The Cherry Orchard k. The play "The Cherry Orchard": the history of creation. "The Cherry Orchard", Chekhov
The great Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is the author of unforgettable literary masterpieces. Such works for the stage as "The Seagull", "Three Sisters", the play " The Cherry Orchard", have been included in the repertoires of theaters all over the world for more than a hundred years and enjoy constant success with the public. However, far from every foreign theater succeeds in conveying genuine characters. The play "The Cherry Orchard" is latest work Chekhov. The writer was going to continue his work in the field of theatrical art, but illness prevented him.
"The Cherry Orchard", the history of the creation of the play
The dramaturgy of Russian theatrical art of the late 19th century was distinguished by the dedication of its authors. The writer worked fruitfully last day. He died in 1886, at the age of 63, from nervous exhaustion. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, being already terminally ill, worked without leaving his office, creating his own unique masterpieces. Feelings, exacerbated by malaise, raised the artistic level of the works.
The play of the great Russian playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard", the history of which is associated with an unfavorable period in the writer's life, was released in 1903. Before that, the drama "Three Sisters" was played on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater, which was an unprecedented success. Then Chekhov decided to start work on the next play. In a letter to his wife, actress Olga Leonardovna Knipper, he wrote: "... but the next play that I write will certainly be funny ...".
Not fun at all
Could the last play of the writer, which he created just before his death, become "funny"? Hardly, but sad - yes. The drama "The Cherry Orchard", the history of which is no less tragic than the play itself, has become the quintessence of the entire short life of the great playwright. The characters in the work are written with high artistic accuracy, and the events, although unfolding in a somewhat unexpected direction, do not contain any particular intrigue. Approximately from the middle of the performance, fatal inevitability is felt.
Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya
The story of the ruin of the estate of an elderly landowner evokes ambivalent feelings. The relative well-being of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya is beyond doubt, although this impression is supported only indirectly. Her estate is being sold for debts, but there remains the possibility of returning to Paris. Ranevskaya leaves the cherry orchard, which is part of her life, but along with this, the future of the elderly heroine looms hopeful. The writer did not translate the episode of the acquisition of the estate by the merchant Lopakhin with the subsequent one into the category of tragic hopelessness. Although, of course, the sound of an ax cutting down trees is a blow to the fate of Ranevskaya and her family.
The play "The Cherry Orchard", the history of which reflects the desire of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov to show the costs of that time as deeply as possible, reveals the ruin and neglect of the landed estates. Dying noble estates, behind which stood the broken fates of people, were shown by the writer with frightening frankness. The tragedy of the events taking place in the life of the inhabitants of noble nests is part of the Russian reality of that time, gloomy and unpredictable.
The result of all creative life
The play which was taken by the writer from life is the last work of the playwright Chekhov. Its plot is somewhat intertwined with the life of the writer himself. At one time, the family of Anton Pavlovich was forced to sell a house in Taganrog. And the acquaintance of the playwright with the landowner A.S. Kiselev, the owner of the Babkino estate, located near Moscow, made it possible to better understand the problems of the impoverished nobles. Kiselev's estate was sold for debts, and the former landowner entered the service of one of the Kaluga banks. Thus, Kiselev became the prototype of Gaev's character. The rest of the images in the play "The Cherry Orchard" were also taken from life. The characters in this work can be found anywhere. These are ordinary ordinary people.
Creativity and disease
The play "The Cherry Orchard", the story of which is associated with excruciating malaise and overcoming illness, was written in a few months. The premiere took place on January 17, 1904, the birthday of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The Moscow Art Theater honored its author. The seriously ill writer found strength in himself and arrived at the premiere. No one expected to see Chekhov in the theatre, the audience gave him an ovation, the entire artistic and literary Moscow gathered in the hall. Rachmaninov and Chaliapin, Gorky and Bryusov - the entire color of the creative beau monde of Moscow honored Chekhov with their presence.
