The estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. Spring, cherry trees bloom. But beautiful garden soon to be sold for debts. For the past five years, Ranevskaya and her seventeen-year-old daughter Anya have lived abroad. Ranevskaya's brother Leonid Andreevich Gaev and her adopted daughter, twenty-four-year-old Varya, remained on the estate. Ranevskaya's affairs are bad, there are almost no funds left. Lyubov Andreevna always littered with money. Six years ago, her husband died of alcoholism. Ranevskaya fell in love with another person, got along with him. But soon her little son Grisha died tragically by drowning in the river. Lyubov Andreevna, unable to bear her grief, fled abroad. The lover followed her. When he fell ill, Ranevskaya had to settle him in her dacha near Menton and take care of him for three years. And then, when he had to sell the dacha for debts and move to Paris, he robbed and abandoned Ranevskaya.
Gaev and Varya meet Lyubov Andreevna and Anya at the station. At home, the maid Dunyasha and the familiar merchant Yermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin are waiting for them. Lopakhin's father was a serf of the Ranevskys, he himself became rich, but he says about himself that he remained "a man a man." The clerk Epikhodov arrives, a man with whom something constantly happens and who is called "thirty-three misfortunes."
Finally, the carriages arrive. The house is filled with people, all in a pleasant excitement. Everyone speaks about his own. Lyubov Andreevna looks around the rooms and through tears of joy recalls the past. Maid Dunyasha can't wait to tell the young lady that Epikhodov proposed to her. Anya herself advises Varya to marry Lopakhin, and Varya dreams of marrying Anya to a rich man. The governess Charlotte Ivanovna, a strange and eccentric person, boasts of her amazing dog, a neighbor, the landowner Simeonov-Pishik, asks for a loan. He hears almost nothing and all the time mutters something old faithful servant Firs.
Lopakhin reminds Ranevskaya that the estate should soon be sold at auction, the only way out is to break the land into plots and lease them to summer residents. Ranevskaya is surprised by Lopakhin's proposal: how can you knock out her beloved wonderful The Cherry Orchard! Lopakhin wants to stay longer with Ranevskaya, whom he loves "more than his own," but it's time for him to leave. Gaev delivers a welcoming speech to the hundred-year-old "respected" closet, but then, embarrassed, again begins to senselessly pronounce his favorite billiard words.
Ranevskaya did not immediately recognize Petya Trofimov: so he changed, became uglier, the “dear student” turned into an “eternal student”. Lyubov Andreevna cries, remembering her little drowned son Grisha, whose teacher was Trofimov.
Gaev, left alone with Varya, tries to talk about business. There is a rich aunt in Yaroslavl, who, however, does not like them: after all, Lyubov Andreevna did not marry a nobleman, and she did not behave "very virtuously." Gaev loves his sister, but still calls her "vicious", which causes Ani's displeasure. Gaev continues to build projects: his sister will ask Lopakhin for money, Anya will go to Yaroslavl - in a word, they will not allow the estate to be sold, Gaev even swears about it. The grouchy Firs finally takes the master, like a child, to sleep. Anya is calm and happy: her uncle will arrange everything.
Lopakhin does not cease to persuade Ranevskaya and Gaev to accept his plan. The three of them had lunch in the city and, returning, stopped in a field near the chapel. Just here, on the same bench, Epikhodov tried to explain himself to Dunyasha, but she had already preferred the young cynical footman Yasha to him. Ranevskaya and Gaev do not seem to hear Lopakhin and talk about completely different things. So without convincing “frivolous, unbusinesslike, strange” people of anything, Lopakhin wants to leave. Ranevskaya asks him to stay: with him "it's still more fun."
Anya, Varya and Petya Trofimov arrive. Ranevskaya starts talking about a "proud man." According to Trofimov, there is no point in pride: a rude, unhappy person should not admire himself, but work. Petya condemns the intelligentsia, who are incapable of work, those people who philosophize importantly, and treat peasants like animals. Lopakhin enters the conversation: he just works “from morning to evening”, dealing with big capital, but he is becoming more and more convinced of how few decent people are around. Lopakhin does not finish, Ranevskaya interrupts him. In general, everyone here does not want and does not know how to listen,
e each other. There is silence, in which the distant, sad sound of a broken string is heard.
