The Cherry Orchard full analysis. The main character of "The Cherry Orchard": analysis, characteristics and features

Analysis of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "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 “glitters on moonlit nights.”

Ranevskaya and her brother Leonid Andreevich Gaev are the owners of the estate. But they brought him, with their frivolity and complete lack of understanding of real life, to a pitiful state: he was about to be sold at auction. The rich peasant son, merchant Lopakhin, a friend of the family, warns the owners about the impending disaster, offers them his rescue projects, encourages them to think about the impending disaster. But Ranevskaya and Gaev live with illusory ideas. Gaev is rushing around with fantastic projects. Both of them shed many tears over the loss of their cherry orchard, without which, as it seems to them, they cannot live. But things go on as usual, auctions take place, and Lopakhin himself buys the estate. When the disaster is over, it turns out that no special drama seems to be happening for Ranevskaya and Gaev. Lyubov Andreevna returns to Paris, to her absurd “love”, to which she would have returned anyway, despite all her words that she cannot live without her 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, nothing dramatic at all. This is the comedic, satirical basis of the play. The way in which Chekhov emphasized the illusory, frivolous nature of the world of the Gaev-Ranevskys is interesting. He surrounds these central heroes of the comedy with characters who reflect the comic worthlessness of the main figures. The figures of Charlotte, the clerk Epikhodov, the footman Yasha, and the maid Dunyasha are caricatures of “gentlemen.”

In the lonely, absurd, unnecessary fate of the hanger-on Charlotte Ivanovna, there is a similarity with the absurd, unnecessary fate of Ranevskaya. Both of them regard themselves as something incomprehensibly unnecessary, strange, and both of them see life as foggy, unclear, somehow illusory. Like Charlotte, Ranevskaya also “everyone thinks she’s young,” and Ranevskaya lives like a hanger-on during her lifetime, not understanding anything about her.

The buffoonish figure of Epikhodov is remarkable. With his “twenty-two misfortunes”, he also represents a caricature - of Gaev, and of the landowner Simeonov-Pishchik, and even of Petya Trofimov. Epikhodov is a “klutz,” using old man Firs’ favorite saying. One of Chekhov’s contemporary critics correctly pointed out that “The Cherry Orchard” is “a play by klutzes.” Epikhodov focuses on this theme of the play. He is the soul of all “incompetence.” After all, both Gaev and Simeonov-Pishchik also have constant “twenty-two misfortunes”; like Epikhodov, nothing comes of all their intentions; comic failures haunt them at every step.

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

Petya Trofimov is not one of the advanced, skillful, strong fighters for future happiness. In his entire appearance one can feel the contradiction between the strength, scope of the dream and the weakness of the dreamer, characteristic of some of Chekhov's heroes. “The eternal student,” “the shabby gentleman,” Petya Trofimov is pure, sweet, but eccentric and not strong enough for the great struggle. He has the traits of “klutziness” that are characteristic of almost all the characters in this play. But everything that he says to Anya is dear and close to Chekhov.

Anya is only seventeen years old. And youth for Chekhov is not only a biographical and age sign. He wrote: “... That youth can be accepted as healthy, which does not put up with the old orders and fights against them stupidly or intelligently - that’s what nature wants and progress is based on this.”

Chekhov does not have “villains” and “angels”; he does not even differentiate heroes into positive and negative. In his works there are often “good bad” heroes. Such principles of typology, unusual for previous dramaturgy, lead to the appearance in the play of characters that combine contradictory, and moreover, mutually exclusive traits and properties.

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

The Cherry Orchard appears in the play as both the personification of a wonderful creative life and the “judge” of the characters. Their attitude towards the garden as the highest beauty and determination are the author’s measure of the moral dignity of this or that hero.

Ranevskaya was not able 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 and energy were absorbed by love passion, drowning out her natural responsiveness on the joys and misfortunes of those around her, making her indifferent to the ultimate fate of the cherry orchard and to the fate of loved ones. Ranevskaya turned out to be lower than the idea of ​​the Cherry Orchard, she betrays it.