The play "The Cherry Orchard", heroes and characters
Characters theatrical production 1904:
- The main character is the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya.
- Her daughter Anya, 17 years old.
- Brother Ranevskaya - Gaev Leonid Andreevich.
- Adopted daughter of Lyubov Andreevna Varya, 24 years old.
- Student - Trofimov Petr.
- Landowner, neighbor - Boris Borisovich Pishchik.
- Merchant - Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin.
- Governess - Charlotte Ivanovna.
- Clerk - Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov.
- Maid - Dunyasha.
- Old footman - Firs.
- Young lackey - Yasha.
- Postal official.
- Passerby.
- servant.
- Guests.
The play "The Cherry Orchard" - Chekhov's masterpiece - was created in Last year life of the writer, and therefore can rightly be considered the farewell address of the great playwright to the people.
The immortal play "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov became a worthy end to the creative path of the writer and playwright. Here is her summary.
The estate of the landowner Ranevskaya with a magnificent cherry orchard must be sold for debts. Lyubov Andreevna herself has been living abroad for the last five years with her seventeen-year-old daughter Anya. Brother Ranevskaya (Gaev Leonid Andreevich) and Varya ( stepdaughter Lyubov Andreevna) still live in the estate, which can no longer be saved. Ranevskaya's affairs are going from bad to worse - six years have passed since her husband died. Then the little son died (he drowned in the river). It was then that Lyubov Andreevna went abroad to somehow forget herself. She took a lover, whom she then had to take care of because of his illness.
Homecoming
And now, on the eve of the auction, the owner of the estate, together with her daughter Anya, is returning home. At the station, travelers are met by Leonid Andreevich and Varya. At home, an old acquaintance, the merchant Lopakhin and the maid Dunyasha, are waiting for them. Later, the clerk, Epikhodov, arrives to report back.
Crews drive up to the estate, the meeting is joyful, but everyone talks only about his own. Lyubov Andreevna herself walks through the rooms in tears, recalls the past years and listens to the news as she goes. Dunyasha shares with the mistress the joy that Epikhodov proposed to her.
Lyubov Andreevna stops to take a breath, and then Lopakhin reminds her that the estate is about to be sold, but it can still be saved if the garden is cut down and the land is rented out in parts to summer residents. The idea is quite sound, except for Ranevskaya's deep nostalgia for the past. Lopakhin's proposal terrifies her - how can you destroy the cherry orchard, because it contains all of her past life!
Friend of the Lopakhin family
The disappointed Lopakhin leaves, and Petya Trofimov appears in his place - the "eternal student", a pimply young man who was once the teacher of Ranevskaya's son. He wanders around the living room to no avail. Gaev, left alone with Varya, begins to make plans on how to save the estate from ruin. He remembers an aunt in Yaroslavl, about whom no one has heard anything in the last fifteen years, but at the same time everyone knows that she is very rich. Leonid Andreevich offers to write her a letter with a bow.
Lopakhin returned. He again began to persuade Ranevskaya and her brother to lease the estate, although they did not listen to him. Desperate to convince these "strange, unbusinesslike, frivolous" people, Lopakhin is going to take his leave. Lyubov Andreevna asks him to stay, because "it's more fun with him." Petya captured everyone's attention and began to vilify the intelligentsia, which loves to philosophize, and treats people like cattle. Lopakhin manages to screw in a few words about how few decent people are around. Then Ranevskaya interrupts him and reminds him that the day of trading is coming soon.
The knock of an ax as the end of a lifetime
Comes August 22 - the day on which the auction is scheduled. The night before, a ball is held at the estate, musicians are invited, refreshments are ordered. But no one came, except for the postal official and the head of the station, and after all, once upon a time generals and noble nobles danced on the parquet floor of the living room.
