The main events in the play The Cherry Orchard. "The Cherry Orchard": analysis of Chekhov's work, images of heroes

IN classical literature there are many interesting works whose stories are still relevant today.

The works written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov just fit the this characteristic. In this article you can get acquainted with his play "The Cherry Orchard" in brief.

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

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

Main characters

Below is a list of the main characters:

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

Minor characters

List of secondary characters:

• Varya - stepsister Ani;
• Simeonov-Pishchik - the owner of the estate;
• Charlotte is a teacher;
• Dunyasha is a maid;
• Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich - clerk;
• Firs - a servant, an old man;
• Yasha is a servant, a young guy.

The Cherry Orchard - Action Summary

1 action

Events take place in anticipation of Ranevskaya. Lopakhin and Dunya are talking, during which an argument arises. Epikhodov enters the room. He drops the bouquet, complaining to the others that he considers himself a loser, after which he leaves. The maid tells the merchant that Epikhodov wants to marry her.

Ranevskaya arrives with her daughters, Gaev, Charlotte and the landowner. Anya talks about her trip to France and expresses her dissatisfaction. She also wonders if Lopakhin is going to marry Vara. To which her half-sister replies that nothing will work, and the estate will be put up for sale in the near future. In parallel, Dunya flirts with a young lackey.

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

Appears Petya Trofimov - mentor dead son Ranevskaya. Gaev continues to look for options for making a profit that would help cover his debts. It comes to passing Anya off as a rich man. At that time, Varya tells her sister about her problems, but younger sister falls asleep, tired from the road.

2 action

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

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

Landlords and a merchant appear. He also continues to assure the owner of the lease of the land. But Ranevskaya and her brother are trying to reduce the topic to nothing. The landowner pityingly begins to talk about unnecessary costs.

Yakov makes fun of Gaev's chant. Ranevskaya recalls her men. The last of them ruined her and exchanged for another. After that, 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 outerwear. He talks about serfdom, presenting it as a misfortune. Trofimov appears, who goes into deep philosophy and reasoning about the future of the country. The landowner informs her adopted daughter that she has married her to a merchant.

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

3 action

A ball is arranged in the house of the landowner, which Ranevskaya considers superfluous. Pishchik is trying to find someone who will lend him money. Brother Ranevskaya went to buy the estate in the name of his aunt. Ranevskaya, seeing that Lopakhin is getting richer and richer, begins to criticize because Varya has not yet married him. The daughter complains that he only laughs it off.

The landlady shares with former teacher son that her lover asks her to return to France. Now the hostess no longer thinks that he ruined her. Trofimov tries to convince her, and she advises him to also get a woman on the side. The upset brother returns and begins a monologue that the estate was bought by Lopakhin.

The merchant boastfully tells everyone that he bought the 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. Native daughter consoles crying mother, convincing that the whole life is ahead.

4 action

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, arguing 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 remain alone. The heroine says that she has become a housekeeper. The merchant still did not offer her to marry him. Anya says goodbye to her mother. Ranevskaya plans to return to France. Anya is going to get into the gymnasium, and in the future to help her mother. 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. A sick 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, looking for profit, she is also frivolous and windy. 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 landlords, a garden is whole story past, while for Lopakhin it is the place on which his future will be built.

The issue of contrasts in relations at the turn of two centuries is raised in the work. There is also the question of the legacy of serfdom and attitudes towards the consequences of different strata of society. The question of how the future of the country will be built on the example of a local situation is touched upon. 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 work of the writer.

Analysis of the play by A.P. Chekhov " The Cherry Orchard"

The play "The Cherry Orchard" (1903) is the last work of A.P. Chekhov, completing his creative biography.

The action of the play, as the author reports with the very first remark, takes place on the estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, on an estate with a cherry orchard, surrounded by poplars, with a long alley that "goes straight, straight, like an outstretched belt" and "glistens on moonlit nights."

