Ivanov, the tragic story of a man who's at the end of his rope...
Setting: Ivanov is set in a late 19th century, in a central province of Russia, in the world of some semi-well off land owners among all their troubles. During late 19th century Russia, the country was very much so run by the rich nobility and their likes.
Main Characters and Analysis:
Ivanov: A member of the Council of Peasant Affairs, a man in in his mid to early thirties. He is a severely depressed man who has lost all joy for life. "I do nothing and think about nothing, but I am tired body and soul." He hurts a lot of people, never intentionally, but none the less, he does. His depression is so severe it is interfering with daily life as seen with his uncle the Count and his relationship with Anna Petrovna, then with Sasha. He can't keep up with his debts either.
Anna Petrovna (Sarah Abramson): Ivanov's wife of 5 years, who is dying of Tuberculosis. Anna is a loving, devoted wife who holds her husband in the highest regards. She has given up so much to be with him. Anna gave up her family, her life and her standing in society to be with Ivanov, and even though he treats her poorly, she still defends him.
Matthew Shabelski: A count and the maternal uncle of Ivanov. He was once someone rich and semi-powerful, but now he is not much in the way of anything. He is a grieving old man, still shaken by his wife's death and the reality that he now lives in. He is broken and very sad, but he covers it up by being cruel, yet comical around others. "I'm always running myself down. Who am I? I used to be rich, free, and rather happy, but now...I'm a parasite, a hang on, an irresponsible buffoon....."
Paul Lebedev: Ivanov's good friend and chairman of a local council. He is a good friend and he is soft heart-ed. He will always try to help out his friend, even if it means going against his wife. "I'll tell you what Nikolasha(Ivanov), I know you'll quarrel with me about it, but as one friend to another......I've got a little somthing laid aside, nobody in this house knows about it. Take it as loan and pay back Zinaida," He is a compassionate man who can see how Ivanov is struggling in life right now and wants to help him the best way he feels he can.
Zinaida Levedev: Paul Lebedev's wife of whom Ivanov owes a good deal of money to. She is a shrewd woman who never misses a thing and loves to gossip. "He married his Jewess, and then the poor fellow, after he had counted on her parents giving a mountain of gold with her, it all turned out quite the reverse. From the day she changed her religion, her father and her mother ceased to recognize her, and put their curse on her...And he didn't get so much as a kopeck." She will not be cheated out of money, even from a good friend of hers, Ivanov. She wants the best for her family and friends but is a no nonsense woman.
Sasha: The Lebedev's daughter who is in love with Ivanov. She's a good girl who is always looking to help others and looking for the best in them "The greater the labor, the greater the love, because then, you see, one feels it more strongly" She is very devoted to Ivanov. As for others, she is usually very compassionate and trys to put a kind word in, but mostly she is extremely enamored with Ivanov.
Lvov: The young government doctor charged with looking after Anna Petrovna. He's a very honest man, but he is obnoxious and all the other characters dislike him. He dislikes most of the people in the town except for Anna Petrovna, his patient, and the town generally dislikes him too. He is always claiming to be so honest, but he seems to use it as just a way to tell people how much he dislikes them. "Do you really think that you are so impenetrable, and I so lacking in intellegence, that I cannot distinguish baseness from honesty
Borkin (Mikhail Mikhailovich): Distant relative of Ivanov's, always trying to come up with a money making scheme. He is always in good spirits and is a very lively character. "....He needs money, and you need a husband. Do you want to be a countess?"
(Chekhov, A. The Major Plays.)
Summary of Ivanov:
Exposition:
The story begins with the audience being told about Ivanov’s money troubles, his sick wife Anna Petrovna, and his deep depression. We are told as an audience that his wife is a Jewish woman who came from a wealthy family, but once she converted to Russian Orthodoxism, she was disowned by her family. Now she is dying of Tuberculosis unbeknownst to her, and Ivanov must take care of her, his debt, and his uncle, the Count, who lives with them. Doctor Lvov, who takes care of Anna is also berating Ivanov for being cruel and short tempered with Anna who he tells Ivanov, is dying of Tuberculosis and must go to Crimea to get better, but he is both unwilling and unable to pay for her treatment. Needing an escape from his troubles, he flees to his friend Lebedev’s house to get some space.
Rising Action:
The story really starts to pick up at Lebedev’s where there is a party going on. There are a good deal of guests there and everyone is having a good time, gossiping mostly about Ivanov and his business. Only Sasha truly defends him and his actions, telling everyone about what a good man he is. It becomes obvious that she is in love with him once he shows up and everyone leaves for a different room and they go into the garden and he pours his soul out to her and she professes her love for him. They kiss just as Anna Petrovna and her faithful doctor Lvov enter the room, looking for Ivanov because they wanted to surprise him. Anna is so shocked and the act ends there.
