Chekhov rifle

The Chekhov rifle is the principle of dramaturgy , according to which each element of the narrative should be necessary, and non-essential elements should be removed; no elements should appear in history that deceive the audience’s expectations by never playing a role in further events. This principle is found in the correspondence of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov several times, with some variations: ^{[1] [2] [3]}

• “Everything that is not directly related to the story, everything must be ruthlessly thrown away. If you say in the first chapter that a gun is hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it must certainly shoot. And if he doesn’t shoot, he should not hang. ” ^[4]
• “You can’t put a loaded shotgun on the stage if no one wants to shoot it. You can’t promise. ”- Chekhov’s letter to Alexander Lazarev-Gruzinsky , November 1, 1889. ^{[5] [6] [7]} here the“ gun ”is a monologue that Chekhov considers unnecessary and not related to the rest of the play.
• “If in the first act you hung a gun on the wall, then in the last act it should shoot. Otherwise, do not hang it. ”- I. Ya. Gurlyand . From the memoirs of A.P. Chekhov. - “ Theater and Art ”, 1904, No. 28, July 11, p. 521. ^{[8] [9]}