Character Analysis
Kulygin is an ignorant but pretentious schoolteacher, very much like Medvedenko in The Seagull, if you're up to date on your Chekhov—and like his seagoing buddy, he's also married to a woman named Masha. He's always showing off his Latin, bragging about his close relationship with the headmaster, and telling people what to do with their rugs. He introduces himself to Vershinin as a "pedagogue by profession" (1.176). Why can't the dude say "teacher" just once?
Married to Kulygin at eighteen, Masha thought he was wise and important. How could she not when he's always acting that way? Now she can barely stand to be around the man or be touched by him. She certainly can't deal with going to social functions with all his teacher—sorry, pedagogue—friends.
What's probably Kulygin's finest moment comes at the end of the play. He's just watched his wife weep and wail over another man, and yet he approaches her only with gentleness, respect, and love: "It's all right, let her cry, it's all right… Masha dearest, my sweet Masha… You're my wife, and I'm happy, no matter what happened… I'm not complaining; I haven't a single reproach to make to you—Olga is my witness… Let's start life over again just the way it was before" (4.142).
Do we believe he's sincere? That all depends on the actor. Anyway, sure, maybe "life as it was before" is not going to be the medicine Masha would like. But still, if the old pedagogue really means it, that's a pretty high dose of generosity and acceptance in someone we thought was kind of a jerk.