The Complete Plays

Frontispiece: Reprinted by permission of Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.

Copyright © 2006 by Laurence Senelick

All rights reserved

First published as a Norton paperback 2007

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions,

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

Book design by JAM Design

Production manager: Devon Zahn

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860–1904.

[Plays. English]

The complete plays / Anton Chekhov; translated, edited, and annotated by Laurence Senelick.—1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-393-04885-3 (hardcover)

1. Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904—Translations into English. I. Senelick, Laurence.

II. Title.

PG3456.A19 2006

891.72’3—dc22          2005024362

ISBN 978-0-393-29292-3 (e-book)

ISBN 978-0-393-33069-4 pbk.

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110

www.wwnorton.com

W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.

Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT