The main character of the play is a landowner and mistress of an estate with a cherry orchard. Several years ago her husband died, and then the son of Grisha died tragically. After that, she hastily left for Paris, leaving the estate, servants and adopted daughter Varvara. There she bought a dacha in Monton, which she later sold. Daughter Anya found her in Paris with strangers and without a penny of money.
One of the main characters in the play, the brother of the landowner Ranevskaya. He is a man of the old school, like his sister - sentimental. He is very worried about the sale of the family estate and the loss of the cherry orchard. By nature, Gaev is an idealist and romantic. He is not particularly adapted to the "new" life. He belongs to the people of the 80s of the 19th century.
One of the main characters in the play, a merchant, a descendant of serfs who worked for Ranevskaya's father and grandfather. Lopakhin's father was uneducated and rude, often beat him. Ranevskaya was kind to the boy, protected him. He says that he loves her more than his own, as she did a lot for him. About himself, he says that even though he broke away from the peasants, he never became educated.
One of the main characters in the play, the adopted daughter of the landowner Ranevskaya. She is 24 years old and she runs the entire household of the Ranevskys, acting at the same time as an adopted daughter and a housekeeper. By nature, Varya is a very modest and pious girl, conscientiously treating her duties. She is often busy with petty household chores and, unlike gentlemen, knows how to economize rationally.
One of the characters in the play, a former teacher of Ranevskaya's seven-year-old son, is a commoner of 26 or 27. Many call him an “eternal student” and “high school student” because he studies all the time and never finishes his course. Petya wears glasses and likes to philosophize about how to live.
A girl of seventeen, daughter of the landowner Ranevskaya, a symbol of sincerity and spontaneity in the play "The Cherry Orchard". Anya, like many other members of her family, grew up in a cherry orchard, received a noble upbringing under the guidance of such governesses as Charlotte Ivanovna - in the past, a circus acrobat without a passport and a certain age.
The oldest character in the play, a devoted footman on the Ranevskaya estate. He is 87 years old and has devoted most of his life to serving his masters. He remembers well Ranevskaya's father and grandfather. Despite the abolition of serfdom, he remained to serve the masters. He took care of and takes care of them as if they were his own children.
Dunyasha belongs to a number of minor characters in the play. Characters like her mainly enhance the comic or tragic situation. She is a maid at Ranevskaya's estate, but her behavior does not correspond to her position. She says about herself that she has become all pampered and delicate, just like a lady.
The Cherry Orchard is the pinnacle of Russian drama at the beginning of the 20th century, a lyrical comedy, a play that marked the beginning of a new era in the development of Russian theater.
The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of nobles is auctioning off their family estate. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, describes with a subtle psychologism the state of mind of people who are soon forced to leave their home. The novelty of the play is the lack of division of heroes into positive and negative, major and minor. They all fall into three categories:
- people of the past - noble aristocrats (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their lackey Firs);
- people of the present - their bright representative, the merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
- the people of the future are the progressive youth of that time (Peter Trofimov and Anya).
History of creation
Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was rather difficult, but nevertheless, in 1903, the work was completed. The first theatrical production of the play took place a year later on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater, becoming the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright and a textbook classic of the theatrical repertoire.
Analysis of the piece
Description of the work
The action takes place in the family estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. At the railway station, they are met by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).
The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is approaching complete collapse. The entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his version of the solution to the problem - to divide the land plot into shares and give them to summer residents for a certain fee. The lady is burdened by this offer, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, which is associated with many warm memories of her youth. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gayev, imbued with the feelings of his sister, reassures her with a promise that their family estate will not be put up for sale.
The action of the second part takes place on the street, in the courtyard of the estate. Lopakhin, with his characteristic pragmatism, continues to insist on his plan to save the estate, but no one pays attention to him. Everyone switches to the appeared teacher Pyotr Trofimov. He delivers an excited speech on the fate of Russia, its future and touches on the topic of happiness in a philosophical context. The materialist Lopakhin is skeptical about the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is capable of being imbued with his lofty ideas.
The third act begins with the fact that Ranevskaya invites the orchestra with her last money and arranges a dance evening. At the same time, Gaev and Lopakhin are absent - they left for the city for the auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After anxious waiting, Lyubov Andreevna learns that her estate was bought at auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide the joy of his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.
The final is entirely devoted to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The scene of parting is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a remarkably deep monologue by Firs, which the owners in a hurry forgot in the estate. The final chord is the clatter of an ax. The cherry orchard is being cut.
main characters
Sentimental person, owner of the estate. Having lived for several years abroad, she is accustomed to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself a lot that, given the deplorable state of her finances, according to the logic of common sense, should be inaccessible to her. Being a frivolous person, very helpless in everyday matters, Ranevskaya does not want to change anything in herself, while she is fully aware of her weaknesses and shortcomings.
A successful merchant, he owes a lot to the Ranevsky family. His image is ambiguous - it combines diligence, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a "peasant" beginning. In the finale of the play, Lopakhin does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya, he is happy that, despite his peasant origin, he was able to afford to buy the estate of the owners of his late father.
Like his sister, he is very sensitive and sentimental. Being an idealist and romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic plans to save the family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but at the same time completely inactive.
Petya Trofimov
An eternal student, a nihilist, an eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, who stands up for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the "higher truth", he denies love, considering it a shallow and ghostly feeling, which immensely grieves Ranevskaya's daughter Anya, who is in love with him.
A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Pyotr Trofimov. Recklessly believing in a better life after the sale of her parental estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of joint happiness next to her lover.
An 87-year-old man, a footman in the Ranevskys' house. A type of servant of the old times, he surrounds his masters with paternal care. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.
A young lackey, with contempt for Russia, dreaming of going abroad. A cynical and cruel man, rude to old Firs, even disrespectful to his own mother.
