“ Life must be represented not as it is, but as it ought to be ”
Anton Chekhov, The Seagull (1896). copy citation
| Author | Anton Chekhov |
|---|---|
| Source | The Seagull |
| Topic | life |
| Date | 1896 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | The Seagull, Act I |
| Note | Translated by Marian Fell |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Seagull/Act_I |
Context
“What beautiful stories he writes!
TREPLIEFF. [Coldly] I have never read any of them, so I can't say.
NINA. Your play is very hard to act; there are no living characters in it.
TREPLIEFF. Living characters! Life must be represented not as it is, but as it ought to be; as it appears in dreams.
NINA. There is so little action; it seems more like a recitation. I think love should always come into every play.
NINA and TREPLIEFF go up onto the little stage; PAULINA and DORN come in.”
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