Climax:
The climax of the play is in the third act, Ivanov is confronted by many of the characters almost simultaneously.Lebedev comes and begs for his Ivanov to pay his debt, then offers to give him a secret loan, Lvov reproaches him yet again about his cruel treatment of his wife, especially chewing him out for his relationship with Sasha, and Sasha visits him too. Sasha comes asking why Ivanov is refusing to see her. After she leaves(although not before another declaration of love), Anna angrily confronts Ivanov about Sasha’s visit and gets into such a rage screaming at her husband at how he has only lied and cheated on her since their marriage and how he never loved her, but only married her for her money. With all of these stressors flying around him, Ivanov becomes so impassioned at her anger that he reveals to her that she is dying.
Falling Action:
The story picks up about a year later after Anna’s death and Sasha is preparing to marry Ivanov. Sasha is having her doubts and Lebedev is advising her to leave now. She refuses, and Ivanov comes to her telling her to not marry him. Lvov then comes in and publicly attacks Ivanov’s character, saying that he married Anna for her money, and that he is only marrying Sasha for the same reason. Even though everyone else was just slandering Ivanov, Sasha and the rest of the characters there jump to his defense. Everyone at this point are challenging each other to duels while Ivanov just stands there almost laughing. He is completely amused with the whole situation.
Resolution:
As the chaos around him continues, Ivanov takes the gun from his belt and walks off. Sasha realizes what he’s doing and she runs off to stop him but it’s too late. He shot himself in the head and he is dead. The story abruptly stops here.
(Chekhov, A. The Major Plays.)
Main Characters and Analysis:
Ivanov: A member of the Council of Peasant Affairs, a man in in his mid to early thirties. He is a severely depressed man who has lost all joy for life. "I do nothing and think about nothing, but I am tired body and soul." He hurts a lot of people, never intentionally, but none the less, he does. His depression is so severe it is interfering with daily life as seen with his uncle the Count and his relationship with Anna Petrovna, then with Sasha. He can't keep up with his debts either.
Anna Petrovna (Sarah Abramson): Ivanov's wife of 5 years, who is dying of Tuberculosis. Anna is a loving, devoted wife who holds her husband in the highest regards. She has given up so much to be with him. Anna gave up her family, her life and her standing in society to be with Ivanov, and even though he treats her poorly, she still defends him.
Matthew Shabelski: A count and the maternal uncle of Ivanov. He was once someone rich and semi-powerful, but now he is not much in the way of anything. He is a grieving old man, still shaken by his wife's death and the reality that he now lives in. He is broken and very sad, but he covers it up by being cruel, yet comical around others. "I'm always running myself down. Who am I? I used to be rich, free, and rather happy, but now...I'm a parasite, a hang on, an irresponsible buffoon....."
Paul Lebedev: Ivanov's good friend and chairman of a local council. He is a good friend and he is soft heart-ed. He will always try to help out his friend, even if it means going against his wife. "I'll tell you what Nikolasha(Ivanov), I know you'll quarrel with me about it, but as one friend to another......I've got a little somthing laid aside, nobody in this house knows about it. Take it as loan and pay back Zinaida," He is a compassionate man who can see how Ivanov is struggling in life right now and wants to help him the best way he feels he can.
Zinaida Levedev: Paul Lebedev's wife of whom Ivanov owes a good deal of money to. She is a shrewd woman who never misses a thing and loves to gossip. "He married his Jewess, and then the poor fellow, after he had counted on her parents giving a mountain of gold with her, it all turned out quite the reverse. From the day she changed her religion, her father and her mother ceased to recognize her, and put their curse on her...And he didn't get so much as a kopeck." She will not be cheated out of money, even from a good friend of hers, Ivanov. She wants the best for her family and friends but is a no nonsense woman.
Sasha: The Lebedev's daughter who is in love with Ivanov. She's a good girl who is always looking to help others and looking for the best in them "The greater the labor, the greater the love, because then, you see, one feels it more strongly" She is very devoted to Ivanov. As for others, she is usually very compassionate and trys to put a kind word in, but mostly she is extremely enamored with Ivanov.
