Summary
Masha asks Chebutykin if he loved her mother, and he says that he did, but cannot remember if she loved him back. Masha then alludes to the fact that Vershinin is leaving soon, and says, "When you take your happiness in snatches, in bits and pieces, and lose it, as I'm about to, you gradually turn hard and malicious." She talks about the fact that they used to have a lot of money, but lost it all, bemoaning the fact that Andrei has been so careless.
As a harp and a violin begin to play, Chebutykin tells Andrei and Masha that Solyony challenged Tusenbach to a duel, before mocking Solyony for writing poetry. Masha thinks that they should not duel, in case Solyony wounds or kills Tusenbach. Chebutykin takes an eccentric view of it all, saying that "Nothing on earth is real," and suggesting that whatever happens will be fine.
When Andrei complains about everyone leaving the town, Chebutykin reminds him that he has Natasha. Andrei confides that Natasha is "not human" and "impossibly vulgar." Chebutykin advises him to "go, keep going, and never look back."
Solyony enters and Chebutykin speaks to him disapprovingly. At this, Solyony insists that he will not kill the baron, before noting that no matter how much cologne he puts on, he still smells "like a corpse."
Irina and Tusenbach enter. When he says he has to step away for a moment, she asks him what happened with Solyony, but he deflects, telling her he's loved her for 5 years and speaking hopefully about their future together. He notices that she is not being loving back, and she tells him that she doesn't have it in her to love him. He tells her he has to go for a moment, and asks her to tell the servants to make him some coffee, before leaving.
Andrei enters and complains about country life, saying that no one does anything heroic and that he used to have dreams. When she hears Andrei rambling on, Natasha instructs Ferapont to take the baby pram, and scolds Andrei for being neglectful.
Olga, Vershinin, and Anfisa come out of the house. Anfisa tells Irina that she has been blessed, that she and Olga are now living at the school and she has her own room, paid for by the government. Vershinin announces that he will be leaving soon, and Anfisa goes looking for Masha. "Will we ever meet again?" asks Olga, and Vershinin replies, "Not likely."
As they wait for Masha, Vershinin philosophizes about the fact that life is hard, but they must continue in hopes that it will one day get better. Masha comes in and gives Vershinin a long kiss. When Olga tells them to stop, Masha sobs. After Vershinin leaves, Kulygin comes in and tells Masha that he won't say a word about it, that they can just go back to their life as it was.
Suddenly there is a gunshot. Masha tries to compose herself, but when Olga tries to get her to go inside, she says, "I'm never going into that house again, ever..." sobbing. Kulygin tries to make a joke that he looks like the German teacher when he wears a fake beard and mustache, but Masha keeps crying.
Natasha enters and screams when she sees Kulygin in the fake facial hair. She talks about the fact that she plans to have some of the trees cut down, and some flowers put in. When she finds a fork on the bench, she goes into the house and yells at the servants.
Chebutykin comes in and tells Olga that Tusenbach has been killed, before telling Irina, who cries softly.
The sisters stand next to each other and listen to the music of the soldiers leaving the town. Irina says that she will go off and teach tomorrow, even though Tusenbach is dead now. Olga is comforted by the music and says, "...it almost seems that any minute now we'll find out why we live, why we suffer...If only we knew. If only we knew."
Analysis
Masha is a fascinatingly complex character, because she is perhaps the most self-aware. She pursues her affair with Vershinin almost self-destructively, yet she maintains an honesty in her emotions that the other characters sometimes lack. She knows the price of each of her actions, and she outlines them plainly to Chebutykin in the final act of the play when she says, "When you take your happiness in snatches, in bits and pieces, and lose it, as I'm about to, you gradually turn hard and malicious." Masha is mean and bitter in many ways, but she knows exactly why, which makes her character all the more complex.
Chebutykin, the old doctor, is defined by his abstract relationship to the world, his conviction that nothing is real, and everything is an illusion. This is the substance of his strange amorality, and as he moves through his life, he does nothing to stop evil from occurring. In the conversation about the imminent duel between Tusenbach and Solyony, he suggests, "a baron more, a baron less—what's the difference," before insisting that "Nothing on earth is real." His age and attitude are completely indifferent, hiding behind a philosophy about the world, but doing nothing to stop the violence or to influence the world around him.
The unrequited love between Tusenbach and Irina is a tragic dynamic, as Tusenbach feels only admiration and devotion for Irina, while she feels nothing at all for him. She compares herself to a piano that cannot be opened because the key has been lost, a rather hopeless image of herself and her capacities to love. Meanwhile, Tusenbach tries so hard to love her adequately, to show her that he is devoted to her and can make her happy.
Adding to the tragedy of their dynamic is the fact that Tusenbach is about to duel Solyony, and faces the realization that he might not survive. He maintains a happy facade with Irina, but looks at the trees wistfully, suggesting that he will still be part of life, even when he dies. Then, before he leaves, he both gives instructions to Irina letting her know where some papers of his are—suggesting he will die—before asking her to tell the servants to make some coffee—suggesting he will live. Tusenbach is a tragic figure, doomed both to love unrequitedly and to die at Solyony's hand.
The ending brings the three titular sisters back together into a mournful repose. With Tusenbach dead, Irina must pursue her life of work alone. With Vershinin gone, Masha must return to her boring life as the teacher's wife. Having assumed the position of headmistress, Olga has no hopes of going to Moscow. Yet even in spite of their tragic fates, the sisters are determined to carve out some kind of happiness, even if it is only for the dream that someday, other people will be happy. Olga ruminates on the existential crisis of trying to make meaning out of a disappointing life, repeating, "If only we knew, if only we knew."