Ranevskaya and her brother Leonid Andreevich Gaev are the owners of the estate. But they brought him with their frivolity, complete misunderstanding real life to a pitiful state: it is to be sold at auction. The rich peasant son, the merchant Lopakhin, a family friend, warns the owners about the impending catastrophe, offers them his projects of salvation, urges them to think about the impending disaster. But Ranevskaya and Gaev live in illusory representations. Gaev rushes about with fantastic projects. Both of them shed many tears over the loss of their cherry orchard, without which they think they cannot live. But things go on as usual, auctions take place, and Lopakhin buys the estate himself. When the trouble happened, it turns out that there seems to be no special drama for Ranevskaya and Gaev. Lyubov Andreevna returns to Paris, to her ridiculous "love", to which she would have returned anyway, despite all her words that she cannot live without a homeland. Leonid Andreevich also comes to terms with what happened. The “terrible drama” does not turn out to be so difficult for its heroes for the simple reason that they cannot have anything serious at all, nothing dramatic. Such is the comedic, satirical basis of the play. The way in which Chekhov emphasized the illusiveness, the frivolity of the Gaev-Ranevsky world is interesting. He surrounds these central characters comedies with characters reflecting the comic worthlessness of the main figures. The figures of Charlotte, the clerk Epikhodov, the lackey Yasha, the maid Dunyasha are caricatures / of "gentlemen".

In the lonely, absurd, unnecessary fate of Charlotte Ivanovna's hanger-on, there is a resemblance to the absurd, unnecessary fate of Ranevskaya. Both of them treat themselves as something incomprehensible, unnecessary, strange, and both life seems foggy, unclear, some kind of ghostly. Like Charlotte, Ranevskaya also "everything seems to be young," and Ranevskaya lives like a host during her lifetime, not understanding anything about her.

The buffoon figure of Epikhodov is remarkable. With his "twenty-two misfortunes" he is also a caricature - both of Gaev, and of the landowner Simeonov-Pishchik, and even of Petya Trofimov. Epikhodov is a "clunker", using old Firs's favorite proverb. One of contemporary Chekhov critics correctly pointed out that "The Cherry Orchard" is "a play of klutzes." Epikhodov concentrates this theme of the play in himself. He is the soul of all "nonsense". After all, both Gaev and Simeonov-Pishchik also have constant “twenty-two misfortunes”; like Epikhodov, nothing comes out of all their intentions, comical failures follow at every step.

Simeonov-Pishchik, who is constantly on the verge of complete bankruptcy and, out of breath, running around all his acquaintances asking for a loan, also represents "twenty-two misfortunes." Boris Borisovich is a man "living on credit", as Petya Trofimov says about Gaev and Ranevskaya; these people live at someone else's expense - at the expense of the people.

Petya Trofimov does not belong to the number of advanced, skillful, strong fighters for the future happiness. In all his appearance, one can feel the contradiction between the strength, scope of the dream and the weakness of the dreamer, which is characteristic of some Chekhov's heroes. " Eternal student», « shabby gentleman”, Petya Trofimov is clean, sweet, but eccentric and not strong enough for a great fight. It has the features of "non-warmth" that are common to almost all the characters in this play. But everything that he says to Anya is dear and close to Chekhov.

Anna is only seventeen years old. And youth for Chekhov is not only a biographical age sign. He wrote: "... That youth can be taken healthy, which does not put up with the old order and stupidly or cleverly fights against them - this is how nature wants and progress is based on this."

Chekhov does not have "villains" and "angels", he does not even distinguish between heroes into positive and negative. In his works, very often there are "good bad" characters. Such principles of typology, unusual for the former dramaturgy, lead to the appearance in the play of characters that combine contradictory, moreover, mutually exclusive features and properties.

