Analysis And Summary Of Chekhov’s ‘the Seagull’

The Seagull belongs to a genre of drama that could be called “undramatic”. The Seagull is a typical Chekhovian drama. It belongs to a sub-genre that could be called “undramatic drama”. The main characters speak in a staccato manner, replacing the humorous dialogues that were popular during the time.

The drama revolves mainly around a single family and its little community. This is represented by a sequence of conversations and situations, just like a genre painting, which represents a moment in the life of the characters. The first act is a one-week vacation by Arkadina & Trigorin, followed by their departure of Sorin’s estate. In neither of these acts is there a traditional exposition. But in the first, we can see a scene where a new stage is being constructed. And in the closing scene, this same stage appears to be broken. The first scene of the book sets the tone for the entire novel. It begins with a question: “Why does she wear black?”. As soon as the drama begins, we are able to see a series of unfulfilled romances. These unfulfilled loves have different tones and are not of the same nature. Nina is in love with Treplyov, but falls for Trigorin. This then creates a circle. Medvedenko is in love with Masha. Treplyov loves her, and Nina falls for Trigorin.

The Seagull is a story with no main character. All characters are equal and their fates are tragic. Each character is aware of the other’s life, each one shares it, and they are all happy, wishful. However, everyone also loves another person. Even the greatest artists struggle in their personal life – love only brings them pain.

Each character is a description of the Russian society at that time. Arkadina is a bad actress. She is cliched, banal and overreacts. Her personality is characterized by a borderline absurd egoism and opportunism, as well as selfishness and stinginess. She is overly charming or condescending when she talks to her peers, but cold and dismissive with her son. Trigorin, the man she loves, is an uncommunicative writer who has achieved success. He is also reserved and non-communicative. It is evident that he reads only his own work. His skepticism and cruelty are due to his view that everything he does is an attempt to gain more experience. Arkadina and him are only together because he is lazy. He gathers material to create his works and works nearly constantly. However, he never feels satisfied. Chekhov has painted a self-portrait with his confessions. Treplyov is Arkadina’s son, who is constantly deprived of love. He is also ambivalent about his mother, admiring but hating her. He is an idealistic revolutionary who represents a new approach to playwriting. His first act declares that life must not be depicted as it really is, but how it should be – as in dreams. The crisis in his personal life, however, is never resolved, and Nina’s love is not reciprocated. Nina’s naivety as an average citizen allows her to make her own destiny. Nina creates this opportunity for herself through her fight and suffering. Masha, the only character to be honest, admits Dorn’s love for Treplyov. Dorn then tries, at first, to laugh this off before he flees. The author paints a picture of the inner states of mind of each character with their words and gestures.

The characters are silent and ignore the words of others. There is also a confessional element. There are also lyrical references in the book, like Hamlet’s parallelism or mentions of Tolstoy or Zola. Nina ends the book with a Tolstoyian view, stating that “It is not honor or glory I’ve dreamed of, it is strength to endure.” It is important to know how one can bear their cross and maintain faith. Nina says, “This Lake attracts Me as much as the Gulls”. Treplyov uses it as a self-portrait symbol after he has taken a picture of it. Nina calls herself “Seagull”, after she has failed in a series. In her closing monologues as well, she uses the same term. The Seagull is a symbol of Treplyov, Nina and their new, modern style. It also represents the dying art of Trigorin, Arkadina and their dying style.

The Seagull by Chekhov represents a new, more realistic, down-to earth style of writing drama. This is why the period was called “Realism”. The focus is on harsh realities of life and the characters aren’t heroes. Their lives are boring, they’re just average people. Chekhov didn’t want to give solutions to his characters, either. He thought the writer should be a witness, not a judge, of events. In Chekhov’s undramatic plays, conflicts don’t occur between characters. They happen inside their heads. Dorn says, “A flask has exploded!” after the gunshot. This kind of realistic critique of his society was well received in his time. It failed to impress the audience when it was first performed. Perhaps they found what was shown too similar.