Reality, Illusion and Foolish Pride-

Reality, Illusion and Foolish Pride- In the plays The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, and Galileo by Bertolt Brecht, the protagonists' mental beliefs combine reality and illusion that both shape the plot of each respective story. The ability of the characters to reject or accept an illusion, along with the foolish pride that motivated their decision, leads to their personal downfall. In The Cherry Orchard, by Anton Chekhov, Gayev …

…fe he actually led, he wouldn't have ended up as bitter or sad a person as he did. Throughout each of these plays, the main character (or characters) faced a reality that they cease to accept, and instead live in an illusion (except in the case of Galileo, in which case the reverse is true). The refusal to accept a reality or illusion led to the characters' fall in status and/or emotional well being.