A lawyer comes to him and asks for the promised money, but receives a refusal and only 5 rubles. He tries to obtain money by blackmail, but Podkhaluzin only grins - who will believe an alcoholic who has lost his job?
The play ends with the fact that Podkhaluzin invites viewers to his new store: “If you send a little robin, we will not let it go in the onion.”
