In the beginning the milkman Tevye explains the importance of tradition in Jewish customs like keeping their heads covered and wearing prayer shawls while living in the Russian shtetl of Anatevka in 1905. His wife-Golde. Five daughters-Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze, and Bielke. In their village , every man and woman has their own task to carry out everyday, and they stick to their particular task. Yente the village matchmaker arrives with news that Lazar Wolf, the wealthy butcher and a widower of Tevye’s age, wants to wed Tzeitel, the eldest daughter. Tevye would have to be persuaded to meet with Lazar to arrange the meeting because he did not like him. The two middle daughters, Hodel and Chava, wonder excitedly what their mother and the matchmaker were talking about, but Tzeitel warns them not to rush into being married. They wanted Tzeitel to find a husband, so that Yente could soon find them matches. Because they were poor and had no dowry, they would have to take whatever Yente brought them, even if he was a drunk, abusive, or elderly. Tzeitel does not want a match to be found for her because she is already in love with the tailor Motel Kamzoil, her childhood friend. Tevye’s horse is lame, so he had to pull the milk cart himself. He asks God, why it would be so terrible if he was a rich man because it was no prize to be a poor man, and the Lord had made many poor people. He sings of all the things he would do and have if he had a small fortune. The men of the village confront Tevye when he is late to deliver milk and cheese. Avram the bookseller read them a paper about how Jews were forced out of another village. A student from Kiev, Perchik, had just arrived in town and scolds them for doing nothing more than talking and cursing. They scold him for not respecting his elders. The men of the town dismiss the radical, but Tevye likes him and brings him home for the Sabbath meal. Tevye offers him room and board for teaching his two youngest daughters. Golde told Tevye to meet with Lazar after the Sabbath meal, but did not tell him why, knowing her didn’t like him. Tzeitel is afraid Yente will find her a match before Motel asks for her hand. Yet Motel was afraid of her father’s temper and breaking the tradition of matchmakers arranging marriages. Also, Motel is a very poor tailor and is trying to save up his money for a used sewing machine to show he could support Tzeitel. They gather for the Sabbath Prayer, and the visiting Perchik notices one of the daughters. Tevye thought Lazar Wolf wanted to buy his milk cow, but after their subject matter was cleared up, Tevye agrees to let Lazar marry Tzeitel. If she married a rich butcher she would never be hungry. They celebrate the new agreement with many shots. They then went Mordcha’s Inn for a drink to seal the deal. Many villagers were there and joined in the celebration of Lazar’s good fortune, even the Russian youths join in and show off their dancing. While Tevye leaves the inn, he bumps into the Russian Constable, who rules over the Jews in the town. The Constable warns of a coming demonstration or a minor pogram. He felt sorry for the Jewish community, but he could not stop the violence. He thought Tevye was an honest, decent person for a Jew, so he wanted to warn him as a friend. Tevye stumbled home drunk and questioned God for sending him the bad news at such a happy time. He danced down the street with the fiddler dancing along side him. Perchik tells the children his interpretation of the story of Jacob, telling them never to trust an employer. Hodel and Perchik get into a fight when he questions her liking of the rabbi’s son, and Perchik tells her of changing times when boys and girls can hold hands and dance together. Tevye emerges hungover and avoids his wife’s questioning of how the meeting with Lazar went. Then he delivers the news to his daughter that he has agreed to let Lazar Wolf marry Tzeitel. Although Golde was joyous, Tzeitel begged her father to reconsider. Perchik said money was the world’s curse, and that it waw no reason to marry. Motel arrives and tells Tevye that he and Tzeitel have pledged to marry. Tevye was furious at the breaking of tradition, but Motel fought that even a poor tailor deserved some happiness.