This is precisely the meaning of her recognition that she cannot live without the man who abandoned her in Paris: not the garden, not the estate is the focus of her innermost thoughts, hopes and aspirations. Lopakhin also does not rise to the idea of ​​the Cherry Orchard. He sympathizes and worries, but he is only concerned about the fate of the owner of the orchard; in the entrepreneur’s plans, the cherry orchard itself is doomed to destruction. 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 an ax is knocking on a tree.”

I.A. Bunin blamed Chekhov for his “The Cherry Orchard,” since nowhere in Russia there were all cherry orchards, but rather mixed ones. But Chekhov's garden is not a concrete reality, but a symbol of 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 a bride in a wedding dress in one of his stories, Chekhov compared her to a cherry tree in blossom. The cherry tree is a symbol of beauty, kindness, humanity, confidence in the future; this symbol contains only positive meaning and does not have any negative meanings.

Chekhov's characters transformed the ancient genre of comedy; it had to be staged, played and watched completely differently from the way the comedies of Shakespeare, Moliere or Fonvizin were staged.

The cherry orchard in this play is least of all a setting against which the characters philosophize, dream, and quarrel. The garden is the personification of the value and meaning of life on earth, where each new day branches off from the past, like young shoots coming from old trunks and roots.

The original play “The Cherry Orchard” by the famous writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was written in a mixture of two styles. Anton Pavlovich wrote the play, more inclined to the comedy genre, trying to reveal the theme of family estates, resort to such a valued concept as “estate,” and develop the idea of ​​​​the future of the population of his country. However, literary critics note that this work belongs to tragedy and drama. Thanks to such differences in the genre, every reader can observe how drama flows into tragicomedy.

The plot of “The Cherry Orchard” contains various stories of people who at that time found themselves in a crisis of their own finances and lost their own family estates.

The central image of the play is actually the cherry orchard. The owner of such a property is Lyubov Ranevskaya, whom one of the heroes persuades to sell the family estate. The cherry orchard itself is the leitmotif of all scenes, combining various time plans. For Ranevskaya, the garden is something so reverent from a bright childhood that gives warm memories, it is a place where the soul is nourished by positive energy. The plot of the play is built around the fate of the family estate. In the first act, a plan is built to save the mortgaged estate from auction, in the third, the estate is sold, and the fourth act reveals to the reader a lyrical note of parting with the past.

A characteristic feature of this work is that Chekhov does not divide heroes into good or bad and main and secondary. He divides them into three groups, distinguishing them according to time frames. The first group includes representatives of the past generation - this is Lyubov Ranevskaya herself, Gaev, the lackey Firs. The second group includes people of the present time; in the plot of the play this is the only hero in the person of the enterprising merchant Lopakhin. And finally, the third group brings together the progressive youth of that time, Pyotr Trofimov and Ani.

The plot centers on the fate of the cherry orchard, the sale of the family estate, in which the confrontation between the new and old eras unfolds. The climax of the storyline is hidden in the third act of the play, where the family estate is sold and the final outcome is revealed in the final fourth scene. The old, familiar nobility of Russia is being replaced by young people and aspiring entrepreneurs. The main reason for the emergence of conflict is not social confrontation, but the struggle of the characters themselves with the conditions surrounding them. Such a conflict in time is revealed only through knowledge of future changes in the life of the people.

In his work “The Cherry Orchard,” Chekhov wanted to encourage his reader to think philosophically about the upcoming future, about a new era that is being reborn around him, resorting to introspection.

Option 2

The work is a lyrical comedy, the key theme of which is the author's reflections on the future of the country and its population. The play is based on the story of the forced auction sale of a family estate by an impoverished noble family.

The originality of the work is its genre presentation, which from the point of view of the writer appears to be a comedy, and from the point of view of the literary society and theatergoers it demonstrates dramatic elements. Thus, alternating dramatic and comic scenes, the writer achieves the artistic reality of the play.

A distinctive feature of the work is recognized as the author's innovation, expressed in the absence of division of the heroes of the play as either negative or positive characters, dividing them into only three categories, the first of which represents people of the past generation in the person of noble aristocrats Ranevskaya, Gaev and lackey Firs, to the second the group includes people of the present, in the vivid representation of the enterprising merchant Lopakhin, and in the third category the author includes people of the future in the person of the progressive youth of that period, Pyotr Trofimov and Anya.

