Uncle Vanya

Serebrakoff has called the household together for a meeting to discuss “business,” and Sonia, Voitski, and Helena wait in the drawing room. Voitski wonders if the idle professor has any business at all, and Sonia and Helena chastise Voitski for his uncharitable opinion. Helena wonders if Voitski can keep expressing the same complaints ad nauseum without boring himself because she is suffering from tedium and aimlessness. Sonia consoles her and suggests several worthwhile pursuits with which she could occupy herself while living in the country: helping with the estate or at the market, teaching local children, or caring for the sick. Helena refuses all of these options because she has no knowledge or experience in such matters and has no interest in learning. She claims that only in novels do young women go out and do such things.

Sonia promises that Helena will eventually get used to her new surroundings, but she points out that her restlessness and idleness are contagious: Voitski neglects his work to follow Helena around, Astroff neglects his medical practice and forestry to visit their household daily, and even Sonia is neglecting her work by waiting around with them. Voitski accuses Helena of having the blood of a water spirit or “Nixey,” and he encourages her to succumb to her nature and return underwater to free them all from her influence. Helena objects angrily. To apologize, Voitski proposes he fetch her a bouquet of autumn roses that he picked for her that morning.

With Voitski gone, Helena asks Sonia how they will all survive the coming winter. They talk of Astroff who is currently writing in Voitski’s room, and Helena embraces Sonia as the latter laments the fact that she is “ugly.” Helena tries to convince her otherwise, but Sonia is inconsolable. Sonia confesses that she has been in love with Astroff for six years, but although he now visits their household daily and occupies her thoughts, he still doesn’t even look at her. She prays for the strength to endure the agony of her love, but she finds she can no longer master herself. Although Sonia is certain that everyone else has noticed her feelings by now, Astroff is oblivious. Helena offers to subtly broach the topic with Astroff to finally end her uncertainty. She promises to tell Sonia the whole truth and says that if Astroff doesn’t return Sonia’s feelings, they will make him stop visiting the household for her sake. Sonia is hesitant but agrees, and she goes to fetch Astroff under the pretext of his showing Helena his sketches.

Alone, Helena declares that knowing someone else’s secret but being unable to help them is the worst kind of sorrow. She feels incredibly guilty because she guesses why Astroff comes to the estate every day now: It is to see her rather than Sonia. She knows that Astroff isn’t in love with Sonia, but he thinks that he should still marry her anyway because she would be a wonderful wife for a man in his position. Although she is not pretty, Sonia is kind and clever. Helena understands why Sonia has fallen in love with Astroff, who is so much more interesting and charming than the other people in the area. She compares his presence to the rising of the moon, and she admits that, in her loneliness, she is herself a little in love with him. She recalls Voitski’s accusation that she has Nixey blood and fantasizes about giving in to her nature and fleeing far away, forgetting that any of the people around her ever existed. However, she knows that she is too cowardly and beholden to her conscience to ever actually do so.

Astroff enters with a portfolio containing maps of Russia. He asks about Helena’s personal history—she was born in St. Petersburg and educated in music—as he explains the maps he has painted that show the process of deforestation over the past few decades. He speaks at length on the negative environmental impacts of human activity, and he bemoans that nature isn’t even being destroyed to further the march of progress. It is simply being used up by desperate people who are trying to survive.

Suddenly, Astroff stops speaking and coldly says he can tell he isn’t interesting to her. Helena admits apologetically that her thoughts are elsewhere. She struggles with broaching the topic of Sonia’s feelings and asks his permission to question him on a topic that he must afterward forget. She asks outright if he likes Sonia and if he’s noticed her feelings for him. Astroff replies that although he respects Sonia, he isn’t attracted to her and has noticed nothing of her feelings for him. Helena accepts that he does not love Sonia and tells him that in light of the pain this will cause Sonia, he must no longer visit the house. Astroff agrees, embarrassed, and says he has no time for such things.

