How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used Julius West's translation.
Quote #1
LOPAKHIN. Lubov Andreyevna, as I remember her now, was still young, and very thin, and she took me to the washstand here in this very room, the nursery. (1.5)
Lopakhin may be a businessman, but he is almost as sentimental as Lubov. His devotion to her stems from this one memory, when she comforted him as a little boy.
Quote #2
LUBOV. My dear nursery, oh, you beautiful room. ... I used to sleep here when I was a baby. (1.26)
For Lubov, each present moment in the house – each encounter with a room or an object – reminds her of the past. It's almost as though the house is haunted.
Quote #3
ANYA. [Thoughtfully] Father died six years ago, and a month later my brother Grisha was drowned in the river--such a dear little boy of seven! Mother couldn't bear it; she went away, away, without looking round. (1.75)
Lubov once fled her home in grief, fearing to encounter memories of her husband and son. Now she fears losing those memories with the loss of the estate.