Publisher's Synopsis
Konstantin, the son of Arkadina (a famous actress), has written a play. It is to be performed outside, on his uncle Sorin's estate, starring the woman Konstantin is in love with, Nina. Waiting for Konstantin's play to begin, Medvedenko, the local schoolteacher, asks Masha, with whom he is in love, why she always wears black. Masha, in love with Konstantin, is in mourning for her life. Sorin and Konstantin enter, talking about the boredom of the country, and Konstantin expounds upon his longing for "new forms" in the theatre. He has had Yakov and the workmen erect him a makeshift theater in the garden, and Konstantin is delighted with it. Sorin and Konstantin talk about Konstantin's mother, Arkadina, and Konstantin opines that his mother and he stand for entirely different theatrical traditions, and tells Sorin that he longs to become a famous writer.Sorin changes the subject and asks about Arkadina's new man, Trigorin, to whom Konstantin seems indifferent. Trigorin is a famous writer. Nina arrives, asks Konstantin about Trigorin. Konstantin professes his love to her, and she doesn't reciprocate directly. Nina tells Konstantin that his play is more like a recitation than a play - it doesn't have living characters or action.