Ranevskaya is impractical, selfish, she is petty and went in her love interest, but she is also kind, sympathetic, her sense of beauty does not fade. Lopakhin sincerely wants to help Ranevskaya, expresses genuine sympathy for her, shares her passion for the beauty of the cherry orchard. Chekhov emphasized in letters related to the production of The Cherry Orchard: “The role of Lopakhin is central ... After all, this is not a merchant in the vulgar sense of the word ... This is a gentle person ... a decent person in every sense, he must behave quite decently, intelligently , not small, without tricks. But this soft man is a predator. Petya Trofimov explains to Lopakhin his vital purpose: "That's how in the sense of metabolism you need predatory beast who eats everything that gets in his way, so you are needed. And this soft, decent, intelligent person"eats" the cherry orchard...

The Cherry Orchard appears in the play and is the personification of the beautiful creative life, and the "judge" of the characters. Their attitude to the garden as to the highest beauty and purposefulness - this is the author's measure of the moral dignity of this or that hero.

Ranevskaya was unable to save the garden from destruction, and not because she was unable to turn the cherry orchard into a commercial, profitable one, as it was 40-50 years ago ... Her mental strength, energy was absorbed by love passion, drowning out her natural responsiveness to the joys and troubles of others, making her indifferent to the ultimate fate of the cherry orchard, and to the fate of loved ones. Ranevskaya turned out to be below the idea of ​​the Cherry Orchard, she betrays her.

This is precisely the meaning of her confession that she cannot live without the person who left her in Paris: not a garden, not an estate, the focus of her innermost thoughts, hopes and aspirations. Does not rise to the idea of ​​the Cherry Orchard and Lopakhin. He sympathizes and worries, but he is only concerned about the fate of the owner of the garden, while the cherry orchard itself is doomed to death in the plans of the entrepreneur. It is Lopakhin who brings to its logical conclusion the action that develops in its climactic inconsistency: “Silence sets in, and you can only hear how far in the garden they knock on wood with an axe.”

I.A. Bunin blamed Chekhov for his "Cherry Orchard", since in Russia there were no orchards entirely of cherry trees, but were mixed. But Chekhov's garden is not a concrete reality, but a symbol of a fleeting and at the same time eternal life. His garden is one of the most complex symbols of Russian literature. The modest radiance of cherry blossoms is a symbol of youth and beauty; Describing in one of the stories a bride in a wedding dress, Chekhov compared her to a cherry tree in blossom. The cherry tree is a symbol of beauty, kindness, humanity, confidence in tomorrow; this symbol contains only positive meaning and does not have any negative values.

Chekhov's symbols have been transformed ancient genre comedy; it had to be staged, played and viewed in a completely different way than the comedies of Shakespeare, Moliere or Fonvizin were staged.

The Cherry Orchard in this play is least of all a decoration against which the characters philosophize, dream, and quarrel. The garden is the personification of the value and meaning of life on earth, where everyone new day branches off from the past, as young shoots come from old trunks and roots.

For the first time A.P. Chekhov announced the start of work on a new play in 1901 in a letter to his wife O.L. Knipper-Chekhov. Work on the play progressed very difficult, this was due to the serious illness of Anton Pavlovich. In 1903, it was completed and presented to the leaders of the Moscow art theater. The play premiered in 1904. And from that moment on, the play "The Cherry Orchard" has been analyzed and criticized for over a hundred years.

The play "The Cherry Orchard" became the swan song of A.P. Chekhov. It contains reflections on the future of Russia and its people, accumulated in his thoughts for years. And of course artistic originality the plays became the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright, showing once again why he is considered an innovator, who breathed new life into the entire Russian theater.

Theme of the play

The theme of the play "The Cherry Orchard" was the situation of auctioning the family nest of impoverished nobles. By the early 20th century, such stories were not uncommon. A similar tragedy occurred in Chekhov's life, their house, together with his father's shop, was sold for debts back in the 80s of the nineteenth century, and this left an indelible mark on his memory. And already, being an accomplished writer, Anton Pavlovich tried to understand psychological condition people who lost their homes.