Soon everyone disperses. Left alone, Anya and Trofimov are happy to have the opportunity to talk together, without Varya. Trofimov convinces Anya that one must be “above love”, that the main thing is freedom: “all of Russia is our garden”, but in order to live in the present, one must first redeem the past with suffering and labor. Happiness is near: if not they, then others will definitely see it.
Comes the twenty-second of August, the day of trading. It is on this evening, quite inopportunely, that a ball is being held in the estate, a Jewish orchestra is invited. Once, generals and barons danced here, and now, as Firs complains, both the postal official and the head of the station "do not go willingly." Charlotte Ivanovna entertains guests with her tricks. Ranevskaya anxiously awaits the return of her brother. The Yaroslavl aunt nevertheless sent fifteen thousand, but they are not enough to buy the estate.
Petya Trofimov “reassures” Ranevskaya: it’s not about the garden, it’s been over for a long time, we need to face the truth. Lyubov Andreevna asks not to condemn her, to feel sorry for her: after all, without a cherry orchard, her life loses its meaning. Every day Ranevskaya receives telegrams from Paris. At first she tore them up right away, then - after reading them first, now she doesn't vomit anymore. "That wild man", whom she still loves, begs her to come. Petya condemns Ranevskaya for her love for "a petty scoundrel, a nonentity." Angry Ranevskaya, unable to restrain herself, takes revenge on Trofimov, calling him a “funny eccentric”, “freak”, “clean”: “You must love yourself ... you must fall in love!” Petya tries to leave in horror, but then stays, dancing with Ranevskaya, who asked for his forgiveness.
Finally, the embarrassed, joyful Lopakhin and the tired Gaev appear, who, without saying anything, immediately goes to his room. The Cherry Orchard was sold and Lopakhin bought it. The "new landowner" is happy: he managed to beat the rich Deriganov at the auction, giving ninety thousand in excess of the debt. Lopakhin picks up the keys thrown on the floor by the proud Varya. Let the music play, let everyone see how Yermolai Lopakhin “suffices the cherry orchard with an ax”!
Anya comforts her crying mother: the garden has been sold, but there is a whole life ahead. There will be a new garden, more luxurious than this, “quiet deep joy” awaits them ...
The house is empty. Its inhabitants, having said goodbye to each other, disperse. Lopakhin is going to Kharkov for the winter, Trofimov returns to Moscow, to the university. Lopakhin and Petya exchange barbs. Although Trofimov calls Lopakhin a "predatory beast", necessary "in the sense of metabolism", he still loves in him "a tender, subtle soul." Lopakhin offers Trofimov money for the journey. He refuses: over the "free man", "in the forefront going" to the "higher happiness", no one should have power.
Ranevskaya and Gaev even cheered up after the sale of the cherry orchard. Previously, they were worried, suffering, but now they have calmed down. Ranevskaya is going to live in Paris for the time being on the money sent by her aunt. Anya is inspired: it starts new life- she will finish the gymnasium, will work, read books, "a new wonderful world" will open before her. Simeonov-Pishchik suddenly appears out of breath and, instead of asking for money, on the contrary, distributes debts. It turned out that on his land the British found white clay.
Everyone settled down differently. Gaev says that now he is a bank servant. Lopakhin promises to find a new place for Charlotte, Varya got a job as a housekeeper to the Ragulins, Epikhodov, hired by Lopakhin, remains on the estate, Firs must be sent to the hospital. But still, Gaev sadly says: “Everyone is leaving us ... we suddenly became unnecessary.”
Between Varya and Lopakhin, an explanation must finally occur. For a long time, Varya has been teased by "Madame Lopakhina." Varya likes Yermolai Alekseevich, but she herself cannot propose. Lopakhin, who also speaks well of Vara, agrees to "put an end immediately" to this matter. But when Ranevskaya arranges their meeting, Lopakhin, without deciding, leaves Varia, using the very first pretext.
