Topic > Analysis and summary of Chekhov's "The Seagull"

The Seagull is a typical Chekhovian drama, part of a subgenre that could be called a "non-dramatic drama". It has little plot, and most of the plot place is occupied by psychological portraits, lyricism and a certain truly elusive atmosphere, built in the harsh reality of the Russian 19th century. Action is replaced by conversation, and the famous humorous dialogues of the time are replaced by the staccato speaking style of the main characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The drama is built around a family and the network of relationships of their small community, and is depicted through a series of situations and conversations, as if the entire plot is a series of genre paintings, which only represent moments in the characters' lives. The scheme of the first three acts is that of Arkadina and Trigorin's week-long vacation and their departure from Sorin's estate. In none of the acts is a traditional, informative exposition possible, in the very first scene we see a stage under construction, the symbolism of which must not be forgotten, since we see this very stage described as broken and looking like a skeleton in the final scene, thus making it a important symbol and a key to setting the atmosphere of the book. Already in this first act the underlying tone turns out to be negative, with the first dialogue starting with the question; "Why does he always dress in black?". The dramatic plot unfolds immediately afterwards, when we see a circle of unfulfilled loves appear. The loves are unattainable by nature, and their tones are also different, starting with Nina, loved by Trepliov, who falls in love with Trigorin who then forms the circle mentioned above. Medvedenko falls in love with Masha, who in turn loves Trepliov, who loves Nina, whose heart chooses Trigorin, who despite being fickle remains inseparable from Arkadina, who still would not let him go. In this way The Seagull has no clear main character, everything is equally important, as all their lives are one tragic fate. Everyone knows each other's relationships, everyone takes part in everyone else's life, everyone is unhappy, longing, but everyone loves, but they also love someone else than the one who loves them. The only way to self-realize is through art, but in their personal lives even the best artists suffer: their loves are only a source of pain. The character portraits are descriptive and each represents a part of Russian society at the time. Arkadina contains all the negative aspects of actresses, she is banal, full of clichés and hysterically overreacts. All conversations are an opportunity for her to act, and the main traits of her personality are selfishness, opportunism and selfishness bordering on the ridiculous, which also includes greed. When speaking to her peers she is overly affectionate or condescending, however to her son she is cold and dismissive. Trigorin, her love, is a mediocre but successful writer, uncommunicative and reserved, but also vain. This is well demonstrated when he reads only his own writings. He sees everything as a way to gain experience, which makes him unscrupulous and vicious. The only thing that keeps him together with Arkadina is that he is too lazy to do anything else. He works almost constantly, collects material for his works, but is never satisfied with it. His confessions in the second act are a sort of self-portrait of Chekhov. Trepliov, Arkadina's son, suffers from a constant lack of love and is ambivalent towards his mother: he admires her, but hates her. He is a romantic revolutionary, representative of a new style of dramaturgy, and states in the first act that "Life must be.