Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series

In Short

This collection of eight plays captures Russian life at the turn of the twentieth century, bridging volatile one-act vaudevilles and sweeping, full-length masterpieces. Across taverns, country homes, and provincial towns, characters struggle with financial ruin, broken romantic expectations, and the suffocating weight of routine. Wealthy landowners lose prized estates to emerging social classes, while ordinary people pine for impossible futures in distant cities. Chekhov's drama has lasted because it rejects grand heroics in favor of ironic, deeply human vulnerability—blending tragedy and absurd comedy to expose the quiet desperation and resilient humor of everyday life.

The Story

The volume moves from intense, concentrated single-scene encounters to rich, multi-act ensemble dramas. It opens in a dreary roadside inn during a violent winter storm, where a destitute gentleman named Bortsov begs the innkeeper for vodka. A passing carriage breaks down nearby, bringing Bortsov’s estranged, wealthy wife into the tavern. A brooding thief named Merik recognizes her and threatens her with an axe for abandoning her husband, but she flees into the night, leaving Bortsov broken and weeping as the storm rage continues.

Comic absurdity immediately follows in a series of swift farces. In a country drawing room, a nervous landowner arrives in formal wear to propose to his neighbor's daughter, but the moment devolves into a furious argument over property boundaries and hunting dogs until he faints from exhaustion. Elsewhere, a grieving widow vows to lock herself away forever, only to end up in a duel with an unrefined creditor whose bold passion transforms their violent quarrel into a sudden romantic embrace. Meanwhile, a rowdy wedding feast collapses into utter humiliation when an invited guest, brought along solely to pass as a high-ranking naval general, turns out to be a retired officer who deafens the uncomfortable guests with endless maritime terminology. In another scene, a bank director prepares a grand anniversary celebration for his institution, only for his meticulous plans to be completely derailed by an unyielding woman demanding money for her husband's private grievance.

The book expands into profound tragedy with two full-length plays. In a provincial garrison town, three sisters—Olga, Masha, and Irina—mourn their father’s death while harboring an overwhelming desire to return to Moscow. Over several years, their hopes crumble. Their brother marries a domineering woman who slowly takes over their home, romantic affairs end in heartbreak or military transfers, and a fatal duel claims the life of Irina's gentle fiancé, leaving the sisters isolated to face an uncertain future. Finally, on an ancestral estate famous for its cherry orchard, an aristocratic mother returns from abroad facing financial ruin. A former serf’s son, now a wealthy merchant, repeatedly advises her to clear the orchard and lease the land for summer cottages to pay her debts, but she and her brother ignore the practical reality. The estate is ultimately auctioned off, and the merchant buys it himself. As the family departs forever, the sound of axes chopping down the trees echoes across the empty house, where an old, forgotten servant lies down alone in the quiet.

How It Unfolds

The storm gathers Stranded travelers huddle in a tavern during a blizzard, sharing wild stories while an impoverished noble begs for a drink. The sudden arrival of his aristocratic ex-wife triggers a violent confrontation that leaves the tavern in shock.

The farce erupts A series of petty disputes spirals out of control in short, high-energy comedies. Suitors fight over land before proposing, a mourning widow accepts a pistol duel with her creditor, and a grand bank celebration devolves into utter chaotic arguments.

The sisters dream In a dreary provincial town, three sisters remember their vibrant past in Moscow and long to return. They host officers, talk of meaningful work, and search for purpose while their family home gradually slips out of their control.

The loss takes shape Disaster strikes offstage as town fires, ruined fortunes, and military transfers slowly tear relationships apart. Hopes of escaping to the capital fade into the realization that life must be endured as it is.

The orchard falls An aristocratic family returns to their beloved estate but refuses to take practical steps to clear their mounting mortgages. The land is bought at auction by a former peasant, and the old way of life is cut down tree by tree.

The People

• Bortsov: A ruined gentleman reduced to begging for vodka in a dirty inn. He longs for comfort and relief from his tragic past, but his wife's sudden appearance and immediate departure leave him entirely shattered.
• Lomov: A suspicious, hypochondriac landowner who wants to marry his neighbor's daughter, Natalya. His fragile health and intense pride stand in his way, causing him to faint during violent debates over property before finally securing her hand.
• Smirnov: A coarse, stubborn creditor who demands immediate payment from the widowed Popova. What begins as a bitter feud escalates until her fiery spirit utterly wins him over, turning his anger into love.
• Olga, Masha, and Irina: Three educated sisters trapped in a dreary provincial town. They desire a meaningful, romantic existence in Moscow, but failing marriages, tragic duels, and domestic tyranny leave them resigned to enduring their hard lives.
• Lubov Ranevsky: A generous, foolishly sentimental aristocrat returning to her childhood estate. She wants to preserve her past and ignore her overwhelming debts, but her refusal to accept financial reality leads to the loss of her beloved cherry orchard.
• Lopakhin: A pragmatic, hard-working merchant whose father was a serf on the Ranevsky estate. He wants to save the family from ruin, but when they ignore his practical plans, he buys the estate himself and cuts down the orchard.

In Its Own Voice

"My father was peasant and used to be fond of teaching people."

A rowdy thief in a tavern mocks an old man's religious scolding by recalling how his own father preached morality right after stealing a sack of apples.

"A glass of it only costs you two copecks, and it will save me from suffering!"

An impoverished former gentleman desperately pleads with a tavern keeper for a single drop of vodka to numb his misery.

"To live and not to know why the cranes fly, why babies are born, why there are stars in the sky...."

Trapped in an unhappy marriage, Masha reflects deeply on the human necessity of finding faith and purpose in the ordinary mysteries of existence.

"Life's gone on as if I'd never lived."

An eighty-seven-year-old footman mutters to himself after being accidentally locked inside the empty house while the family departs forever.

What It's Really About

Beneath the quick quips, ridiculous quarrels, and quiet domestic scenes, the book examines the painful collision between static human ideals and relentless social change. Characters constantly build internal fantasies—a dream life in Moscow, a heroic devotion to dead spouses, or a romantic attachment to childhood trees—yet they prove utterly incapable of taking practical action to preserve them. Chekhov investigates how human beings distract themselves with minor squabbles while their world quietly transforms around them. Money, class mobility, and time relentlessly sweep away the old Russian aristocracy, replacing it with a pragmatic, rising middle class. The plays question whether individuals can ever truly communicate with one another, showing how people frequently talk past each other, swallowed up by their own personal longings and private griefs.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate subtle character studies, rich atmosphere, and tragicomic humor will find this collection endlessly rewarding. Reading these plays feels like stepping into a room full of real, deeply flawed human beings who laugh, argue, and make terrible decisions in the very same breath. The dialogue moves with natural ease, balancing delicate sadness with surprising bursts of physical comedy.

The collection does present certain period difficulties. Readers unfamiliar with nineteenth-century Russian social structures, specific currency values like copecks and roubles, or complex naming conventions may find the initial setup slightly demanding. Additionally, the deliberate pacing of the longer plays places mood, philosophical conversation, and subtle character shifts above fast-moving plot twists. Yet these challenges are minor compared to the emotional weight the plays deliver. What stays with you long after finishing the book is its profound empathy for human weakness—the lingering memory of voices dreaming of a better future while the quiet sound of the axe falls in the background.