“Time to go! On the road! - with these words, they leave the house, locking all the doors. All that remains is old Firs, whom everyone seemed to take care of, but whom they forgot to send to the hospital. Firs, sighing that Leonid Andreevich went in a coat, and not in a fur coat, lies down to rest and lies motionless. The same sound of a broken string is heard. "There is silence, and only one can hear how far in the garden they knock on wood with an ax."
The great Russian writer was not only a great prose writer, but also an outstanding playwright. Chekhov's plays are still the basis of the classical repertoire of Russian and foreign drama theaters.
One of the brightest examples of this side of the talent of the classic of Russian literature is the play "The Cherry Orchard", summary which can be laid down in a few minutes, although on stage it lasts about three hours. The Cherry Orchard is quite interesting to read, but it is much more interesting to see the actors in the theater.
The play "The Cherry Orchard" is the last.
This is interesting! Chekhov wrote "The Cherry Orchard" in 1903 in Yalta, where, ill with tuberculosis in last stage lived out his days. And for the first time The Cherry Orchard was staged on the stage of the Moscow Art Academic Theater (MKhAT) the following year, which became the year of Anton Pavlovich's death.
The author himself attributed the work to the comedy genre, although in fact there is nothing funny in it. The plot of The Cherry Orchard is rather dramatic. Moreover, tragic notes can also be found in the content of the play, since we are talking about the ruin of an old noble family.
Time of action in the play "The Cherry Orchard" - late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, when a change in socio-economic formations took place in Russia. Feudalism, which ended with the abolition of serfdom, was replaced by the capitalist system, and in the period described, capitalism had already fully come into its own.
The wealthy bourgeois - merchants and people from the peasantry - pressed the nobility on all fronts, many of whose representatives turned out to be completely unadapted to the new conditions, did not understand the meaning and causes of their occurrence. The severity of the situation described in the play, when the ruling noble class was gradually losing its economic and political influence, reached its peak in the first decade of the new century.
The characters in The Cherry Orchard are members of the same noble family, once very wealthy, but now mired in debt and forced to sell their estate, as well as their servants. There is also a representative of the opposite side - the bourgeoisie.
The list of main characters in The Cherry Orchard includes:
There are several secondary characters, they can be presented in a brief description.
The first group consists of:
The second consists of servants: the maid Dunyasha and two lackeys - old Firs, who still remembers serfdom, and young Yasha, who considers himself an important person due to the fact that he happened to go abroad with Ranevskaya.
Important! The plan of the play "The Cherry Orchard" includes four acts. Its action summary can be read online.
The arrival of the hostess from Paris is expected at the estate after a five-year absence. Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya left for France after her husband died from drinking, and then her little son died.
Finally, everyone is at home. The turmoil begins: the owners and servants pass through the rooms, carrying travel items. It seems to Ranevskaya that everything in her life has remained the same, but she is mistaken. The financial situation of the landowner has deteriorated greatly, there is a question of selling the family estate for debts at an auction along with a cherry orchard.
Anya complains to Varya that her mother does not realize the seriousness of her financial problems, continues to spend money without hesitation. For example, he agrees to lend to Pishchik, who has nothing to pay the interest on the mortgage.
Petya Trofimov enters, this reminds Ranevskaya of dead son. Lyubov Andreevna is crying, everyone is trying to calm her down. The landowner notices that Trofimov has changed a lot over the past 5 years - he has grown old and ugly.
To avoid financial ruin, Lopakhin advises building a huge garden around the dacha estate and renting them out. However, such a business proposal horrifies Lyubov Andreevna. Ermolai Alekseevich leaves. Everyone, one by one, goes to their rooms to go to bed.
After the return of the hostess, time has passed, the sale of the estate is approaching, but no decisions have been made yet. Charlotte, the maid and footman Yasha are sitting on the bench. Epikhodov is standing, playing the guitar. Charlotte talks about her lonely life, then leaves the company. Epikhodov asks Dunyasha for a private conversation. Referring to the coolness, the girl sends him to the house for a cape, and she herself confesses her love to Yasha, who is clearly not inclined to reciprocity. Noticing that the gentlemen were coming, Dunyasha left.
Ranevskaya, Gaev and Lopakhin come up. Yermolai Alekseevich again talks about the cherry orchard, but Gaev pretends not to understand. Lopakhin is angry and wants to leave, Lyubov Andreevna keeps him, talking about her unhappy love. Then she says that Lopakhin needs to get married, and proposes Varya as a bride, but he gets off with general words.
