Рассказ три сестры три судьбы глава 15

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— Только с девушками можешь сражаться, как я посмотрю, — громко отчитывал Хамит Ридата.
— А ты сам – то кто будешь, что тут же полез защищать незнакомую девчонку? — задал встречный вопрос Ридат.
— Эх, ты, ещё армеец называешься, защищал покой родных и близких людей, а тут у себя же в деревне решил напасть на девушку, которая ни в чём не виновата перед тобой.
Хамит, отчитав парня, пошёл к своим друзьям.
Местные парни объяснили ему, что Малика работает учительницей, а это его парень, которого она провожала в армию.
Тут до него всё дошло. Он понял, что своими выходками и не нужным спором испортил жизнь девушке.
Малика, придя домой, умылась и улеглась спать. Она узнала Хамита, и была благодарна ему за то, что помешал лишить её чести и тем самым спас её репутацию.
На следующей неделе Малика отказалась идти в клуб на танцы, ещё свежи были раны в её душе.
Вечером после табуна она с родителями ужинала, и тут возле их дома остановилась какая-то машина.
Каково же было её удивление, когда Хамит подошёл к воротам с родителями.
Мама засуетилась на кухне, накрывая на стол угощение.
Хамит прошёл в комнату девушки и объяснил, что необходимо им поговорить начистоту.
— Хамит, в чём дело, это еще что за представление? А как же твоя Катиба?
— К сожалению, мои родители были против этого брака. А я не смог препятствовать этому.
— И где теперь эта хорошая добрая девушка? Неужели тебе не жалко было её оставить в таком положении?
Я предлагал ей уехать вместе со мной куда- нибудь далеко и жить, как законные супруги. Но она поступила иначе, сделав прерывание беременности, у какой-то бабульки. А мачеха выгнала её из дома, заявив, что не намерена дома терпеть ещё и нагулянного ребенка. В 80- годы это считалось большим позором, поэтому вот так девушки решали свои жизненные проблемы. Бабулька сделала неаккуратно своё дело, и Катиба покинула белый свет. Я просил её немного потерпеть и подождать, но к несчастью, вот так и закончилось это дело.
— Малика, если я тебе хоть чуточку нравлюсь, я прошу твоей руки и стань, пожалуйста, моей женой. Я верю тебе и знаю, что ты чиста и непорочна, а ещё в тот раз я понял, что ты хорошая девушка, и мы создадим крепкую семью. Мои родители тоже благосклонно относятся к тебе.— Только не подумай, что я из жалости хочу жениться на тебе. Поверь, пожалуйста, что я говорю искренне.
Мне жаль, что из-за меня испортились ваши отношения с Ридатом. Но если бы и помирились, жизни у вас не будет, потому что он будет каждый раз напоминать тебе тот случай, когда неделю ты жила у нас. Разве ему докажешь, что между нами ничего не было.
— Хочешь, на коленях попрошу прощения у тебя, — пылко воскликнул Хамит.
— Не надо, я тебе верю. Мне необходимо немного подумать, а потом дам конкретный ответ. И ещё я хочу сказать тебе, Хамит, что собираюсь поступать на заочное отделение института естественно — географического факультета. Там учится моя младшая сестра Айсияр на очном отделении, на филфаке.
— Насчёт этого не будет никаких проблем. Надо учиться, значит, поступай и учись. Я поддерживаю тебя в любом начинании, этот путь мы преодолеем вместе.
— Давай пойдем к родителям и сообщим им хорошую новость.
— Надо будет поговорить о никахе, и назначим день свадьбы. Не будем надолго откладывать это событие, — весело заговорила мама Хамита.
— Скоро наступят осенние каникулы, и как раз договоримся, на какое число сыграть свадебку, — предложил сам будущий жених.
Как только отъехали сваты, в ворота постучался еще один поздний гость.
В окно виден был силуэт мужчины, который курил и светился огоньком сигареты.
Малика узнала Ридата, поэтому задёрнула шторы, чтобы не разглядывал, что происходит дома.
Собака рвалась с цепи, но никто из хозяев не соизволил выйти и посмотреть, кого на ночь глядя притащили черти.
А утром Малика должна пойти на работу, поэтому ей нужно было отдохнуть и пораньше ложиться спать. Ещё и тетради надо было проверить. Осталось написать ещё один конспект на урок.
Рано утром Ридат встретился на пути девушки и, будучи трезвым, заговорил о том, что некрасиво поступил с ней, и просит прощения у неё.
— Малика, прости, пожалуйста, ты же знаешь, как я тебя люблю. Давай забудем всё плохое и начнём всё с чистого листа.
— Ридат, забудь дорогу к моему дому. У нас нет будущего, и за тебя замуж я не пойду, — сказала, как отрезала девушка.
— Ты решила выйти замуж за этого парня, который из соседней деревни? У него ты жила неделю, поэтому не можешь забыть его? — больно уколол её в самое сердце. Если бы он знал, что до сих пор не может забыть его. Сам виноват, не надо было вот так поступать.
— В данный момент замуж не собираюсь выходить, так что поищи в другом месте себе невесту.
— А зачем мне искать, когда я уже нашёл тебя, дорогая Малика?— горячо воскликнул Ридат.
— Нет и ещё раз нет!— отчеканила Малика.
— Ну и пошла на…— сгоряча промолвил Ридат, и тут же понял, что переборщил. Теперь уж точно не будет ему прощения.
Махнув рукой, пошёл он к себе домой.
Малика издали наблюдала за ним и думала:
— Как же сложна жизнь, и надо поступать так, чтобы потом не сожалеть об ошибках.
— Эх, Ридат, Ридат, за что такое наказание мне с тобой?— про себя подумала девушка. Конечно, ей жалко было его, всё-таки дружили два года, и много общего было у них. Видать, не судьба, и придется смириться с тем, что её ожидает в будущем.
А замуж в любом случае, придется выходить. Иначе Ридат не отстанет от неё и будет надоедать ей своими упрёками и нехорошими подозрениями. Как говорят: стерпится — слюбится. Хотя, чего греха таить, ей Хамит нравится, и верится, что они будут счастливы с ним.

                                                                                                                                         ПРОДОЛЖЕНИЕ СЛЕДУЕТ 

Действие протекает в губернском городе, в доме Прозоровых.

Ирине, младшей из трех сестер Прозоровых, исполняется двадцать лет. «На дворе солнечно, весело», а в зале накрывается стол, ждут гостей — офицеров расквар­ти­рованной в городе артилле­рийской батареи и нового её командира подполковника Вершинина. Все полны радостных ожиданий и надежд. Ирина: «Я не знаю, отчего у меня на душе так светло… Точно я на парусах, надо мной широкое голубое небо и носятся большие белые птицы». На осень намечен переезд Прозоровых в Москву. Сестры не сомневаются, что брат их Андрей поступит в университет и со временем обязательно станет профессором. Благоду­шествует Кулыгин, учитель гимназии, муж одной из сестер, Маши. Поддается общему радостному настроению Чебутыкин, военный доктор, когда-то безумно любивший покойную мать Прозоровых. «Птица моя белая», — целует он растроганно Ирину. Поручик барон Тузенбах с воодушевлением говорит о будущем: «Пришло время […] готовится здоровая, сильная буря, которая […] сдует с нашего общества лень, равнодушие, предубеждение к труду, гнилую скуку». Так же оптимистичен Вершинин. С его появлением у Маши проходит её «мерехлюндия». Атмосферу непринужденной жизнера­достности не нарушает и появление Наташи, хотя сама она ужасно смущена большим обществом. Андрей делает ей предложение: «О молодость, чудная, прекрасная молодость! […] Мне так хорошо, душа полна любви, восторга… Дорогая моя, хорошая, чистая, будьте моей женой!»

Но уже во втором действии мажорные ноты сменяются минорными. Не находит себе места от скуки Андрей. Его, мечтавшего о профессуре в Москве, нисколько не прельщает должность секретаря земской управы, а в городе он чувствует себя «чужим и одиноким». Маша окончательно разочаро­вывается в муже, который когда-то казался ей «ужасно ученым, умным и важным», а среди его товарищей учителей она просто страдает. Не удовлетворена своей работой на телеграфе Ирина: «Чего я так хотела, о чем мечтала, того-то в ней и нет. Труд без поэзии, без мыслей…» Уставшей, с головной болью возвращается из гимназии Ольга. Не в духе Вершинин. Он еще продолжает уверять, что «все на земле должно измениться мало-помалу», но тут же и добавляет: «И как бы мне хотелось доказать вам, что счастья нет, не должно быть и не будет для нас… Мы должны только работать и работать…» В каламбуры Чебутыкина, которыми он потешает окружающих, прорывается затаенная боль: «Как там ни философствуй, а одиночество страшная штука…»

Наташа, постепенно прибирающая к своим рукам весь дом, выпроваживает гостей, ожидавших ряженых. «Мещанка!» — в сердцах говорит Маша Ирине.

Прошло три года. Если первое действие разыгрывалось в полдень, а на дворе было «солнечно, весело», то ремарки к третьему действию «предупреждают» совсем о других — мрачных, печальных — событиях: «За сценой бьют в набат по случаю пожара, начавшегося уже давно. В открытую дверь видно окно, красное от зарева». Дом Прозоровых полон людей, спасающихся от пожара.