Characters

When analyzing the play "The Cherry Orchard" by A.P. Chekhov's heroes are traditionally divided into three groups, based on their temporal affiliation. The first group, representing the past, includes the aristocrats Ranevskaya, Gaev and their old footman Firs. The second group is represented by the merchant Lopakhin, who has become a representative of the present. Well, the third group is Petya Trofimov and Anya, they are the future.
The playwright does not have a clear division of heroes into main and secondary ones, as well as into strictly negative or positive ones. It is this representation of characters that is one of the innovations and features of Chekhov's plays.

Conflict and plot development of the play

There is no open conflict in the play, and this is another feature of A.P. Chekhov. And on the surface there is a sale of the estate with a huge cherry orchard. And against the background of this event, one can discern the opposition of a bygone era to new phenomena in society. The ruined nobles stubbornly hold on to their property, unable to take real steps to save it, and the proposal to receive commercial profit by leasing land to summer residents is unacceptable for Ranevskaya and Gaev. Analyzing the work "The Cherry Orchard" by A.P. Chekhov, we can talk about a temporary conflict in which the past collides with the present, and the present with the future. In itself, the conflict of generations is by no means new to Russian literature, but never before has it been revealed at the level of a subconscious premonition of changes in historical time, so clearly felt by Anton Pavlovich. He wanted to make the viewer or reader think about their place and role in this life.

Chekhov's plays are very difficult to divide into phases of development dramatic action, because he tried to bring the unfolding action closer to reality, showing the everyday life of his heroes, of which the most of life.

Lopakhin's conversation with Dunyasha, who are waiting for Ranevskaya's arrival, can be called an exposition, and almost immediately the plot of the play stands out, which consists in pronouncing the apparent conflict of the play - the sale of the estate at auction for debts. The twists and turns of the play are trying to convince the owners to rent out the land. The climax is the news of the purchase of the estate by Lopakhin, and the denouement is the departure of all the heroes from the empty house.

Composition of the play

The play "The Cherry Orchard" consists of four acts.

In the first act, you get to know all the characters in the play. Analyzing the first action of The Cherry Orchard, it is worth noting that the inner content of the characters is conveyed through their relationship to the old cherry orchard. And here one of the conflicts of the whole play begins - the confrontation between the past and the present. The past is represented by brother and sister Gaev and Ranevskaya. For them, the garden an old house- this is a reminder and a living symbol of their former carefree life, in which they were rich aristocrats who own a huge estate. For Lopakhin, who is opposed to them, owning a garden is, first of all, an opportunity to make a profit. Lopakhin makes an offer to Ranevskaya, by accepting which she can save the estate, and asks the impoverished landowners to think about it.

Analyzing the second act of The Cherry Orchard, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the masters and servants are walking not in a beautiful garden, but in a field. From this we can conclude that the garden is in an absolutely neglected state, and it is simply impossible to walk through it. This action perfectly reveals Petya Trofimov's idea of ​​what the future should be like.

In the third act of the play comes the climax. The estate is sold, and Lopakhin becomes the new owner. Despite being satisfied with the deal, Lopakhin is saddened that he must decide the fate of the garden. This means that the garden will be destroyed.

Fourth act: the family nest is empty, the once united family is falling apart. And just as a garden is cut down to its roots, so this surname remains without roots, without shelter.

Author's position in the play

Despite the seeming tragedy of what is happening, the characters of the author himself did not cause any sympathy. He considered them narrow-minded people, incapable of deep feelings. This play has become more philosophical reflection playwright about what awaits Russia in the near future.

The genre of the play is very peculiar. Chekhov called The Cherry Orchard a comedy. The first directors saw drama in it. And many critics agreed that The Cherry Orchard is a lyrical comedy.

