Essay --

The Seagull is a masterpiece written by Chekhov. It is a short play highlighting stories of characters who are preoccupied with themselves, what they want and what they do not have. However, these characters do not seem to listen, empathize or even initially understand anyone until Treplev commits suicide. Within the setup of the story, the author of the play uses various characters different from others. For instance the character of Treplev in the entire play differs to that of Trigorin in different ways. Treplev is a desperate writer and dramatist who live in the shadow of Arkadina. He is an independent person who wants to get out of Arkadina’s shadow. On the other hands, Trigorin is a compulsive and dependent writer who relies on Arkadina. In this section, the author will compare two characters of Treplev and Trigorin, explaining the superiority of one character over the other. Treplev is only son of Arkadina and the protagonist of the play. His perception about life is insecure as he struggles with the endeavors of being a famous dramatist like his mother who is a successful actress. He also focuses on his dreams of being successful in writing like Trigorin who is also a successful writer. Both Arkadina and Trigorin have membership of the elite Russian intelligentsia and the artistic community. They have a legacy in the community for over what they have done in terms of writing. In terms of character analysis, Treplev seems to be intolerant, self-defeating and juvenile. This is shown through how he behaves in the whole play. The desire that Treplev has for love torments him in a distinct way. He tries to develop a new form of writings that he wants to replicate the new upsurge of symbolist inscription that will reinvigorate ... ...think about form, because it’s pouring freely out of your soul† (pg 179) As Dorn advised Treplev in Act One, Treplev progressively realizes writing is all about their picturesque path with a well defined goal not a new forms and only to create new forms and being appreciated. In addition, Treplev is no longer jealous and starts yearning for Trigorin’s writing. He says â€Å"Trigorin has a perfected a technique for himself, it’s easy for him/ He has a shard of broken bottle glisten on the dam and a black shadow cast by the millwheel and there’s your moonlight night ready –made† (pg 179) There is a difference in the shade of meaning when Treplev explain about Trigorin between Act One and Act Four. Treplev respects the way of Trigorin’s writing and his formula. By the comparison Treplev and Trigorin, we can learn about the point of view with writing and their life style.