The structural composition of the play consists of four acts, which are not divided into independent scenes, while the time period of the work is about six months, starting in spring and ending in mid-autumn. In the first act, the mise-en-scène of the plot line is presented, which increases with tension in the second act, the third act is characterized by the culmination of the plot in the form of the sale of the family name, and the fourth comes the final denouement. The artistic content of the play develops an emotional and psychological background, which consists in describing the internal experiences of the characters.

The work is also distinguished by the complete absence of pronounced external conflicts, as well as dynamism and unpredictable plot twists, which are emphasized by the author’s remarks, monologues, pauses, which create the impression of special understatement and give the work a unique, exquisite lyricism.

Analysis 3

The famous writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov managed to write not only stories, but also original plays. His play, known today, is “The Cherry Orchard,” which was written from 1903 to 1904. By diligently working on his creation, Chekhov clearly showed the change in social structures.

Getting acquainted with the work, it becomes clear that the Cherry Orchard itself is at the center of the play. Its owner is Lyubov Ranevskaya, whom Lopakhin persuades to sell the beautiful beauty in order to rent it out and receive a decent amount of income. But what's the problem? The misfortune lies in the fact that for Ranevskaya, the garden is, first of all, childhood, these are bright memories that are filled with the mere idea of ​​the wonderful expanses of their native place. This is joy, this is happiness, this is her soul mate. She can't imagine her own life without him! For the heroine, as well as for her brother, the Cherry Orchard is neither real estate nor a means of livelihood, as Lopakhin thinks. No, that's not true. A garden is a home where their heart is, a home where you feel at ease, a home where you are free, your soul receives aesthetic pleasure!

Anton Pavlovich not only analyzed the state of Russian society and its behavior, but also reflected in his characters an analysis of Russia’s past and reflections on its future. Any of Chekhov's characters is connected with the theme of the past, or the theme of the present, or the future.

The old owners who run the garden are responsible for personifying the past of our country. This is Lyubov Ranevskaya and, accordingly, her brother Leonid Gaev. The main thing that gives them away is their inability to work.

It is worth understanding that the fate of the characters depends on the fate of the Cherry Orchard. But Ranevskaya’s decision leaves much to be desired, because she is selling the garden, which was a spiritual asset, the best cure for adversity. Along with it, the thousand-year-old culture of the nobility goes away. Those who own the Cherry Orchard are indecisive, weak-willed in difficult situations. And because of their cowardice, these people fail, because their time has passed... It turns out that the place of the heroine Ranevskaya is taken by Lopakhin, this new generation, greedy, looking for benefit in everything for themselves. And this is tragic, since replenishing the world with such behavioral people has a negative impact on the lives of those around them.

While reading Chekhov's book, one feels loneliness, the end is blowing, a precipice into darkness from where there is no way out. This shows that the decision that Ranevskaya makes about the garden is wrong, because along with the Cherry Orchard her childhood and soul are being sold...

That is why Anton Pavlovich’s work is so amazing in its content and unusual. The play poses many problems that Chekhov saw in his time; he took every detail seriously. He thereby depicted what worried and worried him: submission, the cowardice of a person before a serious decision. You should never give away what belongs to you, what brings happiness and incredible joy. Don't say goodbye to this easily! It is important to stand up for yourself to the end! You need to be strong and courageous, have a strong character, persistent willpower, so as not to break down under the next problem. This is what makes Chekhov so amazing: he writes so soulfully that after reading his stories his thoughts do not leave him alone! That's how it should be!

The Cherry Orchard - analysis for grade 10

The plot of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" is based on numerous stories related to the sale of family estates by nobles. At that time, many of them lost their property, suffered serious financial difficulties, and were often forced to auction off their family nests. It is interesting that a similar situation happened with the author himself, when his father had to sell his shop and house due to debts. All this greatly influenced Chekhov’s life and his future writing. In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” Chekhov examines a similar problem, analyzes the psychological state of people who were destined to lose their own home.

