"Seagull". Chekhov. Summary of the play

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The play "The Seagull" was completed by Chekhov in 1896. In the same year it was published and staged at the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. If we make an analysis of Chekhov's The Seagull, then this work seems to have a simple everyday plot: the eternal problem of children and parents and a love triangle as old as the world. But behind almost every replica of the heroes, you can see not only their fate and character, a whole human life appears before you. Each action shows the simple life of ordinary people, while Chekhov reveals the complexity of their relationship to us. "The Seagull" (you will read a summary of the play below) is designated as a comedy, only there are no funny characters in it. You won't find a single funny scene or funny incident there. The whole play is built on the clash of generations between confident and venerable adult characters and still unrecognized and inexperienced youth.

"Seagull". Chekhov. Summary of the first act

The retired State Councilor and his nephew Konstantin Treplev live in the estate of Pyotr Sorin. Konstantin's mother, Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina, is a venerable actress who came here to visit. Along with her came her loverTrigorin, a famous novelist at that time.

Konstantin is passionate about writing. He prepared a play for the show, in which the daughter of neighboring landowners Nina Zarechnaya will play the only role. The girl dreams of a stage, but her parents consider it indecent and resolutely oppose her daughter's hobby. Konstantin is in love with Nina, but Masha, the daughter of a retired lieutenant Shamraev, is in love with him. His family is also invited to watch the play.

Everyone is seated in front of a hastily put together scene in which Nina, dressed all in white, delivers a rather bizarre, decadent-style monologue. In Arkadina, he causes a direct protest, she sees that her son is trying to teach her how to write and what to play. Konstantin, flaring up, leaves. Nina does not follow him, she gladly accepts compliments about her talent. Trigorin is especially keen on this.

"Seagull". Chekhov. Brief summary of the second act

Two days later, the same people gather again at the estate. Nina is surprised that such famous people as Arkadina and Trigorin are no different from ordinary people in life. The girl falls in love with Trigorin and begins to avoid Konstantin, who connects everything with the failure of his play. He tries to explain himself to her, but Nina is only annoyed. Trigorin is her new idol, for whom she is ready for anything. Konstantin appears, he carries a dead seagull in his hand and puts it at Nina's feet with a statement that he will soon kill himself too.

"Seagull". Chekhov. Brief summary of the third act

Througha week Constantine makes an unsuccessful suicide attempt. The mother decides that the reason for this was jealousy. She is sure that Trigorin should be taken to Moscow. But he does not want to leave the estate, he is passionate about Nina, it seems to him that he was looking for her all his life. He frankly tells Arkadina about this, but she does not believe in the seriousness of his hobby and convinces Trigorin to go. Before leaving, he still runs into a girl. She is also going to leave for Moscow, and they agree that they will secretly meet there.

"Seagull". Chekhov. Summary of the fourth act

Two years have passed. Konstantin still writes, and his works are published. Masha got married, but, not paying attention to her husband and her child, she spends a lot of time in the Treplevs' house. Nina met Trigorin in Moscow, they even had a child, but soon died. The husband left her and returned to Arkadina. Nina's career as an actress failed, as her game was rude and tasteless. Her parents do not want to know anything about her and do not let her on the threshold of the house.

Arkadina and Trigorin come to visit the estate again. They play loto with the guests. And Konstantin is in his office. Suddenly, Nina comes to him. Now this is a tired and disappointed woman who has lost faith in her confession. But Konstantin still loves her and wants to go with her to the provincial theater, where she will play. Nina does not seem to hear him: Trigorin's voice comes from another room, and she loves him even more than before.

All lotto players hear a sound like a gunshot. A doctor visiting the estate suggested that one of his bottles had burst. He leaves the room, and when he returns, he asks Trigorin to take Arkadina somewhere, since Konstantin Gavrilovich shot himself…