The structure of the work
The structure of the piece is quite simple - 4 acts without dividing into separate scenes. The duration is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is an exposition and a set-up, in the second - an increase in tension, in the third - the culmination (sale of the estate), in the fourth - the denouement. A characteristic feature of the play is the absence of genuine external conflict, dynamism, and unpredictable twists in the storyline. Author's remarks, monologues, pauses and some understatement give the play a unique atmosphere of exquisite lyricism. The artistic realism of the play is achieved through the alternation of dramatic and comic scenes.
(Scene from a modern production)
The play is dominated by the development of the emotional and psychological plan, the main driving force of the action is the inner experiences of the characters. The author expands the artistic space of the work by introducing a large number of characters who will never appear on the stage. The effect of expanding the spatial boundaries is also given by the symmetrically arising theme of France, which gives an arched form to the play.
Final conclusion
Chekhov's last play, one might say, is his "swan song". The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of Chekhov's special concept of life, which is characterized by an extraordinary attention to small, seemingly insignificant details, focusing on the inner experiences of the characters.
In the play "The Cherry Orchard" the author captured the state of critical disunity in Russian society of his time, this sad factor is often present in scenes where the characters hear only themselves, creating only the appearance of interaction.
Lyubov Andreevna is the main character of Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard". This woman is the main representative of the female half of the nobility of that time, with all their vices and positive features. It is in her house that the play takes place.
She skillfully combines both positive and negative traits of her character.
Ranevskaya is a naturally beautiful woman with good manners, a true noblewoman, kind, but very trusting in life. After the death of her husband and the tragic death of her son, she goes abroad, where she lives for five years with her lover, who eventually rob her. There Lyubov Andreevna leads a wasteful lifestyle: balls, receptions, all this takes a lot of money. Meanwhile, her daughters live in shortage, but she has a cool attitude towards them.
She is far from reality, she lives in her own world. Her sentimentality manifests itself in longing for the Motherland, for the departed youth. Arriving, after a long absence home, where she returns in the spring, Ranevskaya finds peace. Nature itself with its beauty helps her in this.
At the same time, she does not think about the future, arranges a ball, knowing that she has no money for her future life. It's just that Lyubov Andreevna cannot refuse a beautiful life.
She is kind, helping others, especially old Firs. But on the other hand, leaving the estate, she forgets about him, leaving him in an abandoned house.
Leading an idle lifestyle cannot be happy. It was her fault for the death of the garden. In her life, she did nothing good, therefore she remained in the past, very unhappy. Having lost the cherry orchard and estate, she also loses her homeland, returning to Paris.
Leonid Gaev
Landowner Leonid Gaev is endowed with a peculiar character in the play "The Cherry Orchard". In some ways, he is similar to his sister Ranevskaya. He is also inherent in romanticism, sentimentality. He loves the garden and is very worried about selling it, but does absolutely nothing to save the estate.
His idealism is manifested in the fact that he makes unrealizable plans, thinking that his aunt will give money, or Anya will marry successfully, or someone will leave them an inheritance and the garden will be saved.
Leonid Andreevich is very talkative, loves to make speeches, but at the same time he can say nonsense. Nieces often ask him to shut up.
Completely impractical, lazy, not adaptable to change. He lives on everything ready, leading a riotous lifestyle in his old world, not understanding new trends. The servant even helps him to undress, although over time he will not even remember about his devoted Firs.
He has no family, because he believes that he needs to live for himself. He lives for himself, visiting gambling establishments, playing billiards and having fun. At the same time, he scatters money, having a lot of debts.
You can't rely on him. He swears that the garden will not be sold, but he does not fulfill his promise. Gayev is very upset about the loss of his garden and estate, he even gets a job as an employee at a bank, but few believe that he will stay there because of his laziness.
Ermolay Lopakhin
The merchant Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin is a representative of a new class - the bourgeoisie, which replaced the nobility.
A native of the common people, he never forgets this and treats the common people well, because his grandfather and father were serfs on the Ranevsky estate. He knew from childhood what ordinary people are and always considered himself a man.
Thanks to his intelligence, perseverance, hard work, he got out of poverty and became a very rich man, although he is always afraid of losing his capital. Ermolai Alekseevich gets up early, works hard and has achieved success.
Lopakhin is sometimes gentle, kind and affectionate, he notices beauty and, in his own way, he feels sorry for the cherry orchard. He offers Ranevskaya a plan to save the garden, not forgetting that at one time she did a lot for him. And when Ranevskaya refuses to hand over the garden to summer cottages, the vein of a predator, a conqueror appears in its features. He buys an estate and a garden, in which his ancestors were slaves, and triumphs, because his old dream has come true. Here one can see clearly his merchant's grasp. “I can pay for everything,” he says. Destroying the garden, he does not worry, but rejoices at his own benefit.
Anya
Anya is one of the heroes who strive for the future.
From the age of twelve she was brought up on her uncle's estate, abandoned by her mother, who had gone abroad. Of course, she could not get a proper education, because the governess in the past was just a circus performer. But Anya persistently, through books, filled in the gaps in knowledge.
The beauty of the cherry orchard, which she loved very much and the redundancy of time in the estate, gave impetus to the formation of her delicate nature.
Anya is sincere, spontaneous and childishly naive. She believes in people, and that is why Petya Trofimov, the former teacher of her younger brother, had such a strong influence on her.
After four years of the girl's stay abroad, with her mother, seventeen-year-old Anya returns home and meets Petya there. Having fallen in love with him, she sincerely trusted the young schoolboy and his ideas. Trofimov changed her attitude to the cherry orchard and to the surrounding reality.
Anya wants to leave her parents' home and start a new life, having passed the exams for the gymnasium course and live by working herself. The girl is ready to follow Petya anywhere. She already does not feel sorry for either the cherry orchard or the old life. She believes in a bright future and strives for it.
Believing in a happy future, she sincerely says goodbye to her mother: "We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this ...".
Anya is a representative of youth who can change the future of Russia.
Petya Trofimov
The image of Petya Trofimov in the work is inextricably linked with the theme of the future of Russia.