Trofimov, Anya and Varya approach. Lopakhin teases Trofimov, saying that he will soon be 50, but he is still a student and walks with young ladies. Petya is sure that people who consider themselves intelligent are actually rude, vulgar and uneducated. Lopakhin agrees: there are very few honest and decent people in Russia.
Everyone, except Anya and Petya, leaves. Petya says that Russia, with its serfdom, is 200 years behind other countries. Trofimov reminds Anya that not so long ago her ancestors owned living people, and this sin can only be expiated by hard work. At this time, the voice of Varya is heard, calling for Anya, who, together with Petya, goes to the river.
On the day of the auction, when the estate was to be sold, the hostess arranges a ball. Charlotte Ivanovna entertains guests with tricks. Pishchik, who came to the estate for the ball, still talks about money. Lyubov Andreevna is waiting for her brother to return from the auction, she is worried that he has been gone for a long time, and says that the ball was started inopportunely. Auntie Countess sent 15 thousand, but they are not enough.
Petya says that no matter if the estate is sold today or not, nothing will change - the fate of the cherry orchard is sealed. The former mistress understands that he is right, but does not want to agree. She received a telegram from Paris from her lover, who fell ill again and asked her to return. Ranevskaya says she still loves him.
In response to Petya's surprise, how can she love a person who robbed and deceived her, she gets angry and says that Petya does not know anything about love, because at his age he does not even have a mistress. Insulted, Petya leaves, but then returns. The mistress of the estate asks his forgiveness and goes to dance with him.
Anya enters and says that the auction has taken place and the estate has been sold. At this time, Gaev and Lopakhin return, who reports that he bought the estate. The landowner is crying, Lopakhin tries to comfort her, then leaves with Pishchik. Anya reassures her mother, because life does not end with the sale of the estate, there is still a lot of good ahead.
Selling the estate former owners feel relieved - the painful issue is finally resolved. The inhabitants of the sold estate leave it. Lopakhin is going to go to Kharkov, Petya decides to return to the university and continue his studies.
He refuses the money offered by Lopakhin, since a free person should not depend on anyone. Anya is also going to finish high school, start working and live a new life.
Her mother is going to return to France to live off her aunt's money. Yasha goes with her, Dunyasha says goodbye to him with tears. Gaev nevertheless takes up the job - he will be a bank employee. Pishchik comes with unexpected news: a deposit of white clay was found on his land, he is now rich and can repay his debts.
Lopakhin promises to help Charlotte find a new place, Varya also finds a job - she gets a job as a housekeeper in a neighboring estate. Epikhodov remains a clerk for the new owner of the estate. Ranevskaya tries to arrange an explanation for Lopakhin with Varya, but he walks away from the conversation.
Everyone leaves the house and forgets about Firs. The old servant lies down on the sofa to die and hears the sound of an ax - they are cutting down a cherry orchard. So sadly ends the play The Cherry Orchard, ironically called a comedy by the author.