Ranevskaya talks with Petya Trofimov and admits to him that her life will lose its meaning if there is no cherry orchard. Then she shares her secret with the teacher: it turns out that every day telegrams are sent to her from Paris from former lover in which he tearfully begs her to return. As they say, there is no evil without good. Petya condemns her for indulging "a nonentity, a petty scoundrel." Ranevskaya gets angry, calls Petya "an eccentric, clean and boring." They are arguing.
Lopakhin and Gaev arrive and announce that the estate has been sold and that Lopakhin has bought it. The merchant is happy, because he managed to beat Deriganov himself at the auction, bypassing him by as much as ninety thousand rubles. And now Ermolai Lopakhin will be able to cut down the cherry orchard, divide the land into plots and rent them out to summer residents. The sound of an ax is heard.
Devastation of the estates
"The Cherry Orchard", the theme of which was so topical for the end of the 19th century, is distinguished by the most realistic display of events. The nobles lived in grand style, constantly borrowed money, and the estate was always the collateral for the loan. And it is quite natural that it then went under the hammer. At Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, they cut down a cherry orchard, going through her soul with an ax. And other landlords, having gone bankrupt, committed suicide, and this happened quite often.
Characterization of "The Cherry Orchard" as a public theatrical play can be reduced to a short statement: cherry orchards as the meaning of someone's life, they are vulnerable and doomed to perish in the conditions of high society and landowners' IOUs.
- young footman
passerby
station master
Postal official
Guests, servants
Act one
Dawn. May already. Cherry trees are blooming in the garden. However, it's still cold. The windows in the room, which is still called the nursery, are closed. Everyone in the house is waiting for the arrival of the hostess from Paris. Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna should come with her 17-year-old daughter Anya, governess Charlotte and footman Yasha. The maid Dunyasha and the merchant Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich are talking in the room. Dunyasha is very worried, and Lopakhin is worried that he overslept at the station, and the train arrived late and he could not meet Ranevskaya.
Lopakhin recalls how 5 years ago Lyubov Andreevna went abroad. He says that she has always been kind to him and often regretted it. His ancestors were her peasants, and now he has become rich. He himself says to himself that although he broke away from the peasants, he did not become so noble, but he managed to amass wealth. The clerk Epikhodov appears. He brought a bouquet of flowers for the dining room, which he immediately drops. He complains that misfortunes happen to him all the time, but he is already used to it. He also complains about boots that creak. Dunyasha says that Epikhodov proposed to her, but she refused, because he is like "twenty-two misfortunes." However, he sincerely regrets it.
Crew sounds are heard. There is a commotion. Firs, an 87-year-old lackey in an old livery, passes with a stick. Then Ranevskaya appears with her daughter Anya, brother Gaev and servants. Ranevskaya cries with joy, recalls the past years. Her childhood passed in this nursery. She recognizes everyone. Here is Varya, whom she calls a nun. Gaev is indignant that the trains are running late. Dunyasha is very glad to see the gentlemen. She tries to tell tired Anya about Epikhodov and how he proposed to her. However, she does not listen, she did not sleep for four nights, she was all worried. Dunyasha also mentions Pyotr Sergeevich. He says that he lives in a bathhouse.
Varya asks the maid to make coffee, while she herself is talking with Anya. Anya complains about the difficult trip with the annoying governess Charlotte Ivanovna. Varya notices that everything is correct, since a seventeen-year-old girl cannot travel alone. Anya tells how she found her mother in Paris among strangers and penniless. She sold her estate in Menton, but there was no money left. However, Lyubov Andreevna consciously does not want to understand her position. She still orders expensive and delicious dishes, gives tips to footmen. Thus, the money was barely enough to come to Russia. And now the sale of this estate is on the agenda. Varya is very upset, she listens with tears.
Anya asks Varya if Lopakhin has proposed to her. Varya says that it is not and is not necessary, since nothing good will come of this love. Dunyasha appears with coffee. She flirts with the footman Yasha, who tries to look like a foreign dandy. Varya dreams of marrying Anya profitably, and leaving for holy places herself. Then she says that it's late and Anya needs to rest. Anya sadly recalls how her father died here a few years ago, and then her younger brother Grisha, who drowned in the river. Ranevskaya fled from this house without looking back. And now my brother's former teacher, Trofimov, lives here, and he can remind his mother of past grief.
