Character Clues
Character Analysis
Names
Readers of Chekhov sometimes complain about the crazy Russian names. It's hard to keep up with how they change throughout the play and based on who's talking to whom. So here's how it works. Russians have three names:
- A first name: Irina
- A patronymic name identifying one's father: Sergeyevna (daughter of Sergey)
- A last name: Prozorov
What characters call each other tells us something about the closeness of their relationships. In Natasha's first entrance, she refers to Irina as "Irina Sergeyevna," which is formal and respectful, rather than "Irina" or "Irinochka."
Habits
Chekhov fleshes out his characters with lots of interesting little details about their habits. Masha whistles, reflecting her musical talent, introspection, and disregard for ladylike behavior. Solyony obsessively rubs his hands with cologne, complaining that they smell like a corpse (4.85). Um, gross? Literature-wise, though, the reference to death foreshadows Solyony's fatal defeat of the baron.
Chebutykin, the doctor, is always carrying around a newspaper, never a book. He's interested in keeping up with the times so he has something to talk about, but never delves into anything in-depth. That's why he reverts to his habit of getting wasted to try to forget. And downing vodka like a champ is about as Russian a habit as you can get. (We kid!)
Education
How educated a character is affects how much grief he or she gives the sisters. Natasha, pain-in-the-butt number one, is a backward bumpkin. After her marriage to Andrey, she works on her French, but the sisters still bristle at her total lack of class.
As a teacher of Latin, Kulygin considers himself intelligent and educated, while everyone else considers him a class-A bore. So certain degrees of education, if wielded incorrectly, can still land you in the diss-zone.
Meanwhile, Vershinin, Tuzenbach, and Chebutykin have the respect of the discriminating sisters because of their ability to philosophize and converse at a high level. Sure, they drone on at times, but they know how to talk to others and use their education to try to understand the world a little better.