Action 1
The room, which is still called the nursery. Lopakhin and Dunyasha are waiting for Ranevskaya and everyone who went to meet her to arrive from the station. Lopakhin recalls how Ranevskaya felt sorry for him in childhood (Lopakhin is the son of the serf Ranevskaya). Lopakhin reproaches Dunyasha for behaving like a young lady. Epikhodov appears. Entering, he drops the bouquet. Epikhodov complains to Lopakhin that some kind of misfortune happens to him every day. Epikhodov leaves. Dunyasha reports that Epikhodov proposed to her. Two carriages drive up to the house. Ranevskaya, Anya, Charlotte, Varya, Gaev, Simeonov-Pishchik appear. Ranevskaya admires the nursery, says that she feels like a child here. Left alone with Varya, Anya tells her about her trip to Paris: Anya asks if Lopakhin proposed to Varya. She shakes her head negatively, says that nothing will work out for them, tells her sister that in August they will sell the estate, and she herself would like to go to holy places. Dunyasha flirts with Yasha, he tries to seem like a foreign dandy. Ranevskaya, Gaev and Simeonov-Pishchik appear. Gaev makes movements with his arms and torso, as if playing billiards (,). Ranevskaya rejoices that Firs is still alive, recognizes the situation:. Before leaving, Lopakhin reminds the owners that their estate is being sold for debts, and offers a way out: to break the land into summer cottages and rent them out. However, for this it will be necessary to cut down the old cherry orchard Gaev and Ranevskaya do not understand the meaning of Lopakhin's project, they refuse to follow his reasonable advice under the pretext that their garden is mentioned in. Varya brings Ranevskaya two telegrams from Paris, she tears them up without reading Gaev utters a pompous speech addressed to the closet: . There is an awkward pause. Pishchik takes a handful of pills intended by Ranevskaya. He either tries to borrow 240 rubles from the owners, then falls asleep, then wakes up, then mutters that his daughter Dashenka will win 200 thousand on a ticket. Petya Trofimov appears - former teacher Grisha, son of Ranevskaya, who drowned a few years ago. It is called i. Varya asks Yasha to see his mother, who has been waiting for him in the servants' room since yesterday. Yasha: . Gaev states that there are many ways to get money to pay off debts. . The aunt is very rich, but she does not like her nephews: Ranevskaya did not marry a nobleman and did not behave virtuously. Gaev says about himself that he is a man of the eighties, he got it for his convictions in life, but he knows the peasants and they love him. Varya shares her problems with her sister: she manages all the household, diligently maintains order and saves on everything. Tired from the road, Anya falls asleep.
Action 2
A field, an old chapel, an old bench. Charlotte tells about herself: she does not have a passport, she does not know her age, her parents were circus performers, after the death of her parents, a German woman taught her to be a governess. Epikhodov sings songs to the guitar, poses in front of Dunyasha. She tries to please Yasha. Enter Ranevskaya, Gaev and Lopakhin, who still convinces Ranevskaya to give the land for dachas. Neither Ranevskaya nor Gaev hear his words. Ranevskaya regrets that she spends a lot and senselessly: she goes to have breakfast in a crappy restaurant, eats and drinks a lot, gives a lot for tea. Yasha declares that he cannot hear Gaev's voices without laughter. Lopakhin is trying to shout to Ranevskaya, recalling the auction. However, the brother and sister claim that. Ranevskaya herself feels uncomfortable (). Ranevskaya's husband died. She got together with another, went abroad with him, took care of the object of her passion for three years when he fell ill. In the end, he left her, robbed her and got together with another. Ranevskaya returned to Russia to her daughter. In response to Lopakhin's reasonable proposals, she tries to persuade him to talk about marrying Vara. Firs appears with Gaev's coat. Firs considers the liberation of the peasants a misfortune (). Trofimov enters, who resumes yesterday's conversation with Gaev and Ranevskaya about:. Lopakhin objects to him that he himself works from morning to evening. He agrees that there are few honest, decent people in the world (). Gaev pompously recites - a monologue addressed to mother nature. He is asked to be quiet. All those gathered constantly utter fragmentary phrases that are in no way connected with each other. A passer-by asks for alms, and Ranevskaya gives him gold. Varya desperately tries to leave. Ranevskaya wants to keep her, saying that she has betrothed her to Lopakhin. Anya is left alone with Trofimov. He happily assures her that they are above love, calls the girl forward. . Petya encourages Anya to throw the keys to the household into the well and be free as the wind.
Action 3
Ball in the house of Ranevskaya. Charlotte shows card tricks. Pishchik is looking for someone to borrow money from. Ranevskaya says that the ball was started inopportunely. Gaev went to the auction to buy the estate by proxy of his aunt in her name. Ranevskaya insistently demands that Varya marry Lopakhin. Varya replies that she cannot propose to him herself, but he is either silent or joking, and keeps getting richer. Yasha cheerfully reports that Epikhodov broke the billiard cue. Ranevskaya urges Trofimov to finish his studies, shares with him her doubts about leaving for Paris: her lover bombards her with telegrams. She has already forgotten that he robbed her, and does not want to be reminded of this. In response to Trofimov's accusations of inconsistency, she advises him to take a mistress. Varya kicks Epikhodov out. Gaev returns, cries, complains that he has not eaten anything all day and suffered greatly. It turns out that the estate has been sold and Lopakhin bought it. Lopakhin is proud that he bought the estate, Anya consoles the weeping Ranevskaya, convinces her that a whole life lies ahead:.
