The Relationship Between Hamlet And The Seagull And Shakespeare's Hamlet

It is said that should literature be purged of all works, save for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, that the realm of drama would be saved. While all the world’s theatres would remain merely functional, the 19th century Russian stage, in this case, would thrive. Anton Chekhov, a revered Russian playwright of the famous Moscow Art Theatre, would be the rightful king of Russian drama because Chekhov’s flagship masterpiece, The Seagull, embodies a direct subtextual correlation to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Chekhov’s characters: Treplev, Arkadina, and Trigorin epitomize the Danish Prince Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, and King Claudius both in speech and psyche. This equation is only satisfied with the likeness of thought between the two puppet masters. After all, like Shakespeare, Chekhov was a writer of convenience, born in the right place at the right time. Undoubtedly, similar philosophies render homologous symbols, motifs, and themes. The correlation between Hamlet and The Seagull lacks none of the prior devices. Both playwrights masterfully portray their respective takes on existentialist thought while also demonstrating visionary ideals for the stage. Although Hamlet and The Seagull sprouted apart through distance and time, the chain that ties the two together is strong.

Interestingly enough, both plays begin with a similar

Treplev, an aspiring writer, is his proxy. Treplev’s struggles are tied to his strive to be unique and inventive. When asked about his writing style, Treplev responds with: “We need new forms. New forms are needed, and if we can’t have them, then we had better have nothing at all.” (Chekhov, 109) Treplev’s ambition parallels that of Chekhov, who as a vanguard of his own respective literary movement desired the same change. Romanticism and melodrama were unappealing to Chekhov, while the existentialism and contemplative tension of Hamlet