The main character of "The Cherry Orchard": analysis, characteristics and features. Analysis of the play “The Cherry Orchard” (A.P. Chekhov) Analysis of the Cherry Orchard briefly

What is the main theme of the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov? This work is worthy of serious attention of the modern reader and is widely studied, and in order to understand the theme of the play, we will briefly consider what events happened in Chekhov’s life a little earlier. Chekhov's family had good property, they owned a house, and in addition, his father had his own shop, but in the 80s of the 19th century the family became quite impoverished and accumulated debts, so the house and shop had to be sold. For Chekhov, this became a tragedy and greatly influenced his fate, leaving a deep mark in his memory.

Chekhov’s work on a new work began with reflections on these events, so the main theme of the play “The Cherry Orchard” is the sale at auction of a family noble estate, which resulted in the impoverishment of the family. Closer to the 20th century in Russia, this happened more and more often.

Composition of the play "The Cherry Orchard"

The play has four acts, let's look at the composition of the play "The Cherry Orchard" in order, from the first act to the fourth. Let's do a little analysis of the actions of "The Cherry Orchard".

• Act one. The reader gets to know all the characters and their personalities. It is interesting that by the way the characters in the play relate to the cherry orchard, one can judge their spiritual mood. And here the first conflict of the work is revealed, concluded in the confrontation between what was and the present time. For example, the Gaeva sister and brother, as well as Ranevskaya, represent the past. These are rich aristocrats - they used to own a lot of property, and now the cherry orchard and house remind of old times. And Lopakhin, standing on the other side of this conflict, thinks about profit. He believes that if Ranevskaya agrees to become his wife, they will save the estate. This is an analysis of the first act of The Cherry Orchard.
• Act two. In this part of the play, Chekhov shows that since the owners and their servants are walking through the field, and not through the garden, it means that the garden has been completely neglected and that it is impossible to even walk around it. Here you can clearly see how Petya Trofimov imagines his future.
• Act three. The climax occurs in this action. After the sale of the estate, Lopakhin became the new owner. He feels satisfied because the deal was successful, but he is sad that now he is responsible for the fate of the garden. It turns out that the garden will have to be destroyed.
• Act four. The family nest is empty, now there is no refuge for a united and friendly family. The garden has been cut down to the very roots, and the family name no longer exists.

Thus, we examined the composition of the play "The Cherry Orchard". From the reader's perspective, one can see the tragedy in what is happening. However, Anton Chekhov himself did not sympathize with his heroes, considering them short-sighted and powerless, incapable of feeling deeply.

In this play, Chekhov takes a philosophical approach to the question of what the immediate future of Russia is.

Chekhov as an artist can no longer be
compare with previous Russians
writers - with Turgenev,
Dostoevsky or with me. Chekhov's
its own shape, like
impressionists. Look how
like a person without anything
parsing smears with paints, what
come across his hand, and
no relationship between each other
these smears do not. But you'll move away
to some distance,
look, and in general
it gives a complete impression.
L. Tolstoy

Oh, I wish it would all go away
I wish ours would change
awkward, unhappy life.
Lopakhin

To analyze the play, you need a list of characters, with the author's remarks and comments. We will present it here in full, which will help you enter the world of “The Cherry Orchard”; The action takes place on the estate of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. So, the characters in the play:

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, landowner.

Anya, her daughter, 17 years old.. The genre nature of The Cherry Orchard has always caused controversy. Chekhov himself called it a comedy - “a comedy in four acts” (albeit a comedy of a special type). K. S. Stanislavsky considered it a tragedy. M. Gorky called it a “lyrical comedy”. The play is often defined as a “tragicomedy”, “ironic tragicomedy”. The question of genre is very important for understanding the work: it determines the code for reading the play and characters. What does it mean to see a tragicomic beginning in a play? This means “to a certain extent agree with their [heroes. - V.K.] originality, to consider them sincerely and truly suffering, to see in each of the characters a fairly strong character. But what kind of strong characters can “weak-willed”, “whining”, “whining”, “lost faith” heroes have?”