Petya is a former teacher of Ranevskaya's son. He is called an eternal student, because he will never finish his studies at the gymnasium. Moving from place to place, he wanders around the country, dreaming of a better life in which beauty and justice will prevail.
Trofimov really perceives the events that are taking place, realizing that the garden is beautiful, but its death is inevitable. He hates the nobility, is convinced that their time is up, condemns people who use the work of others and preaches the idea of a bright future where everyone will be happy. But the point is that he only preaches and does nothing for this future himself. For Trofimov it is not important whether he himself reaches this future, or shows the way to others. And he knows how to speak and convince perfectly.
Petya convinced Anna that it is impossible to live the old life, that changes are needed, that it is necessary to get rid of poverty, vulgarity and filth and become free.
He considers himself a free man and refuses Lopakhin's money, just as he refuses love, denying it. He tells Ana that their relationship is above love and encourages her to believe him, his ideas.
At the same time, Petya is petty. When he lost his old galoshes, he was very upset, but he was happy when the galoshes were found.
This is how he is, Petya Trofimov - an ordinary intellectual of progressive views, who has many shortcomings.
Varya
Varya, unlike other characters in the work, lives in the present, and not in the past and future.
At 24, she is simple and rational. When her mother went abroad, all the household chores fell on her shoulders, and she coped with it for the time being. Varya works from morning to evening, saving every penny, but the extravagance of her family put her to protect the estate from ruin.
She is very religious and dreams of going to a monastery, but she could not collect money to go through holy places. Others do not believe in her religiosity, but in fact she is.
Varya is direct and strict, she is not afraid to make comments, but she does them correctly. At the same time, she has a feeling of love and tenderness. She loves her sister Anya very much, calls her darling, a beauty and is very worried that she is in love with Petya Trofimov, because he is not her match.
Vara likes Lopakhin, for whom her mother hopes to marry her, but she understands that he will not make her an offer, for he is busy accumulating his own wealth.
But Trofimov for some reason considers Varya limited, not understanding what is happening. But this is not so, the girl understands that the estate has fallen into disrepair and ruined, that it will be sold and the cherry orchard will not be saved. This is the reality in her understanding and in this reality you need to continue to live.
In a new life, Varya will survive without money, for she has a practical character and is adapted to life's difficulties.
Charlotte Ivanovna
Charlotte Ivanovna is a minor character in the play. She is the governess of the Ranevsky family. She herself is from a family of circus performers who earned their living by performing.
From early childhood, Charlotte helped her parents perform circus acts, and when her parents died, she was raised by a German lady who gave her education. Growing up, Charlotte began working as a governess, earning her living.
Charlotte knows how to perform tricks and tricks, speaks in different voices. All this remained with her parents, although she knows nothing more about them, not even her age. Some heroes consider her an attractive woman, but nothing is said about the heroine's personal life.
Charlotte is very lonely, as she says: "... I have no one." But on the other hand, she is a free person and does not depend on the circumstances, she just observes what is happening from the side and assesses what is happening in her own way. So, she speaks with a slight reproach about the extravagance of her masters, but she says it with such ease that it is noticeable that she does not care.
The image of Charlotte is in the background, but some of her remarks are associated with the actions of the main characters of the play. And at the end of the work, Charlotte worries that she has nowhere to live and needs to leave the city. This highlights the fact that she is just as homeless as her owners.
Heroes of the work The Cherry Orchard
Main characters
Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya- a woman who has no money, but wants to prove to herself and the public that they are. Irresponsible and emotional. As a rule, he does not think about what will happen "after", he lives for one day. We can say that in a cocoon of pompous fun, she hides from everyday difficulties, worries and duties. Her bankruptcy happened while living abroad - hastily selling the estate, she returns to France.
Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin- a well-to-do merchant from a simple class. Quite cunning, adventurous. Rough, but incredibly resourceful. Prudent. It is he who buys the estate of the main character.
Minor heroes
Leonid Andreevich Gaev- Ranevskaya's sentimental brother. In order to somewhat “sweeten” her sister's grief after the sale of the estate, she begins to develop plans to overcome difficulties. Quite often they are absurd and ineffective.
Trofimov Petr Sergeevich- a rather incomprehensible person, with oddities. His main hobby is reasoning. Trofimov has no family, does not serve anywhere, he is a man without a fixed abode. Despite the fact that he is a person of extraordinary views, sometimes Pyotr Sergeevich contradicts himself.
Anya- a young, fragile, romantic girl. Despite the fact that the heroine supports her parent, some innovative features and a thirst for change are already beginning to appear in her.
Varya- realistic. You can even say a somewhat down-to-earth, peasant girl. Leads the farm on the estate, is the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. Feels feelings for Lopakhin, but is afraid to admit it.
Simeonov - Pischik- a ruined nobleman who is "in debt as in silks." Trying in vain to cover all his debts. Always on the lookout for a livelihood. To be rescued financially, he grovels and humiliates himself, without feeling any remorse. Sometimes Fortune really turns out to be on his side.
Charlotte Ivanovna- governess. Age is unknown. Even among the crowd, he feels lonely. Knows how to perform tricks, which indicates that it is possible that her childhood was spent in a circus family.
Epikhodov- if there are "minions of fate", then he is the complete opposite. Something always happens to the hero, he is clumsy, unlucky and "offended by Fortune." Despite a decent education, he does not know how to express his thoughts properly.
Dunyasha“This girl is a simple servant, but she has ambitions and demands. As a rule, the details of her wardrobe are not much different from the outfits of a socialite. However, the essence of man remains the same. Therefore, even in the midst of the pompous gloss, one can discern the fact that Dunya is a peasant. Her attempts to look more respectable are pathetic.
Firs, servant- Treats gentlemen well, but takes care of them like babies, takes care of them too much. By the way, the hero even dies with the thought of the owners.
Yasha- once he was a lackey. Now a soulless and empty dandy who has visited Paris. He is disrespectful to his native people. He condemns the fact that Russia is chasing the West, considers this a manifestation of ignorance and ignorance.
