Love is a big motivator in Chekhov. Everybody wants it (they are human beings, after all). Whether it's desire for romance, a need for respect from one's family, the satisfaction of a child's attachment, or comfort in old age—The Three Sisters is all about gettin' the love.
In the end, the most steadfast and least volatile love is between the three sisters. They have arguments and rivalries, sure, but they stand by each other through all of it: affairs, deaths, disappointments. In this little town, familial love beats out the steamy kind, and it does it with a vengeance.
Questions About Love
- Are there examples of healthy and successful love (not necessarily romantic) in this play? If so, between whom?
- Are love and work mutually exclusive in the play?
- Why does Andrey fall out of love with Natasha so quickly? What was their infatuation about? Was it just that belt everyone was always talking about?
Chew on This
In The Three Sisters, love is a passing emotion that entraps characters in unhappy marriages, future-less affairs, and even death.
Chekhov portrays motherly love—in the figure of Natasha—as all-consuming and nearsighted.