The Anniversary
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
was born in the small seaport of Taganrog, southern Russia, born 29th
January 1904, the son of a grocer. Chekhov a Physician, dramaturge and
author is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in
history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short
stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Chekhov's
first novel, Nenunzhaya pobeda
(1882), was a success, and gradually he became a full-time writer. ‘The Shooting Party’, ‘The seagull’, ‘The
cherry orchard’ are some of his works.
The Anniversary by Anton Chekov
is a hilarious play about a banker who is preparing to meet some respected shareholders
for the bank’s 15th anniversary celebrations The play revolves around
four principle character.
Mr Andrei Shipuchin – A
diligent and hardworking banker who also has a soft corner for women.
Mr.Kirin –Book keeper-The
brilliant but short tempered accountant on whom the banker totally depend for
preparing an impressive report for the bank.
Ms Tatiana -The
banker’s wife- A naive and rather innocent women who is also a chatterbox. She
is very young and views life adventurously.
Mrs Merchutkina-The mad
women- An old woman who is also a constant pest. She is neither susceptible to
logic nor reasoning. Her persistent annoyance and outright lack of sympathy for
the banker forms the central theme of the play.
The Act begins with the
accountant busy preparing the financial report using the Abacus. He is already
worn out due to days of continuous work. He tries to put long
hours since the banker has promised him a golden watch if the meeting with the
shareholders go well. While the accountant is busy with the calculations the banker walks in along with
his customers who wish him good luck for the meeting. The accountant who has
been watching all these is not convinced at all. The fact that the banker will
corner all the glory of his accounts hard work does not go down well with him. However
he continues his work for the watch.
Mrs Tatiana comes to
the bank as she has just arrived from her home town after meeting her sister
and mother. Instead of going home she has arrived at her husband’s bank. Her husband
is surprised by her visit and spends
time with her on a casual talk so as to make her feel good. But he is worried
if he was preparing enough for the meeting later in the day. Tatiana
continuously kept chattering about her train journey and her sister’s date .However
at the end of the room the accountant was growing very impatient and Mrs
Tatiana ‘s irrelevant narrations were getting on to his nerves preventing him
from focusing on the abacus.
In the midst of all this,
suddenly an old woman barged into the bank. She seemed highly agitated and
rushed to Mr. Banker’s seat. The banker wondered if this was an aggrieved customer.
Only to realise later that she was Mrs. Merchutkina who had come in to ruin his
day. Merchutkina wanted the bank to pay her husband’s complete wage of twenty
four roubles and thirty six kopecks which she claimed had been wrongly deducted.
However Mrs Merchutkina husband never worked with the bank and the bank never
had anything to do with the payment of his wages. The banker tried in vain to
explain her, but she simply does not comprehend his logic. Instead she
continues to demand her twenty four roubles and thirty six kopecks and that she is a ‘weak and
defenceless woman’.
The banker is also helped by his wife who demands
Mrs.Merchutkina to leave the bank immediately. But the woman refuses and is persistent
on her demands.
Finally at the end of
his wits the accountant who has been silent victim all this while threatens to
get her thrown out of the bank if she did not leave by herself. Even this
threat did not deter her from demanding her husband’s rightful share of wages.
Realising that there
was no way out now, the banker finally hands over twenty four roubles and
thirty six kopecks to her which she gleefully accepts and momentarily there is
a pause in the commotion. Meanwhile Tataina continues her woeful story to the
banker who by now is already drained of his energies. Just when things were beginning to return to peace
again, Mrs.Merchutkina reaches out to the banker and asks “Could my husband have his job back, your Excellency?”
This banker upon
reaching the end of his patience orders the accountant to throw her out from
the bank. But the accountant mistakes Tatiana to be the cause of the banker’s
anger and orders her out instead. In the ensuing confusion, the accountant ends
up chasing the mad woman and Tatiana around the bank when the group of Shareholders
walk in.
Amidst all this
commotion, the shareholders are unmoved and heap praise on Mr Banker on how he
had raised the bank to higher reputation. However they stopped their praise
midway and announce that they would come back some other day considering that
there was hectic activity at the bank at present.