Lvov: The young government doctor charged with looking after Anna Petrovna. He's a very honest man, but he is obnoxious and all the other characters dislike him. He dislikes most of the people in the town except for Anna Petrovna, his patient, and the town generally dislikes him too. He is always claiming to be so honest, but he seems to use it as just a way to tell people how much he dislikes them. "Do you really think that you are so impenetrable, and I so lacking in intellegence, that I cannot distinguish baseness from honesty
Borkin (Mikhail Mikhailovich): Distant relative of Ivanov's, always trying to come up with a money making scheme. He is always in good spirits and is a very lively character. "....He needs money, and you need a husband. Do you want to be a countess?"
(Chekhov, A. The Major Plays.)
Summary of Ivanov:
Exposition:
The story begins with the audience being told about Ivanov’s money troubles, his sick wife Anna Petrovna, and his deep depression. We are told as an audience that his wife is a Jewish woman who came from a wealthy family, but once she converted to Russian Orthodoxism, she was disowned by her family. Now she is dying of Tuberculosis unbeknownst to her, and Ivanov must take care of her, his debt, and his uncle, the Count, who lives with them. Doctor Lvov, who takes care of Anna is also berating Ivanov for being cruel and short tempered with Anna who he tells Ivanov, is dying of Tuberculosis and must go to Crimea to get better, but he is both unwilling and unable to pay for her treatment. Needing an escape from his troubles, he flees to his friend Lebedev’s house to get some space.
Rising Action:
The story really starts to pick up at Lebedev’s where there is a party going on. There are a good deal of guests there and everyone is having a good time, gossiping mostly about Ivanov and his business. Only Sasha truly defends him and his actions, telling everyone about what a good man he is. It becomes obvious that she is in love with him once he shows up and everyone leaves for a different room and they go into the garden and he pours his soul out to her and she professes her love for him. They kiss just as Anna Petrovna and her faithful doctor Lvov enter the room, looking for Ivanov because they wanted to surprise him. Anna is so shocked and the act ends there.
Climax:
The climax of the play is in the third act, Ivanov is confronted by many of the characters almost simultaneously.Lebedev comes and begs for his Ivanov to pay his debt, then offers to give him a secret loan, Lvov reproaches him yet again about his cruel treatment of his wife, especially chewing him out for his relationship with Sasha, and Sasha visits him too. Sasha comes asking why Ivanov is refusing to see her. After she leaves(although not before another declaration of love), Anna angrily confronts Ivanov about Sasha’s visit and gets into such a rage screaming at her husband at how he has only lied and cheated on her since their marriage and how he never loved her, but only married her for her money. With all of these stressors flying around him, Ivanov becomes so impassioned at her anger that he reveals to her that she is dying.
Falling Action:
The story picks up about a year later after Anna’s death and Sasha is preparing to marry Ivanov. Sasha is having her doubts and Lebedev is advising her to leave now. She refuses, and Ivanov comes to her telling her to not marry him. Lvov then comes in and publicly attacks Ivanov’s character, saying that he married Anna for her money, and that he is only marrying Sasha for the same reason. Even though everyone else was just slandering Ivanov, Sasha and the rest of the characters there jump to his defense. Everyone at this point are challenging each other to duels while Ivanov just stands there almost laughing. He is completely amused with the whole situation.
Resolution:
As the chaos around him continues, Ivanov takes the gun from his belt and walks off. Sasha realizes what he’s doing and she runs off to stop him but it’s too late. He shot himself in the head and he is dead. The story abruptly stops here.
(Chekhov, A. The Major Plays.)
Theme:The main theme throughout Ivanov is one of overwhelming feelings and misunderstandings. Nobody really ever talked to Ivanov about what was going on with himself. Sasha was the only one, but she wasn’t able to do much. All the while, Ivanov is suffering with a terrible mental illness and nobody takes that into consideration. They all just write him off as a terrible, cruel person. They say that he is a heartless, money chasing man who marries for the cash then doesn’t care. They all pile on these problems onto his back and then expect him to be able to carry them. Yes, he made poor decisions at times, but everyone does. Throughout the entire play, Ivanov is never really asked much about himself or taken too very seriously when he is.They all just judge him and assume they understand when they don’t. They all misinterpreted things and get the truth of it lost.
Symbols:
There weren't many symbols in Ivanov, but for much of the play, there were people playing cards. Cards can mean a lot of things. Some cards are unlucky, such as four clubs, jack and ace of spades, nine diamonds, which can be deadly, and two black jacks(poverty and unhappiness). (Online Symbolism Dictionary.)
There weren't many symbols in Ivanov, but for much of the play, there were people playing cards. Cards can mean a lot of things. Some cards are unlucky, such as four clubs, jack and ace of spades, nine diamonds, which can be deadly, and two black jacks(poverty and unhappiness). (Online Symbolism Dictionary.)