Chekhov wrote: “What came out of me was not a drama, but a comedy, sometimes even a farce.” The author denied the characters in The Cherry Orchard the right to drama: they seemed to him incapable of deep feelings. K. S. Stanislavsky at one time (in 1904) staged a tragedy, with which Chekhov did not agree. The play contains tricks of the show, tricks (Charlotte Ivanovna), blows to the head with a stick, pathetic monologues are followed by farcical scenes, then a lyrical note appears again... There is a lot of funny stuff in The Cherry Orchard: Epikhodov is ridiculous, Gaev’s pompous speeches are funny (“respected closet"), funny, inappropriate remarks and inappropriate answers, comic situations arising from the characters’ misunderstanding of each other. Chekhov's play is funny, sad, and even tragic at the same time. There are a lot of people crying in it, but these are not dramatic sobs, and not even tears, but only the mood of the faces. Chekhov emphasizes that the sadness of his heroes is often frivolous, that their tears hide the tearfulness common to weak and nervous people. The combination of the comic and the serious is a distinctive feature of Chekhov's poetics, starting from the first years of his work.

External plot and external conflict. The external plot of “The Cherry Orchard” is a change of owners of the house and garden, the sale of the family estate for debts.

At first glance, the play clearly identifies opposing forces that reflect the alignment of social forces in Russia at that time: old, noble Russia (Ranevskaya and Gaev), rising entrepreneurs (Lopakhin), young, future Russia (Petya and Anya). It would seem that the clash of these forces should give rise to the main conflict of the play. The characters are focused on the most important event in their lives - the sale of the cherry orchard, scheduled for August 22. However, the viewer does not witness the sale of the garden itself: the seemingly culminating event remains off stage. The social conflict in the play is not relevant; the social position of the characters is not the main thing. Lopakhin - this “predator” entrepreneur - is depicted not without sympathy (like most of the characters in the play), and the owners of the estate do not resist him. Moreover, the estate, as if by itself, ends up in his hands, against his desire. It would seem that in the third act the fate of the cherry orchard was decided; Lopakhin bought it. Moreover, the outcome of the external plot is even optimistic: “Gaev (cheerfully). In fact, everything is fine now. Before the sale of the cherry orchard, we were all worried, suffering, and then, when the issue was finally, irrevocably resolved, everyone calmed down, even cheered up... I’m a bank employee, now I’m a financier... yellow in the middle, and you, Lyuba, like... no way, you look better, that’s for sure.” But the play does not end; the author writes the fourth act, in which nothing new seems to happen. But the garden motif sounds again here. At the beginning of the play, the garden, which is in danger, attracts the entire family, gathered after five years of separation. But no one can save him, he is no longer there, and in the fourth act everyone leaves again. The death of the garden led to the disintegration of the family and scattered all the former inhabitants of the estate to cities and villages. Silence falls - the play ends, the garden motif falls silent. This is the external plot of the play.

The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of nobles sells their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, with subtle psychologism describes the mental state of people who will soon be forced to leave their home. The innovation of the play is the absence of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary ones. They are all divided 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;
• people of the future - the progressive youth of that time (Petr Trofimov and Anya).

History of creation

Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was quite 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 play

Description of the work

The action takes place on the family estate of 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 a solution to the problem - to divide the land into shares and give them to summer residents for use for a certain fee. The lady is burdened 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 his sister’s feelings, 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 turns to the teacher Pyotr Trofimov who has appeared. He delivers 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 capable of being imbued with his lofty ideas.

The third act begins with Ranevskaya using her last money to invite an orchestra and organize a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they went to the city for an auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a tedious wait, Lyubov Andreevna learns that her estate was bought at auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy at his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.

The finale is entirely dedicated 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 surprisingly deep monologue by Firs, whom the owners in a hurry forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. The cherry orchard is being cut down.

Main characters

A sentimental person, the owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she got used to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself many things 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 about 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 - he combines hard work, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a “peasant” beginning. At the end of the play, Lopakhin does not share Ranevskaya’s feelings; he is happy that, despite his peasant origins, he was able to afford to buy the estate of his late father’s owners.

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, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the “highest truth,” he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which immensely upsets 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 Peter Trofimov. Recklessly believing in a better life after the sale of her parents' estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of shared happiness next to her lover.

An 87-year-old man, a footman in the Ranevskys' house. The type of servant of old times, surrounds his masters with fatherly care. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.

A young lackey who treats Russia with contempt and dreams of going abroad. A cynical and cruel man, he is rude to old Firs and even treats his own mother with disrespect.

