chehkov gave special meaning to theater reality. theater can be compared to painting, a very realistic drama like a representational painting can be understood externally. it depends primarily on action and people speak directly without hidden meanings. chehkov is more like an impressionistic painting in which we can recognize details but they are seen through a mist with the suggestion that there is definitely more than meets the eye. this method, known as the flow of life, had profound impact on 20th century playwrights including tennessee williams. later, some plays became even more abstract. this progression can be seen as we compare three tables at which people are gathered. in the wild duck, the table and food are real. people reveal themselves by what they say directly to each other, speaking realistic prose dialogue. you may notice that the character cares a lot about what he eats and we are encouraged to see him revealed as thoughtless, greedy, pretentious and so on. in chehkov, people sit down to eat, but the table is a me