ABSTRACT
Many critics call the tune by glibly referring to ‘The Sea Gull’ as a tragedy of frustration. But the play is tragi-comedy impaling human foibles as well as hearts. Tender but ruthless, ‘The Sea Gull’ smiles upon the too-utterly-utter side of the artistic temperament, reflects the conflict between two incompatible generations. It exposes Trigorin's rueful egotism: ‘On my tombstone,’ says Trigorin, ‘They will say: Here lies Trigorin, who was a good writer but not so good a one as Turgenev.’ It exposes Nina's swimming-eyed romanticism. Chekhov suggested, though Actor Lunt has not heeded him, that Trigorin should not be dapper or handsome, should wear torn shoes. Chekhov's point was subtle: to a girl like Nina, the more down-at-the-heel Trigorin is, the more exciting he will seem.