Option 3
Chekhov wrote the play "The Cherry Orchard" in 1903. It shows the main problems of the dying nobility. The heroes of the play are saturated with the vices of the society of that time. This work is a discussion of the future fate of Russia.
Lyubov Andreevna is the mistress of the house in which all the events of the play take place. She is a beautiful woman, educated, educated, kind and trusting in life. After heavy losses in life, the death of her husband and son, she goes abroad, her lover robbed her glee. Living abroad, she leads a chic lifestyle, while her daughters are in poverty in their homeland. She has a cold relationship with them.
And then one day in the spring she decided to return home. And only at home did she find peace, the beauty of her native nature helped her in this.
Even without money, he cannot refuse a beautiful life.
But being a bad housewife, she loses everything: her house, her garden and, as a result, her homeland. She returns to Paris.
Leonid Gaev was a landowner and had a peculiar character. He was the brother of the main character, he, like her, was romantic and sentimental. He loved his home and garden, but does nothing to save him. He loves to talk very much, and, moreover, does not think about what he is saying. And his nieces often ask him to shut up.
He does not have his own family, he decided to live for himself, and lives. He goes to gambling establishments, plays billiards, has fun. He has a lot of debts. You can't rely on him. Nobody believes him.
In this hero, the writer showed almost all the vices of the youth of that period.
Yermolai Lopakhin was a merchant, a representative of a new class of the bourgeoisie. He was a native of the people. He remembers the good and does not break away from the people. He knew that his ancestors were serfs. With his perseverance and work, he got out of poverty, earned a lot of money.
He proposed a plan to save the garden and estate, but Ranevskaya refused. Then he buys the entire estate at the auction, and becomes the owner, where his ancestors were slaves.
His image shows the superiority of the bourgeoisie over the nobility.
He buys the garden, and when everyone left the estate, he cut it down.
Anya's daughter Lyubov Andreevna. She lived with her mother abroad, at the age of 17 she returned to her homeland and immediately fell in love with her brother's former teacher. Petra Trofimova. She trusts his ideas. He completely reconfigured the girl. She became a prominent representative of the new nobility.
Petya once taught his son Ranevskaya. He received the nickname “eternal student” because he could not finish his studies at the gymnasium. He convinced Anya that her life must be changed, she must get rid of poverty. He does not believe in Anna's love, tells her that their relationship is higher than love. Urges her to leave with him.
Varya Ranevskaya's adopted daughter, she early began to engage in farming on the estate, she really understands what is happening. In love with Lopakhin.
She lives in the present, not the past and the future. Varya will survive in a new life, because she has a practical character.
Charlotte Ivanovna, Dunyasha, Yasha, Firs are servants in the Ranevsky estate, they do not know where to go after the sale of the estate. Firs, due to his old age, did not know what to do, and when everyone left the estate, he dies in the house.
This work showed the decline of the nobility.
Several interesting compositions
- Philosophical lyrics Lermontov composition
Many poets devoted their works to speculations on eternal questions about the meaning of life and the universe, about the role of man and about his purpose and place in this life.
Hans Christian Andersen is a genius writer, whose fairy tales have been taught, taught and will be taught by more than one generation of children. The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina
Characters
“Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, landowner.
Anya, her daughter, 17 years old.
Varya, her adopted daughter, 24 years old.
Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya.
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, merchant.
Trofimov Petr Sergeevich, student.
Simeonov-Pischik Boris Borisovich, landowner.
Charlotte Ivanovna, governess.
Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk.
Dunyasha, the maid.
Firs, a footman, an old man of 87 years old.
Yasha, a young footman.
Passer-by.
Station master.
Postal clerk.
Guests, servants "(13, 196).
As you can see, the social markers of each role are preserved in the list of characters and the last play by Chekhov, and, just like in previous plays, they have a formal character, without predetermining either the character's character or the logic of his behavior on stage.
Thus, the social status of a landowner / landowner in Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries actually ceased to exist, not corresponding to the new structure of social relations. In this sense, Ranevskaya and Simeonov-Pishchik find themselves in the play persona non grata; their essence and purpose in it are not at all connected with the motive of the possession of souls, that is, other people, and in general, the possession of anything.
In turn, Lopakhin's “thin, delicate fingers”, his “thin, delicate soul” (13, 244) are by no means predetermined by his first author's characteristic in the list of characters (“merchant”), which is largely due to the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky acquired a definite semantic halo in Russian literature. It is no coincidence that Lopakhin's first appearance on the stage is marked with such a detail as a book. The logic of the discrepancy between social markers and the stage realization of the characters is continued by the eternal student Petya Trofimov. In the context of the characterization given to him by other characters, Lyubov Andreevna or Lopakhin, for example, his author's name in the playbill sounds like an oxymoron.
Further on the poster follow: a clerk talking in the play about Bocle and the possibility of suicide; the maid, constantly dreaming of extraordinary love and even dancing at the ball: “You are very gentle Dunyasha,” Lopakhin will tell her. - And you dress like a young lady, and your hair too ”(13, 198); a young footman with no respect for the people he serves. Perhaps only Firs's model of behavior corresponds to the status declared in the poster, however, he is also a lackey with no longer existing masters.
The main category that forms the system of characters in the last Chekhov's play is now not the role (social or literary) that each of them plays, but the time in which each of them feels himself. Moreover, it is the chronotope chosen by each character that explicates his character, his sense of the world and himself in it. From this point of view, a rather curious situation arises: the overwhelming majority of the characters in the play do not live in the present time, preferring to remember the past or dream, that is, to rush into the future.
So, Lyubov Andreevna and Gaev feel the house and garden as a wonderful and harmonious world of their childhood. That is why their dialogue with Lopakhin in the second act of the comedy is carried out in different languages: he tells them about the garden as a very real object of sale and purchase, which can be easily turned into summer cottages, they, in turn, do not understand how harmony can be sold, sell happiness:
“Lopakhin. Forgive me, such frivolous people as you, gentlemen, such non-business, strange, I have not yet met. They speak to you in Russian, your estate is for sale, but you definitely do not understand.
