Who is the main character of the play The Cherry Orchard? The characters of the play “The Cherry Orchard” are like representatives of three different eras. Negative qualities of Lopakhin

"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 local nobility, but first of all, it is a play about the Motherland, about the imaginary and true owners of the Russian land, about the upcoming renewal of Russia.

Russia of the outdated past is represented in the play by the images of Ranevsky and Gaev.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, prosperity, of their easy and graceful life. In the noble estate presented by the author, we first of all see a cultural nest.

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. I lived abroad for 5 years, in Paris. She spent a lot of money, led a lavish lifestyle, and did not deny herself anything. People are constantly drawn to her despite all her vices and frivolity. Ranevskaya is sentimental and easy to talk to. She is filled with feelings of joy when she returns home and cries 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 work itself out. When Ranevskaya lost her estate, she does not experience any drama about this. She returns to Paris to her absurd love, to which, apparently, they would have returned anyway, despite all her loud words about the impossibility of living far from the Motherland. The heroine does not experience any serious worries; she can easily move from a state of anxiety and preoccupation to a cheerful and carefree animation. That's what happened this time too. She quickly calmed down about the loss that befell her...

Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich - merchant, son and grandson of a serf peasant. He owes a lot to Ranevskaya, as she helped him a lot, loves her like her own.

In the new conditions, Lopakhin became rich, but remained, in his own words, “a man, a man.” 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, just for the sake of his profit. But in fact, Lopakhin does this not only for profit and for her. There is another reason, much more important than one’s own enrichment - revenge for the past. He cuts down the garden, fully aware that this is “an 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 bankrupt owners of the cherry orchard are “gentlemen”. By any means, with all his might, he wants to erase this line separating him from the “masters.” In Lopakhin one can see the features of a predatory beast. Money and the power acquired with it cripple his soul. Two people live and fight in it: one is “with a subtle, gentle soul”, the other is a “predatory beast”.

Anya is Ranevskaya’s daughter. A 17-year-old girl, the topic of the future of Russia is connected with her. She is in love with Petya Trofimov and is under his influence. He completely shares Petit’s idea that the entire nobility is to blame for 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 one” and sincerely rejoices at leaving her parental home. But perhaps she will be disappointed, because Petya talks more than he does.

Trofimov Petya is a commoner, 27 years old.

Trofimov criticizes the entire Russian government, because he believes that it is they who do not allow the whole of Russia to develop, criticizes them for “dirt, vulgarity, Asianism,” criticizes the Russian intelligentsia, which does not look 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. A characteristic phrase for Trofimy: “I will reach or show others the way to reach” (to the “highest truth”). He denies love, considering it something “petty and illusory.” He only urges Anya to believe him, as he anticipates happiness. Ranevskaya reproaches Petya for his coldness when he says that it makes no difference whether the estate is sold or not. In general, Ranevskaya does not like the hero, calling him a klutz and a second-grade high school student. At the end of the play, Petya is looking for forgotten galoshes, which become a symbol of his worthless, albeit illuminated by beautiful words, life.

Gaev Leonid Andreevich - Ranevskaya's brother, landowner. A pathetic aristocrat who squandered 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 words like “who?”, “from the ball to the right into the corner,” etc. Completely unadapted to life in new conditions, incapable of independent life. 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 didn’t lift a finger to really save his estate, his “homeland.” After selling the cherry orchard, he gets a job at a bank, to which Lopakhin notes doubtfully: “But he can’t sit still, he’s very lazy...”

Firs is a footman in Ranevskaya’s house, an old man of 87 years old. He represents the type of servant of old times. Firs is infinitely devoted to his owners and takes care of 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 freedom, he remained with the masters.” Firs constantly recalls the past, when the master “went to Paris...on horseback...” and when everything was clear: “the men are with the gentlemen, the gentlemen are with the men.”