Structure of the work

The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without dividing into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is exposition and plotting, in the second there is an increase in tension, in the third there is a climax (the sale of the estate), in the fourth there is a denouement. A characteristic feature of the play is the absence of genuine external conflict, dynamism, and unpredictable twists in the plot line. 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 modern production)

The development of the emotional and psychological plane dominates in the play; the main driver of the action is the internal 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 stage. Also, the effect of expanding spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, giving 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 extraordinary attention to small, seemingly insignificant details, and a focus on the inner experiences of the characters.

In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the author captured the state of critical disunity of 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.

There are many interesting works in classical literature, the stories of which are relevant to this day.

The works written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov fit exactly this description. In this article you can get acquainted with his play “The Cherry Orchard” in a brief summary.

The history of the creation of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"

The start date of the play was set in 1901, the first performance was shown 3 years later. The work reflects the unpleasant impressions of the author himself, which arose from observing the decline of many of his friends’ estates, as well as his own.

Main characters

Below is a list of the main characters:

• Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna - owner of the estate;
• Anya is her own daughter;
• Gaev Leonid Andreevich - brother;
• Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich - “eternal student”;
• Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich – buyer.

Minor characters

List of minor characters:

• Varya is Anya’s half-sister;
• Simeonov-Pishchik – owner of the estate;
• Charlotte is a teacher;
• Dunyasha - maid;
• Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich – clerk;
• Firs - servant, old man;
• Yasha is a servant, a young guy.

“The Cherry Orchard” - summary of actions

1 action

Events take place while waiting for Ranevskaya. Lopakhin and Dunya talk, during which an argument arises. Epikhodov comes into the room. He drops the bouquet, complaining to the others that he considers himself a failure, after which he leaves. The maid tells the merchant that Epikhodov wants to marry her.

Ranevskaya and her daughters, Gaev, Charlotte and the landowner arrive. Anya talks about her trip to France and expresses her dissatisfaction. She also wonders whether Lopakhin is going to marry Varya. To which her half-sister replies that nothing will work out, and that the estate will be put up for sale in the near future. At the same time, Dunya is flirting with a young footman.

Lopakhin announces that their estate is being sold for debt. He advocates the following solution to the problem: dividing the territory into parts and renting them out. But for this you need to cut down the cherry orchard. The landowner and her brother refuse, citing the mention of the garden in the encyclopedia. The adopted daughter brings telegrams from France to her mother, but she tears them up without reading them.

Petya Trofimov appears, the mentor of Ranevskaya’s deceased son. Gaev continues to look for options to make a profit that would help cover debts. It comes to the point of marrying Anya off to a rich man. At that time, Varya tells her sister about her problems, but the younger sister falls asleep, tired from the road.

Act 2

Events take place in a field near an old chapel. Charlotte gives a description of her life.

Epikhodov sings songs, plays the guitar, tries to show himself as a romantic in front of Dunya. She, in turn, wants to impress the young footman.

The landowners and merchant appear. He also continues to assure the owner of the land for rent. But Ranevskaya and her brother are trying to reduce the topic to “no.” The landowner begins to talk with pity about unnecessary costs.

Yakov ridicules Gaev's chant. Ranevskaya remembers her men. The last of them ruined her and exchanged her for another. After which the landowner decided to return to her homeland to her daughter. Changing the subject of Lopakhin, she starts talking about Varya’s wedding.

An old footman enters with Gaev's outer clothing. He talks about serfdom, presenting it as a misfortune. Trofimov appears, who goes into deep philosophy and speculation about the future of the country. The landowner tells her adopted daughter that she has wooed her to a merchant.

At that time, Anya secludes herself with Trofimov. He, in turn, romantically describes the situation around him. Anya turns the conversation to the topic of serfdom and says that people only talk and do nothing. After which the “eternal student” tells Anya to give up everything and become a free person.

Act 3

A ball is held in the landowner's house, which Ranevskaya considers unnecessary. Pischik is trying to find someone who will lend him money. Ranevskaya's brother went to buy the estate in his aunt's name. Ranevskaya, seeing that Lopakhin is getting richer, begins to criticize him because Varya has not yet married him. The daughter complains that he is only laughing it off.

The landowner shares with her son's former teacher that her lover is asking her to return to France. Now the owner no longer thinks about the fact that he ruined her. Trofimov tries to convince her, and she advises him to also have a woman on the side. The upset brother returns and begins a monologue about how the estate was bought by Lopakhin.

The merchant boastfully tells everyone that he bought an estate and is ready to cut down the cherry orchard so that his family will continue to live in the place where his serf father and grandfather worked. Her own daughter consoles her crying mother, convincing her that her whole life lies ahead.