Ирина рыдает: «Куда? Куда все ушло? […] а жизнь уходит и никогда не вернется, никогда, никогда мы не уедем в Москву… Я в отчаянии, я в отчаянии!» Задумывается в тревоге Маша: «Как-то мы проживем нашу жизнь, что из нас будет?» Плачет Андрей: «Когда я женился, я думал, что мы будем счастливы… все счастливы… Но Боже мой…» Еще, быть может, сильнее разочарован Тузенбах: «Какая мне тогда (три года назад. — В. Б.) мерещилась счастливая жизнь! Где она?» В запое Чебутыкин: «В голове пусто, на душе холодно. Может быть, я и не человек, а только делаю вид, что у меня руки и ноги… и голова; может быть, я не существую вовсе, а только кажется мне, что я хожу, ем, сплю. (Плачет.)». И чем упорнее твердит Кулыгин: «Я доволен, я доволен, я доволен», тем очевиднее становится, как все надломлены, несчастливы.

И наконец, последнее действие. Приближается осень. Маша, проходя по аллее, глядит вверх: «А уже летят перелетные птицы…» Артилле­рийская бригада покидает город: её переводят в другое место, то ли в Польшу, то ли в Читу. Офицеры приходят проститься с Прозоровыми. Федотик, делая фотографию на память, замечает: «…в городе наступит тишина и спокойствие». Тузенбах добавляет: «И скучища страшная». Андрей высказывается еще категоричнее: «Опустеет город. Точно его колпаком накроют».

Маша расстается с Вершининым, которого она так страстно полюбила: «Неудачная жизнь… Ничего мне теперь не нужно…» Ольга, став начальницей гимназии, понимает: «В Москве, значит, не быть». Ирина решила — «если мне не суждено быть в Москве, то так тому и быть» — принять предложение Тузенбаха, который вышел в отставку: «Мы с бароном завтра венчаемся, завтра же уезжаем на кирпичный, и послезавтра я уже в школе, начинается новая жизнь. […] И у меня вдруг точно крылья выросли на душе, я повеселела, стало много легко и опять захотелось работать, работать…» Чебутыкин в умилении: «Летите, мои милые, летите с Богом!»

На «полет» благословляет он по-своему и Андрея: «Знаешь, надень шапку, возьми в руки палку и уходи… уходи и иди, иди без оглядки. И чем дальше уйдешь, тем лучше».

Но не суждено сбыться даже самым скромным надеждам героев пьесы. Соленый, влюбленный в Ирину, провоцирует ссору с бароном и убивает его на дуэли. Надломленному Андрею не хватает сил, чтобы последовать совету Чебутыкина и взять в руки «посох»: «Отчего мы, едва начавши жить, становимся скучны, серы, неинтересны, ленивы, равнодушны, бесполезны, несчастны…»

Батарея покидает город. Звучит военный марш. Ольга: «Музыка играет так весело, бодро, и хочется жить! […] и, кажется, еще немного, и мы узнаем, зачем мы живем, зачем страдаем… Если бы знать! (Музыка играет все тише и тише.) Если бы знать, если бы знать!» (Занавес.)

Герои пьесы не свободные перелетные птицы, они заключены в прочную социальную «клетку», и личные судьбы всех, в нее попавших, подвластны законам, по каким живет вся страна, переживающая всеобщее неблаго­получие. Не «кто?», а «что?» господствует над человеком. У этого главного виновника несчастий и неудач в пьесе несколько имен — «пошлость», «низость», «грешная жизнь»… Особенно зримым и неприглядным выглядит лицо этой «пошлости» в размышлениях Андрея: «Город наш существует уже двести лет, в нем сто тысяч жителей, и ни одного, который не был бы похож на других… […] Только едят, пьют, спят, потом умирают… родятся другие, и тоже едят, пьют, спят и, чтобы не отупеть от скуки, разнообразят жизнь свою гадкой сплетней, водкой, картами, сутяжни­чеством…»

Антон Павлович Чехов — известный русский писатель и драматург, по совместительству врач. Всю свою жизнь он посвятил написанию произведений, которые с большим успехом ставились и ставятся в театрах. По сей день не найти человека, который не слышал бы этой знаменитой фамилии. В статье представлена пьеса «Три сестры» (краткое содержание).

Действие первое

Действие начинается в доме Андрея Прозорова. Погода теплая и солнечная. Все собрались для того, чтобы отпраздновать именины Ирины, одной из его сестер. Но настроение в доме отнюдь не праздничное: вспоминают смерть отца. Прошел уже год, как он умер, но Прозоровы помнят этот день до мелочей. Погода тогда стояла очень холодная, в мае шел снег. Отца хоронили со всеми почестями, так как он был генералом.

Одиннадцать лет назад все семейство переехало из Москвы в этот губернский город и поселилось в нем основательно. Однако сестры не теряют надежды уехать обратно в столицу, и все их мысли связаны именно с этим. Прочитав краткое содержание книги «Три сестры», вам непременно захочется ознакомиться с оригиналом.

Сестры

Тем временем в доме накрывается стол, и все ждут офицеров, которые были расквартированы в этом городе. Все члены семейства пребывают в совершенно разном расположении духа. Ирина чувствует себя белой птицей, на душе у нее хорошо и спокойно. Маша витает далеко в своих мыслях и тихо насвистывает какую-то мелодию. А Ольгу, наоборот, переполняет усталость, ее преследует головная боль и недовольство работой в гимназии, кроме того, она вся поглощена воспоминаниями о любимом отце. Одно объединяет сестер — горячее желание покинуть этот провинциальный городок и переехать в Москву.

Гости

Также в доме находится трое мужчин. Чебутыкин — доктор в военной части, во времена своей молодости он страстно любил сейчас уже покойную мать Прозоровых. Ему около шестидесяти лет. Тузенбах — барон и поручик, который не работал в своей жизни ни одного дня. Мужчина всем говорит, что, хоть фамилия у него немецкая, на самом деле он русский, и у него православная вера. Соленый — штабс-капитан, человек своенравный, который привык вести себя достаточно грубо. Что это за личность, вы узнаете, прочитав наше краткое содержание.

Три сестры — совершенно разные девушки. Ирина рассуждает о том, как сильно ей хочется работать. Она считает, что труд — смысл жизни человека. В понимании Ирины лучше быть лошадью, чем девушкой, которая только и делает, что спит до полудня, а затем пьет чай весь день. Тузенбах присоединяется к этим размышлениям. Он вспоминает свое детство, когда за него все делали слуги и ограждали от любого вида труда. Барон говорит, что надвигается время, когда каждый будет работать. Что эта волна смоет с общества налет лени и скуки. Чебутыкин, оказывается, тоже никогда не работал. Он даже ничего не читал, за исключением газет. Он сам же про себя говорит, что знает, например, фамилию Добролюбова, но кто это такой и чем он отличился — не слышал. Иными словами, в разговоре принимают участие люди, которые даже представления не имеют о том, что такое труд на самом деле. В чем истинный смысл этих слов, вам покажет краткое содержание. «Три сестры» Чехова А. П. — произведение, наполненное философским смыслом.

Чебутыкин уходит на время и вновь возвращается с серебряным самоваром. Его он преподносит Ирине в качестве подарка на именины. Сестры ахают и обвиняют мужчину в разбрасывании денег. Характеристику Чебутыкина не может подробно раскрыть краткое содержание. «Три сестры» Чехов А. П. не зря называет одним из лучших своих произведений. Читателю стоит ознакомиться с ним подробнее.

Появляется подполковник Вершинин, он — командир прибывшей роты офицеров. Как только он переступает порог дома Прозоровых, сразу начинает рассказывать, что у него есть жена и две дочки. Жена не в своем уме и из раза в раз пытается покончить жизнь самоубийством, дабы привлечь к себе его внимание.

Далее выясняется, что Вершинин служил в одной батарее с отцом Прозоровых. В ходе разговора становится понятно, что подполковник из Москвы. Интерес к нему разгорается с новой силой. Мужчина восторгается этим провинциальным городом, его природой, а сестрам он безразличен. Им нужна Москва.

Брат

За стеной слышатся звуки скрипки. Это играет Андрей, брат девушек. Он бесконечно влюблен в Наташу, молодую особу, которая совершенно не умеет одеваться. Андрей не очень-то жалует гостей и в ходе короткого разговора с Вершишиным жалуется ему на то, что отец угнетал их с сестрами. После его смерти мужчина почувствовал некую свободу и постепенно начал полнеть. Также выясняется, что все семейство Прозоровых знает несколько иностранных языков, которые, впрочем, ни разу не пригодились им в жизни. Андрей сетует, что они знают слишком много лишнего, и это все никогда не пригодится в их маленьком городке. Прозоров мечтает стать профессором в Москве. Что же было дальше? Об этом вы узнаете, прочитав краткое содержание. «Три сестры» Чехова — пьеса, заставляющая задуматься о смысле жизни.

Появляется Кулыгин, учитель гимназии, в которой работает Маша, по совместительству его жена. Он поздравляет Ирину и дарит ей книгу об учреждении, в котором он работает. Выясняется, что Кулыгин уже дарил ей эту книгу ранее, поэтому подарок благополучно переходит в руки Вершинина. Кулыгин всем сердцем любит свою жену, а она к нему равнодушна. Маша вышла замуж рано, и ей казалось, что ее муж — самый умный человек на свете. А теперь ей стало с ним скучно.

