The phenomenon of the character in Chekhovʼs plays

The article examines the phenomenon of the character in Chekhovʼs dramatic works, which seems to be an analogue of the character in his fiction. It is analogous in the sense that the character in Chekhovʼs dramatic works has the same ontological and aesthetic statuses as the character in the works of his fiction. That character is characterized by the same mode of existence: he has the same tendency to replace real being with a fictitious one, as a result of which he experiences the same internal crises (dramatic guilt), but ultimately, through life experience, he finds his true self. The very concept of “guilt” of a character in the conditions of his dependence on objective factors is largely formalized. And in Chekhovʼs dramatic works there is a plot of “the history of the human soul”, embodied, however, in many plot lines, each of which has the same structure; namely, a dramatic plan and an epic plan, with the leading role of the latter. This structure of the plot of Chekhovʼs plays determined the specifics of their composition and genre specificity (ironic drama). In effect, the aesthetic status of the character in Chekhovʼs works is that of an ironic hero.