How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #1
Irina: How wonderful it must be to get up at dawn and pave streets, or be a shepherd, or a schoolteacher who teaches children, or work on a railroad. (1.25)
Ah, the upper class romanticizing the noble lives of working people. Classic.
Quote #2
Tuzenbach: I remember when I got home from military school there was always a servant to take my boots off. (1.29)
Like Irina, Tuzenbach wants to be useful to the world. But he reminisces about what it was like to have servants around—even the ones who were just there to smell your feet.
Quote #3
Irina: [Andrey is] the family intellectual. He'll probably be a scientist. Papa was in the service, but his son has decided on a scientific career. (1.115)
Andrey's ability to pursue a career in something like science, which was less "practical" financially than being in the army, indicates his family's wealth. Not to mention his mastery of the violin—couldn't get much bougier than that in those days.
Quote #4
Masha: But her clothes! It's not just that they're ugly, or out of style; they're absolutely pitiful. She'll wear a funny yellow skirt with some awful fringe, and a red blouse. And those little pink cheeks, always scrubbed clean, clean, clean! (1.119)
Masha's description of Natasha's appearance brims with many indications of her lack of class and taste. Come on Masha: don't be shady, be a lady.
Quote #5
Natasha: Tonight's carnival; the maid's all in a tizzy. You got to keep your eyes on them so nothing happens. (2.3)
Since her marriage to Andrey, Natasha enjoys exerting her superiority over the help. So much for the fashion-less chit from the act before.
Quote #6
Masha: Most of the people in this town are so vulgar, so unpleasant, so stupid. Vulgarity upsets me, it wounds me; I get physically sick when I see someone who lacks finesse, who lacks kindness and gentleness. (2.33)
The sisters' delicacy stems from their cultured upbringing in Moscow and troubles them in the countryside. And being physically sick is quite a high level of trouble, if you ask us. Probably how celebrities feel when they're forced to do charity events with normal people.
Quote #7
Vershinin: The other day I was reading the diary of that French politician, the one who went to prison because of the Panama scandal. (2.111)
Education is a given for people of a certain class. Vershinin's intellectual curiosity is the primary attractor for Masha. And reading memoirs of French politicians just for fun is about as intellectually curious as it gets.
Quote #8
Natasha: Masha dear, why do you always use language like that! You have a very attractive personality, and I'm sure you could make a real nice impression on social occasions, I'll tell you quite frankly, if it weren't for those vulgar words of yours. Je vous pries, pardonnez-moi, Marie, mais vous avez des manieres un peu grossieres. (2.130)
Natasha's all uppity since her marriage to Andrey. As you probably guessed, her French is a joke on her—without her knowledge, of course. She says, "Excuse me, Masha, but your manners are a bit unrefined." Look who's talking, we might add!