Тузенбаху, как выясняется, очень нравится Ирина. Он еще совсем молод, ему нет и тридцати. Ирина отвечает ему скрытой взаимностью. Девушка говорит, что еще не видела настоящей жизни, что ее родители — люди, которые презирали настоящий труд. Что хотел сказать этими словами Чехов? «Три сестры» (краткое содержание произведений представлено в статье) поведает вам об этом.

Наташа

Появляется Наташа, возлюбленная Андрея. Она одета нелепо: розовое платье с зеленым поясом. Сестры намекают ей на безвкусицу, но она не понимает, в чем дело. Влюбленные уединяются, и Андрей делает Наташе предложение. На этой романтической ноте заканчивается первая часть (краткое содержание). «Три сестры» — пьеса, состоящая из четырех действий. А посему идем дальше.

Второе действие

Эту часть отличают ноты проскальзывающего пессимизма. Проходит некоторое время после событий, описанных в первом действии. Наташа и Андрей уже женаты, у них есть сын Бобик. Женщина понемногу начинает прибирать к рукам весь дом.

Ирина поступает работать на телеграф. Приходит с работы уставшая и недовольная собственной жизнью. Тузенбах всячески пытается ее подбодрить, он встречает ее с работы и провожает домой. Андрей все больше разочаровывается в своей работе. Ему не нравится быть земским секретарем. Мужчина видит свое предназначение в научной деятельности. Прозоров ощущает себя чужим, говорит, что жена его не понимает, а сестры могут поднять на смех. Вершинин начинает оказывать знаки внимания Маше, которой все это доставляет удовольствие. Она жалуется на мужа, а Вершинин, в свою очередь, жалуется Маше на жену. Всех подробностей пьесы не в силах охватить краткое содержание. «Три сестры» Чехова — яркий образец классической литературы, достойный прочтения в оригинале.

Однажды вечером в доме заходит разговор о том, что будет через несколько сотен лет, в том числе затрагивается тема счастья. Выясняется, что каждый вкладывает в это понятие свой смысл. Маша видит счастье в вере, считает, что во всем должен быть смысл. Тузенбах и так счастлив. Вершинин говорит, что этого понятия не существует, что нужно беспрестанно работать. По его мнению, счастливы будут только следующие поколения. Дабы понять весь смысл этого разговора, не ограничивайтесь прочтением произведения «Три сестры» Чехова в кратком изложении.

В этот вечер ожидается праздник, ждут ряженых. Однако Наташа говорит, что Бобик болен, и все потихоньку расходятся. Соленый встречает Ирину в одиночестве и признается ей в своих чувствах. Однако девушка холодна и неприступна. Соленый уходит ни с чем. Приезжает Протопопов и зовет Наташу кататься на санях, она соглашается. У них зарождается роман.

Третье действие

Царит совершенно иное настроение, а обстановка накаляется. Начинается все с пожара в городе. Сестры стараются всем помочь и размещают пострадавших людей у себя в доме. Также они собирают вещи для погорельцев. Одним словом, семья Прозоровых не остается равнодушной к чужому горю. Однако Наташе все это не нравится. Она всячески притесняет сестер и прикрывает это заботой о детях. К этому времени у них с Андреем уже двое детей, рождается дочка Софочка. Наташа недовольна тем, что дом полон незнакомых людей.

Четвертое действие (краткое содержание)

Три сестры находят выход из сложившейся ситуации. Заключительная часть начинается с прощания: офицеры покидают город. Тузенбах предлагает Ирине обвенчаться, и она соглашается, однако этому не суждено сбыться. Соленый вызывает барона на дуэль и убивает его. Вершинин прощается с Машей и тоже уезжает вместе со своей батареей. Ольга теперь работает начальницей гимназии и не живет в родительском доме. Ирина собирается покинуть этот город и работать в школе учительницей. Хозяйкой в доме остается Наташа.

Мы пересказали краткое содержание. Три сестры покидают родительский дом в поисках счастья.

Кинотурция

На этой странице представлено содержание серий сериала «Три сестры». Узнайте о событиях которые разворачиваются в каждой серии на сайте Кинотурция.Ру.

«Tri sestry» redirects here. For Czech punk rock band, see Tři sestry. For the opera by Péter Eötvös, see Tri sestry (opera).

Three Sisters
Cover of first edition, published 1901 by Adolf Marks
Written by	Anton Chekhov
Characters	Prozorov family: Olga Sergeyevna Prozorova Maria Sergeyevna Kulygina Irina Sergeyevna Prozorova Andrei Sergeyevich Prozorov
Date premiered	1901, Moscow
Original language	Russian
Genre	Drama
Setting	A provincial Russian garrison town

Three Sisters (Russian: Три сeстры́, romanized: Tri sestry) is a play by the Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1900 and first performed in 1901 at the Moscow Art Theatre. The play is sometimes included on the short list of Chekhov’s outstanding plays, along with The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Uncle Vanya.^[1]

Characters[edit]

The Prozorovs[edit]

• Olga Sergeyevna Prozorova (Olga) – The eldest of the three sisters, she is the matriarchal figure of the Prozorov family, though at the beginning of the play she is only 28 years old. Olga is a teacher at the high school, where she frequently fills in for the headmistress whenever the latter is absent. Olga is a spinster and at one point tells Irina that she would have married «any man, even an old man if he had asked» her. Olga is very motherly even to the elderly servants, keeping on the elderly nurse/retainer Anfisa, long after she has ceased to be useful. When Olga reluctantly takes the role of headmistress permanently, she takes Anfisa with her to escape the clutches of the heartless Natasha.
• Maria Sergeyevna Kulygina (Masha) – The middle sister, she is 23 at the beginning of the play. She married her husband, Kulygin, when she was 18 and just out of school. When the play opens she has been disappointed in the marriage and falls completely in love with the idealistic Lieutenant-Colonel Vershinin. They begin a clandestine affair. When he is transferred away, she is crushed, but returns to life with her husband, who accepts her back despite knowing what she has done. She has a short temper, which is seen frequently throughout the play, and is the sister who disapproves the most of Natasha. Onstage, her directness often serves as a tonic to the melodrama, and her ironic wit comes across as heroic. She provides much of the humour. She was trained as a concert pianist.
• Irina Sergeyevna Prozorova – The youngest sister, she is 20 at the beginning of the play. It is her «name day» at the beginning of the play and though she insists she is grown-up she is still enchanted by things such as a spinning top brought to her by Fedotik. Her only desire is to go back to Moscow, which they left eleven years before the play begins. She believes she will find her true love in Moscow, but when it becomes clear that they are not going to Moscow, she agrees to marry the Baron Tuzenbach, whom she admires but does not love. She gets her teaching degree and plans to leave with the Baron, but he is shot and killed by the psychopath Solyony in a pointless duel. She decides to leave anyway and dedicate her life to work and service.
• Andrei Sergeyevich Prozorov (Andrey) – The brother of the three sisters. In Act I, he is a young man on the fast track to becoming a faculty professor in Moscow. However, his inertia, weak-willed indecisiveness, and poor judgment (all of which will become apparent throughout the play) put paid to those dreams. In Act II, he still longs for his old days as a bachelor dreaming of life in Moscow, but is now, due to his fatefully ill-conceived wedding to Natasha, stuck in a provincial town with a baby and a job as secretary to the County Council. In Act III, his debts have grown to 35,000 rubles and he is forced to mortgage the house, but does not tell his sisters or give them any shares in the family home. Act IV finds Andrei a pathetic shell of his former self, now the father of two (although he may not be the biological father of the younger child). He acknowledges he is a failure and laughed at in town for being a member of the village council whose president, Protopopov (never seen onstage), is cuckolding him.
• Natalia Ivanovna Prozorov (Natasha) – Andrei’s love interest, later his wife. She begins the play as an awkward young woman who dresses poorly and is ridiculed and teased by Andrei’s sisters. Much fun is made of her ill-becoming green sash and she bursts into tears. She apparently has no family of her own, although not known to be an orphan (a signal that she cares for no one but herself) and the reader never learns her maiden name. She agrees to marry Andrei despite seemingly being surprised by the proposal. Act II finds a very different Natasha. She has grown bossy and flagrantly carries on an affair with Protopopov, the president of the council on which her husband sits bureaucratic superior, and who may well be the biological father of her younger child, especially since she has bustled Andrei out of their bedroom into more modest quarters. In Act III, she has become even more controlling. She is determined, among other things, to expel the sisters’ now elderly former family retainer, Anfisa, who is no longer fit for hard work, and still throws temper tantrums whenever she doesn’t get her way, an increasingly rare event. Act IV finds that she has control of the house, and, as the châtelaine, is planning to radically change the grounds to her liking. Inarguably, she is the victor by the end of the play — caring for no one besides her own children, Bobik and Sofia, upon whom she dotes. The only woman in the play with children, she rules the Prozorov’s now mortgaged (to pay for her husband’s debts and her expensive tastes) former family home with an iron fist. She orders the trees on the property be cut down because they are ugly at night.
• Fyodor Ilyich Kulygin – Masha’s older husband and the Latin teacher at the high school. Kulygin is a jovial, kindly man, who truly loves his wife, and her sisters, although he is very much aware of her infidelity. In the first act he seems almost foolish, giving Irina a gift he has already given her, and joking around with the doctor to make fun of Natasha, but begins to grow more and more sympathetic as Masha’s affair progresses. During the fire in Act 3, he confesses to Olga that he might have married her – the fact that the two would probably be very happy together is hinted at many times during the play. Throughout the play, often at the most serious moments, he often tries to make the other characters laugh in order to relieve tension, and while that doesn’t always work, he is able to give his wife comfort through humour in her darkest hour at the climax of the play. At the end of the play, although knowing what Masha has done, he takes her back and accepts her failings.

