Uncle Vanya: Genre 1 key example

At the same time, it would also seem incorrect to call it a comedy, given that the mood is not lighthearted, neither the action nor dialogue bring the audience straightforward amusement, and the play doesn't end on a happy note for any of the characters. Given Chekhov's penchant for realism, his writing often sheds light on the mundane, pathetic nature of people and their lives. The tragic aspect of Uncle Vanya arises because most of the characters feel disillusioned, bored, and totally unwilling to make changes to their lives. On the other side of that same coin, however, their melodramatic outlooks and behavior are a chief part of what imbues the play with an undercurrent of comedy.

Another subgenre it is possible to assign to the play is that of family drama. The characters are related through a tangled web of kinship and professional ties. The characters who live on the estate full-time work for Serebryakov in various ways—including Voynitsky and Sonya—but he only became its proprietor after marrying into the Voynitsky family. Mariya is the mother of Serebryakov's first wife, Sonya is Serebryakov's daughter from his first marriage, and Voynitsky is the brother of Serebryakov's first wife. Thus, Voynitsky is Sonya's uncle, hence the play's title Uncle Vanya. Mariya blindly adores her son-in-law, defending him even when he suggests selling the estate, her only home. Voynitsky hates his brother-in-law Serebryakov and loves Serebryakov's second wife. Yelena is vaguely interested in the same man that her step-daughter Sonya is painfully in love with. Astrov, Marina, and Telegin are the only characters with no family ties to the other characters, and they express their shock at their messy behavior in both subtle and not so subtle ways.