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Anton ChekhovA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain descriptions of death, gun violence, and attempted suicide.
The play opens in the drawing room of the Prozorov family estate in the Russian countryside, where a dining table is prepared for lunch. Olga, the oldest of the three Prozorov sisters, is grading papers in her blue teacher uniform. Masha, the middle sister, is dressed in black and reading a book. Irina, the youngest, is in a white dress and is lost in thought. Olga notes that it is the first anniversary of their father’s death, which occurred on Irina’s birthday (May 5). Their despair at the time seemed insurmountable, but now, everything feels much lighter.
Olga begins to recount the dreary details of their father’s frigid funeral until Irina questions why she is talking about it at all. Olga explains that it is unseasonably warm today and that she remembers everything about the day their father moved them away from Moscow for his military promotion. That event occurred 11 years ago in early May, and it was already spring there. Olga complains that teaching exhausts and ages her, but the strength of her dream of Moscow only grows.
By Anton Chekhov
At Home
At Home
Anton Chekhov
Gooseberries
Gooseberries
Anton Chekhov
The Bet
The Bet
Anton Chekhov
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
Anton Chekhov
The Darling
The Darling
Anton Chekhov
The Death of a Government Clerk
The Death of a Government Clerk
Anton Chekhov
The Duel
The Duel
Anton Chekhov
The Lady With The Dog
The Lady With The Dog
Anton Chekhov
The Seagull
The Seagull
Anton Chekhov
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Anton Chekhov
Vanka
Vanka
Anton Chekhov