Firs enters and grumbles that Dunyasha forgot to add cream to the coffee. Then Ranevskaya appears with her brother and Pishchik. She is very glad to see Fiers in good health and generally glad to be at home. From happiness, she even kisses the furniture. Anya says goodbye and goes to sleep. Varya hints to Lopakhin and Simeonov-Pishchik that it's already late, it's time and honor to know. Lopakhin, before leaving, confesses to Ranevskaya that he loves her more than his own. He recalls that their estate for debts will be put up for sale at the end of August. However, there is a way out. He proposes cutting down the old cherry orchard, breaking up the land into summer cottages and rent out. This will bring Ranevskaya twenty to five thousand a year. Ranevskaya and Gaev vs. They say that their garden is the best in the province.
Varya brings telegrams from Paris to her mother. She tears them up without reading them and throws them away. She says she doesn't want news from Europe. Gaev recalls that their closet is over a hundred years old. Turning to the closet, he says solemn speech then goes to sleep. Lopakhin leaves, promising to return in three weeks. Simeonov-Pishchik praises Lopakhin for his resourcefulness, then asks Ranevskaya for money, but she does not have any. Varya with her mother and uncle are looking out the window. They admire the garden. Ranevskaya says that this garden is associated with her childhood.
Petya Trofimov appears. Lyubov Andreevna is at a loss. Varya reminds that this is Grisha's former teacher. Remembering her dead boy, she cries. As it turns out, Petya has noticeably grown ugly. He says to himself that he is forced to remain an eternal student. When Pishchik asks for money again, Ranevskaya tells Gaev to give it. Varya laments and says that her mother has not changed a bit. Everything is also littered with money. Gaev begins to dream of an inheritance or of giving Anya a profitable marriage. He says that in an extreme case, you can try your luck with a wealthy aunt in Yaroslavl. He says about his sister that she is kind and glorious, but vicious. Anya stands at the door and hears everything. She reprimands her uncle and asks her not to talk nonsense about her sister.
Gaev admits his mistake. He then begins to make plans on how to save the estate. He assumes that Lopakhin will lend money to pay interest on bills. He offers to send Anya to Yaroslavl to her grandmother. He promises that he will make every effort so that the estate is not sold. Anya is relieved. Firs scolds Gaev for not sleeping yet. Varya tells Anya that the servants think she is mean. Then she notices that Anya has fallen asleep while sitting and does not listen to her at all. Varya takes her sister to bed and runs into Trofimov. He calls Anya the sun and admires her.
Action two
The action takes place in a field next to an old chapel. Gayev's estate and a cherry orchard can be seen in the distance. Dunyasha, Yasha and Charlotte are sitting on the bench. Epikhodov plays the guitar nearby. Charlotte talks about her childhood. Her parents were circus performers and took her on tour. When they died, the girl was brought up by some German lady. Charlotte doesn't have a passport and doesn't even know how old she is. She also does not remember the mistress who raised her and gave her as a governess. Epikhodov admires the guitar and calls it a mandolin. And he also says that he carries a gun with him, sometimes he wants to shoot himself. Charlotte remarks that women must love him.
Dunyasha sends Epikhodov away for his cape. At the same time, she is worried that he will shoot himself. She says that in the master's house she has become all too sensitive. Someone is coming, she sends Yasha away too, so that no one would think such a thing about them. Ranevskaya, Gaev and Lopakhin appear. Lopakhin is again interested in what to do with the garden and whether the owners agree to break it up into summer cottages. Ranevskaya says that someone smoked disgusting cigarettes. She then looks into her purse and becomes distressed. She realizes that she is spending money thoughtlessly, while Varya has to save on everything. The purse falls and the gold crumbles. Yasha collects it. She again recalls how she thoughtlessly spent money in restaurants on crappy food.
