Existential Boredom in ivanov a character in achekhov s play Areading based on Martin Heidegger s views

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

10.30480/dam.2022.2563.1525

Abstract

Boredom is one of the major dilemmas of the 21-century man. Some consider this the result of excessive leisure and some as a specific disease that may be afflicted by anyone. In Chekhov’s plays, boredom is one of the predominant features of characters; these characters are bored, and this boredom does not necessarily maintain a particular cause. Many critics deem this as a consequence of a special Russian lifestyle of that period. Decades later, Heidegger in one of his creditable theses considers boredom the existential feature of human which has roots in their Dasein. In fact, to Heidegger, boredom is specific to human’s individual existence. Heidegger defines boredom in three diverse levels which vary in terms of their depth, and he identifies the existential boredom as a boredom which is the deepest one and leads us to our existential origins. In this research, it has been illustrated that Ivanov’s boredom represents his existential boredom rather than the boredom which stems from a special Russian lifestyle or his psychological status; the boredom which suddenly enfolds him, cripples him, and subsequently exposes him to all potentials of his existence‌.

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