Can you imagine what these characters will quarrel about next?

Find all the words and expressions in the play that the characters use to speak about each other, and the accusations and insults they hurt at each other.

(For example, Lomov in the end calls Chubukov an intriguer; but earlier, Chubukov has himself called Lomov a "malicious, doublefaced intriguer." Again, Lomov begins by describing Natalya as "an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated.")

Then think of five adjectives or adjectival expressions of your own to describe each character in the play.

This play has been translated into English from the Russian original.

Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?

Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modem English expressions that also occur in the play.

Look up the following words in a dictionary and find out how to pronounce them. Pay attention to how many syllables there are in each word, and find out which syllable is stressed, or said more forcefully.