So, why is "The Marriage Proposal" so whimsical whereas his full-length plays are realistic? One reason that may account for the silliness found in this one-act is that "The Marriage Proposal" was first performed in 1890, when Chekhov was just entering his thirties and still in relatively good health. When he wrote his famous comedy-dramas his illness (tuberculosis) had more severely affected him. Being a physician, Chekhov must have known that he was nearing the end of his life, thereby casting a shade over The Seagull and the other plays.