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 the Russian theater.
The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of noblemen is selling their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, describes with subtle psychologism the state of mind of people who are forced to leave their homes soon. The novelty of the play is the lack of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary. All of them fall into three categories:
- people of the past - aristocratic nobles (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their footman Firs);
- people of the present - their bright representative merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
- the people of the future are the progressive youth of that time (Pyotr 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 Theatre, becoming the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright and a textbook classic of the theatrical repertoire.
Play analysis
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. They are met at the railway station by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).
The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is nearing complete collapse. Entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his own version of the solution to the problem - to divide the land into shares and give them for use to summer residents for a certain fee. The lady is weighed down by this proposal, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, with which many warm memories of her youth are associated. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gaev, imbued with the experiences 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 Peter Trofimov. He gives an excited speech dedicated to 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 able to imbue his lofty ideas.
The third act begins with the fact that Ranevskaya invites an orchestra with the last money and arranges a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they left for the city for auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a long wait, Lyubov Andreevna finds out that her estate was bought at the auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy from his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.
The finale is entirely devoted to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The parting scene is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a remarkably profound monologue by Firs, which the hosts hastily forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. They cut down the cherry orchard.
main characters
Sentimental person, owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she has become accustomed to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself a lot that, in 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 industriousness, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a "muzhik" beginning. At the end of the play, Lopakhin does not share Ranevskaya's feelings; 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 a romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic plans to save the family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but completely inactive.
Petya Trofimov
Eternal student, nihilist, eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the "higher truth", he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which greatly upsets his daughter Ranevskaya Anya, who is in love with him.
A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Peter Trofimov. Recklessly believing in better life after the sale of the 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. Type of servant of the old time, surrounds with paternal care of his masters. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.
A young footman, with contempt for Russia, dreaming of going abroad. A cynical and cruel person, rude to old Firs, disrespectful even to his own mother.
The structure of the work
The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without division into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is an exposition and a plot, in the second - an increase in tension, in the third - a climax (sale of the estate), in the fourth - a denouement. characteristic feature play is the lack of genuine external conflict, dynamism, unpredictable twists in the storyline. The 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 contemporary production)
The play is dominated by the development of the emotional and psychological plan, the main engine of action is the inner experiences of the characters. The author expands art space works by introducing a large number of characters who never appear on the stage. Also, the effect of expanding the spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, which gives arched form to the play.
Final conclusion
Chekhov's last play can be said to be his "swan song". The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of a special Chekhovian concept of life, which is characterized by 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 of the 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.
Kovalenko Ilya
The presentation will help students and the teacher prepare for a lesson-conversation about the features of the heroes of A.P. Chekhov's play " The Cherry Orchard",
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Heroes of the play by A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard" The work of a 10th grade student Ilya Kovalenko
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna is a landowner. 5 years ago she went abroad, after the death of her husband and the death of her little son. She lived in Paris, received guests, spent a lot of money. R. is easy to talk to and also very sentimental. About Russia, she says: “God knows, I love my homeland, I love dearly ...” Returning to the estate, she cries at the sight of her nursery. But R. is frivolous and helpless in everyday affairs. She lets everything take its course or relies on others to solve everyday issues. If there is anything interesting, even remarkable, in the whole province, it is only our cherry orchard. Oh my dear, my gentle, beautiful garden! .. My life, my youth, my happiness, goodbye! ..
Leonid Andreevich Gaev Leonid Andreevich Gaev is the brother of the landowner Ranevskaya. A man of the old school, like his sister, is sentimental. She is very worried about the sale of the family estate and the loss of the cherry orchard. By nature, Gaev is an idealist and a romantic. He can confess his love even to the closet, which for him has been the guardian of the family for almost a century. He talks a lot, sometimes not to the point. Therefore, he realizes that he said inappropriateness, but then he repeats everything from the beginning. To hide his worries about the estate, he often inserts words like “who?”, “from the ball to the right into the corner” (an expression used in billiards). After Lopakhin buys out their house with a garden, he gets a job in a bank for six thousand a year. At the end, Lopakhin says that this is not for long, since Gaev is terribly lazy. If a lot of remedies are offered against any disease, then this means that the disease is not curable.
Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin is a merchant. Under the new conditions, L. got rich, but remained, in his own words, "a peasant is a peasant." L. does not feel any nostalgic feelings for the cherry orchard, he only notices that the orchard is "big". L. is surprised at the frivolity and idleness of Ranevskaya and her brother. He himself gets up at 5 am and works until night. L - very controversial image. Diligence, practical mind, ingenuity coexist in him with callousness, rudeness, predation. The only remarkable thing about this garden is that it is very large. Cherry is born every two years, and even that has nowhere to go, no one buys.
Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich Former teacher of the drowned seven-year-old son of Ranevskaya, raznochinets. Trofimov is twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, he is an eternal student, wears glasses and resonates that one should stop admiring oneself, and "only work." The hero beautifully preaches faith in the inevitable onset of a better future and personal freedom, because "humanity is moving forward, improving its strength. Everything that is inaccessible to him now will someday become close, understandable, who seeks the truth." In the finale, the hero searches for forgotten galoshes, which become a symbol of his unlucky life, despite beautiful words and inspiring pathos.
Anya Anya is the daughter of Ranevskaya. A. is in love with Petya Trofimov and is under his influence. Fascinated by the idea that the nobility is guilty before the Russian people and must atone for their guilt. A. says that he no longer loves the cherry orchard as before. She wants to leave her home with Petya. In A. there is faith in happiness, in one's own strength, in another life. "We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this" and sincerely rejoices at the departure from the parental home.
Varya Varya is the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. V. actually plays the role of the housekeeper of the Ranevskys, the whole economy lies with her. By nature, Varya is a very modest and pious girl, conscientious about her duties. She is often busy with petty economic affairs and, unlike the masters, knows how to save rationally. A bunch of keys behind her belt testifies to her homeliness. V. is waiting for an offer from the merchant Lopakhin, but for some reason he hesitates to explain, even when he is pushed to do so. As V. herself explains, “he has a lot to do, he is not up to me.” V. says that she dreams of passing Anya off as a rich man, and then she herself would go to the desert, to Kiev, would go to holy places. After the sale of the estate, without waiting for Lopakhin's offer, he is going to be a housekeeper to other landowners.
Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov - clerk. He is called "twenty-two misfortunes", because all sorts of troubles constantly happen to him: either he knocks over a chair, or drops a bouquet, or something else. He proposes to the maid Dunyasha. Every day some misfortune happens to me. And I don’t grumble, I’m used to it and even smile. I am a developed person, I read various wonderful books, but I just can’t understand the direction of what I actually want, should I live or shoot myself. “But, of course, if you look from the point of view, then you, let me put it this way, sorry for the frankness, completely put me in a state of mind”
Firs Firs is a footman in Ranevskaya's house, an old man of 87 years old. He is a type of servant of the old time. F. is boundlessly devoted to his masters and takes care of them as if they were his own children. So, meeting Ranevskaya, F. cries with joy. After the abolition of serfdom, he "did not agree to the will, remained with the masters." F. constantly recalls the past, when the master "went to Paris ... on horseback ..." and when everything was clear: "men with gentlemen, gentlemen with men". The old servant is no longer able to serve, he hears almost nothing, he constantly makes a reservation. But F. cannot sit idle. He was born for masters and will die caring for them. After the sale of the estate, the departing owners forget F. in a boarded-up house, where the servant devoted to this house dies. “Life has passed, as if it had not lived ...”
Thank you for your attention
"was created by Chekhov in 1903, staged in 1904, on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater.
"The Cherry Orchard" is called a play about the decline of the life of the nobility, but above all, this is a play about the Motherland, about the imaginary and true owners of the Russian land, about the upcoming renewal of Russia.
The Russia of the obsolete past is represented in the play by the images of Ranevsky and Gaev. The cherry orchard is dear to these heroes as a memory, as a memory of childhood, youth, well-being, of their easy and graceful life. In the noble estate presented by the author, we first of all see a cultural nest.
And now let's move on to the analysis of the heroes of Chekhov's play.
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna is a landowner, the soul of a beautiful house, its mistress. She lived abroad for 5 years, in Paris. She spent a lot of money, led a wasteful lifestyle, did not deny herself anything. People are constantly drawn to her despite all her vices and frivolity. Ranevskaya is sentimental, easy to communicate with. She is overwhelmed with feelings of joy when she returned home, crying at the sight of the nursery. For her, the word responsibility means nothing, when it was necessary to solve the problem with the Cherry Orchard, she naively thought that everything would go away by itself and fit in. When Ranevskaya lost her estate, she does not experience any drama about this. She returns to Paris to her ridiculous love, to which, apparently, they would have returned without that, despite all her loud words about the impossibility of living far from their homeland. The heroine does not experience any serious emotions, she can easily move from a state of anxiety, concern to a cheerful and carefree revival. That is what happened this time as well. She quickly calmed down about the loss that befell her ...