The old servant is no longer able to serve, he hears almost nothing, he constantly misspoke. But Firs cannot sit idle. He was born for masters and will die courting them. That's almost exactly what happens. After the sale of the estate, the leaving owners forget Firs in a boarded-up house, where a servant devoted to this house dies.

Yasha is a young footman. A boor, ignorant, but very pleased with himself and admiring everything foreign.

Yasha is a cynical and cruel person. When his mother comes to him from the village and waits for him in the servants’ room all day, the footman dismissively declares: “It’s really necessary, she could come tomorrow.” Alone with Firs, Yasha says to the old man: “I'm tired of you, grandfather. I wish you would die soon.” Yasha really wants to seem educated and flaunts “clever statements”: “In my opinion, if a girl loves someone, then she is immoral.” The young footman is very proud that he lived abroad. With his foreign polish, 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 with her to Paris again. It is impossible for him to stay in Russia: “the country is uneducated, the people are immoral, and, moreover, boredom...”

For the former owners of the estate and their entourage - Ranevskaya, Varya, Gaev, Pischik, 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 light of the current situation, even stupid and unreasonable. The tragedy of these people is not that they lost their cherry orchard and went bankrupt, but that their feelings became very crushed...

In the play we are interested in by A.P. Chekhov's system of images is represented by three main groups. Let us briefly consider each of them, after which we will dwell in detail on the image of Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin. This hero of "The Cherry Orchard" can be called the most striking character in the play.

Below is a photo of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, the great Russian playwright, creator of the work that interests us. The years of his life are 1860-1904. For more than a hundred years, various of his plays, especially The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and The Seagull, have been staged in many theaters around the world.

People of the noble era

The first group of characters consists of people from the noble era, which is a thing of the past. This is Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya and Leonid Andreevich Gaev, her brother. These people own a cherry orchard. They are not old at all in age. Gaev is only 51 years old, and his sister is probably 10 years younger than him. It can also be assumed that the image of Varya also belongs to this group. This is Ranevskaya's adopted daughter. This also includes the image of Firs, the old footman, who is, as it were, part of the house and all the passing life. This is, in general terms, the first group of characters. Of course, this is only a brief description of the heroes. "The Cherry Orchard" is a work in which each of these characters plays a role, and each of them is interesting in its own way.

The most important person

Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, the new owner of the cherry orchard and the entire estate, is very different from these heroes. He can be called the most active person in the work: he is energetic, active, moving steadily towards his intended goal, which is to buy a garden.

Younger generation

The third group is represented by Anya, the daughter of Lyubov Andreevna, and Petya Trofimov, who is the former teacher of Ranevskaya’s son, who recently died. Without mentioning them, the characterization of the heroes would be incomplete. "The Cherry Orchard" is a play in which these characters are lovers. However, in addition to the feeling of love, they are also united by their aspiration away from dilapidated values ​​and all old life towards a wonderful future, which in Trofimov’s speeches is depicted as ethereal, although shining.

Relationships between the three groups of characters

In the play, these three groups are not opposed to each other, although they have different concepts and values. The main characters of the play “The Cherry Orchard,” despite all their differences in worldview, love each other, show sympathy, regret the failures of others, and are even ready to help. The main feature that separates them and determines their future life is their attitude towards the cherry orchard. In this case, it is not just part of the estate. This is a certain value, almost an animated face. During the main part of the action, the question of his fate is decided. Therefore, we can say that there is another hero of “The Cherry Orchard”, the suffering one and the most positive one. This is the cherry orchard itself.

The role of minor characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard"

The main characters were introduced in general terms. Let's say a few words about the other participants in the action taking place in the play. They are not just minor characters needed by the plot. These are companion images of the main characters of the work. Each of them carries a certain trait of the main character, but only in an exaggerated form.

Elaboration of characters

The different degrees of character development in the work “The Cherry Orchard” are striking. The main characters: Leonid Gaev, and especially Lyubov Ranevskaya - are given to us in the complexity of their experiences, the combination of sins and spiritual virtues, frivolity and kindness. Petya Trofimov and Anya are more outlined than depicted.

