Uncle Vanya Lesson Plan

Why and how does Vanya want to “begin life anew”?

Vanya feels he’s wasted his life. He regrets the choices he’s made: his faithful devotion to the professor and the professor’s study, his investment in the estate. He’s bored, unfulfilled, and maybe being a little overdramatic. On the other hand, he is legitimately exploited and betrayed by Serebryakov. How does Vanya imagine he can solve this? By “beginning life anew” with a hot young wife. Of course, even if Helena wanted him, Vanya's problems wouldn't be fixed - he'd just have new problems to deal with. Why and how does Vanya expect Helena to fix his problems and make him happy? Students may note that it's far from...