Opening of the book
THE SEA-GULL
by Anton Checkov
A Play In Four Acts
Contents
CHARACTERS
THE SEA-GULL
CHARACTERS
IRINA ABKADINA, an actress
CONSTANTINE TREPLIEFF, her son
PETER SORIN, her brother
NINA ZARIETCHNAYA, a young girl, the daughter
of a rich landowner
ILIA SHAMRAEFF, the manager of SORIN’S estate
PAULINA, his wife
MASHA, their daughter
BORIS TRIGORIN, an author
EUGENE DORN, a doctor
SIMON MEDVIEDENKO, a schoolmaster
JACOB, a workman
A COOK
A MAIDSERVANT
The scene is laid on SORIN’S estate. Two years elapse
between the third and fourth acts.
THE SEA-GULL
ACT I
The scene is laid in the park on SORIN’S estate. A broad avenue of trees leads away from the audience toward a lake which lies lost in the depths of the park. The avenue is obstructed by a rough stage, temporarily erected for the performance of amateur theatricals, and which screens the lake from view. There is a dense growth of bushes to the left and right of the stage. A few chairs and a little table are placed in front of the stage. The sun has just set. JACOB and some other workmen are heard hammering and coughing on the stage behind the lowered curtain.
MASHA and MEDVIEDENKO come in from
the left, returning from a walk.
MEDVIEDENKO. Why do you always
wear mourning?
MASHA. I dress in black to match
my life. I am unhappy.
MEDVIEDENKO. Why should you be
unhappy?
[Thinking
it
over]
I
don’t
understand
it.
You
are
healthy, and though your father is
not
rich,
he
has
a
good
competency. My life is far harder
than yours. I only have twentythree roubles a month to live on, but I don’t wear mourning. [They sit down].
MASHA. Happiness does not depend
on riches; poor men are often
happy.
MEDVIEDENKO. In theory, yes, but
not in reality. Take my case, for
instance;
my
mother,
my
two
sisters, my little brother and I
must all live somehow on my salary
of twenty-three roubles a month.
We have to eat and drink, I take
it.
You
wouldn’t
have
us
go
without tea and sugar, would you?
Keep listening free
Readnara
