

GradeSaver, 2 March 2023 Web.Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов) was born in the small seaport of Taganrog, southern Russia, the son of a grocer. Next Section Chekhov, Modernism, and the Method Previous Section Irony Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format GradeSaver "Three Sisters Imagery". All the characters have been making fun of him for shaving his mustache, so he puts on the fake facial hair, and it gives Natasha a fright. Towards the end of the play, Kulygin puts on a fake beard as a joke. Contrastingly, Irina is wearing white, which represents her purity, innocence, and impressionability. Her black dress is a kind of mourning dress. Masha's black dress shows that she is more intellectual, discerning, and experiences darker emotions. Olga is the serious eldest sister who works at a school.



Before the characters have even opened their mouths, this tableau serves to illustrate something about each of them. As the play opens, we see Olga in a blue girls' school uniform, Masha in black, and Irina in white. The opening tableauĬhekhov does not make very specific notes about the visual world of the play, but the opening image of the play serves to set the scene. Additionally, when Vershinin comes into the house, he is covered in soot, which shows that he has been helping to fight the fire. The fireĬhekhov clearly describes the scene of the fire: “Through the open door comes the glare of a window red from fire." While we do not see the fire taking place in town-the Prozorov's house is spared-there are little signifiers that let us know it is taking place. It establishes that the Prozorovs are quite wealthy, or at least come from wealth. It is sunny and cheerful outside." While the description is not particularly exhaustive, it gives the sense to a director or a reader that this is a grand house, complete with a ballroom and columns. Chekhov gives little descriptions of the setting in his stage directions.
