The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of Anton Chekhov’s four great plays, written in 1895 and set on a country estate where a group of unhappy people love where they are not loved in return. The young writer Konstantin longs for new forms in art and for his mother, a fading actress, to take him seriously, while the girl he adores, Nina, is drawn instead to a famous older author. Around this chain of unanswered love Chekhov weaves ambition, failure, and the cost of art, ending in quiet tragedy. Its disastrous first night gave way to triumph when the Moscow Art Theatre revived it, and it remains a cornerstone of the modern stage. This free PDF and EPUB presents Constance Garnett’s translation.
About the Author
Chekhov qualified as a doctor and practised for most of his life, frequently without charging, and called medicine his lawful wife and literature his mistress. He turned out hundreds of comic sketches for magazines to support his parents and siblings while still a student. The…
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Listen to The Seagull Audiobook Free
Listen to The Seagull by Anton Chekhov free online. The full audiobook (2 hr 8 min, 5 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
The Seagull (1896) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 – Dramatis Personae | 1:39 | |
| 2 | 1 – Act I | 37:17 | |
| 3 | 2 – Act II | 27:11 | |
| 4 | 3 – Act III | 26:37 | |
| 5 | 4 – Act IV | 34:53 |
Prefer reading? Read The Seagull online free or download the PDF and EPUB above.
