Uncle Vanya

real love, it was all made up; but I fancied at the time that it was real. It’s not my fault. And ever since our marriage you have been punishing me with your clever, suspicious eyes. Sonya Come, peace! peace! Let us forget. Yelena You mustn’t look like that⁠—it doesn’t suit you. You must believe in everyone⁠—there is no living if you don’t a pause. Sonya Tell me honestly, as a friend⁠ ⁠… are you happy? Yelena No. Sonya I knew that. One more question. Tell me frankly, wouldn’t you have liked your husband to be young? Yelena What a child you are still! Of course I should! Laughs. Well, ask something else, ask away.⁠ ⁠… Sonya Do you like the doctor? Yelena Yes, very much. Sonya Laughs. Do I look silly⁠ ⁠… yes? He has gone away, but I still hear his voice and his footsteps, and when I look at the dark window I can see his face. Do let me tell you.⁠ ⁠… But I can’t speak so loud; I feel ashamed. Come into my room, we can talk there. You must think me silly? Own up.⁠ ⁠… Tell me something about him. Yelena What am I to tell you? Sonya He is clever.⁠ ⁠… He understands everything, he can do anything.⁠ ⁠… He doctors people, and plants forests too.⁠ ⁠… Yelena It is not a question of forests and medicine.⁠ ⁠… My dear, you must understand he has a spark of genius! And you know what that means? Boldness, freedom of mind, width of outlook.⁠ ⁠… He plants a tree and is already seeing what will follow from it in a thousand years, already he has visions of the happiness of humanity. Such people are rare, one must love them.⁠ ⁠… He drinks, he is sometimes a little coarse⁠—but what does that matter? A talented man cannot keep spotless in Russia. Only think what sort of life that doctor has! Impassable mud on the roads, frosts, snowstorms, the immense distances, the coarse savage peasants, poverty and disease all around him⁠—it is hard for one who is working and struggling day after day in such surroundings to keep spotless and sober till he is forty kisses her. I wish you happiness with all my heart; you deserve it⁠ ⁠… gets up. But I am a tiresome, secondary character.⁠ ⁠… In music and in my husband’s house, and in all the love affairs, everywhere in fact, I have always played a secondary part. As a matter of fact, if you come to think of it, Sonya, I am very, very unhappy! Walks up and down the stage in agitation. There is no happiness in this world for me, none! Why do you laugh? Sonya Laughs, hiding her face. I am so happy⁠ ⁠… so happy! Yelena I have a longing for music. I should like to play something. Sonya Do play something! Embraces her. I can’t sleep.⁠ ⁠… Play something! Yelena In a minute. Your father is not asleep. Music irritates him when he is ill. Go and ask his leave. If he doesn’t object, I’ll play. Go! Sonya Very well goes out. Watchman taps in the garden. Yelena It’s a long time since I have played the piano. I shall play and cry, cry like an idiot. In the window. Is that you tapping, Yefim? Watchman’s Voice Yes. Yelena Don’t tap, the master is unwell. Watchman’s Voice I am just going whistles. Hey there, good dog! Come, lad! Good dog! A pause. Sonya Returning. We mustn’t! Curtain.

Act III

The drawing-room in Serebryakov’s house. Three doors: on the right, on the left and in the middle. Daytime.

	Voynitsky and Sonya seated, and Yelena Andreyevna walking about the stage, thinking.
Voynitsky	The Herr Professor has graciously expressed a desire that we should all gather together in this room at one o’clock today looks at his watch. It is a quarter to. He wishes to make some communication to the world.
Yelena	Probably some business matter.
Voynitsky	He has no business. He spends his time writing twaddle, grumbling and being jealous.
Sonya	In a reproachful tone. Uncle!
Voynitsky	Well, well, I am sorry motioning towards Yelena Andreyevna. Just look at her! she is so lazy that she almost staggers as she walks. Very charming! Very!
Yelena	You keep buzzing and buzzing away all day⁠—aren’t you tired of it? Miserably. I am bored to death. I don’t know what I’m to do.
Sonya	Shrugging her shoulders. Isn’t there plenty to do? If only you cared to do it.
Yelena	For instance?
Sonya	You could help us with the estate, teach the children or look after the sick. There’s plenty to do. When father and you were not here, Uncle Vanya and I used to go to the market ourselves and sell the flour.
Yelena	I don’t know how to do such things. And they are not interesting. It’s only in novels with a purpose that people teach and doctor the peasants. How am I, all of a sudden, apropos of nothing, to go and teach them or doctor them?
Sonya	Well, I don’t see how one can help doing it. Wait a little, and you too will get into the way of it puts her arm round her. Don’t be depressed, dear laughs. You are bored and don’t know what to do with yourself, and boredom and idleness are catching. Look at Uncle Vanya⁠—he does nothing but follow you about like a shadow. I have left my work and run away to talk to you. I have grown lazy⁠—I can’t help it! The doctor, Mihail Lvovitch, used to come and see us very rarely, once a month; it was difficult to persuade him to come, and now he drives over every day. He neglects his forestry and his patients. You must be a witch.
Voynitsky	Why be miserable? Eagerly. Come, my precious, my splendid one, be sensible! You have mermaid blood in your veins⁠—be a mermaid! Let yourself go for once in your life! Make haste and fall head over ears in love with some water-sprite⁠—and plunge