Summary of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" chapter by chapter

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

Chekhov's play "Three Sisters", which was written in 1900, immediately caused a lot of controversy and conflicting opinions of critics. The work is still being talked about, it is being researched and interpreted in the spirit of modern trends.

Happiness is the foundation of everything

Summary of the "Three Sisters" can be put into a few sentences. This is a play about a distant and almost unattainable happy future that sisters dream about. They dream of brighter days, but they do not make any effort to make them come. Their whole life is spent in illusions and fantasies. The result is total frustration.

This play rightfully occupies a worthy place in world drama. "Three Sisters" is successfully staged on the stages of theaters in different countries. And in Japan, and in America, and in Europe, and in Australia they know very well who wrote "Three Sisters". Because the theme in this play rises eternal.

"Three sisters". Chekhov. Summary

The action of the play takes place in a small provincial town, in the house of the Prozorovs. The main characters of the work are three sisters. The names of the sisters - Irina, Mariaand Olga.

The play begins with the birthday of the younger sister, Irina. She turns 20 years old. She anticipates positive changes and speaks frankly about this: “I don’t know why my soul is so light …”. In the fall, the family plans to move to Moscow. The sisters are sure that their brother Andrei will go to university. The general mood is excitement and joy, anticipation of good changes in life.

Apathy and frustration

Summary of the "Three Sisters" in the second act. In terms of mood, it is very different from the first. Here, optimism and joy are replaced by disappointment and disbelief in a good future. The tone of the narration becomes minor. Andrey does not find a place for himself from longing and boredom. He doesn't like his position. To be a secretary of a zemstvo council is so prosaic and banal. After all, he dreamed of a professorial career in Moscow.

The heroine Masha is bitterly disappointed in her own husband. She used to think he was "terribly scholarly, smart and important", but now she is downright bored in the company of his schoolmates.

Irina is dissatisfied with her work - work on the telegraph seems to her unpoetic and not at all sublime.

Olga is returning from the gymnasium - she is also out of sorts, her head hurts.

In the gloomy location of Vershinin. He believes that there is no happiness in life, but only monotonous work that does not bring satisfaction. And even Chebutykin, who is trying to wit and cheer up others, admits that "… loneliness is a terrible thing …"

Alarmingpremonitions

It's been three years since Irina's birthday. The first action took place at noon, there were hopes for a change for the better.

The third act is preceded by remarks that the alarm sounds behind the stage - a fire broke out. People gather in the Prozorovs' house to escape the fire.

Irina is disappointed and literally crying. She realizes that they will never leave for Moscow, that life passes in the hustle and bustle of petty things. The work "Three Sisters" acquires a shade of tragedy and hopelessness.

Masha thinks about the meaning of life: “Somehow we will live our life, what will become of us?” Andrei is crying bitterly. He says that when he got married, he believed that everyone would be happy.

But Tuzenbach is the most disappointed. He admits that three years ago he dreamed of a happy life!

Chebutykin went on a drinking binge. Brokenness, uncertainty, loss of optimism - this is a summary of the "Three Sisters" in the third act.

Dreary autumn time

The mood of the heroes is set off by the weather. Autumn comes, migratory birds fly south, as if leaving this unpromising land. The artillery brigade also leaves the city for another place of deployment. Before leaving, the officers come to say goodbye to the Prozorov family. And the city will be even more empty without this noisy group of young people.

Chekhov's play successfully conveys the general despondency of the main characters thanks to subtle remarks about the weather, about flying birds, aboutdeparting officers.

Masha decides to part ways with Vershinin. Yes, she loved him very much, but now she feels only disappointment. Olga has already become the head of the gymnasium, but thoughts about Moscow do not leave her. She knows she will never be there.

Irina falls into despair. Out of desperation, she decides to accept the marriage proposal of Tuzenbach, who has retired.

Chebutykin in emotion: “Fly, my dears, fly with God!”

Shattered Dreams

Summary of "Three Sisters" does not convey the pain and depth of despair that are present in the play. Every line, every word testifies to the great internal tragedy experienced by the characters.

Solyony is in love with Irina, he deliberately quarrels with the baron, and then challenges him to a duel and kills him.

Andrey is broken. He does not seek to change his life. He can only ask nowhere why life is so gray, and people are so lazy and uninteresting.

Climax of the play

Chekhov's play "Three Sisters" is deeply tragic and hopeless. Its climax comes when the military leaves the city. The sounds of a military march are heard in the air. And Olga sincerely says that, it seems, a little more, a little more, and everyone will know why they live, what is the destiny of everyone.

The curtain falls. The action is over. Nothing can be changed.

This is the summary of "The Three Sisters". But the depth and magnitude of this literary work lies in the fact that for a long timetime after the end of the play, you can talk about the meaning of life, try to understand what the characters did wrong, when they made a mistake, why their life went according to this scenario.

Reasons for failure

If you ask critics to name the most hopeless work in Russian dramaturgy, many will surely single out "Three Sisters" (Chekhov). The summary of the play conveys the despair of the characters and the inability to change their fate. The circumstances are such that the characters seem to fall into an invisible cage from which it is impossible to get out. They are smart, talented, ambitious, they want to change the world, but something prevents them from moving forward and starting all over again. They wait for circumstances to change and make no effort to improve. They live in anticipation of change and do not want to turn off the beaten track. Because at least it’s boring, at least it’s not interesting, but it’s so convenient. And you don't have to make any mental or physical movements.

The vulgarity of the petty-bourgeois way of life is well described by Andrey. He talks about how the city is already two hundred years old. And for two centuries, people "… only eat, drink, sleep, then die … others will be born, and also eat, drink, sleep, and, in order not to become dull from boredom, diversify their lives with nasty gossip, vodka, cards, litigation …"

Heroes blame their failures on others. But at the same time they are not able to look at themselves with a critical eye. It seems to them that they deserve a better life, but they do not think that they themselves are mired in the vulgarity of the philistine world.

By and large, they do not command respect. There is compassion, but sometimes you want to push them, make them break away from their small world and start acting.