The soldiers[edit]

• Aleksandr Ignatyevich Vershinin – Lieutenant colonel commanding the artillery battery, Vershinin is a true philosopher. He knew the girls’ father in Moscow and they talk about how when they were little they called him the «Lovesick Major». In the course of the play, despite being married, he enters into an affair with Masha but must end it when the battery is transferred. He frequently mentions how his wife regularly attempts suicide (and he has two daughters), but he seems to not care. His first act speech about the hope he has for civilization speaks directly to Masha’s melancholic heart, and, upon hearing it, she declares «I’m staying for lunch.»
• Baron Nikolaj Lvovich Tuzenbach – A lieutenant in the army and not deemed handsome, Tuzenbach often tries to impress Irina, whom he has loved for five years. He quits the Army to go to work in an attempt to impress her. He is repeatedly taunted by Solyony and between Acts III and IV, he retaliates and prompts Solyony to declare a duel. He is killed in the duel, thus his and Irina’s union is forlorn.
• Staff Captain Vassily Vasilyevich Solyony – A captain in the army, Solyony is a borderline psychotic social misfit and a rather modern type of antihero. Infatuated with Irina, he tries to put down the Baron to make himself look better, but Irina finds him crude and unappealing. He spends much of his time mocking the Baron, who is the closest thing he has to a friend, and ends up killing him in a pointless duel because he has sworn to kill any successful suitor for Irina even though he knows it will not win him her hand. (He has fought at least two previous duels, although the details and fates of his previous dueling opponents is not specified.) He claims to have a remarkable resemblance to the poet Lermontov in both face and personality, often quoting him, although Lermontov was killed in a duel by refusing to fire at his opponent, Nikolai Martynov, who aimed at Lermontov’s heart. Thus, Solyony turns out to be the polar opposite of Lermontov in actual character and closer to Martynov. He always carries a small perfume bottle which he frequently (almost pathologically) sprinkles his hands and body with; it is later revealed that he does it to mask the smell of corpses on him.
• Ivan Romanovich Chebutykin – Sixty years old and an army doctor, Chebutykin starts off as a fun, eccentric old man who exults in his place as family friend and lavishes upon Irina the expensive but inappropriate gift of a samovar. Later on in Act III, while drunk, he suffers an existential crisis and reveals to all about Natasha’s and Protopopov’s affair. In Act IV however, he seems to have come to terms with his crisis or perhaps been broken by it. He was in love, apparently unrequitedly, with the Prozorov siblings’ mother, a married woman.
• Alexei Petrovich Fedotik – A sub-lieutenant, Fedotik hangs around the house buying many gifts for the family. He also is an amateur photographer, and takes photos of the group. In Act III, he loses all his belongings in the fire, but retains his cheerful nature.
• Vladimir Karlovich Rode – Another sub-lieutenant, Rode is a drill coach at the high school.

Others[edit]

• Ferapont – Door-keeper at the local council offices, Ferapont is an old man with a partial hearing loss. He repeatedly blurts out random facts, usually relating to Moscow.
• Anfisa – An elderly family retainer and former nurse, Anfisa is 81 years old and has worked forever for the Prozorov family. Natasha begins to despise her for her feebleness and threatens to throw her out but Olga rescues her, taking her to live at Olga’s teacher’s flat.

Unseen characters[edit]

The play has several important characters who are talked about frequently, but never seen onstage. These include Protopopov, head of the local Council and Natasha’s lover; Vershinin’s suicidal wife and two daughters; Kulygin’s beloved superior the headmaster of the high school, and Natasha’s children (Bobik and Sofia). JL Styan contends in his The Elements of Drama that in the last act Chekhov revised the text to show that Protopopov is the real father of Sofia: «The children are to be tended by their respective fathers» — Andrey pushes Bobik in his pram, and Protopopov sits with Sofia.^[2][3]

Synopsis[edit]

Act one begins with Olga (the eldest sister) working as a schoolteacher but at the end of the play she is made headmistress, a position she had said she did not want. Masha, the middle sister and the artist of the family (she was trained as a concert pianist), is married to Feodor Ilyich Kulygin, a schoolteacher. At the time of their marriage, Masha, younger than he, was enchanted by what she took to be wisdom, but seven years later, she sees through his pedantry and his clownish attempts to compensate for the emptiness between them. Irina, the youngest sister, is still full of expectation. She speaks of her dream of going to Moscow and meeting her true love. It was in Moscow that the sisters grew up, and they all long to return to the sophistication and happiness of that time. Andrei is the only boy in the family and his sisters adore him. He falls in love with Natalia Ivanovna («Natasha»), who is somewhat common in relation to the sisters and initially suffers under their glance. The play begins on the first anniversary of the death of their father, Sergei Prozorov. It is also Irina’s name-day, and everyone, including the soldiers (led by the gallant Vershinin) bringing with them a sense of noble idealism, comes together to celebrate it. At the very close of the act, Andrei exultantly confesses his feelings to Natasha in private and fatefully asks her to marry him.

Act two begins almost a year later with Andrei and Natasha married with their first child (offstage), a baby boy named Bobik. Natasha is having an affair with Protopopov, Andrei’s superior, a character who is mentioned but never seen onstage. Masha comes home flushed from a night out, and it is clear that she and her companion, Lieutenant-Colonel Vershinin, are giddy with the secret of their mutual love for one another. Natasha manipulatively quashes the plans for a party in the home; the resultant quiet suggests that all happiness is being quashed as well. Tuzenbach and Solyony both declare their love for Irina.

Act three takes place about a year later in Olga and Irina’s room, a clear sign that Natasha is taking over the household as she asked them to share rooms so that her child could have a different room. There has been a fire in the town, and, in the crisis, people are passing in and out of the room, carrying blankets and clothes to give aid. Olga, Masha and Irina are angry with their brother, Andrei, for mortgaging their home without their knowledge or consent, keeping the money to pay off his gambling debts and ceding all power over the household to his wife. However, when faced with Natasha’s cruelty to their aged family retainer, Anfisa, Olga’s own best efforts to stand up to Natasha come to naught. Masha, alone with her sisters, confides in them her romance with Vershinin («I love, love, love that man.»). At one point, Kulygin (Masha’s husband) blunders into the room, doting ever more foolishly on her, and she stalks out. Irina despairs at the common turn her life has taken, the life of a municipal worker, even as she rails at the folly of her aspirations and her education. («I can’t remember the Italian for ‘window'».) Out of her resignation, supported in this by Olga’s realistic outlook, Irina decides to accept Tuzenbach’s offer of marriage even though she does not love him. Chebutykin drunkenly stumbles and smashes a clock which had belonged to the Prozorov siblings’ late mother, whom he loved. Andrei then vents his self-hatred, acknowledges his own awareness of life’s folly and his disappointment in Natasha, and begs his sisters’ forgiveness for everything.

In the fourth and final act, outdoors behind the home, the soldiers are preparing to leave the area. A flash-photograph is taken. There is an undercurrent of tension because Solyony has challenged the Baron (Tuzenbach) to a duel over a flimsy pretext. Solyony had told Irina that he would kill any successful suitor for her hand but she still agreed to marry Tuzenbach, notwithstanding which she confesses that she cannot love him, likening her heart to a piano whose key has been lost. (Tuzenbach, having left the Army was under no obligation to agree to the duel but did so, anyway, losing his life for what would have been a loveless marriage.) As the soldiers are leaving, a shot is heard, and Tuzenbach’s death in the duel is announced shortly before the end of the play.

Masha has to be pulled, sobbing, from Vershinin’s arms, but her husband willingly, compassionately, asks that they start again. Olga has reluctantly accepted the position of permanent headmistress of the school where she teaches and is moving out. She is taking Anfisa with her, thus rescuing the elderly woman from Natasha.

Irina’s fate is uncertain but, even in her grief at Tuzenbach’s death, she wants to persevere in her work as a teacher. Natasha remains as the chatelaine, in charge and in control of everything. Andrei is stuck in his marriage with two children, unwilling and unable to do anything for his wife or himself. As the play closes, the three sisters stand in a desperate embrace, gazing off as the soldiers depart to the sound of a band’s gay march. As Chebutykin sings Ta-ra-ra-boom-di-ay to himself,^{[nb 1]} Olga’s final lines call for an end to the confusion all three feel at life’s sufferings and joy: «If we only knew… If we only knew.»