Lopakhin - the brightest hero of "The Cherry Orchard"

Let us dwell in more detail on the most striking character in the play, who stands apart. This hero of The Cherry Orchard is Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin. According to Chekhov's description, he is a merchant. The author, in letters to Stanislavsky and Knipper, explains that Lopakhin is assigned a central role. He notes that this character is a gentle person, decent in every sense. He must behave intelligently, decently, not petty, without any tricks.

Why did the author believe that Lopakhin’s role in the work was central? Chekhov emphasized that he did not look like a typical merchant. Let's find out what are the motives for the actions of this character, who can be called the killer of the cherry orchard. After all, he was the one who knocked him out.

Peasant past

Ermolai Lopakhin does not forget that he is a man. One phrase was etched in his memory. It was uttered by Ranevskaya, consoling him, then still a boy, after Lopakhin was beaten by his father. Lyubov Andreevna said: “Don’t cry, little man, he’ll heal before the wedding.” Lopakhin cannot forget these words.

The hero we are interested in is tormented, on the one hand, by the awareness of his past, but on the other hand, he is proud that he managed to become one of the people. For the former owners, he is also a person who can become a benefactor and help them unravel a tangle of insoluble problems.

Lopakhin's attitude towards Ranevskaya and Gaev

Every now and then Lopakhin offers Gaev and Ranevskaya various rescue plans. He talks about the possibility of giving the land they own to plots for summer cottages, and cutting down the garden, since it is completely useless. Lopakhin is sincerely upset when he realizes that these heroes of the play “The Cherry Orchard” do not perceive his reasonable words. He cannot comprehend how one can be so careless on the verge of one’s own death. Lopakhin directly says that he has never met such frivolous, strange, unbusinesslike people as Gaev and Ranevskaya (the heroes of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard). There is not a shadow of deceit in his desire to help them. Lopakhin is extremely sincere. Why does he want to help his former masters?

Perhaps because he remembers what Ranevskaya did for him. He tells her that he loves her like his own. Unfortunately, the good deed of this heroine remains outside the play. However, one can guess that due to her nobility and gentle character, Ranevskaya respected Lopakhin and pitied him. In a word, she behaved like a real aristocrat - noble, cultured, kind, generous. Perhaps it is precisely the awareness of such an ideal of humanity, its inaccessibility, that forces this hero to commit such contradictory actions.

Ranevskaya and Lopakhin are the two centers in the work "The Cherry Orchard". The images of the heroes described by the author are very interesting. The plot develops in such a way that the interpersonal relationships between them are not the most important thing. What comes first is what Lopakhin does as if involuntarily, surprising himself.

How is Lopakhin's personality revealed at the end of the work?

The third action takes place in nervous tension. Everyone expects that Gaev will soon arrive from the auction and bring news about the further fate of the garden. The owners of the estate cannot hope for the best; they can only hope for a miracle...

Finally, the fateful news was announced: the garden was sold! Ranevskaya is struck as if by thunder by the answer to a completely meaningless and helpless question: “Who bought it?” Lopakhin exhales: “I bought it!” This action of Ermolai Alekseevich decides the future of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard. It seems that Raevskaya did not expect this from him. But it turns out that the estate and garden are Ermolai Alekseevich’s lifelong dream. Lopakhin could not do otherwise. In it, the merchant avenged the peasant and defeated the intellectual. Lopakhin seems to be in hysterics. He doesn’t believe in his own happiness and doesn’t notice Ranevskaya, who is heartbroken.

Everything happens according to his passionate desire, but against his will, because a minute later, noticing the unfortunate Ranevskaya, the merchant unexpectedly utters words that contradict his delight a minute earlier: “My poor, good one, you won’t bring me back now...” But the very next moment the former peasant and merchant in Lopakhino raise their heads and shout: “Music, play clearly!”