Lopakhin brings her back to the conversation about the estate. He says that Deriganov is not averse to buying it. Gaev replies that their aunt from Yaroslavl promised to send money, but did not say how much and when. Lopakhin is indignant at the way the hosts approach the issue in a non-businesslike manner. He says that he is trying in every way to help them, and they are all waiting for a miracle. Ranevskaya and Gaev notice that summer residents are vulgar. Lopakhin is offended and is about to leave, but they stop him. Ranevskaya asks to stay. She says that she is, in fact, insanely ashamed. She believes that this is punishment for her sins.
Not only did she always overspend, she also married a man who drinks and lives in debt. Then she fell in love with another, but her son died. When she fled in terror to Paris, that man followed her. There she bought a cottage, and he fell ill. She looked after him for three years, not knowing peace, and he exhausted her, robbed her and got together with another. Ranevskaya even tried to poison herself. Now she wanted to return to her homeland and atone for her sins. And from Paris came a telegram from her former lover, in which he begs her to return.
Lopakhin says that he watched a funny play, and Ranevskaya says that he should look at himself in the mirror more often. After all, he lives gray and says a lot of unnecessary things. He says that his father was a dark man, so he did not teach him anything. Ranevskaya says that he needs to marry and adds that Varya, since she good girl. He doesn't mind. Firs appears and brings Gaev's coat. Ranevskaya says that Firs has grown old, and he replies that he has been living for so long. Gaev again dreams of a bill to pay off debts. Lopahi lands him and says that nothing will come of it.
Varya, Anya and Petya Trofimov arrive. Lopakhin chuckles at Trofimov and says that he will soon be fifty, and he still goes to the students. Petya, about Lopakhin, says that he is a predator needed in nature. Ranevskaya resumes conversation with Petya about the "proud man". He says that there is nothing to be proud of, we must go to work. In fact, the person is rude and unintelligent. It's enough for him to admire himself, he needs to do work. And so far, few people work in Russia. Most of intelligentsia vegetates and does not strive for work. Lopakhin notes that he himself works from early morning until night, and there are few decent people around. Gaev talks about nature, how perfect and beautiful it is. Everyone is silent and listening to the sounds. Somewhere a string breaks.
A tipsy passer-by asks in which direction the station is, and then asks thirty kopecks for the road. Ranevskaya gives him gold, since she has no change. Varya is indignant that there is nothing to eat at home, and her mother squanders money. Ranevskaya says that she will give her everything she has, since she herself does not know how to manage money. Then she asks Lopakhin for a loan and tells Varya that she has betrothed her. She is offended, with tears in her eyes, says that this is not a joke. Lopakhin again reminds that the auction is already on August 22.
Anya and Petya are left alone. Petya says that Varya is afraid to leave them alone, but she cannot understand them. They have a different goal, they are higher than love. Anya complains that she has become different, she doesn’t even like the cherry orchard anymore. Trofimov notices that the whole country is like a garden. And the cherry orchard is like her family tree, her serf ancestors look from every leaf. He also philosophizes about the Russian people and their way of life. He says that you need to atone for the sins of your ancestors by working tirelessly. Anya says she will leave the house. He persuades her to drop everything and become free as the wind. Varya calls Anya, but she runs away.
Act Three
A ball is being held at Ranevskaya's house. The living room is separated from the hall by an arch. The Jewish orchestra is playing. Couples are dancing in the room: Pishchik with Charlotte, Petya with Ranevskaya, Anya with the postal clerk, Varya with the head of the station. Varya is crying imperceptibly. Pishchik complains about his poverty. Petya notes that there is something equine in his figure. Pishchik is not offended, because the horse is a kind animal. Trofimov, teasingly, calls Varya "Madame Lopakhina", and she answers him - "a shabby gentleman." Varya says that they hired musicians in vain, because there is nothing to pay with. Ranevskaya is still waiting for her brother at the auction, hoping that he will be able to buy their estate with the money of the Yaroslavl aunt.
