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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Forlorn. Neither through fulfilling one's duty nor by being as unfaithful as any great sinner can there be any escape - all roads lead to loneliness and regret and lethargy. All roads but one: the narcissistic, manipulative, greedy path of Natasha Ivanova, right through the brother, his three sisters, and their father's estate.
Merged review:
Forlorn. Neither through fulfilling one's duty nor by being as unfaithful as any great sinner can there be any escape - all roads lead to loneliness and regret and lethargy. All roads but one: the narcissistic, manipulative, greedy path of Natasha Ivanova, right through the brother, his three sisters, and their father's estate.
Merged review:
Forlorn. Neither through fulfilling one's duty nor by being as unfaithful as any great sinner can there be any escape - all roads lead to loneliness and regret and lethargy. All roads but one: the narcissistic, manipulative, greedy path of Natasha Ivanova, right through the brother, his three sisters, and their father's estate.
Either this needs to be seen to be appreciated, or it needs to be annotated for audiences outside of its original context. Does nothing to change my opinion on Russian classics. Some decent lines, especially towards the end.
Let its characters wash over you !! Let Chekhov change the way you look at the world! More like 4.5 than 5 if that were an option.
Not one of my favorites. There was a big language barrier for me especially with the names. It was very hard to keep track of who was who when reading. I found this play vastly more comedic than I've heard most people do but in general I didn't think the plot was particularly interesting.
I hate myself for choosing an adaptation of this for my diss, I wanted to die reading it
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Quite a difference between now and then, don’t you think? And two or three hundred years from now, people will look at the way we lived and they will be horrified and they will laugh. Our world will seem bizarre and complex and hilarious. Oh, those people will have some life. That will be some life. What a mood I’m in. I want to live, goddamn it.”
I haven’t read a Tracy Letts play yet, but as I was reading this version of Chekhov’s Three Sisters (and the whiplash I felt after reading Mamet’s The Cherry Orchard just before), I felt immediately that I need to rectify the Letts issue. Absolutely loved this in the same vein as Annie Baker’s Uncle Vanya.
“Life will always be hard and mysterious and have the occasional happy day. A thousand years from now, people will still say “life is hard” and they’ll still be afraid to die.”
However, you can only read so much Chekhov in a row. It almost becomes darkly funny reading about all these bored, unfulfilled, depressed, and repressed white people... who don't do much but complain. But I only jest, because the characters are valid for thinking what they think, and Chekhov does a brilliant job of putting words to what we feel, and offering the right perspective to… deal with what we’re dealing with.
“…every day, I can feel my strength, my youth, fading by degrees. The only thing that gets stronger is the dream.”
I’m grateful for reading these Chekhov plays, truly. Especially Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters — I will be coming back to these a lot, or at least regurgitating (botching) the sentiments of these plays. I saw a movie with friends after reading The Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters back-to-back, and then we grabbed drinks; found myself talking about the essence of these plays. Now the characters in all of these plays for the most part kind of end their storylines on a ‘downbeat,’ but I think the romantic thing to take away from these plays is that we can take the lessons learned and apply them to our next actions; to our next goals.
In the end, all of these characters want MORE, and while some of their circumstances deny them from ever achieving or reaching those goals or desires, I still think the idea of ‘hoping’ for the better days or ‘dreaming’ for those better days is the fuel to make you… fucking do something! Sometimes I get frustrated with these characters for just sitting around and moping, but given the intensity of their desires, you can’t blame them. I understand these characters, and I think that’s what Chekhov is best at! Because he’s writing about you and me, perhaps not on our best days. But it’s the human condition distilled.
I haven’t read a Tracy Letts play yet, but as I was reading this version of Chekhov’s Three Sisters (and the whiplash I felt after reading Mamet’s The Cherry Orchard just before), I felt immediately that I need to rectify the Letts issue. Absolutely loved this in the same vein as Annie Baker’s Uncle Vanya.
“Life will always be hard and mysterious and have the occasional happy day. A thousand years from now, people will still say “life is hard” and they’ll still be afraid to die.”
However, you can only read so much Chekhov in a row. It almost becomes darkly funny reading about all these bored, unfulfilled, depressed, and repressed white people... who don't do much but complain. But I only jest, because the characters are valid for thinking what they think, and Chekhov does a brilliant job of putting words to what we feel, and offering the right perspective to… deal with what we’re dealing with.
“…every day, I can feel my strength, my youth, fading by degrees. The only thing that gets stronger is the dream.”
I’m grateful for reading these Chekhov plays, truly. Especially Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters — I will be coming back to these a lot, or at least regurgitating (botching) the sentiments of these plays. I saw a movie with friends after reading The Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters back-to-back, and then we grabbed drinks; found myself talking about the essence of these plays. Now the characters in all of these plays for the most part kind of end their storylines on a ‘downbeat,’ but I think the romantic thing to take away from these plays is that we can take the lessons learned and apply them to our next actions; to our next goals.
In the end, all of these characters want MORE, and while some of their circumstances deny them from ever achieving or reaching those goals or desires, I still think the idea of ‘hoping’ for the better days or ‘dreaming’ for those better days is the fuel to make you… fucking do something! Sometimes I get frustrated with these characters for just sitting around and moping, but given the intensity of their desires, you can’t blame them. I understand these characters, and I think that’s what Chekhov is best at! Because he’s writing about you and me, perhaps not on our best days. But it’s the human condition distilled.
A high three stars, almost a low four. Sad, touching little play featuring a number of characters who let their lives drift away from them while dreaming of a better future which never arrives. The chaotic nature of some of scenes suggests to me that this really should be seen on stage rather than read, and I found it a little hard to keep of track of the different characters at first. But ultimately rewarding.
Time will fly and we'll go away forever, we'll be forgotten, our faces will be forgotten, and our voices, and how many of us there were, but our suffering will be turned into joy for those who come after us, happiness and peace will flourish on the Earth, and those who live then will remember those who live now with kind words, and they will bless us.
Chekhov takes you by the shoulders, shakes you around, and screams “DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP HOPE” in your face. And honestly I needed that.