Astroff Notes

Late 1890s
Thinks hes old and eccentric
Into agriculturewon many awards for planting trees, and advocates against cutting

them down.
Astrov teases Vanya for his feelings for Yelena, and makes Telegin play his guitar, even

though everyone else is trying to sleep.

Sonya hints that she loves Astrov, but he doesn't take the bait. He says he doesn't love

anyone.
When Yelena approaches Astrov about Sonya, however, he just starts talking about

the decay of society and civilization.

Astrov misunderstands Yelena's intentions and thinks that she is the one who has a crush
on him. He tries to kiss her, and just then Vanya walks in with a bouquet of flowers and

sees Yelena struggling. The plot thickens.

Astrov's alarmist mood goes along with the play's themes of social and economic change,
and of people living off of the land and off of each other with no regard to the
consequences. Just as the people are cutting down the forests to burn the wood and build
houses with it, Serebryakov lets his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and daughter work

their fingers to the bone while he lives it up in the city.

Alcohol comes up almost every time Astrov's on stage,
So which came first? Is Astrov kind of a drunk because he's aged and needs some solace,
or has he aged because the bottom his vodka bottle is always up? Or a combination of the

two?
The fact that the Doctor just told Marina that he wouldn't drink shows how unconscious

he is of his habit.
Later he loses his attitude of being respectful to his environment due to, you guessed it,
alcohol: [Enter ASTROV in his coat, without waistcoat and tie; tipsy; followed by

TELEGIN with a guitar.] ASTROV: Play! TELEGIN: Everyone's asleep! ASTROV:

Play!
Maybe he's just depressed?
See what we mean? This is Astrov's final exit from the play, and the fact that he is now
living off liquor, not even food, shows that he is hopeless, as far as his drinking goes.

Come eighteen miles on horse to their house

o Ill stay the night, to Sonyas pleasureis this common?
Looking to improve the environment for future generations
When will you come and see us? I dont know
Being oldugh
Marina: No ones sorry for you when youre old
Vanya: My life is beyond recall
Knows Vanya is in love with Yelena
Im drunkknows and points out I can do anything when Im in this state!
Euphoric
o At times like this, I dont think theres anything odd about meso he thinks

hes odd when hes sober?

Pg. 24: I didnt eat today, just drank
o Serebraakov is difficult
o Mad like Ryan Mar with Nina: Shes no responsibilitiesother people do her
work for hera life of idleness cant be an innocent one
o I despise my life from the bottom of my soulthere has been nobody I have

loved
25: Humanity is corruptThey whine, they pursue little vendettastheyre selfabsorbent
o Sonya: Dont drink youre a man of refinementyoure so gently-spoken
o Astrov: People dont create; they just destroy what has been given to them.
26: I cant loveI have other things to think about. Maybe he cannot love himself yet.
o Sonya: His voice is so vibrant and caressing
31: Sonya and Vanya have worked their tails off

32: Astroff comes every day, though he used to come once a month (hard to persuade

him) hes given up his trees and his practice

34: Yelena: I feel guilty with him coming every day because I can guess why he comes
43: Vanya is severely underpaid, but never asked for more?
50: Oddity is the condition of mankind No faith in humanity
54: You and your husband have infected us with your idleness. I got carried away. Ive
done nothing for a whole month, while people have been falling sick and peasants have
been pasturing their cattle in my woods and plantations

Moreover, we should qualify that this seduction does not show Astrov in love: he is merely
fascinated by Yelena's beauty.
On the other hand, one wonders if these visions of saving future generations are little more
than drunken illusions: as Astrov will note in Act II, it is only when drunk that he feels
"monumental" rather than "eccentric."

Chloroform was once a widely used anesthetic.

Islavedamongthosepeopleallday,notacrumbpassedmylips,butwhenIgot
hometherewasstillnorestforme;aswitchmanwascarriedinfromtherailroad;I
laidhimontheoperatingtableandhewentanddiedinmyarmsunderchloroform,
andthenmyfeelingsthatshouldhavebeendeadenedawokeagain,myconscience
torturedmeasifIhadkilledtheman.Isatdownandclosedmyeyeslikethisand
thought:willourdescendantstwohundredyearsfromnow,forwhomwearebreaking
theroad,remembertogiveusakindword?No,nurse...theywillforget.