Lyubov Andreevna. What do we do? Teach what?
Lopakhin.<…>Understand! Once you finally decide to have summer cottages, you will be given as much money as you like, and then you are saved.
Lyubov Andreevna. Dachas and summer residents - it's so vulgar, I'm sorry.
Gaev. I completely agree with you.
Lopakhin. I will either cry, or scream, or faint. I can not! You tortured me! " (13, 219).
The existence of Ranevskaya and Gaev in the world of harmony of childhood is marked not only by the place of action indicated by the author in the remark (“the room that is still called the children's room”), not only by the constant behavior of Firs’s “nanny” in relation to Gaev: “Firs (brushing Gaev , edifying). They wore the wrong pants again. And what can I do with you! " (13, 209), but also by the natural appearance in the discourse of the characters of the images of the father and mother. Ranevskaya sees “the late mother” in the white garden of the first act (13, 210); Gaev recalls his father going to Trinity to church in the fourth act (13, 252).
The children's model of the characters' behavior is realized in their absolute impracticality, in the complete absence of pragmatism, and even in a sharp and constant change in their mood. Of course, one can see in the speeches and actions of Ranevskaya a manifestation of an "ordinary person" who "obeying his not always beautiful desires, whims, deceives himself every time." You can see in her image and "the obvious profanation of the role-based way of life." However, it seems that it is the disinterestedness, lightness, momentary attitude to being, very reminiscent of a child's, an instant change of mood that bring all the sudden and ridiculous, from the point of view of the rest of the characters and many researchers of comedy, the actions of both Gaev and Ranevskaya into a certain system. Before us are children who never became adults, did not accept the model of behavior fixed in the adult world. In this sense, for example, all of Gayev's serious attempts to save the estate look exactly like playing an adult:
“Gaev. Shut up, Firs (nanny is temporarily suspended - T.I.). I have to go to town tomorrow. They promised to introduce him to one general who could give on a bill.
Lopakhin. Nothing will come of it. And you will not pay interest, rest assured.
Lyubov Andreevna. He's delusional. There are no generals ”(13, 222).
It is noteworthy that the attitude of the characters towards each other remains unchanged: they are forever brother and sister, not understood by anyone, but understanding each other without words:
“Lyubov Andreevna and Gaev were left alone. They were exactly expecting this, throw themselves on each other's necks and sob with restraint, quietly, fearing that they would not be heard.
GAYEV (in despair). My sister, my sister ...
Lyubov Andreevna. Oh my dear, my tender, beautiful garden! .. My life, my youth, my happiness, goodbye! .. ”(13, 253).
Firs adjoins this micro-group of characters, whose chronotope is also the past, but the past, which has clearly defined social parameters. It is no coincidence that specific time markers appear in the character's speech:
"Firs. In the past, forty or fifty years ago, cherries were dried, soaked, pickled, jam was cooked, and it used to be ... ”(13, 206).
Its past is the time before the disaster, that is, before the abolition of serfdom. In this case, we have before us a variant of social harmony, a kind of utopia based on a rigid hierarchy, on the order enshrined in laws and tradition:
“Firs (not hearing). And still. The peasants are with the gentlemen, the gentlemen are with the peasants, but now everything is torn apart, you will not understand anything ”(13, 222).
The second group of characters can be conditionally called characters of the future, although the semantics of their future will be different each time and by no means always have a social coloration: these are, first of all, Petya Trofimov and Anya, then Dunyasha, Varya and Yasha.
Petit's future, like Firs's past, acquires the features of a social utopia, which Chekhov could not give a detailed description of for censorship reasons and, probably, did not want for artistic reasons, generalizing the logic and goals of many specific socio-political theories and teachings: “Humanity is moving towards the highest truth, to the highest happiness that is possible on earth, and I am in the forefront ”(13, 244).
A premonition of the future, a feeling of oneself on the eve of the realization of a dream characterizes Dunyasha. “Please, we'll talk later, and now leave me alone. Now I am dreaming, ”she says to Epikhodov, who constantly reminds her of the not very beautiful present (13, 238). Her dream, like the dream of any young lady, as she feels herself, is love. It is characteristic that her dream does not have concrete, tangible outlines (the lackey Yasha and "love" for him are only the first approximation to the dream). Her presence is marked only by a special feeling of dizziness, included in the semantic field of the dance motive: “... and I feel dizzy from dancing, my heart is beating, Firs Nikolaevich, and now an official from the post office said this to me that it took my breath away” (13, 237 ).
Just as Dunyasha dreams of extraordinary love, Yasha dreams of Paris as an alternative to the funny and not real, from his point of view, reality: “This champagne is not real, I can assure you.<…>It's not for me here, I can't live ... there's nothing to be done. I have seen enough of ignorance - it will be with me ”(13, 247).
In the designated group of characters, Varya takes a dual position. On the one hand, she lives in a conditional present, momentary problems, and in this feeling of life she is close to Lopakhin: “Only I can’t be idle, mommy. I have to do something every minute ”(13, 233). That is why her role as a housekeeper in the house of her foster mother naturally continues now with strangers:
“Lopakhin. Where are you going now, Varvara Mikhailovna?
Varya. I? To the Ragulins ... I agreed to look after the household ... to the housekeeper or something ”(13, 250).
On the other hand, her self-awareness also constantly contains the desired future as a result of dissatisfaction with the present: “If there were money, at least a little, at least a hundred rubles, I would have dropped everything, I would have gone away. I would go to a monastery ”(13, 232).
