Five Plays: Ivanov / The Seagull / Uncle Vanya / The Three Sisters / The Cherry Orchard (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
This book consists of five different plays. As I read each one, I just wrote down my thoughts:Ivanov: a disillusioned landowner is fed up with his life. Really, he just over-thinks everything and has given up on trying to be happy. There is a lot of fussing over Ivanov and his choices - ever since his marriage to a "Jewess" who gave up her family and religion to be with him, he's gone emotionally downhill. There is a lot of men crying in this play and if I had to give it a theme or a point, I think it's that other people and the outside world can't really make up for our own lack of effort at happiness. I could be TOTALLY OFF.The Sea Gull: We're in the countryside with a group of artists and wanna-be artists. No one is happy with their lot - if they are already an artist, their work consumes them and disappoints them. If they aren't, they can't imagine how they will be happy until they are an acknowledged artist. I appreciated several interesting passages, some quite thought provoking, on writing and the passion of writers. There's a lot of selfishness, though, and there isn't a character to balance that out - we're all most intrigued our own self-interest. The book claims this play is a "comedy," but, um, I didn't find really anything funny, so it might have a different definition of comedy than I do.Uncle Vanya: In this story, we've got a gouty old professor, his very young second young and a bunch of the family and friends of his first wife (as well as their daughter). The professor and his wife are from town, sort of sweeping in and creating a bustle of needs at the estate that is run primarily by the brother-in-law and the daughter. So many relationships to keep straight, it was one of the puzzles of this play for me, to keep everyone straight (oh wait, that has happened in every play). There is unrequited love and disillusionment (HERE are the themes!), but also some forward-thinking, environmentally aware characters. I liked that there was discussion in this play about Russia and Russians and hard it is to rise above the drudgery of life there. This was a more interesting, faster read than the other two for me, although things are wrapped up almost too nicely in the end.The Three Sisters: living in a provincial town with their brother, Olga, Irina and Masha begin the play remembering their recently deceased father, eager to begin a useful life of work, culture and purpose. The army regiment in town provides most of the rest of the cast, infusing the environment with prospective lovers and philosophical conversation companions. Of course things do not go well for the sisters – I’ve just recognized the trend in Chekhov’s plays and didn’t expect giddy happiness for them, but of all the characters I’ve read about so far, I liked these sisters the best. They seem to sincerely care about each other and while they get desperate with longing for what they once had, they don’t give up on each other. Their sister-in-law is a malicious character, slowly sucking the marrow out of their household. I would recommend reading some critical analysis of the play, because that made it even more meaningful – there’s a fascinating disintegration of the sisters and their brother, a sad reflection of the disintegration of cultured Russian society at the time. I liked reading this one a lot.The Cherry Orchard: along the same theme at The Three Sisters, we're at a provincial estate run by the adopted daughter of a woma, Luybov, who along with her brother Gayev has squandered all the wealth of their ancestral home and its famous cherry orchard. What is to be done to pay the bills? While Luybov and Gayev are rather blase about the issue, others on the estate (and those who are interested in its possibilities) are frantic to decide its fate. One character in particular, a perpetual student great friend of Luybov's daughter Anya, has a tendency to get philosophical about the situation and I really loved his observations. In one rather long speech, I felt like he dug into the crux of all of Chekhov's plays when he talks about the failings of the Russian intelligentsia, their lack of work ethic or interest in really doing something about their affairs. In another speech that I REALLY loved, he waxes eloquent about the sad history of Russia's serfs and how so much of the beauty in Russia was built on the backs of slave labor. In this play, there are more characters who see that just because the orchard might be lost, it doesn't mean we have to give up and shoot ourselves (certainly a twist of Chekho's usual theme) - we can find work and be loved and have other adventures out in the wide world. Of course, other characters are not half so optimistic, and I wouldn't say its a happy play, but it felt more like it went full circle, where I could see the depth of it without having to have someone else tell me. I'd love to see it performed.SO. I read five plays! Holy cow. I have officially decided I would like to try reading more from that land of Russia, what a different vein of experiences than my own and what a different way of looking at the world. Reading plays is NOT easy, but it helps that there is a list of characters at the beginning that you can refer to for all those tricky Russian names :) Honestly? It's not for the faint of heart, but it really is worth it, I think, to immerse yourself in provincial Russia for a while and to wonder how you would deal with a world where it seems like you are constantly hitting your head against a brick wall and everyone around you is doing the same dang thing. Could you stay true to your wife/husband/fiance? Could you work through the stress without succumbing to constant philosophizing or complaining? Hard to say, but interesting to think about.