Petya Trofimov’s attitude towards Lopakhin

Petya Trofimov says about Lopakhin that he is needed “in the sense of metabolism,” like a predatory beast that eats what comes in its way. But suddenly Trofimov, who dreams of a just structure of society and assigns the role of exploiter to Yermolay Alekseevich, says in the fourth act that he loves him for his “subtle, gentle soul.” - a combination of predatory skills with a gentle soul.

The inconsistency of the character of Ermolai Alekseevich

He passionately craves purity, beauty, and is drawn to culture. In the work, Lopakhin is the only character appearing with a book in his hand. Although this hero falls asleep while reading it, other characters throughout the play do not hold books in their hands at all. However, the merchant's calculation, common sense, and earthly principles turn out to be stronger in him. Realizing that he is proud of his possession, Lopakhin is in a hurry to knock him out and arrange everything according to his own understanding of happiness.

Ermolai Alekseevich argues that the summer resident will multiply to an extraordinary extent in 20 years. For now he is just drinking tea on the balcony. But one day it may happen that he will start farming on his tithe. Then the cherry orchard of Ranevskaya and Gaev will become luxurious, rich, and happy. But Lopakhin is wrong about this. A summer resident is not the person who will preserve and multiply the beauty that he has inherited. Its purely practical, predatory. It excludes all impractical things, including culture. Therefore, Lopakhin decides to cut down the garden. This merchant, who has a “subtle soul,” does not realize the main thing: you cannot cut the roots of culture, memory, and beauty.

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

The intelligentsia from a serf, submissive, downtrodden slave created a talented, free, creatively active person. However, she herself was dying, and her creation was dying along with her, since without roots a person cannot exist. "The Cherry Orchard" is a drama about the loss of spiritual roots. This ensures it is up to date at all times.

The play by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov shows the attitude of people to the events taking place at the junction of eras. This was the time when the capitalization of society and the death of Russian feudalism took place. Such transitions from one socio-economic formation to another are always accompanied by the death of the weak and the intensified struggle of various groups for survival. Lopakhin in the play is a representative of a new type of people. Gaev and Ranevskaya are characters of a dying era, who are no longer able to correspond to the changes taking place, to fit into them. Therefore they are doomed to failure.

Social statuses of the characters in 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. They are all major, even seemingly episodic roles, and are of great importance for revealing the main idea of ​​the entire work. The characterization of the heroes of “The Cherry Orchard” begins with their social representation. After all, social status already leaves an imprint in people’s heads, and not only on stage. Thus, Lopakhin, a merchant, is already associated in advance with a loud and tactless merchant, incapable of any subtle feelings and experiences, but Chekhov warned that his merchant differs 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 landowners remained a thing of the past, since they no longer corresponded to the new social order. Gaev is also a landowner, but in the minds of the characters he is “Ranevskaya’s brother,” which suggests some kind of lack of independence of this character. With Ranevskaya’s daughters, everything is more or less clear. Anya and Varya have their ages indicated, showing that they are the youngest characters in The Cherry Orchard.

The age of the oldest character, Firs, is also indicated. Trofimov Petr Sergeevich is a student, and there is some kind of contradiction in this, because if he is a student, then he is young and it seems too early to assign a middle name, but meanwhile it is indicated.

Throughout the entire 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 speech characteristics given by themselves or other participants.

Brief characteristics of the main characters

Although the main characters of the play are not highlighted 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 relationship to the old cherry orchard.

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna– the main character of “The Cherry Orchard” is a former rich aristocrat, accustomed to living according to the dictates of her heart. Her husband died quite early, leaving a lot of debts. While she was indulging in new feelings, her little son tragically died. Considering herself guilty of this tragedy, she runs away from home, from her lover abroad, who also followed her and literally robbed her there. But her hopes of finding peace were not realized. She loves her garden and her estate, but cannot save it. It is unthinkable 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 will be violated, carrying with it the cultural and historical heritage, inviolability and confidence in the worldview.

