Gayev's Monologue to the Bookshelf
from The Cherry Orchard
Written by Anton Chekhov
Gayev delivers an absurdly sentimental and grandiloquent speech to an old piece of furniture, revealing his inability to face the reality of his family's financial ruin. He clings to the past and the 'noble ideals' represented by the bookshelf while the world around him moves toward modernization and the sale of his estate.
GAYEV: Dear, most honored bookshelf! I salute your existence, which for more than a hundred years has been devoted to the good and noble ideals of progress and enlightenment. Your silent call to labor has not weakened for a hundred years, supporting the courage of generations, and strengthening thei
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