Three Sisters Anton Chekhov 1900 ??? C?????

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Three SistersAnton Chekhov 1900 ??? C?????
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Plot Synopsis

• Three Sisters poignantly conveys the lives,
  struggles, loves and secret desires of sisters
  Masha, Olga and Irina and their somewhat
  ineffective brother Andrei. Set in a mythological
  provincial town in the late 1800s, we see their
  life unfold in front of our eyes. On the surface,
  The Three Sisters is a charming and endearing
  story but on further examination feelings of
  hopelessness, anguish and dissatisfaction are
  unapologetically evoked. The very emotions, that
  a decade later, would tear Russia apart and leave
  her in a state of political upheaval for years to
  come.
• Chekhovs lifelong desire to live in Moscow was
  slashed due to his ill health and in The Three
  Sisters the words to Moscow, to Moscow appear
  frequently in the dialogue an analogy of his
  yearning to live there and a reminder of the
  unattainable and something lost. The Three
  Sisters is a gem. It bravely explores the human
  condition and our ability or inability to survive
  and adapt. It is both funny and sad. It is
  humbling and frustrating and within the memory of
  better days, in another time, we can expose
  ourselves.

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Plot

• Act One
• The play begins on Irinas name day. The sisters
  are introduced to us as they reminisce about
  their past and the death of their father. We are
  soon introduced to the rest of the characters in
  relation to the sisters. Masha and Vershinin have
  an instant connection that is yet unspoken and
  Andrei declares his love for Natasha, a lower
  class woman.
• Act Two
• The act begins with Natasha and Andreis
  marriage. Natasha worries about her ill son
  Bobik. She begins to take over the house. Plans
  for the carnival masques to celebrate at the
  house are cancelled at Natashas request,
  upsetting the sisters. Tuzenbach and Solyony
  declare thier deep love for Irina. Vershinin,
  even though hes married, declares his love for
  also married Masha. Andrei develops gambling
  problem while Natasha starts to have an affair
  with Protopopov.
• Act Three
• Half the town is on fire. Andrei mortgages the
  house without the sisters permission.The
  characters are purged into urgent action to
  survive.
• Act Four
• Natasha dominates the house. Irina becomes
  engaged to Tuzenbach. Soldiers leave the
  province. Vershinin and Masha leave though not
  together, their affair comes to an end. The state
  of the characters is one of complete division.  

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Characters

• Irina Serghyeevna
• The youngest of this family and shes looking for
  love. Tuzenbach and Solyony are both fighting
  over her. Chebutykin discloses her as his
  favourite and Fyedotik and Rode bring her
  meaningless toys for gifts, which exposes her
  youth and playfulness. She is representative of
  the future and the virgin.
• Masha Serghyeevna
• The middle sister, Masha, is the quiet one. She
  is married to Kulyghin, however she has become
  bitter about her marriage, feeling as if shes
  grown apart from him because of her greater
  intelligence. When she falls in love with
  Vershinin she becomes aware of what true love is
  but relentlessly ends up with her husband. She is
  representative of the present and the mother.
• Olga Serghyeevna
• The eldest sister in the orphaned family, Olga
  becomes the inevitable carer of her brothers and
  sisters. Herself unmarried, she works for a
  living in a school. She finds herself by the end
  of the play meeting her unwanted fate to become
  headmistress. She is representative of past and
  the crone.
• Natasha/Natalia Ivanova
• Initially Natasha is an outsider, not able to fit
  into the family. However, she uses this to
  control and manipulate her environment. She is
  driven to Andrey by circumstance, and thus their
  marriage quickly becomes dispassionate. She soon
  has an affair with one of Andreys colleagues. A
  manipulative and ambitious character.

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• Alexander Ignatyevich VERSHININ
• A Battery commander from Moscow who knew the
  sisters when they were young. He has an instant
  connection with Masha, which turns into an
  affair. However he is married with two children,
  and wife who poisons herself all the time. He
  tends to philosophize, particularly with
  Tuzenbach. He is representative of hope.
• Andrey Serghyevich PROZOROV
• The brother in the family, he is somewhat out of
  the loop of the three sisters. He aspired to be
  professor but ended up being a member of the
  county council. He is often deceived by his wife
  and sadly realizes this. However, he seems to be
  manipulated by her often. He finds himself unable
  to escape his situation and thus develops a
  gambling problem. He ends up mortgaging the house
  without the sisters permission, much to his
  shame.
• Vasilly Vassilich SOLYONY
• He is a Captain in the army. Hes a jealous and
  shy person. Yet he shows off to the point of
  self-confessed embarrassment, much to his dismay,
  when faced with social situations. A dueler and
  defender he takes his love for Irina to the point
  of murder.
• Nikolai Lvovich TUZENBACH
• A Lieutenant in the Army. He is warm, loyal and
  honest. He also philosophizes, like Vershinin,
  and quits the army to become a worker and marry
  Irena. He is the voice of revolution. He is a
  lover, not a fighter. But is tragically killed by
  Solyony.

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• Fiodor Ilyich KOLYGHIN
• A master at the local high school, Kulyghin is a
  self-indulgent, conceited, and socially inept
  character. He is married to Masha, and praises
  her integrity throughout. He isnt completely
  oblivious, and sadly lives with the suspicion of
  what his wife is really experiencing.
• Anfisa
• An eighty-year old servant who has been working
  in the house for a long time and therefore
  maintains a particular connection and association
  with the family. Natasha tries to get rid of her,
  but Olga keeps her working, even though she is
  tired and weary.
• Bobik
• The first born son and child of Natasha and
  Andrey. Used by Natasha to manipulate the house.
• Sofia
• The first born daughter and second born child of
  Natasha and Andrey. Used by Natasha to manipulate
  Andrey.

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• Themes
• Social themes
• Boredom
• Love

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• Imagery
• Sounds and Music
• Colours
• Fire