Charlotte does tricks. Everyone is delighted. Petya teases Varya again, and she gets angry. When Ranevskaya asks her why she is not happy to be Lopakhina, Varya replies that he may good man, but it’s not worth it for her to propose to him herself. Everyone around is already talking, calling them the bride and groom, but he is still silent. Varya says that if she had at least a hundred rubles, she would give up everything and go to a monastery. Ranevskaya asks Trofimov not to tease the girl anymore and leave her alone. And he says that he is angry with her because she did not leave him and Anya alone all summer. At the same time, he adds that he and Anya are above all love.
Ranevskaya asks Petya to console her and say that everything will be all right with the estate. He says that one should not deceive oneself, it is not at all about the estate. She asks to spare her, says that she loves Petya like her own, she would even give Anya for him, but he needs to finish his studies. Petya points to the telegram that fell next to Ranevskaya. She explains that it is her former lover writes from Paris, asking to return to him. She also says that despite being robbed and betrayed by him, she cannot live without him. Petya is surprised and condemns her, to which Ranevskaya says that it is time for him to grow up and fall in love himself, for so many years, and he is still a second-grade gymnasium student. He gets offended and runs away.
She yells after her that she was joking. A roar is heard. Petya falls down the stairs. Ranevskaya runs there and asks for his forgiveness. Anya comes running and says that the garden is sold. Ranevskaya worries about the servants, about Firs, says she doesn't know what to do with them. Yasha asks to go with her to Paris. Varya scolds Epikhodov for not doing anything, but only walking around like a guest. Then she accidentally hits Lopakhin entering the hall with Firs' stick. He happily declares that the auction is over and now he is the new owner of this estate. Gaev missed the train and arrived late. He is upset that he could not buy the estate and cries. And Lopakhin tells how he bargained with Deriganov and eventually gave ninety thousand for a cherry orchard. He is happy to own an estate in which his ancestors were slaves.
Lopakhin asks the musicians to play, dreams out loud how he will cut down the garden and build dachas, as well as how his children and grandchildren will grow up on the estate. Ranevskaya is upset. He tells her that he should have thought and listened to him earlier. And now it's too late. Lopakhin calls himself a new landowner, the owner of a cherry orchard. Anya approaches her mother and consoles her. He says that nothing can be done about the garden and promises that they will plant new garden.
act four
There is luggage in the room. Departing people collect things and say goodbye. Lopakhin invites everyone to drink, but no one wants to. He recalls that the train is forty-six minutes away. He says to himself that he will go to Kharkov in the winter, otherwise it’s boring here without work. Petya tells Lopakhin not to soak his hands too much. In parting, Lopakhin offers him money, but he refuses. Lopakhin says that Gaev got a job in a bank for six thousand a year, but he probably won’t stay there for a long time, he’s too lazy.
Anya appears and asks not to cut down the garden until they leave. Anya asks Yasha about Firs, whether he was sent to the hospital, but he is not sure. Yasha is told that his mother has come to say goodbye, but he does not come out. He says he wants to get away from all this ignorance as soon as possible. Ranevskaya and Gaev appear. They are upset, say goodbye to the estate. Lyubov Andreevna says goodbye to her daughter. Anya decided to start a new life. He will go to work in the gymnasium and will help his mother. Ranevskaya says that she is going to Paris with the money of her aunt from Yaroslavl, and Anya hopes that she will return soon.
Ranevskaya reminds Lopakhin of Var. He asks not to pull and propose to the girl. He says he will. But as soon as Varya appears, he begins to talk about trifles. Varya announces that she will be the housekeeper of the Ragulins. Everyone says goodbye and noisily leaves. Epikhodov remains responsible for the house. Lopakhin gives him final instructions, then locks the house and leaves. Only Firs remains in the locked house. He himself is ill, but he is worried about Gaev so that he does not forget to put on his coat. The distant sound of a broken string is heard from the sky. And all around is silence. And all you can hear is how trees are being cut down with an ax in the garden.