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich - merchant, son and grandson of a serf. He owes a lot to Ranevskaya, since she helped him a lot, loves her like her own.
Under the new conditions, Lopakhin became rich, but remained, in his own words, "a peasant is a peasant." Lopakhin wants to help Ranevskaya, give the land for dachas, but for this it is necessary to cut down the garden, for him the Cherry Orchard is simply “big”. he suffers deeply from duality. He cuts down a cherry orchard, and it may seem that a rude, uneducated merchant has destroyed beauty, without thinking about what he is doing, only for the sake of his profit. But in fact, Lopakhin does this not only for the sake of profit and for her. There is another reason, much more important than your own enrichment - this is revenge for the past. He cuts down the garden, knowing full well that this is "the estate, better than which there is nothing in the world." In this way, he tries to kill the memory, which, against his will, constantly reminds him that he is a "man", and the ruined owners of the cherry orchard are "gentlemen". He wants to erase this line that separates him from the "masters" by any means, with all his strength. In Lopakhin, the features of a predatory beast are visible. Money and the power acquired with it cripples his soul. Two people live and fight in it: one - "with a thin, tender soul", the other - "a predatory beast".
Anya is the daughter of Ranevskaya. A 17-year-old girl, the theme of the future of Russia is connected with her. She is in love with Petya Trofimov and is under his influence. He fully shares Petya's idea that all the nobility is to blame before Russia. He wants to leave his home and go with Petya to the ends of the world. In A. there is faith in happiness, in one's own strength, in another life. She tells her mother after the sale of the estate: "We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this" and sincerely rejoices at the departure from her parents' house. But, perhaps, she will be disappointed, because Petya says more than he does.
Trofimov Petya is a 27-year-old raznochinets.
Trofimov criticizes the entire Russian government, as he believes that it is she who does not allow the whole of Russia to develop, scolds for “dirt, vulgarity, Asianism”, criticizes the Russian intelligentsia, which is not looking for anything and does not work. But the hero does not notice that he himself is a bright representative of such an intelligentsia: he only speaks beautifully, without doing anything. Trofimy's characteristic phrase: "I will reach or show others the way how to reach" (to the "higher truth"). He denies love, considering it to be something "petty and ghostly." He only urges Anya to believe him, as he anticipates happiness. Ranevskaya reproaches Petya for coldness when he says that it makes no difference whether the estate is sold or not. In general, Ranevskaya does not like the hero, calls him a klutz and a second-class high school student. At the end of the play, Petya searches for forgotten galoshes, which become a symbol of his useless, albeit illuminated, beautiful words, life.
Gaev Leonid Andreevich - brother of Ranevskaya, landowner. A miserable aristocrat who blew his entire fortune. Sentimental and sensitive. He is very worried about the sale of the estate. To hide this, the hero "defends himself" with absent-minded behavior and catchphrases like "who?", "from the ball to the right into the corner", etc. Completely unadapted to life in new conditions, not capable of independent living. He makes unrealistic plans to save the cherry orchard (what if someone leaves them an inheritance, what if Anya marries a rich man, what if an aunt from Yaroslavl gives them money). But this hero did not lift a finger to really save his estate, his “homeland”. After the sale of the cherry orchard, he gets a job at a bank, to which Lopakhin remarks with doubt: “only he can’t sit still, he’s very lazy ...”
Firs is a lackey in Ranevskaya's house, an old man of 87 years old. He is a type of servant of the old time. Firs is boundlessly devoted to his masters and cares for them as if they were his own children. So, meeting Ranevskaya, Firs cries with joy.
After the abolition of serfdom, he "did not agree to the will, remained with the masters." Firs constantly recalls the past, when the master "went to Paris ... on horseback ..." and when everything was clear: "men with gentlemen, gentlemen with men."
The old servant is no longer able to serve, he hears almost nothing, he constantly makes a reservation. But Firs cannot sit idle. He was born for masters and will die caring for them. This is almost exactly what happens. After the sale of the estate, the departing owners forget Firs in a boarded-up house, where a servant devoted to this house dies.
Yasha is a young footman. Ham, ignorant, but very pleased with himself and bowing to everything foreign.
