The Seagull

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1895

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Summary

Background

Act Summaries & Analyses

Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov is hailed as one of theater’s most influential playwrights of all time and is a staple figure in theatrical studies across the globe. Four of his plays have become classics: Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, and The Seagull, all of which have been translated and performed around the world. Alongside his contemporaries Henrik Ibsen (known for writing plays such as A Doll’s House) and August Strindberg (Miss Julie), Chekhov was instrumental in starting, and shaping, the modernist period in theater in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His plays utilize the theater of moods, which focuses less on the dramatic conventions of plot and conflict and more on the psychological exploration of the characters, and the effect it has on the audience.

Chekhov was born in 1860 in the south of Russia and was the third-born of his parents’ six surviving children. He was a physician by profession, but his true passion was writing. The Seagull, his first play, was initially a flop in 1896 and almost caused Chekhov to abandon his ambitions as a playwright. However, two years later, it was remounted at Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theatre and met with resounding success. The company produced his other three plays as well, securing their place in theatrical history. Chekhov passed away from tuberculosis at the age of 44 on July 15, 1904.

Chekhov’s legacy not only impacted the evolution of playwriting, but also a particular style of acting that heavily emphasized subtext, and the intention meant behind what is said aloud. Another convention that has been coined as “Chekhov’s gun” is a now famous theatrical device used in both literary contexts and in directorial choices: If a gun is shown in a play, it must eventually be fired, whether on or off the stage. The rule is not limited to a literal gun—in short, any detail that is presented to the audience should, in some way, serve the overall arc of the story.

Today, a number of films, stage adaptations, and interpretations are continuously made all over the world. Chekhov continues to be one of the most widely studied playwrights, and his plays among the most widely produced.

Literary Context: Dramatic Irony as Comedy

The Seagull, while considered by some to be a drama, is technically intended to be a dark comedy. The comedy does not come from a series of jokes, as most might expect. Chekhov instead utilizes dramatic irony to reveal the absurdity of his characters, and their disillusioned perspectives on life, love, and art. Dramatic irony is best described as when the playwright structures the play in a way that lets audiences in on a secret that is not revealed to the characters themselves until later.

Dramatic irony is first seen in The Seagull when introducing the different romantic pairings. Much like Shakespeare’s comedies, Chekhov plays with the idea of mismatched lovers, with every character longing for the “wrong” person. Konstantin, who has Nina’s love at the beginning of the play, quickly loses it as her attention turns to Trigorin, and Konstantin’s affections are left unrequited. Masha is in love with Konstantin, while Medvedenko loves Masha. Arkadina loves Trigorin, who is torn between the older and alluring actress and the younger bright-eyed Nina. Unlike Shakespeare’s comedies, however, none of the romantic mismatches is resolved by the end of the play.

Another way Chekhov employs dramatic irony is with each of the characters’ artistic pursuits. Konstantin thinks he is destined to reinvent the theatrical form (as Chekhov, in real life, was doing with his own plays), but utterly fails when he presents his work at the lake. Whenever he does find success, the irony is in the fact that even this fails to bring him happiness, and Konstantin realizes his focus has been misdirected the entire time. Nina, meanwhile, believes she is an extraordinary actress, but she, too, flops. Arkadina refuses to admit she is aging, and therefore not the same person she was decades ago at the height of her fame. Trigorin, who is considered successful by the other characters, is unhappy with his life. Each of these cases of disillusionment is used by Chekhov to reinforce the themes of the play, and to expose the absurdity of these characters.