A psychoanalyst's reflections on Chekhov and Three Sisters

The author has given some of his reflections on one of Anton Chekhov's greatest works, the late play Three Sisters. The paper considers the origins of the central concerns of Chekhov's life in a childhood beset by trauma and physical and emotional deprivation, the effects of which he partially overcame through genius and rigorous self-examination and self-discipline. As one examines the plot of this play, one can appreciate the complexity of the playwright's position--delicately and mysteriously suspended between the role of scientific observer of the human condition, while also passionately involved, empathically and morally, in the the inner worlds of both men and women, the young and old, people often trapped within their personal limitations and the social, economic and political worlds they inhabit.