Swan Song (Drama)

                                                                                  Anton Chekhov, Russia (1860 – 1904)

Summary in English

Nature of text: one act play

Characters:

• Vasili Svetlovidov: a 68-years –old actor
• Nikita Ivanich: an elderly promoter  

Swan Song is a 'one act play' by famous Russian dramatist, Anton Chekhov. The central character of the play is Svetlovidov, 68 years old actor. The play is tragic in nature since it shows the miserable condition of the old actor, central character that he gets nothing more than misery, emptiness, hatred, loneliness and full of pain and suffering instead of love, relationship, happiness and peaceful life in the Russian society.

Svetlovidov reflects his performance in relation to the reality of the Russian society. In fact, stage artists are taken as just playthings in that society. Even they are assumed to be dust and prostitutes. The play also shows the despair, failure and tragic story of Svetlovidov's real life, not stage life in his old age. Besides, it represents the creative power of art.

This play is the last performance or a swan song for the central character, Svetlovidov. When the curtain goes up, Svetlovidov is asleep in the dressing room. He drinks alcohol too much and finds the stage empty. Those audiences have already disappeared from there. Therefore, he finds himself alone thinking that he has nobody to help, even no family, friends, relatives and people. By the way he feels no solace looking at his life.

Svetlovidov compares his past life with the present life. He remembers his successful journey and wonderful achievement in his long acting career. He also never forgets a very beautiful and rich woman's love with him at the time when he was at the peak of success. There was a good love relationship between them but she refused him later thinking that being the actor in the society is to adopt the profession of low social prestige. The dream of marriage with his beloved got broken just because of being actor. So, he looks no happy in his life.

When Svetlovidov was young, then, he joined to army. Being attracted to the art, he again joined to the theatre. He got many successes from the art. But he did not get success in love, life and relationship. After breaking the relationship with his beloved, he becomes too old for marriage so that no gentlemen after him to get marriage with their daughter. Rather he lives alone with negligence and hatred life. At present, he is lonely, poor, old, and sick his life is empty. He finds nobody to help, love, care, encourage and sympathize him. Even he has no home, family members and relatives.

At present, he is 68 years old but unmarried, old, neglected and frustrated by himself as well as by other people in the society. He thinks that his song is sung. His race is run. It means his life gets no social respect and prestige at all.

However, in the play Svetlovidov is admired, respected and encouraged by another character, Nikita. It is he who tells another story that resembles Svetlovidov's own life. Nikita finds his as talented, genuine and great dedicated man even in his old age. Nikita even argues that where there is talent, there is no old age. Finally, it is Svetlovidov who expresses the statements from Othello, "Fare well the tranquil mind! Farewell Content!..........". It makes Nikita to know the painful, miserable and tragic life of the old man, Svetlovidov. At last, Svetlovidov consoles himself saying that art has the universal strength.