Premiere[edit]

The play was written for the Moscow Art Theatre and it opened on 31 January 1901, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Stanislavski played Vershinin and the sisters were Olga Knipper (for whom Chekhov wrote the part of Masha), Margarita Savitskaya as Olga and Maria Andreyeva as Irina. Maria Lilina (Stanislavski’s wife) was Natasha, Vsevolod Meyerhold appeared as Tusenbach, Mikhail Gromov as Solyony,^{[nb 2]} Alexander Artyom as Artem Chebutykin, Ioasaf Tikhomirov as Fedotik, Ivan Moskvin as Rode, Vladimir Gribunin as Ferapont, and Maria Samarova as Anfisa.^[4][5]

Reception was mixed. Chekhov felt that Stanislavski’s «exuberant» direction had masked the subtleties of the work and that only Knipper had shown her character developing in the manner the playwright had intended. In the directors’ view, the point was to show the hopes, aspirations and dreams of the characters, but audiences were affected by the pathos of the sisters’ loneliness and desperation and by their eventual, uncomplaining acceptance of their situation. Nonetheless the piece proved popular and soon it became established in the company’s repertoire.^[6][7]

Notable productions[edit]

Dates	Production	Director	Notes
24 May 1965	BBC Home Service	John Tydeman	English translation by Elisaveta Fen; adapted for radio by Peter Watts; cast included Paul Scofield, Lynn Redgrave, Ian McKellen, Jill Bennett, among others[8]
29 September 1979	The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon	Trevor Nunn	Version by Richard Cottrell[9]
28 March 1990	Gate Theatre, Dublin and Royal Court Theatre, London	Adrian Noble	Version by Frank McGuinness with real-life sisters in the title roles: Sinéad Cusack as Masha, Sorcha Cusack as Olga and Niamh Cusack as Irina. Their father, Cyril Cusack played Chebutykin.
30 August – 13 October 2007	Soulpepper Theatre, Toronto	László Marton	Version by Nicolas Billon
November 2008	Regent’s Canal, Camden, London.	Tanya Roberts	An adaptation by the Metra Theatre[10]
29 July – 3 August 2008	Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane	Declan Donnellan	Chekhov International Theatre Festival (Moscow), part of Brisbane Festival 2008
5 May 2009 – 14 June 2009	Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland	Jon Kretzu	Adapted by Tracy Letts[11]
12 January – 6 March 2011	Classic Stage Company, NYC	Austin Pendleton	Real-life husband and wife actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard starred.[12]
14 February – 8 March 2020	The Bindery, San Francisco	Angie Higgins	Starring Marcia Aguilar[13]

• John Gielgud’s 1936–37 landmark season at the Queen’s Theatre included a well-received production with Peggy Ashcroft as Irina and Michael Redgrave as Tusenbach.
• In 1942, Judith Anderson portrayed Olga, Katharine Cornell portrayed Masha, Gertrude Musgrove portrayed Irina, and Ruth Gordon portrayed Natasha on Broadway. The production was significant enough to land the cast on the cover of Time on 21 December 1942, which proclaimed it «a dream production by anybody’s reckoning – the most glittering cast the theatre has seen, commercially, in this generation».^[14]
• The 1963 inaugural season of the Guthrie Theater included a production with Jessica Tandy as Olga.
• There is a filmed record of a mid-1960s production by The Actors Studio with Kim Stanley and Geraldine Page as Masha and Olga, respectively, supported by Sandy Dennis’s Irina and Shelley Winters as Natasha.
• American Film Theatre in 1970 filmed a version with a witty Masha from Joan Plowright opposite Alan Bates as Vershinin, with Ronald Pickup as Tusenbach and Laurence Olivier, who co-directed, playing Chebutykin. The film was based on a theatre production that Olivier directed at the Royal National Theatre in 1967.
• Rosemary Harris, Ellen Burstyn and Tovah Feldshuh played, respectively, Olga, Masha and Irina at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in the 1970s with René Auberjonois as Solyony.
• A 1982 production at Manhattan Theatre Club, had Dianne Wiest as Masha, Lisa Banes as Olga, Mia Dillon as Irina, Christine Ebersole as Natasha, Sam Waterston as Vershinin, Jeff Daniels as Andrei, Bob Balaban as Tusenbach, and Jack Gilford as Chebutykin.
• Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company put one together under the direction of Austin Pendleton, with Molly Regan as Olga, Joan Allen as Masha, Rondi Reed as Natasha, and Kevin Anderson as Solyony.
• In 1985 Casper Wrede directed a production at the Royal Exchange, Manchester with Cheryl Prime as Natasha, Emma Piper as Olga, Janet McTeer as Masha, Niamh Cusack as Irina and Espen Skjonberg as Dr Chebutykin.
• The Roundabout Theatre in New York had Jerry Stiller as Chebutykin, Billy Crudup as Solyony, Eric Stoltz as Tuzenbach, Lili Taylor as Irina, Paul Giamatti as Andrei, Amy Irving as Olga, Jeanne Tripplehorn as Masha, Calista Flockhart as Natasha, and David Strathairn as Vershinin.
• In 1990, the Irish theatrical dynasty, the Cusacks, were cast in the play, in a new version by Frank McGuinness, which opened at the Gate Theatre in Dublin with the three award-winning sisters Sinéad Cusack (Masha), Sorcha Cusack (Olga) and Niamh Cusack (Irina) in the title rôles and their father Cyril Cusack as Dr. Chebutykin.^[15] This is the only production ever to cast three ‘real’ sisters, professional actors in their own rights, in the title rôles. The production, which was directed by the then newly appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Adrian Noble, transferred to London’s Royal Court Theatre for a sell-out season in 1991. Amongst the supporting cast were Lesley Manville as Natasha and Finbar Lynch as Tusenbach.
• In 1991, sisters Vanessa Redgrave (Olga) and Lynn Redgrave (Masha) made their first and only appearance together onstage in this, with niece Jemma Redgrave as Irina at the Queen’s Theatre, London.
• In 2003, Romanian director Radu Afrim adapted the play in a controversial production at the Andrei Mureşanu theatre in Sfantu-Gheorghe, highly criticized by Michael Billington, but praised by other critics, leading to a local controversy in the Romanian press which would catapult Afrim to national superstardom in Romanian theatre.^{[16][17][18][19]}
• The play was produced in 2010 at the Lyric Hammersmith by Filter with a cast including Poppy Miller, Romola Garai and Clare Dunne.^[20]
• In 2010, the play was adapted by for Theatre Na Fidlovačce, Prague as Tři sestry. The sisters played Andrea Černá, Zuzana Vejvodová and Martina Randová and other actors were Otakar Brousek ml. as Vershinin, Tomáš Töpfer as Doctor Chebutykin
• In 2012, the play was staged at the Young Vic, directed by Benedict Andrews in his own new version. The cast included Vanessa Kirby, Mariah Gale and Sam Troughton.
• In 2014, the play was staged at the Southwark Playhouse, directed by Russell Bolam. The cast included Olivia Hallinan, Holliday Grainger and Paul McGann.
• In 2017, the play was staged at the Studio Theatre directed by Jackson Gay in conjunction with a modern adaption called No Sisters;; directed by Aaron Posner.^[21]
• In 2017, the play was staged by Sydney Theatre Company at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 6 November — 16 December. The new adaptation was by Andrew Upton and the cast included Alison Bell as Olga, Miranda Daughtry as Irina and Harry Greenwood as Tusenbach.^[22]
• In 2019, the play was staged at the Almeida Theatre in London, with Alan Williams playing Ivan Romanovich Chebutykin.

Adaptations[edit]

• Three Sisters has been adapted into a full-length opera by Hungarian composer Péter Eötvös and Claus H. Henneberg, as Tri sestry (Three Sisters). It was premiered at the Opéra National de Lyon in 1998, directed by Ushio Amagatsu, and conducted by Kent Nagano and the composer.
• Three Sisters on Hope Street, a 2008 British play co-written by Diane Samuels and Tracy Ann Oberman, reinterprets Chekhov’s play by transferring events to Liverpool after World War II and re-casting the Pozorov sisters as three Jewish Englishwomen. It opened at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool on 25 January 2008 before beginning a second run at the Hampstead Theatre in London.^[23]
• In 2011, the play was adapted by Blake Morrison for Northern Broadsides as We Are Three Sisters, drawing out parallels with the lives of the Brontë sisters.^[24]
• In 2020 an adaptation of the play by Inua Ellams, set in Owerri, Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War between 1967 and 1970, was staged at the Lyttelton Theatre in London.
• Track 3, a 2013 adaptation of the play created by Theatre Movement Bazaar co-founders, Tina Kronis and Richard Alger. It premiered in Los Angeles and has played in the UK, China, and in 2017 was the first US production in over 25 years to play in the Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Moscow.
• Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, a stage adaptation by Halley Feiffer that approaches the story through a contemporary lens, originally premiering in 2017.^[25][26]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Three Sisters at Standard Ebooks
• ​Three Sisters​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• Oxquarry Books, an English translation of Three Sisters
• Project Gutenberg, English translations of several Chekhov plays, including Three Sisters
• Full text of Three Sisters (in Russian)
• The Three Sisters public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• Three Sisters from Czech theatre ‘Divadlo na Fidlovačce’, Prague

«Tri sestry» redirects here. For Czech punk rock band, see Tři sestry. For the opera by Péter Eötvös, see Tri sestry (opera).