Lopakhin, Epikhodov and Simeonov-Pishchik can be attributed to the characters of the conditional present. This characteristic of the present tense is due to the fact that each of the named characters has its own image of the time in which he lives, and, therefore, a single concept common to the entire play, the concept of the present, as well as the time of the future, does not exist. So, Lopakhin's time is the present concrete time, which is an uninterrupted chain of daily "affairs" that give a visible meaning to his life: "When I work for a long time, tirelessly, then thoughts are easier, and it seems that I also know what I am for I exist ”(13, 246). It is no coincidence that the character's speech is replete with indications of a specific time of certain events (it is curious that his future time, as follows from the remarks given below, is a natural continuation of the present, in fact already realized): “I am now, at five o'clock in the morning, at Kharkov to go ”(13, 204); “If we don’t think of anything and we don’t come to anything, then on August 22, both the cherry orchard and the entire estate will be sold at auction” (13, 205); “I'll see you in three weeks” (13, 209).
Epikhodov and Simeonov-Pischik form an oppositional pair in this group of characters. For the first, life is a chain of misfortunes, and this belief of the character is confirmed (again from his point of view) by Buckle's theory of geographical determinism:
“Epikhodov.<…>And you also take kvass to drink, and there, you see, something extremely indecent, like a cockroach.
Pause.
Have you read Buckle? " (13, 216).
For the second, on the contrary, life is a series of accidents, in the end - happy ones, who will always correct any current situation: “I never lose hope. So, I think, everything is gone, lost, lo and behold - the railway passed through my land, and ... I was paid. And there, look, something else will happen not today or tomorrow ”(13, 209).
The image of Charlotte is the most mysterious image in the last comedy of Chekhov. The character, episodic in its place in the list of characters, nevertheless acquires extraordinary importance for the author. “Oh, if you played the governess in my play,” writes O. L. Chekhov. Knipper-Chekhova. “This is the best role, but I don’t like the rest” (P 11, 259). A little later, the question about the actress playing this role will be repeated by the author three times: "Who, who will play my governess?" (P 11, 268); “Also write who will play Charlotte. Is it Raevskaya? " (P 11, 279); "Who's Playing Charlotte?" (P 11, 280). Finally, in a letter to Vl. Nemirovich-Danchenko, commenting on the final distribution of roles and undoubtedly knowing who will play Ranevskaya, Chekhov still expects his wife to understand the importance of this role for him: “Charlotte is a question mark<…>this is the role of Mrs. Knipper ”(P 11, 293).
The importance of the image of Charlotte is emphasized by the author in the text of the play. Each of the few appearances of the character on the stage is accompanied by a detailed author's commentary concerning both his appearance and his actions. This attentiveness (focus) of the author becomes all the more obvious since Charlotte's remarks, as a rule, are minimized in the play, and the appearance of the more significant characters on the stage (for example, Lyubov Andreevna) is not commented on by the author at all: only numerous psychological details of her are given in the remarks. portrait.
What is the mystery of Charlotte's image? The first and rather unexpected observation that should be made is that the appearance of the character accentuates both feminine and masculine traits at the same time. At the same time, the very selection of the details of the portrait can be called auto-citation. Thus, the author accompanies the first and last appearance of Charlotte on stage with a repeating remark: “Charlotte Ivanovna with a dog on a chain” (13, 199); "Yasha and Charlotte are leaving with the dog" (13, 253). Obviously, in the artistic world of Chekhov, the detail "with the dog" is significant. She, as is well known, marks the image of Anna Sergeevna - a lady with a dog - a poetic image of a woman, very rare for Chekhov's prose, capable of a truly deep feeling. True, in the context of the stage action of the play, the detail gets a comic realization. “My dog eats nuts, too,” says Charlotte to Simeonov-Pishchik (13, 200), immediately separating herself from Anna Sergeevna. In Chekhov's letters to his wife, the semantics of the dog is even more reduced, but the author insists on exactly this version of the stage embodiment: “... the dog is needed in the first act, shaggy, small, half-dead, with sour eyes” (P 11, 316); “Schnapp, I repeat, is not good. We need that shabby little dog that you saw ”(P 11, 317-318).
In the same first act, there is one more comic remark-quote containing a description of the character's appearance: “Charlotte Ivanovna in a white dress, very thin, pulled together, with a lorgnette on her belt, passes through the stage” (13, 208). Taken together, the three details mentioned by the author create an image very reminiscent of another governess - Albion's daughter: “Near him stood a tall, thin Englishwoman<…>She was dressed in a white muslin dress, through which her skinny yellow shoulders showed through. A gold watch hung on a golden belt ”(2, 195). Instead of a watch on Charlotte's belt, the lornetka will probably remain as a "memory" of Anna Sergeevna, because this particular detail will be emphasized by the author both in the first and second parts of "Ladies with the Dog".
The subsequent assessment of the appearance of the Englishwoman by Gryabov is also characteristic: “And the waist? This doll reminds me of a long nail ”(2, 197). A very thin detail sounds like a sentence to a woman and in Chekhov's own - epistolary - text: “The Yartsevs say that you have lost weight, and I really don’t like it,” Chekhov writes to his wife and continues a few lines below, as if in passing, “Sofya Petrovna Sredina I have grown very thin and very old ”(P 11, 167). Such an explicated play with such multilevel quotations makes the character of the character indefinite, vague, devoid of semantic uniqueness.
The remark, anticipating the second act of the play, further complicates the image of Charlotte, because now, when describing her appearance, the author emphasizes the traditionally masculine attributes of the character's clothing: “Charlotte in an old cap; she took the gun off her shoulders and straightens the buckle on her belt ”(13, 215). This description can again be read as an auto-quote, this time from the drama "Ivanov". The remark, preceding her first act, ends with Borkin's significant appearance: “Borkin in large boots, with a gun, appears in the depths of the garden; he is tipsy; seeing Ivanov, tiptoes toward him and, leveling with him, takes aim at his face<…>takes off his cap ”(12, 7). However, as in the previous case, the detail does not become characteristic, since, unlike the play "Ivanov", in "The Cherry Orchard" neither Charlotte's gun nor Epikhodov's revolver will fire.
