The Seagull

The Seagull a play written in 1896, with which Anton Chekhov triumphed and established himself as a leading figure in Russian drama. Chekhov manages, thanks to his abstract technique, to escape from ethnographic realism and to make everyday poetry stage poetry. The work depicts the constant deterioration of the volatile life and the expenditure of human energy in secondary activities, leaving at the same time some hopes for the future. The play tells the story of a famous actress who has come to visit a famous actor who lives on this estate with his son and daughter-in-law. The son, Konstantin Treplev, is also an aspiring writer and has written a new play for the actress to perform. She loves it but thinks that it needs some work, so she asks Konstantin if he'd like her to work with him on it. Konstantin agrees but feels conflicted about his attraction towards Nina, the actress's daughter-in-law who is also an aspiring actress herself. Nina is engaged to Boris Trigorin—another famous writer—who lives with them at the estate as well.

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