By Anton Chekhov - Center Stage

“It is time for writers to admit that nothing in this world makes sense.
Only fools and charlatans think they know and understand everything.”
Snapshots Out of Time
Army Life and Codes of Honor
Writing about The Three Sisters, Chekhov mentioned that he
wanted to avoid caricatures of two things: provincial life, and
military officers. Historically, service—or the desire to avoid
service—in the czar’s army might have accounted for more
emigration from imperial Russia than any other factor. Until 1874,
draftees served basically for life. Officers had become notorious
for being incompetent and brutal. When not fighting wars of
imperial expansion, the army was regularly pressed into service
to repress domestic uprisings and impose security on their own
countrymen. Instead of this negative stereotype, or the empty
cliché of spur-jingling heel-clickers, Chekhov implored his actors
“to play the parts of simple, charming, decent people.” As he
wrote the company, “The services have changed, you know.
They’ve become more cultured, and many of them are even
beginning to understand that their peace-time role is to carry
culture into out-of-the way places.”
While conditions in the army may have improved by 1900,
the need for soldiers never slackened. Draftees were tattooed
or branded to prevent their escape from service. And the idea
of a deaf officer was not unlikely at all—especially in the
artillery. Enlisted and officer alike were not necessarily invalided
out of service, and many continued to serve even missing eyes
or limbs.
Next Stage: The Three Sisters | 11