The remark, included by the author in the third act of the comedy, on the contrary, completely neutralizes (or unites) both principles, fixed in the guise of Charlotte earlier; now the author simply calls her a figure: "In the hall a figure in a gray top hat and checkered trousers waves and jumps, shouts:" Bravo, Charlotte Ivanovna! " (13, 237). It is noteworthy that this leveling - a game - by the male / female principle was quite consciously laid by the author in the semantic field of the character: “Charlotte speaks not broken, but pure Russian,” Chekhov writes to Nemirovich-Danchenko, “only occasionally she instead of b at the end of a word pronounces b and confuses adjectives in masculine and feminine gender ”(P 11, 294).
Explicates this game and Charlotte's dialogue with her inner voice, blurring the boundaries of the gender identity of its participants:
"Charlotte.<…>And what a good weather today!
A mysterious female voice answers her, as if from under the floor: "Oh yes, the weather is wonderful, madam."
You are such a good ideal of mine ...
Voice: “I liked you, madam, too” (13, 231).
Dialogue goes back to the model of small talk between a man and a woman, it is no coincidence that only one side of it is named madam, however, two female voices carry out a dialogue at the same time.
Another very important observation concerns Charlotte's behavior on stage. All her remarks and actions seem unexpected and not motivated by the external logic of this or that situation; they are not directly connected with what is happening on the stage. So, in the first act of the comedy, she refuses Lopakhin in a ritual kiss of her hand only on the grounds that later he may want something more:
“CHARLOTTE (removing her hand). If you allow you to kiss your hand, then you will then wish on the elbow, then on the shoulder ... ”(13, 208).
In the most important for the author, the second act of the play, at the most pathetic moment of our own monologue, which we still have to say, when the other characters sit, thinking, involuntarily immersed in the harmony of being, Charlotte “takes a cucumber out of her pocket and eats” (13, 215 ). Having finished this process, she makes a compliment to Epikhodov, completely unexpected and not confirmed by the text of the comedy: “You, Epikhodov, are a very intelligent person and very scary; women must be madly in love with you ”(13, 216) - and leaves the stage.
The third act includes Charlotte's card and ventriloquism tricks, as well as her illusionary experiments, when Anya and Varya appear from under the blanket. It is noteworthy that this plot situation formally slows down the action, as if interrupting, dividing in half, the single remark of Lyubov Andreevna: “Why is Leonid gone for so long? What is he doing in the city?<…>And Leonid is not there. I don’t understand what he has been doing in the city for so long! ” (13; 231, 232).
And, finally, in the fourth act of the comedy, during the touching farewell of the rest of the characters to the house and garden
Charlotte (picks up a bundle that looks like a folded child). My baby, bye, bye.<…>
Shut up, my dear, my dear boy.<…>
I feel so sorry for you! (Throws the knot in place) ”(13, 248).
Such a mechanism for constructing a scene was known to the poetics of Chekhov's theater. So, in the first act of "Uncle Vanya" Marina's remarks are included: "Chip, chick, chick<…>The pestle left with the chickens ... The crows wouldn’t have bothered ... ”(13, 71), which immediately follow Voinitsky’s phrase:“ It’s good to hang in such weather ... ”(Ibid.). Marina, as has been repeatedly emphasized, in the play's system of characters personifies a reminder to a person about the logic of events that is outside of him. That is why she does not participate in the struggles of the other characters with circumstances and with each other.
Charlotte also holds a special place among the other characters in the comedy. This feature is not only noted by the author, as mentioned above; it is realized and felt by the character himself: "These people sing terribly" (13, 216), - Charlotte will say, and her remark correlates perfectly with the phrase of Dr. Dorn from the play "The Seagull", also from the side of observing what is happening: "People are boring "(13, 25). Charlotte's monologue, which opens the second act of the comedy, explicates this peculiarity, which is realized, first of all, in the absolute absence of social markers of her image. Her age is unknown: “I don’t have a real passport, I don’t know how old I am, and it still seems to me that I’m young” (13, 215). Her nationality is also unknown: "And when my father and mother died, one German lady took me to her and began to teach me." Nothing is known about the origin and family tree of the character either: “Who are my parents, maybe they didn’t get married… I don’t know” (13, 215). Charlotte's profession also turns out to be accidental and unnecessary in the play, since the children in the comedy have formally grown up long ago.
All other characters in The Cherry Orchard, as noted above, are included in one or another conditional time, it is no coincidence that the motive of memories or hopes for the future becomes the main one for most of them: Firs and Petya Trofimov represent two poles of this self-awareness of the characters. That is why “everyone else” in the play feels like they are in some kind of virtual, not real chronotope (cherry orchard, new garden, Paris, summer cottages). Charlotte, on the other hand, finds herself outside all these traditional ideas of man about himself. Its time is fundamentally not linear: it has no past, and therefore no future. She is forced to feel herself only now and only in this particular space, that is, in a real unconditional chronotope. Thus, we have before us the personification of the answer to the question of what a person is, modeled by Chekhov, if we consistently, layer by layer, remove absolutely everything - both social and even physiological - parameters of his personality, free him from any determinism by the surrounding world ... In this case, Charlotte remains, firstly, loneliness among other people with whom she does not coincide and cannot coincide in space / time: “I really want to talk, but not with anyone ... I have no one” (13, 215) ... Secondly, absolute freedom from the conventions imposed on a person by society, subordination of behavior only to one's own internal impulses:
“Lopakhin.<…>Charlotte Ivanovna, show your trick!
Lyubov Andreevna. Charlotte, show the trick!
Charlotte. No need. I want to sleep. (Leaves) ”(13, 208-209).
The consequence of these two circumstances is the absolute peace of the character. There is not a single psychological remark in the play that would mark the deviation of Charlotte's emotions from absolute zero, while other characters may speak through tears, resentment, joyful, frightened, reproachful, embarrassed, etc. And, finally, this outlook of the character finds its natural completion in a certain model of behavior - in free circulation, play, with a reality familiar and unchanged for all other characters. It is this attitude to the world that explicates her famous tricks.