Three Sisters
Cover of first edition, published 1901 by Adolf Marks
Written by	Anton Chekhov
Characters	Prozorov family: Olga Sergeyevna Prozorova Maria Sergeyevna Kulygina Irina Sergeyevna Prozorova Andrei Sergeyevich Prozorov
Date premiered	1901, Moscow
Original language	Russian
Genre	Drama
Setting	A provincial Russian garrison town

Three Sisters (Russian: Три сeстры́, romanized: Tri sestry) is a play by the Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov. It was written in 1900 and first performed in 1901 at the Moscow Art Theatre. The play is sometimes included on the short list of Chekhov’s outstanding plays, along with The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Uncle Vanya.^[1]

Characters[edit]

The Prozorovs[edit]

• Olga Sergeyevna Prozorova (Olga) – The eldest of the three sisters, she is the matriarchal figure of the Prozorov family, though at the beginning of the play she is only 28 years old. Olga is a teacher at the high school, where she frequently fills in for the headmistress whenever the latter is absent. Olga is a spinster and at one point tells Irina that she would have married «any man, even an old man if he had asked» her. Olga is very motherly even to the elderly servants, keeping on the elderly nurse/retainer Anfisa, long after she has ceased to be useful. When Olga reluctantly takes the role of headmistress permanently, she takes Anfisa with her to escape the clutches of the heartless Natasha.
• Maria Sergeyevna Kulygina (Masha) – The middle sister, she is 23 at the beginning of the play. She married her husband, Kulygin, when she was 18 and just out of school. When the play opens she has been disappointed in the marriage and falls completely in love with the idealistic Lieutenant-Colonel Vershinin. They begin a clandestine affair. When he is transferred away, she is crushed, but returns to life with her husband, who accepts her back despite knowing what she has done. She has a short temper, which is seen frequently throughout the play, and is the sister who disapproves the most of Natasha. Onstage, her directness often serves as a tonic to the melodrama, and her ironic wit comes across as heroic. She provides much of the humour. She was trained as a concert pianist.
• Irina Sergeyevna Prozorova – The youngest sister, she is 20 at the beginning of the play. It is her «name day» at the beginning of the play and though she insists she is grown-up she is still enchanted by things such as a spinning top brought to her by Fedotik. Her only desire is to go back to Moscow, which they left eleven years before the play begins. She believes she will find her true love in Moscow, but when it becomes clear that they are not going to Moscow, she agrees to marry the Baron Tuzenbach, whom she admires but does not love. She gets her teaching degree and plans to leave with the Baron, but he is shot and killed by the psychopath Solyony in a pointless duel. She decides to leave anyway and dedicate her life to work and service.
• Andrei Sergeyevich Prozorov (Andrey) – The brother of the three sisters. In Act I, he is a young man on the fast track to becoming a faculty professor in Moscow. However, his inertia, weak-willed indecisiveness, and poor judgment (all of which will become apparent throughout the play) put paid to those dreams. In Act II, he still longs for his old days as a bachelor dreaming of life in Moscow, but is now, due to his fatefully ill-conceived wedding to Natasha, stuck in a provincial town with a baby and a job as secretary to the County Council. In Act III, his debts have grown to 35,000 rubles and he is forced to mortgage the house, but does not tell his sisters or give them any shares in the family home. Act IV finds Andrei a pathetic shell of his former self, now the father of two (although he may not be the biological father of the younger child). He acknowledges he is a failure and laughed at in town for being a member of the village council whose president, Protopopov (never seen onstage), is cuckolding him.
• Natalia Ivanovna Prozorov (Natasha) – Andrei’s love interest, later his wife. She begins the play as an awkward young woman who dresses poorly and is ridiculed and teased by Andrei’s sisters. Much fun is made of her ill-becoming green sash and she bursts into tears. She apparently has no family of her own, although not known to be an orphan (a signal that she cares for no one but herself) and the reader never learns her maiden name. She agrees to marry Andrei despite seemingly being surprised by the proposal. Act II finds a very different Natasha. She has grown bossy and flagrantly carries on an affair with Protopopov, the president of the council on which her husband sits bureaucratic superior, and who may well be the biological father of her younger child, especially since she has bustled Andrei out of their bedroom into more modest quarters. In Act III, she has become even more controlling. She is determined, among other things, to expel the sisters’ now elderly former family retainer, Anfisa, who is no longer fit for hard work, and still throws temper tantrums whenever she doesn’t get her way, an increasingly rare event. Act IV finds that she has control of the house, and, as the châtelaine, is planning to radically change the grounds to her liking. Inarguably, she is the victor by the end of the play — caring for no one besides her own children, Bobik and Sofia, upon whom she dotes. The only woman in the play with children, she rules the Prozorov’s now mortgaged (to pay for her husband’s debts and her expensive tastes) former family home with an iron fist. She orders the trees on the property be cut down because they are ugly at night.
• Fyodor Ilyich Kulygin – Masha’s older husband and the Latin teacher at the high school. Kulygin is a jovial, kindly man, who truly loves his wife, and her sisters, although he is very much aware of her infidelity. In the first act he seems almost foolish, giving Irina a gift he has already given her, and joking around with the doctor to make fun of Natasha, but begins to grow more and more sympathetic as Masha’s affair progresses. During the fire in Act 3, he confesses to Olga that he might have married her – the fact that the two would probably be very happy together is hinted at many times during the play. Throughout the play, often at the most serious moments, he often tries to make the other characters laugh in order to relieve tension, and while that doesn’t always work, he is able to give his wife comfort through humour in her darkest hour at the climax of the play. At the end of the play, although knowing what Masha has done, he takes her back and accepts her failings.

The soldiers[edit]

• Aleksandr Ignatyevich Vershinin – Lieutenant colonel commanding the artillery battery, Vershinin is a true philosopher. He knew the girls’ father in Moscow and they talk about how when they were little they called him the «Lovesick Major». In the course of the play, despite being married, he enters into an affair with Masha but must end it when the battery is transferred. He frequently mentions how his wife regularly attempts suicide (and he has two daughters), but he seems to not care. His first act speech about the hope he has for civilization speaks directly to Masha’s melancholic heart, and, upon hearing it, she declares «I’m staying for lunch.»
• Baron Nikolaj Lvovich Tuzenbach – A lieutenant in the army and not deemed handsome, Tuzenbach often tries to impress Irina, whom he has loved for five years. He quits the Army to go to work in an attempt to impress her. He is repeatedly taunted by Solyony and between Acts III and IV, he retaliates and prompts Solyony to declare a duel. He is killed in the duel, thus his and Irina’s union is forlorn.
• Staff Captain Vassily Vasilyevich Solyony – A captain in the army, Solyony is a borderline psychotic social misfit and a rather modern type of antihero. Infatuated with Irina, he tries to put down the Baron to make himself look better, but Irina finds him crude and unappealing. He spends much of his time mocking the Baron, who is the closest thing he has to a friend, and ends up killing him in a pointless duel because he has sworn to kill any successful suitor for Irina even though he knows it will not win him her hand. (He has fought at least two previous duels, although the details and fates of his previous dueling opponents is not specified.) He claims to have a remarkable resemblance to the poet Lermontov in both face and personality, often quoting him, although Lermontov was killed in a duel by refusing to fire at his opponent, Nikolai Martynov, who aimed at Lermontov’s heart. Thus, Solyony turns out to be the polar opposite of Lermontov in actual character and closer to Martynov. He always carries a small perfume bottle which he frequently (almost pathologically) sprinkles his hands and body with; it is later revealed that he does it to mask the smell of corpses on him.
• Ivan Romanovich Chebutykin – Sixty years old and an army doctor, Chebutykin starts off as a fun, eccentric old man who exults in his place as family friend and lavishes upon Irina the expensive but inappropriate gift of a samovar. Later on in Act III, while drunk, he suffers an existential crisis and reveals to all about Natasha’s and Protopopov’s affair. In Act IV however, he seems to have come to terms with his crisis or perhaps been broken by it. He was in love, apparently unrequitedly, with the Prozorov siblings’ mother, a married woman.
• Alexei Petrovich Fedotik – A sub-lieutenant, Fedotik hangs around the house buying many gifts for the family. He also is an amateur photographer, and takes photos of the group. In Act III, he loses all his belongings in the fire, but retains his cheerful nature.
• Vladimir Karlovich Rode – Another sub-lieutenant, Rode is a drill coach at the high school.

Others[edit]

• Ferapont – Door-keeper at the local council offices, Ferapont is an old man with a partial hearing loss. He repeatedly blurts out random facts, usually relating to Moscow.
• Anfisa – An elderly family retainer and former nurse, Anfisa is 81 years old and has worked forever for the Prozorov family. Natasha begins to despise her for her feebleness and threatens to throw her out but Olga rescues her, taking her to live at Olga’s teacher’s flat.

