Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya (1898) is a four-act drama by Anton Chekhov. The original version of the play,The Wood Demon, was written between 1889 and 1890. It was subsequently shortened and published in 1898. The drama's first production was in 1899 at the Moscow Art Theatre.

Uncle Vanya: Summary

Uncle Vanya is about Ivan Voinitsky, known as Vanya, who manages the estate of his late sister's husband, professor Serebryakov.

At the Serebryakov country estate, an elderly nurse, Marina, a local physician, Astrov, and Voinitsky sit in the garden and complain about the visit of Serebryakov and his new wife, which has disrupted the way things were. Soon Serebryakov himself enters, together with his wife, Elena, his daughter from his first wife, Sonya, and their friend Telyegin.

They are followed by Vanya's mother, Maria Vasilyevna. Voinitsky insults Serebryakov, who doesn't hear him but Maria does. She scolds her son because she's an admirer of the professor's achievements. Later, Voinitsky professes his love for Elena, which she finds agonising.

Serebryakov and Elena are talking in the estate's dining room. Serebryakov complains about his pains and then goes to bed. Vanya enters and talks to Elena about his broken dreams. Once he believed in the importance of the professor's work, but now he sees no point in it.

He links his unrequited feelings for Elena to the disappointments in his life. Elena realises that Voinitsky is drunk and she leaves. In a soliloquy, Voinitsky declares that he wishes he had fallen in love with Elena a decade ago because then the pair of them could've been happy.

Astrov, who's also drunk, enters, and the two men go for a walk together. Sonya enters and soon Vanya leaves. The kind and passionate way in which Sonya speaks to Astrov reveals that she's in love with him. Astrov is oblivious to this: he speaks to her of his empty life and his inability to form an attachment with anyone.

Astrov leaves and Elena enters again. Step-mother and step-daughter resolve the issues they had and grow closer to each other. Sonya shares with Elena how she feels about Astrov. Elena also shares that she feels as if she can never be happy.

Serebryakov has gathered the family to announce something. Fifteen minutes before the announcement, Voinitsky compliments Elena, which she finds inappropriate. She turns to talk to Sonya, who despairs over having loved Astrov for six years yet remaining unnoticed by him. Elena talks to Astrov and tries to find out how he feels about Sonya.

Astrov not only tells her that he doesn't care for her step-daughter, but he takes Elena's enquiry as her way of telling him that she herself has feelings for him. He kisses her and Voinitsky witnesses it. Elena is upset and she implores Vanya to arrange for her and her husband to leave the estate as soon as possible. Elena goes back to the living room and tells Sonya that Astrov doesn't return her affections.

Serebryakov makes his announcement: he's planning to sell the estate. Vanya is furious, and he attacks the professor for his inconsideration, asking him where he, his mother, and Sonya are supposed to live once the estate is sold.

In a fit of rage, Voinitsky blames Serebryakov for all his unfulfilled ambitions, claiming that he could have become great if the professor hadn't stood in his way. Sonya defends her uncle and tries to make her father see sense. Vanya takes out a gun and tries to shoot Serebryakov but misses.

Marina and Telyegin talk about Serebryakov's and Elena's departure. Astrov and Voinitsky enter. The doctor accuses Vanya of taking some of his morphine and implores him to give it back. Sonya enters and joins Astrov in making her uncle return the morphine.

Sonya convinces Vanya that unhappiness is no reason to take his own life. Eventually Voinitsky gives the morphine back to Astrov. Elena and Serebryakov come to say their goodbyes. Everyone parts on good terms, even Vanya and Serebryakov.

Shortly after the spouses leave, the house is once again only occupied by its original inhabitants, who go back to their mundane daily activities. At the end of the play, Voinitsky shares his pain with Sonya. She lifts him up by assuring him that no matter how unhappy they are in this life, they shall be rewarded in the afterlife.

Uncle Vanya: Analysis

Let's analyse the main themes and characters in Uncle Vanya.

Themes

Unfulfilled potential

Voinitsky is drunk and he talks to Elena about the dreams he never realised.

The characters in the play feel stuck inside a life that doesn't satisfy them. They reminisce about the past instead of taking the opportunity to change something in the future. They have impossible longings, and without being able to achieve them, their existence becomes empty and devoid of any meaning.

The only character who has hope is Sonya. Her monologue at the end of the play sends the message that you're the only one who can change your situation. No other person can find you meaning if you refuse to seek it out yourself. Chekhov argues that futility is a state of mind and even the most unhappy people can find something to hope for.

Love

Elena asks Voinitsky this question just before he tells her that he loves her.

Love is another matter wherein the characters feel dissatisfied and hopeless.

Voinitsky has unrequited feelings for Elena. The fact that she clearly doesn't return his affections doesn't stop him from professing them. Elena reminisces about the initial attraction she felt towards her husband, Serebryakov, which has faded with time. She now feels attracted to Astrov for the same reason she chose to be with Serebryakov: she is drawn to intelligent and talented men because she feels like they can bring meaning to her life.

