Unanswered Love in The Seagull

             Most of Chekhov's plays have been recognized as distinguished masterpieces. However, no play depicts the drama of unanswered love as well as his play, "The Seagull." In this play, many tangled cases of unrequited love exist in the lives of his characters. Masha adores Treplev and looks for any reason just to have a glance at him. Treplev, on the other hand, loves Nina because his relationship with his mother lacks love and affection, and he needs Nina's love as compensation for his deficiencies. The third case of unanswered love is Arkadina's love for the talented writer Trigorin. Last but finally not least is the attachment of Polina to Dorin. Chekhov depicts each character's unfortunate plight and actions with acute insight.
             The central and probably the most tragic love in "The Seagull" is Treplev's love for Nina Zarechnaya. They seem like a perfect couple: he, the son of a famous actress, she, a young and talented girl who desires to become an actress. Treplev has fallen head over heels in love with Nina and confesses his love for her at every instant they are together. She, on the other hand, seems to like him but mentions nothing about her love for him and rather avoids this touchy subject. "NIN@ Isn't there someone over there? TREPLEV: No, there's no one. (Kissing her). NIN@ What sort of tree is that?... TREPLEV: I love you. NIN@ 'Sh!" (Chekhov, "The Seagull", American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., New York. p. 9-10). As soon as Zarechnaya is introduced to Trigorin, she falls in love with him and his work, and she becomes a stranger to Treplev. Treplev immediately notices the change of attitude towards him. This is the point when Treplev's life loses its meaning, and he attempts to kill himself. However, before the attempt at suicide, he does hint to Nina about the possibility of his dying of unanswered love. He goes off on one of his hunting trips and kills a seagull and puts it at Nina's feet. "TREPLEV: I m...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Unanswered Love in The Seagull. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 16:41, July 01, 2025, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/84038.html