Unseen characters[edit]

The play has several important characters who are talked about frequently, but never seen onstage. These include Protopopov, head of the local Council and Natasha’s lover; Vershinin’s suicidal wife and two daughters; Kulygin’s beloved superior the headmaster of the high school, and Natasha’s children (Bobik and Sofia). JL Styan contends in his The Elements of Drama that in the last act Chekhov revised the text to show that Protopopov is the real father of Sofia: «The children are to be tended by their respective fathers» — Andrey pushes Bobik in his pram, and Protopopov sits with Sofia.^[2][3]

Synopsis[edit]

Act one begins with Olga (the eldest sister) working as a schoolteacher but at the end of the play she is made headmistress, a position she had said she did not want. Masha, the middle sister and the artist of the family (she was trained as a concert pianist), is married to Feodor Ilyich Kulygin, a schoolteacher. At the time of their marriage, Masha, younger than he, was enchanted by what she took to be wisdom, but seven years later, she sees through his pedantry and his clownish attempts to compensate for the emptiness between them. Irina, the youngest sister, is still full of expectation. She speaks of her dream of going to Moscow and meeting her true love. It was in Moscow that the sisters grew up, and they all long to return to the sophistication and happiness of that time. Andrei is the only boy in the family and his sisters adore him. He falls in love with Natalia Ivanovna («Natasha»), who is somewhat common in relation to the sisters and initially suffers under their glance. The play begins on the first anniversary of the death of their father, Sergei Prozorov. It is also Irina’s name-day, and everyone, including the soldiers (led by the gallant Vershinin) bringing with them a sense of noble idealism, comes together to celebrate it. At the very close of the act, Andrei exultantly confesses his feelings to Natasha in private and fatefully asks her to marry him.

Act two begins almost a year later with Andrei and Natasha married with their first child (offstage), a baby boy named Bobik. Natasha is having an affair with Protopopov, Andrei’s superior, a character who is mentioned but never seen onstage. Masha comes home flushed from a night out, and it is clear that she and her companion, Lieutenant-Colonel Vershinin, are giddy with the secret of their mutual love for one another. Natasha manipulatively quashes the plans for a party in the home; the resultant quiet suggests that all happiness is being quashed as well. Tuzenbach and Solyony both declare their love for Irina.

Act three takes place about a year later in Olga and Irina’s room, a clear sign that Natasha is taking over the household as she asked them to share rooms so that her child could have a different room. There has been a fire in the town, and, in the crisis, people are passing in and out of the room, carrying blankets and clothes to give aid. Olga, Masha and Irina are angry with their brother, Andrei, for mortgaging their home without their knowledge or consent, keeping the money to pay off his gambling debts and ceding all power over the household to his wife. However, when faced with Natasha’s cruelty to their aged family retainer, Anfisa, Olga’s own best efforts to stand up to Natasha come to naught. Masha, alone with her sisters, confides in them her romance with Vershinin («I love, love, love that man.»). At one point, Kulygin (Masha’s husband) blunders into the room, doting ever more foolishly on her, and she stalks out. Irina despairs at the common turn her life has taken, the life of a municipal worker, even as she rails at the folly of her aspirations and her education. («I can’t remember the Italian for ‘window'».) Out of her resignation, supported in this by Olga’s realistic outlook, Irina decides to accept Tuzenbach’s offer of marriage even though she does not love him. Chebutykin drunkenly stumbles and smashes a clock which had belonged to the Prozorov siblings’ late mother, whom he loved. Andrei then vents his self-hatred, acknowledges his own awareness of life’s folly and his disappointment in Natasha, and begs his sisters’ forgiveness for everything.

In the fourth and final act, outdoors behind the home, the soldiers are preparing to leave the area. A flash-photograph is taken. There is an undercurrent of tension because Solyony has challenged the Baron (Tuzenbach) to a duel over a flimsy pretext. Solyony had told Irina that he would kill any successful suitor for her hand but she still agreed to marry Tuzenbach, notwithstanding which she confesses that she cannot love him, likening her heart to a piano whose key has been lost. (Tuzenbach, having left the Army was under no obligation to agree to the duel but did so, anyway, losing his life for what would have been a loveless marriage.) As the soldiers are leaving, a shot is heard, and Tuzenbach’s death in the duel is announced shortly before the end of the play.

Masha has to be pulled, sobbing, from Vershinin’s arms, but her husband willingly, compassionately, asks that they start again. Olga has reluctantly accepted the position of permanent headmistress of the school where she teaches and is moving out. She is taking Anfisa with her, thus rescuing the elderly woman from Natasha.

Irina’s fate is uncertain but, even in her grief at Tuzenbach’s death, she wants to persevere in her work as a teacher. Natasha remains as the chatelaine, in charge and in control of everything. Andrei is stuck in his marriage with two children, unwilling and unable to do anything for his wife or himself. As the play closes, the three sisters stand in a desperate embrace, gazing off as the soldiers depart to the sound of a band’s gay march. As Chebutykin sings Ta-ra-ra-boom-di-ay to himself,^{[nb 1]} Olga’s final lines call for an end to the confusion all three feel at life’s sufferings and joy: «If we only knew… If we only knew.»

Premiere[edit]

The play was written for the Moscow Art Theatre and it opened on 31 January 1901, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Stanislavski played Vershinin and the sisters were Olga Knipper (for whom Chekhov wrote the part of Masha), Margarita Savitskaya as Olga and Maria Andreyeva as Irina. Maria Lilina (Stanislavski’s wife) was Natasha, Vsevolod Meyerhold appeared as Tusenbach, Mikhail Gromov as Solyony,^{[nb 2]} Alexander Artyom as Artem Chebutykin, Ioasaf Tikhomirov as Fedotik, Ivan Moskvin as Rode, Vladimir Gribunin as Ferapont, and Maria Samarova as Anfisa.^[4][5]

Reception was mixed. Chekhov felt that Stanislavski’s «exuberant» direction had masked the subtleties of the work and that only Knipper had shown her character developing in the manner the playwright had intended. In the directors’ view, the point was to show the hopes, aspirations and dreams of the characters, but audiences were affected by the pathos of the sisters’ loneliness and desperation and by their eventual, uncomplaining acceptance of their situation. Nonetheless the piece proved popular and soon it became established in the company’s repertoire.^[6][7]

Notable productions[edit]

Dates	Production	Director	Notes
24 May 1965	BBC Home Service	John Tydeman	English translation by Elisaveta Fen; adapted for radio by Peter Watts; cast included Paul Scofield, Lynn Redgrave, Ian McKellen, Jill Bennett, among others[8]
29 September 1979	The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon	Trevor Nunn	Version by Richard Cottrell[9]
28 March 1990	Gate Theatre, Dublin and Royal Court Theatre, London	Adrian Noble	Version by Frank McGuinness with real-life sisters in the title roles: Sinéad Cusack as Masha, Sorcha Cusack as Olga and Niamh Cusack as Irina. Their father, Cyril Cusack played Chebutykin.
30 August – 13 October 2007	Soulpepper Theatre, Toronto	László Marton	Version by Nicolas Billon
November 2008	Regent’s Canal, Camden, London.	Tanya Roberts	An adaptation by the Metra Theatre[10]
29 July – 3 August 2008	Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane	Declan Donnellan	Chekhov International Theatre Festival (Moscow), part of Brisbane Festival 2008
5 May 2009 – 14 June 2009	Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland	Jon Kretzu	Adapted by Tracy Letts[11]
12 January – 6 March 2011	Classic Stage Company, NYC	Austin Pendleton	Real-life husband and wife actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard starred.[12]
14 February – 8 March 2020	The Bindery, San Francisco	Angie Higgins	Starring Marcia Aguilar[13]