However, Elena doesn't give in to her attraction to Astrov, and she remains faithful to her husband. Sonya is also suffering from unrequited love. She has spent years harbouring feelings for Astrov. The doctor hasn't even noticed this. He feels as if he can't love anyone anymore, but he's very aware that he's capable of being attracted to such beauty as Elena's, and to even act on it.

The characters have complicated feelings for each other, but they fail to connect, which leaves them feeling perpetually lonely.

Creation vs Destruction

Elena admits Astrov's qualities after Sonya has told her how much she loves and admires the doctor.

As with all human beings, the characters in Uncle Vanya are capable of both creation and destruction.

Astrov's work as a physician, and his passionate endeavours to plant trees and preserve the forests, are efforts to create a better world for future generations. At the same time, while he creates outside of himself, Astrov destroys himself from within. He drinks, and Sonya, who deeply cares for him, calls him out on his hypocrisy and implores him to stop.

Sonya longs to build a relationship with him but he doesn't feel the same way about her. The connections that the characters want to build with one another are attempts at creation that end up in destruction. The only two characters who manage to keep their bond at the end are Sonya and her uncle. The work that Vanya and Sonya do on the estate helps them create meaning in their lives after their dreams of love have been destroyed.

The Environment

Astrov talks about why forest preservation is important to him. He's mostly presenting his argument to the cynical Vanya, who dismisses the doctor's ideals.

Uncle Vanya is considered to be one of the first plays to raise questions on the topic of environmental issues. The theme of the environment is connected to the theme of destruction versus creation. Astrov delivers whole speeches on the importance of the natural world.

Astrov criticises the destruction of the forests and connects this issue to the degradation of human morals. Through Astrov, Chekhov expressed his own views on the destruction of the environment in Russia at the turn of the 20th century.

Uncle Vanya Characters

Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky (Vanya)

Ivan Voinitsky is the titular character of the play. He is Maria Vasilyevna's son, Serebryakov's brother-in-law, and Sonya's uncle. Voinitsky is almost fifty years of age and he feels like his life has been wasted. He can't find his purpose, and he blames Serebryakov for ruining his life. Vanya has been taking care of Serebryakov's estate for twenty-five years.

Once Vanya believed in the professor's work, but now he views it as pointless. Voinitsky's unrequited feelings for Serebryakov's young wife, Elena, only add to his despair. He struggles to have any hope for the future, but his loving niece, Sonya, is by his side.

Aleksandr Vladimirovich Serebryakov

Serebryakov is a retired professor. He was married to Voinitsky's sister, who passed away, leaving him with their daughter, Sonya. Serebryakov got married again to a much younger woman, Elena. The professor has selfish tendencies. He constantly complains and he almost sells the estate without taking into account the people who live in it and how important their home is to them.

Elena Andreyevna

Elena is Serebryakov's second wife and Sonya's stepmother. She is exceptionally beautiful, and both Vanya and Astrov are drawn to her. Elena is attracted to Astrov, but she doesn't give in to temptation, remaining faithful to her much older husband. She forms a bond with Sonya and tries to help her with Astrov. Elena is bored with her life but she refuses to do anything to change this fact.

Sofya Aleksandrovna (Sonya)

Sonya is the youngest character in the play. She's Serebryakov's daughter, Elena's step-daughter, and Voinitsky's niece. The title of the play comes from the way in which Sonya addresses Voinitski as 'Uncle Vanya'.

Sonya is the only pure and hopeful character. She loves Astrov for who he is and truly believes in his ideals. However, her innocent first love is unrequited. Sonya is a genuinely kind young woman who tries to help everyone and give them hope, even when she struggles to find it herself. The play ends with her monologue in which she assures her uncle Vanya of the wonders of the afterlife she believes in.

Maria Vasilyevna Voinitskaya

Maria Vasilyevna is Voinitsky's mother, Serebryakov's mother-in-law, and Sonya's grandmother. In any argument between her son and Serebryakov, Maria always takes the side of the professor - she places him on a pedestal.

Mikhail Lvovich Astrov

Astrov is the local physician. He is overworked and feels misunderstood by his fellow men. His greatest passion is forest preservation, and he often talks about the destruction of the environment. Astrov is oblivious to Sonya's feelings for him. He shares that it has been a long time since he has loved anyone, and he doesn't know if he's capable of feeling love again. He is, however, attracted to Elena and he unsuccessfully tries to seduce her.

Uncle Vanya influence on culture today

Uncle Vanya (1898) is one of the most famous plays of all time. It is available in numerous languages and it has been staged and adapted all over the world. Famous actors, such as Ian McKellen, Laurence Olivier, and Cate Blanchett, have starred in productions of Uncle Vanya.

Considering the play's popularity today, it's hard to imagine that critics in the early days of the play did not receive it favourably. They thought that the play wasn't theatrical enough. With time, Uncle Vanya was recognised for its realistic characters and universal themes. From Elena to Vanya himself, each character in the drama is written with an in-depth psychological detail that scholars still discuss today.

SOURCE:

Anton Chekhov, The Major Plays, transl. by Anne Dunnigan (1964).