Act 4

Former residents leave the house. Lopakhin, tired of idleness, is going to leave for Kharkov.

He offers Trofimov money, but he does not accept it, reasoning that soon people will reach an understanding of the truth. Gaev became a bank employee.

Ranevskaya worries about the old footman, fearing that he will not be sent for treatment.

Lopakhin and Varya are left alone. The heroine says that she became a housekeeper. The merchant still did not ask her to marry him. Anya says goodbye to her mother. Ranevskaya plans to return to France. Anya plans to go to school and help her mother in the future. Gaev feels abandoned.

Suddenly Pishchik arrives and gives everyone the borrowed money. He recently became rich: white clay was found on his land, which he now rents out. The landowners say goodbye to the garden. Then they lock the doors. An ill Firs appears. In the silence the sound of an ax is heard.

Analysis of the work and conclusion

First of all, the style of this genre is observed in the bright contrast of the images of two heroes: Lopakhin and Ranevskaya. He is enterprising, seeks profit, but she is frivolous and frivolous. There are also funny situations. For example, Charlotte’s performances, Gaev’s communication with the closet, etc.

Reading this book in the original, by chapters and actions, and not in abbreviation, the question immediately arises: what does the cherry orchard mean for the heroes of the play? For landowners, the garden is a whole story of the past, while for Lopakhin it is the place on which his future will be built.

The problem of contrasting relationships at the turn of two centuries is raised in the work. There is also the question of the legacy of serfdom and the attitude of different layers of society to the consequences. The question is raised about how the future of the country will be built using the example of the local situation. The question is raised that many are ready to reason and advise, but only a few are able to act.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov noticed a lot of what was relevant at that time and remains important now, so everyone should read this lyrical play. This work was the last in the writer’s work.

"The Cherry Orchard": analysis of Chekhov's play

Let's remember Chekhov's stories. Lyrical mood, piercing sadness and laughter... These are his plays too - unusual plays, and even more so that seemed strange to Chekhov's contemporaries. But it was in them that the “watercolor” nature of Chekhov’s colors, his soulful lyricism, his piercing accuracy and frankness were most clearly and deeply manifested.

Chekhov's dramaturgy has several plans, and what the characters say is by no means what the author himself hides behind their remarks. And what he is hiding may not be what he would like to convey to the viewer...

This diversity makes it difficult to define the genre. For example, a play

As we know from the very beginning, the estate is doomed; The heroes are also doomed - Ranevskaya, Gaev, Anya and Varya - they have nothing to live for, nothing to hope for. The solution proposed by Lopakhin is impossible for them. Everything for them symbolizes the past, some long-ago, wonderful life, when everything was easy and simple, and they even knew how to dry cherries and send them by cart to Moscow... But now the garden has grown old, fruitful years are rare, the method of preparing cherries has been forgotten... Constant trouble is felt behind all the words and actions of the heroes... And even the hopes for the future expressed by one of the most active heroes - Lopakhin - are unconvincing. Petya Trofimov’s words are also unconvincing: “Russia is our garden,” “we need to work.” After all, Trofimov himself is an eternal student who cannot begin any serious activity. The trouble is in the way the relationship between the characters develops (Lolakhin and Varya love each other, but for some reason they don’t get married), and in their conversations. Everyone talks about what interests him at the moment, and does not listen to others. Chekhov's heroes are characterized by a tragic “deafness,” so the important and the small, the tragic and the stupid get in the way in the dialogues.

Indeed, in “The Cherry Orchard,” as in human life, tragic (material difficulties, inability of the heroes to act), dramatic (the life of any of the heroes) and comic (for example, Petya Trofimov’s fall from the stairs at the most tense moment) are mixed. Discord is visible everywhere, even in the fact that servants behave like masters. Firs says, comparing the past and present, that “everything is fragmented.” The existence of this person seems to remind the young that life began a long time ago, even before them. It is also characteristic that he is forgotten on the estate...

And the famous “sound of a breaking string” is also a symbol. If a stretched string means readiness, determination, efficiency, then a broken string means the end. True, there is still a vague hope, because the neighboring landowner Simeonov-Pishchik was lucky: he is no better than others, but either they found clay or a railway line...

Life is both sad and funny. She is tragic, unpredictable - this is what Chekhov talks about in his plays. And that is why it is so difficult to determine their genre - because the author simultaneously shows all aspects of our life...