Trigorin confesses the agonizing reality of his creative process to an idealistic Nina, who views his life as glamorous. He seeks to dismantle her romanticized notions of fame by revealing his deep-seated self-loathing and the relentless pressure of his literary career.
NINA: Your life is beautiful.
TRIGORIN: What is beautiful about it? I have never liked myself. I don't like myself as a writer.
NINA: But the joy of creation! The joy of being read!
TRIGORIN: Joy? I feel no joy. I feel only torment. When I finish a work, I despise it.
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