In this essay I have examined text, speech and action in Chekhov's Three sisters, as well as how the characters express their wills in action and in speech. I have used different methods such as action analysis, the five W questions and BSI (background, situation and intention). These methods are similar to those actors use to uncover situatedness of characters and to find motivated and intentional patterns behind their actions.

I have used these techniques to identify the plot, explore what happened before the plot begins and to read the text in terms of action. The aim was also to find the counter points where wills expressed in action are contradicted by wills expressed in speech. Using these methods I found that the characters in Three sisters manage their lives dreaming about the future or recalling the past, except the character Natasha. Her goal is obvious, she runs her will with clear intentions and she uses functional means to achieve her goal. The main conclusion is that the characters’ wills expressed in speech, are contradicted by will expressed in action. This creates a discrepancy. The characters are controlled by their unspoken desires which drive them further away from their expressed goals. It seems to be paradoxical, but it makes perfect sense since it drives the plot forward, deepens the image of the characters and the relationships between them. It also becomes clear when actions are interpreted from wills and motivations, stated or unstated, and I argue that action is not only the doing but also the intention to do; this makes sense when events in a dramatic text are analyzed as relational and conditional.