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Arkadina And The Three Sisters Chekhov Analysis

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Chapter 2 : THE SEA GULL AND THE THREE SISTERS
Chekhov is widely known for being the best short drama writer but very few readers know about his full length plays which were a lot more meaningful and substantial pieces of art. In this chapter, two of his famous plays will be closely analysed from a feminist perspective and define the feminism/anti-feminism in Chekhov’s plays. Just like any other playwright, his plays too highlight growth, intellectually and socially, and his four major plays- The Sea Gull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. The Russian theatre in Chekhov’s times was miserable and being able to earn a living only out of writing was impossible, reason why Chekhov, called fiction his “legal wife” and he called …show more content…

But while Arkadina’s nature and hypocrisy makes her an impressive character, Nina seems much shallow. Arkadina doesn’t make any efforts bto read the plays written by Konstantin, for she considers him an unsuccessful author, but Nina is a lot more pretentious in her words and actions. Even as the play is nearing the end, she claims to be apologetic and in love with Konstantin, contrary to her inclination towards Trigorin in Act II and Act III. This brings forth her character’s flaw. Arkadina constantly, dotes and is affectionate towards Trigorin, contrary to Nina, whose presence in Konstantin’s life is very inconsistent. Arkadina however is jealous of Nina, which is very ironic for an empowered, successful, actress is jealous of a 19-year old girl and fears losing her love-interest, Trigorin to her. Arkadina despite being the strong woman that she is, shares her weaknesses with her son, Konstantin. She cannot be called a villain or hero, , instead she is vain and miserable who is capable of compassion. Nina’s technique of flattering Trigorin too is similar to that of Arkadina. Trigorin, often seen as one of the most developed and well-formed Chekhovian’s characters, in this case seems really vulnerable and is capable of being influenced by the major women in this play. The question however, remains, are these women actually in love? Or are they even capable of loving someone more than themselves? This mindset of Russian women in the late 19th century stands out and the entire credit belongs to

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