Here's the math: marriage = misery as far as The Three Sisters is concerned. Bio note: when he wrote the play, Chekhov hadn't bit that bullet yet—though he would soon after with the actress who played Masha.
Anyway, here's the scoop: middle sister Masha despises her schoolteacher bore of a husband. She has a pretty flagrant affair with an intelligent older officer who also happens to be unhappily married. Brother Andrey and his trashy bride, Natasha, soon stop loving each other, and Natasha carries on an even more flagrant affair with one of Andrey's colleagues.
So marriage is confirmed as miserable—but the two unmarried sisters (and a few of the men) nevertheless can't wait to get hitched, or regret that they never did. It all ties back to the no-love-to-be-had thing, at least in this little town.
Questions About Marriage
- None of the married couples are happy. Is Chekhov condemning the institution? Or just portraying hard-to-please characters?
- How does marriage in Chekhov's time differ from marriage in ours?
- Do you think Irina will get married? How will things turn out for Masha and Kulygin?
Chew on This
In The Three Sisters, the institution of marriage and the expectations surrounding it cause deep unhappiness for both the married and the unmarried.
The aristocratic Prozorovs are ill-equipped for marriages to those outside their class.