Lyubov Andreevna and her brother Gaev are characterized by all the best traits 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 spending, responsiveness and the ability to sympathize turn into slobbering, education turns into idle talk.

According to Chekhov, these two heroes do not deserve sympathy and their experiences are not as deep as they might seem.

In the play “The Cherry Orchard” the main characters talk more than they do, and the only person is the action. 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 instincts, determination and intelligence, because if he were stupid and uneducated, how could he have achieved such success in his business? And it is no coincidence that Petya Trofimov talks about his subtle soul. After all, only Ermolai Alekseevich realizes the value of the old garden and its true beauty. But his commercial spirit goes too far, and he is forced to destroy the garden.

Trofimov Petya- an eternal student and a “shabby gentleman.” Apparently, he also belongs to a noble family, but has essentially become a homeless vagabond, dreaming of the common good and happiness. He talks a lot, but does nothing for the speedy onset of a bright future. He also lacks deep feelings for the people around him and attachment to a 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 age 12. That is, in adolescence, which is so important for the formation of personality, Anya was left to her own devices. She inherited the best qualities that are characteristic of the aristocracy. She is youthfully naive, which is perhaps 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 main and secondary only according to the time of their participation in the actions. So Varya, Simeonov-Pishchik Dunyasha, Charlotte Ivanovna and the lackeys practically do not talk about the estate, and their worldview is not revealed through the garden; they seem to be cut off from it.

Varya- adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. But essentially she is the housekeeper of the estate, whose responsibilities include taking care of the owners and servants. She thinks on an everyday level, and her desire to devote herself to serving God is not taken seriously by anyone. Instead, they are trying to marry her off to Lopakhin, who is indifferent to her.

Simeonov-Pishchik- the same landowner as Ranevskaya. Constantly in debt. But his positive attitude helps him overcome his difficult situation. So, he doesn’t hesitate a bit when he receives an offer to rent out his lands. Thus, solving your financial difficulties. He is able to adapt to a new life, unlike the owners of the cherry orchard.

Yasha- young footman. Having been abroad, he is no longer attracted by his homeland, and even his mother, who is trying to meet him, is no longer needed by him. Arrogance is his main feature. He does not respect his owners, he has no attachment to anyone.

Dunyasha– a young, flighty girl who lives one day at a time and dreams of love.

Epikhodov- a clerk, he is a chronic loser, which he knows very well. In essence, his life is empty and aimless.

Firs- the oldest character for whom the abolition of serfdom became the greatest tragedy. He is sincerely attached to his owners. And his death in an empty house to the sound of the garden being cut down is very symbolic.

Charlotte Ivanovna- governess and circus performer rolled into one. 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.

Work test

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 traits. 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 robs her. There Lyubov Andreevna leads a lavish lifestyle: balls, receptions, all this costs a lot of money. Meanwhile, her daughters live in poverty, but she has a cool attitude towards them.

She is far from reality, lives in her own world. Her sentimentality is manifested in longing for her homeland, for her lost youth. Having arrived home after a long absence, 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, she throws a ball, knowing that she has no money for her future life. Lyubov Andreevna simply cannot give up a beautiful life.

She is kind, helps others, especially old man 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 is her fault for the death of the garden. She did nothing good in her life, so she remained in the past, very unhappy. Having lost the cherry orchard and estate, she also loses her homeland, returning to Paris.

Leonid Gaev

In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” landowner Leonid Gaev is endowed with a unique character. In some ways he is similar to his sister Ranevskaya. He is also characterized by romanticism and 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 unrealistic 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 stupid things. His nieces often ask him to be quiet.

Completely impractical, lazy, not adapted to change. He lives on everything ready-made, leading a riotous lifestyle in his old world, not understanding new trends. The servant even helps him undress, although over time he will not even remember his devoted Firs.

He does not have a 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 throws money away, having a lot of debt.