Helena is relieved that their difficult conversation is over, but Astroff accuses her of manufacturing this excuse to seduce him. He calls her a wily tigress and offers himself up as her victim. Helena is blindsided and denies this. However, he bars her way when she tries to leave, kissing her hands, and says that what’s between them is inevitable. Helena calls him mad and pulls away, saying that he has forgotten himself and that she’s a better person than he thinks. She tries to tell him to leave and then tries to leave herself, but he pulls her into an embrace. Voitski enters with a bouquet of roses and watches frozen as Astroff tries to persuade Helena to meet with him in the forest the following afternoon. As she tries again to pull away, begging Astroff to let her go, she notices Voitski in the doorway. Embarrassed, Helena extricates herself and retreats to the window. Both Voitski and Astroff are flustered, and Astroff quickly gathers his portfolio and leaves.

Helena desperately asks Voitski to help her persuade Serebrakoff that they must leave the estate this very day, and Voitski agrees. Both Voitski and Helena are agitated, but they rush to compose themselves as the remainder of the household assembles. Sonia asks Helena what Astroff’s reply was, but although Helena tries to demur to tell Sonia later, Sonia guesses from her face that Astroff is not interested in her. Helena confirms that he will not be visiting anymore.

Serebrakoff addresses them all pompously and outlines his plan to see the estate sold off to finance his retirement, though he claims that it would be for Sonia and Helena’s sake. Voitski is shocked, especially given that Serebrakoff has not even considered where Voitski, Sonia, and Mme. Voitskaya would live. He reminds Serebrakoff that the estate belongs to Sonia since it was a wedding present to her deceased mother, and Serebrakoff says that of course the estate wouldn’t be sold without Sonia’s permission.

Mme. Voitskaya tells Voitski to trust Serebrakoff, though Telegin is clearly upset given that the estate was originally bought from his uncle. Voitski is furious and rants at Serebrakoff. He details how his father was only able to buy the estate because Voitski renounced his inheritance, and he describes how he worked for over a decade to pay off the mortgage on the land. He’s been managing the estate for a pittance of a wage these 25 years to send all its profits to support Serebrakoff because he believed in Serebrakoff’s genius. However, he now knows that Serebrakoff is a fraud and is appalled that he wants to throw Voitski out of his home.

Voitski says that it is Serebrakoff’s fault that Voitski’s life has amounted to nothing because it was for his sake that Voitski wasted the best years of his life. He declares Serebrakoff his “mortal enemy,” and Serebrakoff shouts back that Voitski has no right to speak to him in such a manner. Telegin leaves the room, unable to endure the excitement, as Mme. Voitskaya tries to calm Voitski. Helena cries out that she cannot endure this hell and must leave at once. Sonia collapses to her knees in Marina’s embrace, deeply upset.

Voitski storms out, declaring that he knows what to do to make Serebrakoff understand him, and his mother follows him out. Serebrakoff shouts angrily after him, and Helena insists again that they must leave the house that very day. Sonia begs her father to take pity on them and be kind because she and Voitski are both so unhappy. She reminds him that Voitski has worked hard all his life without rest or reward to send money to Serebrakoff and support him. She pleads with him to understand and be merciful, and Helena agrees that Serebrakoff should go and talk to Voitski. Serebrakoff says that won’t apologize, but he says that he isn’t angry, either. He and Helena both go to find Voitski. Sonia trembles at Marina’s feet, weeping, and the nurse soothes her gently.

Suddenly, a gunshot sounds and Helena screams. Serebrakoff runs back into the drawing room, crying out in terror that Voitski has gone mad. In the doorway, Helena tries to wrestle a gun away from Voitski, but he makes it past her. He shoots at Serebrakoff again and misses once more before discarding his gun in disgust and collapsing in a chair. Helena is almost fainting in terror while Serebrakoff is uninjured but stupefied; Sonia remains cowering at Marina’s side.