Action 4
Departing people collect things. Saying goodbye to the peasants, Ranevskaya gives them her wallet. Lopakhin is going to Kharkov (). Lopakhin is trying to give Trofimov a loan, he refuses: Lopakhin reports that Gaev has accepted the position of an employee in a bank, but doubts that he will stay long in a new place. Ranevskaya worries about whether the sick Firs has been sent to the hospital, and arranges for Varya and Lopakhin to explain in private. Varya informs Lopakhin that she has hired herself as a housekeeper. Lopakhin never makes an offer. Saying goodbye to Anya, Ranevskaya says that she is leaving for Paris, where she will live on money sent by her Yaroslavl aunt. Anya plans to pass the exam at the gymnasium, then work, help her mother and read books with her. Charlotte asks Lopakhin to find her a new place. Gaev: . Pishchik suddenly appears, distributing debts to those present. The British discovered white clay on his land, and he leased the land to the pits. Left alone, Gaev and Ranevskaya say goodbye to the house and garden. From afar, their names are Anya and Trofimov. The owners leave, lock the doors with a key. Firs appears, who has been forgotten in the house. He is sick.
/ / / "The Cherry Orchard"
Spring. The cherry orchard is blooming on the Ranevskaya estate. But in the near future it will be sold for the debts of its owners. In the previous five years, the owner of the estate, Lyubov Ranevskaya, and her daughter Anna lived abroad. During her absence, the owner's brother Leonid Gaev and Varya, the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya, looked after the estate.
Lyubov Andreevna is accustomed to living on a grand scale. But now she was experiencing significant financial difficulties. About six years ago, her husband died of alcoholism. Later, Ranevskaya met and fell in love with another man. Soon grief occurred in the Ranevsky family - she drowned in the river younger son Grisha. Unable to bear the grief, Lyubov Andreevna decided to leave for France. Her new lover went with her. When he fell ill, Ranevskaya was forced to settle in a dacha in Menton. She took care of him for three more years. A little later, when it was necessary to sell the cottage in order to pay off his debts, he robbed and ran away from her.
Upon arrival home, Ranevskaya and her daughter Anna were met at the station by Gaev and Varyusha. Dunyasha was waiting for them at the estate, she was a maid, and Yermolai Lopakhin. His father was a serf in the Ranevsky family, but Yermolai himself made his way into the people. And also Epikhodov, he was a clerk.
All this idyll is broken by Lopakhin with his reminder to Ranevskaya about the imminent auction and the sale of the entire estate. He also offers a way out of the situation, which will help pay off debts. This is the lease of the land where the cherry orchard grows. For Ranevskaya, such a proposal seems unacceptable. She can't figure out how to cut down her favorite cherry orchard.
Later, Lopakhin repeats his attempt to persuade Lyubov Andreevna and Gaev to follow his plan to lease the land. But the latter do not want to listen to him.
And now it's August 22 - the day of the auction. Very inopportunely, a ball was scheduled for that date at the estate. A Jewish orchestra is playing at the ball, Charlotte Ivanovna shows her tricks to the guests. Ranevskaya anxiously awaits her brother. Gaev went to Yaroslavl to her aunt for money. Aunty gave only fifteen thousand, but these are also not enough to pay off the debts.
Pyotr Trofimov is trying to calm the mistress, saying that the cherry orchard has already outlived its usefulness and it would be better to sell it. To which Ranevskaya replies that without a garden, she does not see the meaning of her future life.
And here comes the enthusiastic Lopakhin. He announces that the estate has been sold, and he himself has become the buyer.
The house is gradually emptying, the guests are leaving.
Ranevskaya, rethinking what happened, seems to be happy about the sale of the estate. She moves to Paris and lives there on her aunt's money. Her daughter Anna also began a different life. After graduating from high school, a “new” world opened up before her. The neighboring landowner Simeonov-Pishchik distributed all the debts. Gaev became a bank employee. Varya was taken as a housekeeper to the landowners Ragulins. Everyone somehow settled down, everyone began a new life.
