Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya"

HI.

IT’S SHANNON.

ONE YEAR, GUYS.

One whole

Huge

Crazy

Intense

Inspiring

YEAR!

I started this blog so that I could make content -- to explore new plays as well as reach out to those who wanted to do the same. And that’s exactly what has happened. I have never solicited this blog in any way -- never mentioned it to the masses on Facebook or bought Google AdWords, but already we have over 3,500 views and counting. That’s more than almost anything I’ve ever made.

It’s almost like being famous.

So thank you.

ANYWAY. Enough of that.

(Feelings? Gross.)

This week we’re celebrating the anniversary of the blog by revisiting the playwright we started with: Chekhov, in another of his brilliant works.

UNCLE VANYA

by Anton Chekhov

Like most Chekhov this one is a little hard to explain.

I think the best way to do it is to start with what IS at the top of the play:

Vanya’s been supporting Alexander Serebraikov (hereafter called The Professor), his dead sister’s husband, for years. He breaks his back and wastes his youth to provide The Professor a living in Moscow. At the top of the play The Professor has come to live on Vanya’s plantation, and what Vanya has learned is that the man he has been giving his life to support was never the shooting star he thought he was: The Professor is in disgrace with the academic community. On top of this, Vanya is desperately in love with The Professor’s young, beautiful second wife, Yelena, making him extremely jealous of the sick man (The Professor has gout). The Professor’s gout draws Doctor Astrov to the plantation. Doctor Astrov is a handsome, overworked county doctor quickly enchanted by Yelena. The Professor’s plain daughter, Sonya, who is in love with Astrov and already resentful of her stepmother because of their proximity in age, carries her resentment for Yelena openly at the start of the play. Also present on the plantation is Vanya’s mother, Mrs. Voinitsky, who still adores The Professor; Marina, the family’s old nurse; and Telegin, a poor neighbor.

That’s where we begin.

Then… they talk. Vanya confesses his love to Yelena (again); she rejects him. He rails against The Professor. Astrov comes to visit, and drinks and complains about how busy he is. Sonya and Yelena make up over Sonya’s love for Astrov, and Yelena realizes she’s enchanted with him, too. Sonya pleads for Yelena to ask Astrov if he loves her, and if he doesn’t, to ask him to please leave. Yelena does so (he doesn’t love Sonya), but really ends up telling him that she loves him. He asks her to run away with him and kisses her (Vanya sees) and it’s way more than she bargained for. The Professor announces to everyone that he has a great plan -- sell the estate and live off the profits! Vanya, enraged, tries to shoot The Professor. The Professor and Yelena decide to leave. They do, it’s tearful goodbyes -- Astrov begs Yelena to come with him, she says no. The Professor and Vanya make up, with Vanya agreeing to go back to supporting The Professor the way he always has. The couple leaves. Then Astrov leaves as well, making Sonya miserable because she knows he’ll never be back. Sonya, Vanya, and Marina are left onstage, proclaiming that the only way to combat their misery is to work. Sonya consoles Uncle Vanya by reminding him of the promise of eternal rest, and the play ends.

Comedy, guys.

Comedy.

(No, but seriously, Chekhov wanted all productions of his plays to be hilarious.)

Anyway.

Today we are looking at

YELENA

In this monologue, Sonya has just left the room after asking Yelena to please ask Astrov if he loves her. He doesn’t, and Yelena knows this. At the top of this monologue, Yelena has no idea that she loves Astrov, but by the time she’s sympathized with Sonya, she’s realized just what she’s missing out on. The two things characters in this play say about Yelena is that she’s bored, and she’s beautiful. I (personally) think this is true, but she’s frustrated with both, in a way. Something to think about.

Sidebar: Uncle Vanya’s words to Yelena are: “My darling, my heart’s delight, use your imagination! You’ve got mermaid’s blood in your veins, so be a mermaid! Let yourself go at least once in your life, fall head over heels in love with a merman, dive in with a big splash, and leave the Herr Professor and the rest of us standing on the shore, helplessly waving our arms!”

YELENA:  (Alone.) There is nothing worse than knowing someone else’s secret when you can’t help them. He's obviously not in love with her, but why shouldn't he marry her? She's not pretty, but she's so clever and pure and good, she would make a splendid wife for a country doctor of his years...  No, that’s not the point, it’s not the point.

[A pause] I can understand how the poor child feels. She lives here in this desperate loneliness with no one around her except these colourless shadows that go mooning about talking nonsense and knowing nothing except that they eat, drink, and sleep. Among them appears from time to time this Dr. Astrov, so different, so handsome, so interesting, so charming. It's like seeing the moon rise on a dark night. Oh, to surrender oneself to his embrace! To lose oneself in his arms! I'm a little in love with him myself! Yes, I'm lonely without him, and when I think of him I smile. That Uncle Vanya says I have the blood of a mermaid in my veins: "Give free rein to your nature for once in your life!" Perhaps it's right that I should. Oh, to be free as a bird, to fly away from all your sleepy faces and your talk and forget that you have existed at all! But I'm a coward, I'm afraid; my conscience torments me. He comes here every day now. I can guess why, and feel guilty already; I should like to fall on my knees at Sonya's feet and beg her forgiveness, and to cry.

This play also has a couple other truly spectacular monologues. That final monologue of Sonya’s is one of the most famous in the western canon, but Sonya also has an excellent soliloquy about what it’s like to be plain. And Yelena has at least one other truly excellent monologue as well. So check those out!

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Thanks guys!

Again, it’s been amazing to have had a full year with you.

This has been

SOMEONE MONO-BLOGGING

and again,

I’M SHANNON

ENJOY!