Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

7986

Title

Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This collection presents Anton Chekhov's complete dramatic works, ranging from early farces like 'The Proposal' to the profound tragedies of 'The Cherry Orchard' and 'The Three Sisters.' Translated by Julius West, the volume explores themes of inaction, the decay of the Russian gentry, and the crushing weight of unfulfilled dreams, offering a poignant look at human suffering and the quiet despair of everyday life.

Summary up to 500 words

Anton Chekhov's *Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series*, introduced by Julius West, presents a unique dramatic landscape defined not by external action, but by the internal tragedy of inaction. The collection opens with *The High Road*, an early work depicting the ruin of a noble landowner, Bortsov. After losing his fortune and descending into alcoholism due to an affair with a town woman, Bortsov's decline is starkly contrasted against the spiritual endurance of a tramp, Merik, and a pilgrim, Savva, who witness his suffering in a stormy inn. This narrative highlights the chasm between the decaying nobility and the resilient poor. The volume transitions to lighter, humorous one-act plays like *The Proposal* and *The Bear*. Here, Chekhov demonstrates his mastery of psychological nuance beneath a veneer of farce, using humor to explore complex human emotions rather than mere comedy. However, the core of the collection consists of his major four-act dramas, which serve as profound studies of hesitation and lost opportunities. In *The Three Sisters*, three sisters are paralyzed by inertia; despite having no real obstacle preventing them, they refuse to leave their provincial post to live in Moscow. Their inability to act on a simple desire illustrates the devastating consequences of doing nothing. Similarly, *The Cherry Orchard* portrays the Ranevsky family, who fail to sell their ancestral estate to save it from foreclosure. Through endless debate and delay, they allow the orchard to be sold to the pragmatic merchant Lopakhin, who immediately begins cutting down the trees to build summer cottages. The play concludes with the family departing and the sound of an axe falling, symbolizing the irreversible destruction of the old Russian way of life. Collectively, these works establish Chekhov's legacy as the dramatist of the human condition defined by hesitation. He captures the tragedy of inaction, showing how slovenliness of thought and execution leads to ruin, a theme that resonates as powerfully as the tragedies of Shakespeare's *Othello* or *King Lear*, yet enacted through the quiet, daily failures of ordinary people.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Classics
• Drama