Only the old servant Firs remained on the estate, as if they forgot about him. Silence falls, and only the sound of an ax is heard in the garden. They are cutting down the cherry orchard.
The Cherry Orchard is the pinnacle of Russian drama at the beginning of the 20th century, a lyrical comedy, a play that marked the beginning of a new era in the development of the Russian theater.
The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of noblemen is selling their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, with subtle psychologism, describes the state of mind of people who are forced to leave their home soon. The novelty of the play is the lack of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary. All of them fall into three categories:
Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was rather difficult, but nevertheless, in 1903 the work was completed. First theatrical performance 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.
The action takes place in the family estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. They are met at the railway station by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).
The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is nearing complete collapse. Entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his version of solving the problem - to break land plot on shares and give them to the use of summer residents for a fee. The lady is weighed down by this proposal, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, with which many warm memories of her youth are associated. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gaev, imbued with the experiences of his sister, reassures her with a promise that their family estate will not be put up for sale.
The action of the second part takes place on the street, in the courtyard of the estate. Lopakhin, with his characteristic pragmatism, continues to insist on his plan to save the estate, but no one pays attention to him. Everyone switches to the appeared teacher Peter Trofimov. He gives an excited speech dedicated to the fate of Russia, its future and touches on the topic of happiness in a philosophical context. The materialist Lopakhin is skeptical about the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is able to imbue his lofty ideas.
The third act begins with the fact that Ranevskaya invites an orchestra with the last money and arranges a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they left for the city for auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a long wait, Lyubov Andreevna finds out that her estate was bought at the auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy from his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.
The finale is entirely devoted to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The parting scene is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a remarkably profound monologue by Firs, which the hosts hastily forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. They cut down the cherry orchard.
Sentimental person, owner of the estate. After living abroad for several years, she got used to luxurious life and by inertia continues to allow herself a lot, which, in the deplorable state of her finances, logically common sense should be out of reach for her. Being a frivolous person, very helpless in everyday matters, Ranevskaya does not want to change anything in herself, while she is fully aware of her weaknesses and shortcomings.
A successful merchant, he owes a lot to the Ranevsky family. His image is ambiguous - it combines industriousness, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a "muzhik" beginning. At the end of the play, Lopakhin does not share Ranevskaya's feelings; he is happy that, despite his peasant origin, he was able to afford to buy the estate of the owners of his late father.
Like his sister, he is very sensitive and sentimental. Being an idealist and a romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic plans to save the family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but completely inactive.
Eternal student, nihilist, eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the "higher truth", he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which greatly upsets his daughter Ranevskaya Anya, who is in love with him.
A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Peter Trofimov. Recklessly believing in better life after the sale of the parental estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of joint happiness next to her lover.
An 87-year-old man, a footman in the Ranevskys' house. Type of servant of the old time, surrounds with paternal care of his masters. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.
A young footman, with contempt for Russia, dreaming of going abroad. cynical and Cruel person, rude to old Firs, disrespectful even to his own mother.
The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without division into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is an exposition and a plot, in the second - an increase in tension, in the third - a climax (sale of the estate), in the fourth - a denouement. characteristic feature play is the lack of genuine external conflict, dynamism, unpredictable turns storyline. The author's remarks, monologues, pauses and some understatement give the play a unique atmosphere of exquisite lyricism. The artistic realism of the play is achieved through the alternation of dramatic and comic scenes.
(Scene from a contemporary production)
The play is dominated by the development of the emotional and psychological plan, the main engine of action is the inner experiences of the characters. The author expands the artistic space of the work with the help of input a large number characters who never appear on stage. Also, the effect of expanding the spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, which gives arched form to the play.
Chekhov's last play can be said to be his "swan song". The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of a special Chekhovian concept of life, which is characterized by extraordinary attention to small, seemingly insignificant details, focusing on the inner experiences of the characters.
In the play The Cherry Orchard, the author captured the state of critical disunity of the Russian society of his time, this sad factor is often present in scenes where the characters hear only themselves, creating only the appearance of interaction.
