Three Sisters Essay

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World Lit Assignment Many people commonly hold the belief that music expresses the sentiments that cannot be conveyed through words. In Three Sisters, Music is a means by which ambivalent emotions are portrayed: the exhilarating bliss of first love versus the rigid confines of an incompatible marriage, the desperate yearning for passion compared to monotony of tedious work, and the desire to live in the past in stark contrast to the harshness of present reality. Such juxtapositions compose the passions that are embodied by musical motifs. In Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters the use of music plays a crucial role in the development of character. Through Masha’s green oak song, musical stage directions and Masha’s and Vershinin’s nonsense song Chekhov gives insight into the intricately linked lives of all his characters and their respective relationships, allowing the reader to peel back the layers and discover what truly lies underneath. The role of music in the stage directions of the play is particularly distinctive. Most notably musical motifs such as strains of song heard in the distance, guitar playing and characters singing or humming, are manifested in several ways that largely contribute to the musical undertones of the play. These instances of music suggest a musical dialogue between the instruments which is characterized by an inner rhythm. One such instance occurs in Act II where Chebutykin reads aloud a segment from the newspaper to Irena: “Chebutykin: (reading from paper) Balzac was married in Berdichev Irina (hums quietly) Chebutykin: I'll even enter it in my notebook. (Writes.) Balzac was married in Berdichev (reads the paper). Irina: (Laying patience, thoughtfully) Balzac was married in Berdichev.”[1] The stage direction, where Irena is humming, is a musical motif that epitomizes the intimacy of her and Chebutykin's relationship. In
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