Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Charles J. Rzepka

Critical Essay by Charles J. Rzepka

SOURCE: “Chekhov's The Three Sisters, Lear's Daughters, and the Weird Sisters: The Arcana of Archetypal Influence,” in Modern Language Studies, Vol. XIV, No. 4, Fall, 1984, pp. 18-27.

In the following essay, Rzepka points out the similarities between The Three Sisters and several of the plays of William Shakespeare as well as Chekhov's preoccupation with the classical and Shakespearean archetype of three sisters.

The paths of literary influence are often obscure. In a letter written from Nice, January 2, 1901, Chekhov warned Stanislavsky, who was already directing rehearsals of The Three Sisters back in Moscow,

I've introduced many changes. You write that when Natasha is making the rounds of the house at night in Act Three she puts out the lights and looks under the furniture for burglars. It seems to me, though, that it would be better to have her walk across the stage in a straight line without...
(read more)