You can't rely on him. He swears that the garden will not be sold, but he does not keep his promise. Gaev is having a hard time with the loss of his garden and estate, he even gets a job as a bank employee, but few people believe that he will stay there because of his laziness.

Ermolai Lopakhin

The merchant Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin is a representative of a new class - the bourgeoisie, which replaced the nobility.

Coming from the common people, he never forgets this and treats the common people well, because his grandfather and father were serfs on the Ranevsky estate. Since childhood, he knew what ordinary people were and always considered himself a man.

Thanks to his intelligence, perseverance, and hard work, he rose out of poverty and became a very rich man, although he is always afraid of losing his acquired capital. Ermolai Alekseevich gets up early, works hard and achieves 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 rent out the garden for dachas, the vein of a predator, a conqueror, appears in his features. He buys the estate and garden where his ancestors were slaves, and is triumphant because his old dream has come true. Here his merchant acumen is clearly visible. “I can pay for everything,” he says. Destroying the garden, he does not worry, but rejoices at his gain.

Anya

Anya is one of the heroes who strive for the future.

From the age of twelve she was raised on her uncle's estate, abandoned by her mother, who went abroad. Of course, she could not receive a proper education, because the governess in the past was just a circus performer. But Anya persistently, using books, filled in the gaps in knowledge.

The beauty of the cherry orchard, which she loved very much, and the abundance of time on the estate gave impetus to the formation of her subtle nature.

Anya is sincere, spontaneous and childishly naive. She believes in people, and that is why Petya Trofimov, her younger brother’s former teacher, 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 high school student and his ideas. Trofimov changed her attitude to the cherry orchard and to the surrounding reality.

Anya wants to leave her parents' house and start a new life, passing her high school exams and living by working on her own. The girl is ready to follow Petya anywhere. She no longer feels sorry for the cherry orchard or her old life. She believes in a bright future and strives for it.

Believing in a happy future, she sincerely tells her mother goodbye: “We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this one...”.

Anya is a representative of the 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 the 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 triumph.

Trofimov realistically perceives the events taking place, realizing that the garden is beautiful, but its destruction is inevitable. He hates the nobility, is convinced that their time is up, condemns people who use the work of others and preaches the ideas 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 does not matter whether he himself reaches this future or shows the way to others. And he knows how to speak and convince perfectly.

Petya convinced Anya that it was impossible to live the old life, that changes were needed, that we needed to get rid of poverty, vulgarity and dirt and become free.

He considers himself a free man and refuses Lopakhin’s money, just as he refuses love, denying it. He tells Anya that their relationship is higher than love and calls on her to believe him and his ideas.

At the same time, Petya is petty. When he lost his old galoshes, he was very upset, but was happy when the galoshes were found.

This is how he is, Petya Trofimov - an ordinary intellectual with 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 years old, she is simple and rational. When my mother went abroad, all the housekeeping 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 relatives was able to protect the estate from ruin.

She is very religious and dreams of joining a monastery, but she couldn’t raise the money to go to holy places. People around her don’t believe in her religiosity, but in reality she is.

Varya is direct and strict, she is not afraid to make comments, but she makes them correctly. At the same time, she has a feeling of love and tenderness. She loves her sister Anya very much, calls her darling, beauty, and is very worried that she is in love with Petya Trofimov, because he is not a match for her.

Varya likes Lopakhin, whom her mother hopes to marry her to, but she understands that he will not propose to her, because he is busy accumulating his own wealth.

But for some reason Trofimov considers Varya limited, not understanding what is happening. But this is not so, the girl understands that the estate has fallen into disrepair and is ruined, that it will be sold and the cherry orchard will not be saved. This is reality as she understands it, and we must continue to live in this reality.

In her new life, Varya will survive even without money, because 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 comes from a family of circus performers who made 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 an education. Growing up, Charlotte began working as a governess, earning her living.