• John Gielgud’s 1936–37 landmark season at the Queen’s Theatre included a well-received production with Peggy Ashcroft as Irina and Michael Redgrave as Tusenbach.
• In 1942, Judith Anderson portrayed Olga, Katharine Cornell portrayed Masha, Gertrude Musgrove portrayed Irina, and Ruth Gordon portrayed Natasha on Broadway. The production was significant enough to land the cast on the cover of Time on 21 December 1942, which proclaimed it «a dream production by anybody’s reckoning – the most glittering cast the theatre has seen, commercially, in this generation».^[14]
• The 1963 inaugural season of the Guthrie Theater included a production with Jessica Tandy as Olga.
• There is a filmed record of a mid-1960s production by The Actors Studio with Kim Stanley and Geraldine Page as Masha and Olga, respectively, supported by Sandy Dennis’s Irina and Shelley Winters as Natasha.
• American Film Theatre in 1970 filmed a version with a witty Masha from Joan Plowright opposite Alan Bates as Vershinin, with Ronald Pickup as Tusenbach and Laurence Olivier, who co-directed, playing Chebutykin. The film was based on a theatre production that Olivier directed at the Royal National Theatre in 1967.
• Rosemary Harris, Ellen Burstyn and Tovah Feldshuh played, respectively, Olga, Masha and Irina at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in the 1970s with René Auberjonois as Solyony.
• A 1982 production at Manhattan Theatre Club, had Dianne Wiest as Masha, Lisa Banes as Olga, Mia Dillon as Irina, Christine Ebersole as Natasha, Sam Waterston as Vershinin, Jeff Daniels as Andrei, Bob Balaban as Tusenbach, and Jack Gilford as Chebutykin.
• Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company put one together under the direction of Austin Pendleton, with Molly Regan as Olga, Joan Allen as Masha, Rondi Reed as Natasha, and Kevin Anderson as Solyony.
• In 1985 Casper Wrede directed a production at the Royal Exchange, Manchester with Cheryl Prime as Natasha, Emma Piper as Olga, Janet McTeer as Masha, Niamh Cusack as Irina and Espen Skjonberg as Dr Chebutykin.
• The Roundabout Theatre in New York had Jerry Stiller as Chebutykin, Billy Crudup as Solyony, Eric Stoltz as Tuzenbach, Lili Taylor as Irina, Paul Giamatti as Andrei, Amy Irving as Olga, Jeanne Tripplehorn as Masha, Calista Flockhart as Natasha, and David Strathairn as Vershinin.
• In 1990, the Irish theatrical dynasty, the Cusacks, were cast in the play, in a new version by Frank McGuinness, which opened at the Gate Theatre in Dublin with the three award-winning sisters Sinéad Cusack (Masha), Sorcha Cusack (Olga) and Niamh Cusack (Irina) in the title rôles and their father Cyril Cusack as Dr. Chebutykin.^[15] This is the only production ever to cast three ‘real’ sisters, professional actors in their own rights, in the title rôles. The production, which was directed by the then newly appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Adrian Noble, transferred to London’s Royal Court Theatre for a sell-out season in 1991. Amongst the supporting cast were Lesley Manville as Natasha and Finbar Lynch as Tusenbach.
• In 1991, sisters Vanessa Redgrave (Olga) and Lynn Redgrave (Masha) made their first and only appearance together onstage in this, with niece Jemma Redgrave as Irina at the Queen’s Theatre, London.
• In 2003, Romanian director Radu Afrim adapted the play in a controversial production at the Andrei Mureşanu theatre in Sfantu-Gheorghe, highly criticized by Michael Billington, but praised by other critics, leading to a local controversy in the Romanian press which would catapult Afrim to national superstardom in Romanian theatre.^{[16][17][18][19]}
• The play was produced in 2010 at the Lyric Hammersmith by Filter with a cast including Poppy Miller, Romola Garai and Clare Dunne.^[20]
• In 2010, the play was adapted by for Theatre Na Fidlovačce, Prague as Tři sestry. The sisters played Andrea Černá, Zuzana Vejvodová and Martina Randová and other actors were Otakar Brousek ml. as Vershinin, Tomáš Töpfer as Doctor Chebutykin
• In 2012, the play was staged at the Young Vic, directed by Benedict Andrews in his own new version. The cast included Vanessa Kirby, Mariah Gale and Sam Troughton.
• In 2014, the play was staged at the Southwark Playhouse, directed by Russell Bolam. The cast included Olivia Hallinan, Holliday Grainger and Paul McGann.
• In 2017, the play was staged at the Studio Theatre directed by Jackson Gay in conjunction with a modern adaption called No Sisters;; directed by Aaron Posner.^[21]
• In 2017, the play was staged by Sydney Theatre Company at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 6 November — 16 December. The new adaptation was by Andrew Upton and the cast included Alison Bell as Olga, Miranda Daughtry as Irina and Harry Greenwood as Tusenbach.^[22]
• In 2019, the play was staged at the Almeida Theatre in London, with Alan Williams playing Ivan Romanovich Chebutykin.

Adaptations[edit]

• Three Sisters has been adapted into a full-length opera by Hungarian composer Péter Eötvös and Claus H. Henneberg, as Tri sestry (Three Sisters). It was premiered at the Opéra National de Lyon in 1998, directed by Ushio Amagatsu, and conducted by Kent Nagano and the composer.
• Three Sisters on Hope Street, a 2008 British play co-written by Diane Samuels and Tracy Ann Oberman, reinterprets Chekhov’s play by transferring events to Liverpool after World War II and re-casting the Pozorov sisters as three Jewish Englishwomen. It opened at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool on 25 January 2008 before beginning a second run at the Hampstead Theatre in London.^[23]
• In 2011, the play was adapted by Blake Morrison for Northern Broadsides as We Are Three Sisters, drawing out parallels with the lives of the Brontë sisters.^[24]
• In 2020 an adaptation of the play by Inua Ellams, set in Owerri, Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War between 1967 and 1970, was staged at the Lyttelton Theatre in London.
• Track 3, a 2013 adaptation of the play created by Theatre Movement Bazaar co-founders, Tina Kronis and Richard Alger. It premiered in Los Angeles and has played in the UK, China, and in 2017 was the first US production in over 25 years to play in the Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Moscow.
• Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, a stage adaptation by Halley Feiffer that approaches the story through a contemporary lens, originally premiering in 2017.^[25][26]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Three Sisters at Standard Ebooks
• ​Three Sisters​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• Oxquarry Books, an English translation of Three Sisters
• Project Gutenberg, English translations of several Chekhov plays, including Three Sisters
• Full text of Three Sisters (in Russian)
• The Three Sisters public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• Three Sisters from Czech theatre ‘Divadlo na Fidlovačce’, Prague

— Очнулась? Вот и ладненько, — глухо произнес один. — Как-то неинтересно с бревном развлекаться.

Оля была ошеломлена, не понимала, что происходит, кто эти люди. Крупная дрожь сотрясала ее тело. Руки, связанные уже скотчем, болели. Она языком толкала тряпку, но не могла от нее избавиться. Глаза наполнились слезами. Они потекли к вискам, девушка сразу захлюпала носом, и дышать стало еще труднее.

— Начинай. Вдруг кто увидит, — произнес глухой голос.

Неизвестный с синими глазами деловито положил руки на колени девушки. Поняв, что он хочет сделать, Оля замычала, замотала головой, задергала ногами и руками, стараясь попасть по обидчику. Происходящее походило на кошмар. Насильник, пыхтя, преодолевая сопротивление, раздвинул девушке бедра, но Оля снова сжала ноги.

— Держи сучку! Какого хрена стоишь?

Тяжелое мужское тело навалилось ей на грудь, придавило к земле. Оля боролась изо всех сил, но задыхалась, поэтому была слабой. Она чувствовала, как второй рвет колготки, срывает с нее трусики. И вдруг он остановился, замер, прислушиваясь к лесным звукам. Оля задержала дыхание: небольшая пауза всколыхнула в душе надежду, что насильник одумается.

Но зря. Что-то твердое стало вонзаться ей в плоть. Оля дергалась, но насильник не отступал. Он резко схватил ее за бедра и прижал их к животу. Сложенная практически пополам, Оля не могла даже пошевелиться. В такой позе он наконец проник внутрь, и дикая боль пронзила ее тело. Оля изогнулась в немом крике, но жесткие ладони крепко сжимали ее ноги.

Сколько продолжалась эта пытка, Оля не знала. Ей казалось, что в нее вбивают бревно, с каждым ударом все глубже и яростнее. Иногда инструмент насильника выскакивал наружу, Оля с всхлипом вздыхала, а потом он снова вонзался с удвоенной силой. Тело вздрагивало от каждого толчка, вибрировало и тряслось. Насильник над девушкой сопел, обливался потом, полукружиями расплывавшимся по маске. Сильный запах горячего мужского тела, смешанный со знакомым парфюмом, бил в нос, и инстинкт самосохранения заставлял Олю отворачиваться, часто дышать, чтобы избежать приступа рвоты, от которого она могла захлебнуться.

Напавший с каким-то злобным наслаждением выполнил свою работу и наконец затрясся, застонал. Оля почувствовала, что давление внутри живота исчезло вместе с остатками острой боли. Мужчина еще секунду полежал, тяжело дыша и приходя в себя, потом откатился на бок и встал. Оля со стоном опустила затекшие ноги, надеясь, что экзекуция закончилась, а она осталась жива. Она оперлась на локти и стала отползать в сторону.

Но опять ошиблась. Насильник схватил ее за ногу и притянул к себе, расцарапав нежную кожу о еловые иголки, ковром устилавшие землю.

— Теперь ты, — приказал он напарнику, застегивая джинсы. Тот нерешительно засопел и сделал шаг в сторону. Тогда первый толкнул его к девушке.

— Не могу, — сдавленно произнес второй и подался назад. — Страшно.

— А на кулак нарваться не боишься? Давай!

— У меня и желания нет, — отказывался второй.

Оля слушала их перепалку с ужасом и молила Бога, чтобы кто-нибудь догадался, где она, и пошел ее искать.

— А так будет? — одним рывком насильник перевернул девушку на живот, поставил ее на колени. Он с силой провел по внутренней стороне ее бедер ладонями, потер пальцами больное место — Оля снова затряслась от ужаса и страха, потом похлопал по обнаженным ягодицам.

— Давай! По-собачьи. Можешь и вторую дырку расковырять. Разрешаю. Не бойся. Так она в глаза смотреть не будет.

Оля задергалась, замычала, но сильные руки прижали ее к земле, чуть не придушив от усердия. В полуобморочном состоянии она почувствовала, как что-то вяло прикасается к коже ее бедер, потом наливается и поднимается выше. Второй насильник скользнул в разорванную плоть легко, почти не причинив боли, но Оле уже было все равно: она потеряла сознание от недостатка воздуха.

Второй раз она очнулась от неприятного ощущения: ей казалось, будто сотни маленьких существ бегают по телу, оставляя жгучую боль. Она открыла глаза: летнее солнце уже поднялось над горизонтом и мгновенно ослепило. Дышать стало легче. Оля подняла по-прежнему связанные руки — кляп исчез.