“I am doing salto mortale (like Charlotte - TI) on your bed,” Chekhov writes to his wife, for whom the ascent to the third floor without a “car” was already an insurmountable obstacle. and throwing you up to the ceiling, I pick you up and kiss you ”(P 11, 33).
Social statuses of the heroes of the play - as one of the characteristics
In the final play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" there is no division into main and secondary characters. All of them are the main, even seemingly episodic roles, are of great importance for revealing the main idea of the whole work. The characterization of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard begins with their social presentation. After all, social position is already leaving an imprint on people's heads, and not only on the stage. So, Lopakhin, a merchant, is already in advance associated with a noisy and tactless merchant, incapable of any subtle feelings and emotions, and yet Chekhov warned that his merchant was different from a typical representative of this class. Ranevskaya and Simeonov-Pishchik, designated as landowners, look very strange. After all, after the abolition of serfdom, the social statuses of the landowners remained in the past, since they no longer corresponded to the new social structure. Gaev is also a landowner, but in the imagination of the heroes he is "Ranevskaya's brother", which suggests that this character is somehow dependent. With the daughters of Ranevskaya, everything is more or less clear. Anya and Varya have an age, indicating that they are the youngest characters in The Cherry Orchard.
The age is also indicated for the oldest character, Firs. Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich is a student, and this is some kind of contradiction, because if a student, then he is young and it seems too early to assign a patronymic, but meanwhile it is indicated.
Throughout the action of the play "The Cherry Orchard", the characters are fully revealed, and their characters are outlined in a form typical for this type of literature - in the speech characteristics given by themselves or by other participants.
Brief characteristics of the main characters
Although the main characters of the play are not singled out by Chekhov as a separate line, they are easy to identify. These are Ranevskaya, Lopakhin and Trofimov. It is their vision of their time that becomes the fundamental motive of the entire work. And this time is shown through the relation to the old cherry orchard.
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna- the main character of "The Cherry Orchard" is a rich aristocrat in the past, accustomed to living at the behest of her heart. Her husband died quite early, leaving a bunch of debts. While she indulged in new feelings, her little son tragically died. Believing herself guilty of this tragedy, she flees from home, from her lover abroad, who, among other things, followed her and literally plundered her there. But her hopes of finding peace did not come true. She loves her garden and her estate, but cannot save it. It is impossible for her to accept Lopakhin's proposal, because then the centuries-old order in which the title of "landowner" is passed down from generation to generation carrying a cultural and historical heritage, inviolability and confidence in the world will be violated.
Lyubov Andreevna and her brother Gaev are characterized by all the best features of the nobility: responsiveness, generosity, education, a sense of beauty, the ability to sympathize. However, in modern times, all their positive qualities are not needed and are turned in the opposite direction. Generosity becomes irrepressible squandering, responsiveness and the ability to sympathize turns into slobbering, education turns into idle talk.
According to Chekhov, these two heroes do not deserve sympathy and their feelings are not as deep as it might seem.
In the play "The Cherry Orchard" the main characters speak more than they do, and the only person - the action is Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, the central character, according to the author. Chekhov was sure that if his image failed, then the whole play would fail. Lopakhin is designated a merchant, but the modern word “businessman” would be more suitable for him. The son and grandson of serfs became a millionaire thanks to his instinct, determination and intelligence, because if he were stupid and not educated, could he have achieved such success in his business? And it is no coincidence that Petya Trofimov speaks of his subtle soul. After all, only Ermolai Alekseevich realizes the value of the old garden and its true beauty. But his commercial streak overwhelms, and he is forced to destroy the garden.
Trofimov Petya- an eternal student and "shabby gentleman". Apparently, he also belongs to a noble family, but has become, in fact, a homeless vagabond, dreaming of the common good and happiness. He talks a lot, but does nothing for the early onset of a bright future. He is also uncharacteristic of deep feelings for the people around him and attachment to the place. He lives only in dreams. However, he managed to captivate Anya with his ideas.
Anya, daughter of Ranevskaya... Her mother left her in the care of her brother at the age of 12. That is, in adolescence, so important for the formation of a personality, Anya was left to herself. She inherited the best qualities that are characteristic of the aristocracy. She is naive as a youth, perhaps that is why she was so easily carried away by Petya's ideas.
Brief characteristics of minor characters
The characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard" are divided into major and minor only according to the time of their participation in the actions. So Varya, Simeonov-Pischik Dunyasha, Charlotte Ivanovna and the lackeys practically do not talk about the estate, and their perception of the world through the garden is not revealed, they seem to be torn off from it.
Varya- adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. But in essence she is the housekeeper on the estate, whose duties include taking care of the owners and servants. She thinks at the everyday level, and her desire to devote herself to serving God is not taken seriously by anyone. Instead, they are trying to marry her to Lopakhin, who does not care about her.
Simeonov-Pischik- the same landowner as Ranevskaya. Constantly in debt. But his positive attitude helps to overcome his difficult situation. So, he does not hesitate a bit when he receives an offer to lease his land. Thus, solving their financial difficulties. He is able to adapt to a new life, unlike the owners of the cherry orchard.
Yasha- a young footman. Having been abroad, he is no longer attracted by his Motherland and even his mother, who is trying to meet with him, no longer needs him. Arrogance is his main feature. He does not respect the owners, he has no attachment to anyone.
Dunyasha- a young windy girl who lives one day and dreams of love.
Epikhodov- a clerk, he is a chronic loser, which he knows very well. In fact, his life is empty and aimless.
Firs- the oldest character for whom the abolition of serfdom was the greatest tragedy. He is sincerely attached to his masters. And his death in an empty house accompanied by the sound of a garden being cut down is very symbolic.
Charlotte Ivanovna- a governess and a circus performer in one person. The main reflection of the declared genre of the play.
The images of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard are combined into a system. They complement each other, thereby helping to reveal the main theme of the work.
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