Yasha is a cynical and cruel person. When his mother comes to him from the village and waits for him all day in the servants' room, the footman scornfully declares: "It is very necessary, I could come tomorrow." Alone with Firs, Yasha says to the old man: “You are tired, grandfather. If only you'd die sooner." Yasha really wants to appear educated and flaunts “smart statements”: “In my opinion, if a girl loves someone, then she is immoral.” The young lackey is very proud of having lived abroad. With a foreign gloss, he wins the heart of the maid Dunyasha, but uses her location for his own benefit. After the sale of the estate, Yasha asks Ranevskaya to take him back to Paris with her. It is impossible for him to stay in Russia: "the country is uneducated, the people are immoral, moreover, boredom ..."
For the former owners of the estate and their entourage - Ranevskaya, Vari, Gaev, Pishchik, Charlotte, Dunyasha, Firs - with the death of the cherry orchard, their usual life ends, and what will happen next is very uncertain. And although they continue to pretend that nothing has changed, such behavior seems ridiculous, and in the light of the current situation, even stupid and unreasonable. The tragedy of these people is not that they lost the cherry orchard, went bankrupt, but that their feelings became very crushed ...
A.P. Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard. FirsFirs- faithful servant, one of minor heroes plays "The Cherry Orchard" by A.P. Chekhov. He is very old, he is already 87 years old. “... Life has passed, as if it had not lived,” he says.For many years he served in the house of Ranevskaya and Gaev, he also served their father. In 1861, when they canceled serfdom he gave up freedom : "Then I did not agree to the will, I remained with the masters ...". He even regrets the time when there was serfdom, calling its abolition "misfortune": “... And still. The peasants are with the gentlemen, the gentlemen are with the peasants, and now everything is scattered, you won’t understand anything ... ” In serfdom, he saw reliability.
He is sincerely devoted to his owners, loves them like family. How delighted Firs was when Ranevskaya arrived: “ My lady has arrived! Waited! Now even die". He takes care of her, Gaev, who is already 51 years old, and Firs is so old. Firs understands the importance of his place in the house: “Without me, who will give, who will order?” How did the owners repay Firs? Yes, they just forgot about him at the end of the play. Firs got sick. They wanted to put him in the hospital - they did not. Everyone left, but Firs was forgotten. Left to die alone in the locked house where he had served for so many years. “... Firs (approaches the door, touches the handle). Locked up. They left ... (Sits on the sofa.) They forgot about me ... Nothing ... I'll sit here ... "
The role of Firs in the play is great. He seems to be opposed to his masters, he has features that they do not have: diligence, thoroughness, devotion, thriftiness. And even through the attitude towards Firs, the character traits of Ranevskaya and Gaev are more clearly visible: their selfishness, soullessness, indifference, mismanagement, and others.
There are other servants in the play.
Charlotte Ivanovna- Ranevskaya's governess. This is a lonely woman. Her parents, circus performers, died early. She was taken in by a German lady to be brought up. Growing up, she went to work as a governess. Nothing is known about the heroine. And she herself does not know how old she is, who her parents are. She is funny, makes everyone laugh because she speaks in the voices of other people and shows tricks. And one of the heroes, Simeon-Pishchik, even burns about her like this: . “... You think! The most charming Charlotte Ivanovna. This heroine did not become coarse, like Yasha, did not become arrogant, like Dunyasha. This is a woman who is very sorry, who, in essence, is decent, kind. “This is the best role, I don’t like the rest”, - so wrote A.Ch. Chekhov.
Dunyasha- the maid Ranevskaya, looks like her mistress. Tries to seem refined, delicate, noble, imitates the hostess in everything. She classifies herself as a young lady, dreams of love, of a prince. “I was taken to the masters as a girl, now I have lost the habit of a simple life, and now my hands are white-white, like a young lady’s. She became tender, so delicate, noble, I'm afraid of everything ... " She is so far from reality, she has lost touch with the people's soil, and she cannot join the owners either.
Yasha- lackey. Ranevskaya took him with her to Paris. He came to his homeland a changed person, dressing differently, able to speak beautifully . “You are educated, you can talk about everything,” Dasha, who is in love with him, talks about him.
He treats the people with disdain, calling them "immoral", even Russia is "uneducated" for him. This footman is accustomed to taking care only of his stomach, spoiled by the owners with champagne and pickles. He is grumpy, rude, mentally callous. So he says to Firs: “You are tired, grandfather. If only you'd die sooner." And he didn’t even go out to see his mother, who came from the village. He loves no one but himself. Dasha, in love with him, he says: "If a girl loves someone, then she is, therefore, immoral." And he is immoral. Using the example of the footman Yasha, the author showed how noble habits can be passed on to servants, disfiguring their souls.
Thus, each of the servants has its own meaning in the play, complementing and revealing the images of the main characters.
