How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #7
Tuzenbach: You're sad, you're unhappy with life—oh, come away with me, let's go off and work together. (3.79)
Under Tuzenbach's influence, Irina begins to reformulate (and significantly scale back) her expectations for the future and eventually consents to follow his plan. After his death, she has to change her plans again. Life in a Chekhov play is constant readjustment.
Quote #8
Masha: When you only get your happiness in bits and pieces and then lose it anyway, like me, you begin to get bitter about it. You don't care what you say anymore. (Touches her breast.) I'm full of anger inside. (4.59)
Masha has lost her lover, Vershinin, and faces a lifetime of boredom with her husband, Kulygin. It's kind of interesting to think about Natasha through a similar lens. Though maybe Chekhov wouldn't portray her as thinking quite so hard about it.
Quote #9
Irina: I've never been in love. I used to dream about love, I used to dream about it all the time, but now my soul is like a piano that's locked up and the key's lost. (4.97)
Poor Irina. She focuses all of her hopes on love and on fulfilling work—and finds neither of them by the end of the play.