1. Discuss any five themes presented in Anton Chekhov's Swan song.
Like every writing of Chekhov, this drama ' Swan song ' is filled with profound themes. Swan song refers to the final performance or gesture given just before death or retirement. The major character of this drama, Svetlovidov is seen to be performing his Swan song. The setting, plot, character selection and the use of Shakespear's play, all resonate together to introduce these five major themes in the drama:
1. Death and old age
Svetlovidov is sixty-eight years old and has spent forty-five long years acting on the stage. But old age has diminished his enthusiasm and strength. He is no longer able to perform like he used to, and hence is filled with feelings of being worthless. All alone in the world, there is not a single person to care him. He knows that time has come to leave the acting career. The author has used the symbolic representation of his aging protagonist to emphasize life's transience as well as human's subservience to the whims of fate.
2. Reminiscence and regret of past
Throughout the drama, Svetlovidov is remembering his past activities, achievements, choices and mistakes. He cherishes the memory of his lover. He is sad because he cannot bring back the years that has passed. Though he is proud of his performances, he regrets the fact that he spent such a long time in stage while he could have picked any other respectable career. If we look back on our life when we get old, the feeling of regret over few things of our past is almost universal.
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3. Attitude of society towards the career in acting
Chekhov has successfully managed to display the actual sociocultural acceptance of people through the story of Svetlovidov. In spite of the fact that art and acting were viewed with more reverence in that time, artist were treated in the exact opposite manner. The only love they received was for their work. The girl with whom Svetlovidov was deeply in love posed a condition for him to leave the acting career if they were to get married. This seems to have deeply affected him because he remained unmarried throughout his life and didn't change his career. Hence, attitude of society also have a major impact over psychology of a person.
4. Disillusionment and false ideals
Svetlovidov was drunk when he poured out all his feelings and emotions to Nikita Ivanich. He thought that he was really old and was not able to perform in the same way he once did. He lamented his condition and compared it with the past. When he started to perform Shakespear's play with Nikita, he again felt rejuvinated and thought that he was still capable for pulling out another outstanding performance. But all these regrets, lamentation and excitements were more of an outcome of his head compared to any other external environment. This illusion about the real condition made it hard for him to change his situation and move on with his life in a rational way.
5. Acceptance of reality and letting go
Finally, at the end of the drama, Svetlovidov realized that the time for him to leave the stage had come. He accepted that old age had engulfed his enthusiasm and abilities. His swan song had been sung. This acceptance of reality helped him to cope with his present condition. This theme teaches us that instead of focusing on what we don't have, we should accept the truth of our situation and do what we can to improve it, even if it means letting go.
2. Chekhov presents various facets of human emotion. Justify with reference to any three emotions presented in the text.
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Chekhov, unlike other dramatists, has displayed the actual human behavior and emotions which is so realistic that it seems he had a deep understanding of what makes the human heart tick. He has presented various facets of human emotions. Despair, loneliness and regret can be perceived on behalf of Svetlovidov while affection and understanding are part of Nikita's emotion.
Svetlovidov is old, lonely and neglected. It is normal for him to feel like giving up everything. When he delivers his monologue or even when he talks about his past with Nikita, the tone of regret and sadness in his voice is evident. But as he shifts his reminiscence towards his lover, he becomes quite poetic. The emotions of a person in love is displayed through Svetlovidov. There is warmth and admiration in his expression of love. Again his emotions turn into a hurtful one when he remembers how he was loved as an actor but not married as one. He also feels rage towards the society which enjoyed stage performances but had no respect for the performer. Apart from these three emotions, the understanding and compassion shown by Nikita towards Svetlovidov is palpable. Only he seems to resonate with the emotions of Svetlovodov, maybe because he is also old and has been through similar stages in his life.
Although the drunkenness of Svetlovidov in the drama contributed to the frequent swing of his mood and emotion, still Chekhov has clearly presented different facets of human emotion in distinct fashion.
3. The author uses appropriate style in rendering his characters. Elucidate with reference to any two appropriate instances.
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It is certain to say that there are only two characters in this drama and the main protagonist is Vasili Svetlovidov. Though the main concern of the plot only revolves around svetlovidov, the author has used the most appropriate style in rendering both of his characters.
For instance, the personality of Svetlovidov can easily be guessed to be one of a rebel. This is evident because he didn't change his career despite being rejected for marriage due to the same reason. He can be seen as a deep thinker. But it is because he is old. An old and lonely person is most likely to remember and regret the events of his past and doubt his choice of career and decisions. An old aged person is sure to lament that he is all alone in the world and there is no one to care about him. The character building of Svetlovidov is done so precisely that he encompasses all attributes there are to being an old aged dramatist of that era. The rise and fall in the tone of speech, the change of emotion acording to the change of subject and the actual display of human condition have made the character of Svetlovidov seem more real and alive.
The next instance is based on the character of Nikita Ivanich, the Prompter. He is also an old man who has spent many years behind the stage. He is presented as an affectionate and understanding person. The tone of appreciation and respect in Nikita's voice helped Svetlovidov to cope with his situation. The plot would have been irrevalent if it contained only a jumbled monologue of Svetlovidov. The presence of Nikita provided a medium for Svetlovidov to tell his story of pain and reminiscence. Hence, the author has used his creative imagination in rendering his characters in an appropriate style by making them completely relevant to the plot.