The classic approach to analyzing Chekhov's play is as follows. The heroes of the work are divided into three groups according to time criteria. The first of them includes the aristocrats Gaev, Ranevskaya and the lackey Firs - representatives of the old era. The second category of present time is represented by a single character - the merchant Lopakhin. The third group is people of the future, which include Petya Trofimov and Anya. At the same time, in the play there is no division of heroes into “good” and “bad”, main and secondary. This presentation of the plot became a characteristic feature of Chekhov’s author’s style, which was later seen in his future plays.

The plot centers on the story of the sale of a family estate with a cherry orchard, but there is no open conflict in the play. If there is some kind of opposition here, then it is expressed in a kind of contradiction between two different eras - the new and the old. The ruined nobles categorically do not want to part with their property, while they are also not ready to rent out a plot of land and receive commercial profit for it. For them it is too new and incomprehensible. The temporal conflict in the play is revealed through the awareness of future changes in the life of society, so clearly felt by the author himself. With his work, Chekhov wanted to show this situation from the outside in order to make the reader think about his place and role in this life.

The author's position here is ambiguous. Despite the tragedy of what is happening, the characters in the play do not evoke pity or sympathy. Chekhov portrayed them as narrow-minded people, incapable of introspection and deep experiences. The work rather represents the author’s philosophical reasoning about the future, about the new era into which Russian society will soon enter.

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“The Cherry Orchard” is the pinnacle of Russian drama of the early 20th century, a lyrical comedy, a play that marked the beginning of a new era in the development of Russian theater.

The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of nobles sells their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, with subtle psychologism describes the mental state of people who will soon be forced to leave their home. The innovation of the play is the absence of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary ones. They are all divided into three categories:

• people of the past - noble aristocrats (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their lackey Firs);
• people of the present - their bright representative, the merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
• people of the future - the progressive youth of that time (Petr Trofimov and Anya).

History of creation

Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was quite difficult, but nevertheless, in 1903 the work was completed. The first theatrical production of the play took place a year later on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater, becoming the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright and a textbook classic of the theatrical repertoire.

Play Analysis

Description of the work

The action takes place on the family estate of landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. They are met at the railway station by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).

The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is nearing complete collapse. Entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his own version of a solution to the problem - to divide the land into shares and give them to summer residents for use for a certain fee. The lady is burdened by this proposal, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, with which many warm memories of her youth are associated. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gaev, imbued with his sister’s feelings, reassures her with a promise that their family estate will not be put up for sale.

The action of the second part takes place on the street, in the courtyard of the estate. Lopakhin, with his characteristic pragmatism, continues to insist on his plan to save the estate, but no one pays attention to him. Everyone turns to the teacher Pyotr Trofimov who has appeared. He delivers an excited speech dedicated to the fate of Russia, its future and touches on the topic of happiness in a philosophical context. The materialist Lopakhin is skeptical about the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is capable of being imbued with his lofty ideas.

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

The finale is entirely dedicated to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The parting scene is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a surprisingly deep monologue by Firs, whom the owners in a hurry forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. The cherry orchard is being cut down.

Main characters

A sentimental person, the owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she got used to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself many things that, given the deplorable state of her finances, according to the logic of common sense, should be inaccessible to her. Being a frivolous person, very helpless in everyday matters, Ranevskaya does not want to change anything about herself, while she is fully aware of her weaknesses and shortcomings.

A successful merchant, he owes a lot to the Ranevsky family. His image is ambiguous - he combines hard work, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a “peasant” beginning. At the end of the play, Lopakhin does not share Ranevskaya’s feelings; he is happy that, despite his peasant origins, he was able to afford to buy the estate of his late father’s owners.

Like his sister, he is very sensitive and sentimental. Being an idealist and romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic plans to save the family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but at the same time completely inactive.

Petya Trofimov

An eternal student, a nihilist, an eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the “highest truth,” he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which immensely upsets Ranevskaya’s daughter Anya, who is in love with him.

A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Peter Trofimov. Recklessly believing in a better life after the sale of her parents' estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of shared happiness next to her lover.

