The Seagull- Sorin

The Protagonist within the opening scene of The Seagull by Anton Chekhov places emphasis on how out of touch he is with his surroundings “I somehow never…used to be here” supports this; Sorin himself symbolises “Old Russia” through the idea of his deteriorating health and old age struggling to adapt to the modern world (New Russia) It is evident that the playwright wanted to portray Sorin as a nostalgic character known to encountering disappointment and failed ideals; something that Chekhov was keen on expressing throughout his other plays. The character faces many inner conflicts as to his fundamental purpose in life as it is known that Sorin feels that he is an unaccomplished ‘burden’ to society who fears death as later expressed throughout further scenes.
The stage direction (leaning on a stick) enforces the idea of Sorin being old and thereby ‘inadequate’. In order to highlight his frailness and old age I would direct the actor playing Sorin to enter upstage almost in a state of confusion, muttering words to himself underneath his breath. This would be at a low volume enough for the audience to question the characters intentions; as this in itself could suggest that Sorin is somewhat mad. I feel that this would be most effective as it will provide an opportunity for the audience to immediately form a judgement on Sorin therefore enabling his personal journey to take place, so that the audience can later display a change of heart towards him. I would go on in directing him to pace looking around and scratching head in order to reflect the idea of his age defeating him, as confusion alone is associated with various age related illnesses such as dementia, visually I would want Sorin to mirror the stereotype of an old aged man, displaying a moustache and untamed beard as that in itself could potentially show Sorin as an individual that has let himself go and would link to his depressed state of mind. I would also implicate a role signifier of thick lensed