Like every writing of Chekhov, this drama ' Swan song ' is filled with profound themes. Swan song refers to the final performance or gesture given just before death or retirement. The major character of this drama, Svetlovidov is seen to be performing his Swan song. The setting, plot, character selection and the use of Shakespear's play, all resonate together to introduce these five major themes in the drama:
1. Death and old age
Svetlovidov is sixty-eight years old and has spent forty-five long years acting on the stage. But old age has diminished his enthusiasm and strength. He is no longer able to perform like he used to, and hence is filled with feelings of being worthless. All alone in the world, there is not a single person to care him. He knows that time has come to leave the acting career. The author has used the symbolic representation of his aging protagonist to emphasize life's transience as well as human's subservience to the whims of fate.
2. Reminiscence and regret of past
Throughout the drama, Svetlovidov is remembering his past activities, achievements, choices and mistakes. He cherishes the memory of his lover. He is sad because he cannot bring back the years that has passed. Though he is proud of his performances, he regrets the fact that he spent such a long time in stage while he could have picked any other respectable career. If we look back on our life when we get old, the feeling of regret over few things of our past is almost universal.
Image Source:Google
3. Attitude of society towards the career in acting
Chekhov has successfully managed to display the actual sociocultural acceptance of people through the story of Svetlovidov. In spite of the fact that art and acting were viewed with more reverence in that time, artist were treated in the exact opposite manner. The only love they received was for their work. The girl with whom Svetlovidov was deeply in love posed a condition for him to leave the acting career if they were to get married. This seems to have deeply affected him because he remained unmarried throughout his life and didn't change his career. Hence, attitude of society also have a major impact over psychology of a person.
4. Disillusionment and false ideals
Svetlovidov was drunk when he poured out all his feelings and emotions to Nikita Ivanich. He thought that he was really old and was not able to perform in the same way he once did. He lamented his condition and compared it with the past. When he started to perform Shakespear's play with Nikita, he again felt rejuvinated and thought that he was still capable for pulling out another outstanding performance. But all these regrets, lamentation and excitements were more of an outcome of his head compared to any other external environment. This illusion about the real condition made it hard for him to change his situation and move on with his life in a rational way.
5. Acceptance of reality and letting go
Finally, at the end of the drama, Svetlovidov realized that the time for him to leave the stage had come. He accepted that old age had engulfed his enthusiasm and abilities. His swan song had been sung. This acceptance of reality helped him to cope with his present condition. This theme teaches us that instead of focusing on what we don't have, we should accept the truth of our situation and do what we can to improve it, even if it means letting go.
2. Chekhov presents various facets of human emotion. Justify with reference to any three emotions presented in the text.
Image Source: Google
Chekhov, unlike other dramatists, has displayed the actual human behavior and emotions which is so realistic that it seems he had a deep understanding of what makes the human heart tick. He has presented various facets of human emotions. Despair, loneliness and regret can be perceived on behalf of Svetlovidov while affection and understanding are part of Nikita's emotion.
Svetlovidov is old, lonely and neglected. It is normal for him to feel like giving up everything. When he delivers his monologue or even when he talks about his past with Nikita, the tone of regret and sadness in his voice is evident. But as he shifts his reminiscence towards his lover, he becomes quite poetic. The emotions of a person in love is displayed through Svetlovidov. There is warmth and admiration in his expression of love. Again his emotions turn into a hurtful one when he remembers how he was loved as an actor but not married as one. He also feels rage towards the society which enjoyed stage performances but had no respect for the performer. Apart from these three emotions, the understanding and compassion shown by Nikita towards Svetlovidov is palpable. Only he seems to resonate with the emotions of Svetlovodov, maybe because he is also old and has been through similar stages in his life.
Although the drunkenness of Svetlovidov in the drama contributed to the frequent swing of his mood and emotion, still Chekhov has clearly presented different facets of human emotion in distinct fashion.
3. The author uses appropriate style in rendering his characters. Elucidate with reference to any two appropriate instances.
It is certain to say that there are only two characters in this drama and the main protagonist is Vasili Svetlovidov. Though the main concern of the plot only revolves around svetlovidov, the author has used the most appropriate style in rendering both of his characters.
For instance, the personality of Svetlovidov can easily be guessed to be one of a rebel. This is evident because he didn't change his career despite being rejected for marriage due to the same reason. He can be seen as a deep thinker. But it is because he is old. An old and lonely person is most likely to remember and regret the events of his past and doubt his choice of career and decisions. An old aged person is sure to lament that he is all alone in the world and there is no one to care about him. The character building of Svetlovidov is done so precisely that he encompasses all attributes there are to being an old aged dramatist of that era. The rise and fall in the tone of speech, the change of emotion acording to the change of subject and the actual display of human condition have made the character of Svetlovidov seem more real and alive.
The next instance is based on the character of Nikita Ivanich, the Prompter. He is also an old man who has spent many years behind the stage. He is presented as an affectionate and understanding person. The tone of appreciation and respect in Nikita's voice helped Svetlovidov to cope with his situation. The plot would have been irrevalent if it contained only a jumbled monologue of Svetlovidov. The presence of Nikita provided a medium for Svetlovidov to tell his story of pain and reminiscence. Hence, the author has used his creative imagination in rendering his characters in an appropriate style by making them completely relevant to the plot.
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