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

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

Structure of the work

The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without dividing into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is exposition and plotting, in the second there is an increase in tension, in the third there is a climax (the sale of the estate), in the fourth there is a denouement. A characteristic feature of the play is the absence of genuine external conflict, dynamism, and unpredictable twists in the plot line. The author's remarks, monologues, pauses and some understatement give the play a unique atmosphere of exquisite lyricism. The artistic realism of the play is achieved through the alternation of dramatic and comic scenes.

(Scene from a modern production)

The development of the emotional and psychological plane dominates in the play; the main driver of the action is the internal experiences of the characters. The author expands the artistic space of the work by introducing a large number of characters who will never appear on stage. Also, the effect of expanding spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, giving an arched form to the play.

Final conclusion

Chekhov's last play, one might say, is his “swan song.” The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of Chekhov’s special concept of life, which is characterized by extraordinary attention to small, seemingly insignificant details, and a focus on the inner experiences of the characters.

In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the author captured the state of critical disunity of Russian society of his time; this sad factor is often present in scenes where the characters hear only themselves, creating only the appearance of interaction.

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

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

Composition of the play "The Cherry Orchard"

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

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

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

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

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 difficultly, this was caused by Anton Pavlovich’s serious illness. 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 a hundred years.

The play “The Cherry Orchard” became A.P.’s swan song. Chekhov. It contains reflections on the future of Russia and its people, which have accumulated in his thoughts for years. And the very artistic originality of the play became the pinnacle of Chekhov’s playwright’s work, once again showing 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 sale of the family nest of impoverished nobles at auction. By the beginning of the twentieth century, such stories were not uncommon. A similar tragedy occurred in Chekhov’s life; their house, along with his father’s shop, was sold for debts back in the 80s of the 19th century, and this left an indelible mark on his memory. And already, being an accomplished writer, Anton Pavlovich tried to understand the psychological state of people who lost their home.

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 lackey Firs. The second group represented by the merchant Lopakhin, who became a representative of the present time. Well, the third group is Petya Trofimov and Anya, they are the future.
The playwright does not have a clear division of characters into main and secondary ones, as well as into strictly negative or positive ones. It is this presentation of characters that is one of the innovations and features of Chekhov’s plays.

Conflict and development of the play's plot

There is no open conflict in the play, and this is another feature of A.P.’s dramaturgy. Chekhov. And on the surface there is a sale of an 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 renting out land to summer residents is unacceptable for Ranevskaya and Gaev. Analyzing the work “The Cherry Orchard” by A.P. Chekhov can talk about a temporary conflict in which the past collides with the present, and the present with the future. The conflict of generations itself is by no means new for 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 his place and role in this life.

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

The exposition can be called the conversation between Lopakhin and Dunyasha, awaiting the arrival of Ranevskaya, and almost immediately the plot of the play stands out, which consists in pronouncing the visible conflict of the play - the sale of the estate at auction for debts. The twists and turns of the play consist of attempts 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, all the characters in the play are introduced. Analyzing the first act of “The Cherry Orchard,” it is worth noting that the inner content of the characters is conveyed through their attitude to the old cherry orchard. And here begins one of the conflicts of the entire play - the confrontation between the past and the present. The past is represented by brother and sister Gaev and Ranevskaya. For them, the garden and the old house are a reminder and living symbol of their former carefree life, in which they were rich aristocrats owning 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 Ranevskaya an offer, 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 note that the owners and servants are not walking through 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.

The climax of the play occurs in the third act. The estate is sold, and Lopakhin becomes the new owner. Despite his satisfaction with the deal, Lopakhin is saddened by the fact that he must decide the fate of the garden. This means the garden will be destroyed.

Act four: the family nest is empty, the once united family is falling apart. And just as a garden is cut down at the roots, so this surname remains without roots, without shelter.

Author's position in the play

Despite the apparent tragedy of what was happening, the characters did not evoke any sympathy from the author himself. He considered them narrow-minded people, incapable of deep experiences. This play became more of a philosophical reflection by the playwright about what awaits Russia in the near future.

The genre of the play is very unique. 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.

Work test