Artwork test

The Cherry Orchard was created by Chekhov in 1903. This is a sunset play noble life on estates, about the imaginary and real owners of the Russian land, about the inevitable renewal of Russia. Chekhov presented the obsolete past of Russia with the play The Cherry Orchard. A summary follows below.

First, let's introduce the main characters:

Landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. Her own daughter Anya is 17 years old. Adopted daughter Varya, 24 years old. Brother Ranevskaya - Gaev Leonid Andreevich. Student Trofimov Petr Sergeevich. Governess Charlotte Ivanovna. Merchant Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich. Landowner Semionov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich. Maid Dunyasha. Young footman Yasha. Old footman Firs. Clerk Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov.

"The Cherry Orchard": summary first act

Dawn. Outside the window is spring, blossoming cherry trees can be seen. Only it is still cold in the garden, so all the windows are closed. Lopakhin and Dunyasha enter the room. They talk about the train that was late. And Lopakhin is upset that he could not meet Lyubov Andreevna, who in Lately lived abroad, at the station.

Then Epikhodov enters, he recently proposed to Dunyasha. Everyone hears two carriages drive up. The turmoil begins. The footman Firs enters, dressed in an ancient livery. And behind him comes Ranevskaya, Gaev, Anya, Simionov-Pishchik and Charlotte Ivanovna. Anya and Ranevskaya reminisce about the past.

Then Anya talks with Varya. She talks about her experience of finding her mother there without money, among strangers. But Ranevskaya did not seem to understand her position. She gives the lackeys a ruble for tea, and they order the most exquisite and expensive dishes. But in fact, the money was barely enough to get home. And now the estate must be sold, the auction is scheduled for August.

"The Cherry Orchard": a summary of the second act

Evening. Sunset. The action takes place at an abandoned chapel. Lopakhin is interested in plots for dachas. He believes that the land should be divided into plots and leased out. Only for this you have to cut down the cherry orchard. But Ranevskaya and Gaev are against it, they call it vulgarity. Gaev dreams of some kind of inheritance, of the Yaroslavl aunt, who promised to give money, but how much and when it will be is unknown. Merchant Lopakhin once again recalls the auction.

"The Cherry Orchard": a summary of the third and fourth acts

The Jewish orchestra is playing. Around dancing couples. Varya is worried that the musicians were invited, but they have nothing to pay. Ranevskaya cannot wait for her brother to arrive from the auction. Everyone hopes that he bought the estate for the money sent by the Yaroslavl aunt. Only she sent only fifteen thousand, and they are not even enough for interest. Gaev and Lopakhin are returning from the auction. Guy is crying. Ranevskaya learns that the garden has been sold, new owner- Lopakhin. She almost faints.

There is little furniture in the rooms, no curtains or paintings. Worth the luggage. Lopakhin warns that in a few minutes you need to go. Gaev went to work in a bank. Ranevskaya travels to Paris with her aunt's money sent from Yaroslavl. Yasha goes with her. Gaev and Ranevskaya are depressed, they say goodbye to the house. Anya thinks that her mother will return to her soon. And she will study at the gymnasium, go to work and begin to help her mother. Everyone gets out noisily and leaves for the station. And only the forgotten Firs remained in closed house. Silence. The sound of an ax is heard.

"The Cherry Orchard": analysis. Basic moments

The summary tells us that Gaev and Ranevskaya are an obsolete past. The Cherry Orchard is dear to them as a memory of childhood days, of well-being, of youth, of an easy and graceful life. And Lopakhin understands this. He tries to help Ranevskaya by offering to rent land. There is simply no other way out. Only the lady, as always, is careless, she thinks that everything will somehow resolve itself. And when the garden was sold, she did not grieve for long. The heroine is not capable of serious experiences, she easily moves from anxiety to cheerful animation. And Lopakhin is proud of the purchase and dreams of his new life. Yes, he bought the estate, but still remained a peasant. And the owners of the cherry orchard, although they went bankrupt, are, as before, gentlemen.