I've just finished Chekhov's The Seagull, and I must admit, I'm perplexed: what's the play about exactly?
Yes, it's about longing and regret, and there's a fair amount about celebrity, creativity, and intertextuality, too. But for me, coming at The Seagull with no real insight into Chekhov, and no real sense for the theatrical context, I found myself confused - not by the plot, per se, but by the finale and symbolism.
The whole play hinges, it seems, on the idea of the gull, and that haunting line by Trigorin who sketches a scene in which a man comes along and, "having nothing better to do," seeks to "destroy." I found that line jarring, and had the sense that it hinted at violence to come. As it turns out, it did.
But I was not certain, in the end, what that violence represented and why Chekhov called the play a "comedy in four acts." Was this cynicism lost on me? Was there humor amidst the darkness? And what about the gull? What about its symbolic qualities? For me, it represented a dizzying (sometimes confusing) array of contrasts: sorrow and despair; youth and happiness; violence and finality; creativity and longing.
...I suppose I'll have to read more Chekhov to find out.
Consider this general "hint" about what Chekhov is up to in his plays and short stories: he is more interested in relationships than plot and action. That may be a too broad generalization, but -- without going into specifics -- that generalization may help you understand Chekhov's view of people (i.e., his view is comic rather than tragic).
ReplyDeletePostscript: And consider this -- Chekhov berated Stanislavsky for directing his play (The Cherry Orchard) as a tragedy (slow and heavy) rather than as a comedy (crisp and quick). Remember that Chekhov generally may be slow-reading but it should be not acted that way on stage. Think Seinfeld without the laughs.
ReplyDeleteVery helpful, indeed. Thanks, RT. --Jesse
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