Livada de visini ***** Mi s-a parut cea mai sensibila, poate pentru ca sentimentul pierderii e aici foarte evident si puternic: livada de visini e vinduta in cele din urma si intreaga familie e privata de locul cel mai drag lor, pierderea livezii putind echivala cu pierderea sperantelor, desi in final Trofimov exclama: “Viata noua, te salutam!” Sau poate, intr-un ton mult mai mundan, pierderea livezii echivaleaza cu noua ordine sociala ce se instala in Rusia vremii respective.Trei surori ***** O piesa densa si complexa, cu multe teme si idei recurente, de-alungul ei: dragostea, munca (obsesiv, la Irina), moartea, Moscova (aspiratia catre o viata potrivita nivelului lor de educatie), trecut-prezent (ce bine era, ce rau ne este).* Cu siguranta una din piesele pe care le intelegi pe deplin (sau macar mai bine) doar vazindu-le pe scena.* Excelenta portretizare a celor 3 surori, plus Natasha the bitch.* Foarte de apreciat capacitatea lui Cehov de a transforma micile drame domestice in mari piese (cum sint considerate cele 4), desi nu pretind ca as fi inteles mai tot din ce a vrut piesa / piesele sa spuna. Din fericire, in general, teatrul lasa loc pentru multiple interpretari, asa ca am o portita de scapare.Unchiul Vanea **** Viata la tara in Rusia, asa cum mi-am imaginat-o de pe vremea cind citeam Nabokov, "Vorbeste memorie", strabatuta de o puternica melancolie.* Relatie destul de complicata intre personaje, cu Elena Andreevna care da peste cap un parcurs de altfel linistit al vietii la conacul fostei sotii a sotului ei . Doua mici triunghiuri se formeaza: Elena, care desi isi iubeste batrinul sot il simpatizeaza deopotriva pe doctor, dar si Vanea e indragostit de ea; Sonia il iubeste pe doctor, dar doctorul, cum spuneam, e amorezat de Elena. * Vanea ma supara. Ma asteptam sa fie mai cerebral, hotarit si stapin pe sine. Sa puna piciorul in prag. Pentru ca profesorul e demn de mila si extrem de agasant.Pescarusul ****** Inca nu mi-e clar de ce e o comedie, cind eroul principal se sinucide in final.* N-as putea spune ca piesa are un subiect propriu zis, mai degraba o atmosfera proprie, cu oameni nefericiti sau neimpliniti, in cautarea acelor lucruri / persoane care le pot aduce satisfactie.* Intotdeauna mi-e teama de monologuri si le gasesc putin stinjenitoare pentru actori, desi realizez ca pentru ei reprezinta unul din punctele forte ale piesei. La un moment dat Trigorin are un monolog foarte lung si am incercat sa-mi imaginez un actor declamindu-l. Si suna in mintea mea extrem de fals. De fapt teatrul in sine e un fel de realitate paralela, si nu are nimic din naturaletea vietii de zi cu zi si spontaneitatea dialogurilor reale. Si cu toate astea (imi) place.* Acum citiva ani am citit pe liternet un jurnal de repetitii tinut de Cristina Bazavan la montarea piesei de catre Andrei Serban la teatrul din Sibiu (mama si fiul din piesa - mama si fiul in viata reala - Maia Morgenstern si Tudor Istodor). Foarte interesant, tocmai recitesc. Vezi aicit
What do You think about Five Plays: Ivanov / The Seagull / Uncle Vanya / The Three Sisters / The Cherry Orchard (1998)?
"BORKIN [sighing]: Our life-. Man's life is like a bright flower blooming in a meadow. A goat comes along and eats it up. No more flower."That is to say, it is all meaningless."Ivanov" is quite a mixture of sour humor and misery for all. --"The Seagull" touches existential questioning and crisis - not only the meaning of life but of life as an artist.Again it is all pretty banal and meaningless in-between moments of self evaluation (or lack thereof). --A wasted life preoccupies “Uncle Vanya”. Its characters are aged and idle, whose dreams were dashed, and they suffer without even knowing exactly what has been lost.Melancholic and lethargic, the play is overflowing with despondent bouts of introspection and bitter musings.If there’s something I fear is a wasted life; something I hate just as much. I dislike this play for what is upsets; and love it also. --"Don't you see that from every cherry-tree in the orchard, from every leaf and every trunk, men and women are gazing at you? if we're to start living in the present isn't it abundantly clear that we've first got to redeem our past and make a clean break with it?”In "The Cherry Orchard", the relentless march of time gives voice to those who renounce the past and those who cling futilely to the old aristocracy. --“Three Sisters” is brimming with unfulfilled dreams – of love and of live. And Moscow, the idealized city where they will achieve true happiness – happiness they had in their past –, is never reached.Quite depressing actually.
—Lamora/Ches
IvanovI was young, full of fire, sincere, no fool; I loved, I hated and I believed, but not like other men, I worked and I had hopes for ten, I tilted at windmills and beat my head against walls.... And tell me: could it have been otherwise? There are so few of us, and so much, so much to do! God, how much to do! And now the life against which I struggled is taking this cruel vengeance on me! I've worn myself out! ... Before you stands a man of thirty-five, disillusioned and crushed by his worthless achievements....Boy, that kinda hits close to home.***1/2The SeagullUnrequited love truly is the universal human condition.***1/2Uncle VanyaMan, Chekhov just gets me, you know?****Three SistersOh man, I wanted to punch Natasha in the face SO HARD.****The Cherry OrchardI, too, like to solve problems by ignoring them until they "solve" themselves. Like I said, Chekhov gets me.****So I noticed that a great many GR reviewers have complained that these sucked because (1) it's hard to read plays (in which case, why are you trying to read a play in the first place?); or (2) nothing happens in them. But I don't know, a lot more happens in these plays than my actual life and I don't think anyone would complain about what a sucky life I'm living, you know? And that's the thing about Chekhov I guess you should know before you pick him up; if you want melodrama, go somewhere else.
—kat
This collection of Chekhov's major and most well-known plays has to be one of my most valued possessions. Each story is unique, each plot has its own theme, the characters could undoubtedly have existed and not just been imagined. Chekhov's plays seem to have a strong effect on me, I could see myself on his characters, I could sympathize with their actions and the setting would have me instantly on board.I'd love to read more of his work, especially his short stories, for which as well he is highly regarded.
—Sophie
