Essay on "Comparative Study on Comedic Aspects Between Two Plays"

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Neither the Seagull nor the Cherry Orchard can be called full comedies in the modern sense of the word; they are not laugh-out-loud funny throughout nor are they concerned with generally light-hearted and ultimately inconsequential material. Death is seen in both plays, as is the destruction of relationships and the loss of happiness based on certain ways of life. It is possible to imagine how a production might give even these elements a comic twist, however, without damaging the honesty or complexity of Chekov's texts and characters, and in fact there are certain elements in both of the plays that almost demand to be seen as comic rather than tragic. The method by which action is presented in these two plays, namely through narrative dialogue and the use of off-stage action that is only reported to the audience/reader, is one of the primary comedic aspects in each of these plays, allowing Chekov to blend the comic with the tragic with a great deal of success.

What Isn't There

There are many important moments in the action of both the Seagull and the Cherry Orchard that do not actually take place in front of the audience, but that rather occur offstage and that the audience only learns of after the fact, and sometimes long after the fact. The specific events that Chekov decides not to include in the onstage action of each play can often be seen as directly supporting the comedy of the plays. This removal of action serves both to stave off a confrontation with the truly tragic by removing certain events from the audience's direct view, wile other instances of absence are conspicuously humorous for this absence.

As an example of the former -- that is, of the use of offstage action to prevent a confrontation between the audience and the truly tragic elements of the play -- one need look no further than Konstantin's second suicide attempt. This comes at the very end of the play, and Konstantin is successful now whereas he failed in his first attempt -- he ends his life after a downward cycle of depression that goes ultimately unexplained by Chekov's text. Had the audience actually witnessed Konstantin's death, it would be difficult to regard much in the pay as truly comedic, as this act of senseless destruction would doubtless have become central to an experience of the play. By keeping this instance offstage, the audience is free to draw stronger associations with other… READ MORE