Charlotte can perform tricks and magic tricks and speaks in different voices. All this was left to her from 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 she is a free person and does not depend on circumstances, she only observes what is happening from the outside and evaluates what is happening in her own way. So, she speaks with slight reproach about the wastefulness of her owners, but says it with such ease that it is noticeable that she doesn’t care.

The image of Charlotte is in the background, but some of her remarks are connected 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 does not have money, but wants to prove to herself and the public the fact that she has it. Irresponsible and emotional. As a rule, he does not think about what will happen “after”, he lives one day at a time. We can say that in a cocoon of pompous fun she hides from everyday difficulties, worries and responsibilities. Her bankruptcy occurred while living abroad - having hastily sold her estate, she returned to France.

Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin- a wealthy merchant from the common class. Quite cunning and enterprising. Rude, but incredibly resourceful. Calculating. It is he who buys the main character’s estate.

Minor characters

Leonid Andreevich Gaev- sentimental brother of Ranevskaya. 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, and is a person of no 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 traits and a thirst for change are already beginning to appear in her.

Varya- realistic. One might say, even a somewhat down-to-earth, peasant girl. She manages the estate and is the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. He has feelings for Lopakhin, but is afraid to admit it.

Simeonov – Pischik- a bankrupt nobleman, “in debt like silk.” He tries in vain to cover all his debts. Always in search of a means of livelihood. In order to help him out financially, he grovels and humiliates himself, without experiencing any remorse. Sometimes Fortune really turns out to be on his side.

Charlotte Ivanovna- governess. Age unknown. Even among the crowd she feels lonely. She can perform magic tricks, which indicates that she may have spent her childhood in a circus family.

Epikhodov– if there are “darlings 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 society lady. However, the essence of man remains the same. Therefore, even among the pompous gloss, one can discern the fact that Dunya is a peasant. Her attempts to look more respectable are pathetic.

Firs, servant- He treats his gentlemen well, but he takes care of them as if they were babies, he is overprotective. By the way, the hero even dies with the thought of his owners.

Yasha– he was once a footman. Now a soulless and empty dandy who has been to Paris. Treats native people with disrespect. He condemns the fact that Russia is chasing the West and considers this a manifestation of lack of education and ignorance.

Option 3

Chekhov wrote the play “The Cherry Orchard” in 1903. It shows the main problems of the dying nobility. The characters of the play are imbued with the vices of the society of that time. This work discusses 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, well-mannered, educated, kind and trusting in life. After heavy losses in her life, the death of her husband and son, she goes abroad, only to be robbed by her lover. Living abroad, she leads a luxurious lifestyle, while her daughters in their homeland are poor. She has a cold relationship with them.

And then one spring she decided to return home. And only at home she found 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: house, garden and, ultimately, 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 house and garden, but does nothing to save it. He loves to talk, and he doesn’t think about what he says. And his nieces often ask him to be silent.

He doesn’t have his own family, he decided to live for himself, and he lives. He goes to gambling establishments, plays billiards, and 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.

Ermolai Lopakhin was a merchant, a representative of the new bourgeois class. He came from 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 hard work, he got out of poverty and 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 auction and becomes the owner where his ancestors were slaves.

His image shows the superiority of the bourgeoisie over the nobility.

He bought the garden, and when everyone left the estate, he cut it down.

Anya is the daughter of Lyubov Andreevna. She lived with her mother abroad, returned to her homeland at the age of 17 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 Ranevskaya’s son. He received the nickname “eternal student” because he could not finish his studies at the gymnasium. He convinced Anya that life needed to be changed, we needed to get rid of poverty. He does not believe in Anna's love, he tells her that their relationship is higher than love. Calls on her to leave with him.

Varya is the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya, she began to take care of the farm at an early age and really understands what is happening. In love with Lopakhin.

She lives in the present, not the past and future. Varya will survive in her new life because she has a practical character.

Charlotte Ivanovna, Dunyasha, Yasha, Firs servants at the Ranevsky estate 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 noble class.

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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.

Landowners and a 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 sectors 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.