The dramaturgy of Anton Chekhov is a special niche in Russian fiction and the pinnacle of his creativity - this work, about the storyline of which the summary of the play "The Cherry Orchard" for the reader's diary can tell, and only a complete reading about the richness of the images of the characters and the non-standard lyrical atmosphere.
Plot
Ranevsky Lyubov and her daughter Anya return to their native estate from Paris after a 5-year absence. The family is on the verge of poverty, after the second husband of Ranevskaya robbed her and fled. Now the Ranevsky family estate is under the threat of being sold for debts. The women are met by the brother of the eldest Ranevskaya and her adopted daughter, who have been living on the estate all this time.The estate, along with the cherry orchard, wants to be acquired by Lopakhin, who comes from peasants, but who has become decently rich. He intends to cut down the garden, and sell the land and rent it out for summer cottages. Love is horrified at such a prospect. She has always lived and lives in illusions, distributes money and does not believe that they are about to run out.
The garden and house are up for auction. They are bought by Lopakhin, who dreams, but decides to propose to his adopted daughter Ranevskaya. Love cries, her daughter soothes her. The women are going to return to Paris. At the end, the sound of an ax is heard - the cherry orchard goes under the log house.
Conclusion (my opinion)
In an age when benefits and personal enrichment have increased many times over, there is no place for languid memories. Pragmatists cannot comprehend romantics.K. S. Stanislavsky, the idea for the play arose already during the rehearsal of The Three Sisters, in 1901. Chekhov wrote it for a long time, the correspondence of the manuscript also took place slowly, much was altered. “I really don’t like some places, I write them again and rewrite again,” the writer told one of his acquaintances.
By the time The Cherry Orchard was staged, the Art Theater had developed its own stage method of staging based on Chekhov's lyrical dramas (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters). That is why Chekhov's new play, conceived by the writer in different tones and performed in its predominant part in a comedic way, was interpreted on stage by the leaders of the Art Theater largely in accordance with their previous principles.
On January 17, 1904, the premiere took place. The performance was prepared in the absence of the author and the production (judging by the numerous comments) did not satisfy him. “My play was on yesterday, so my mood is not very good,” he wrote to I. L. Shcheglov the day after the premiere. The game of actors seemed to him "confused and dim." Stanislavsky recalled that the performance was difficult to establish. Nemirovich-Danchenko also noted that the play did not reach the audience immediately. In the future, the force of tradition brought to our time precisely the original stage interpretation of The Cherry Orchard, which did not coincide with the author's intention.
Problems and ideological orientation of the play.
The play "" reflects the process of socio-historical development of Russia at the turn of the century and the changes taking place in society. The change of owners of the cherry orchard in the play symbolizes these changes: a huge era of Russian life is fading into the past along with the nobility, new times are coming in which other people feel like owners - prudent, businesslike, practical, but devoid of the former spirituality, the personification of which is a beautiful garden.
There is no development of action in the play in the usual sense. Chekhov is not interested in the clash between the old and new owners of the cherry orchard. In fact, he doesn't exist. The writer wants to tell about the clash of the past and the present of Russia, about the birth of its future. The assertion of the unviability of the noble way of life is the ideological core of the play.
bourgeois masters modern Russia, replacing the nobles, no doubt, more active and energetic and able at the moment to bring practical benefits to society. But it was not with them that Chekhov connected the coming changes, the anticipation of which was ripening in people, the expectation and feeling of which soared in Russian society. Who will be the renewing force for Russia? Anticipating closeness and opportunity social change, Chekhov connected the dreams of a bright future for Russia with a new, young generation. With all the uncertainty of the future (“all Russia is our garden”), it belongs to him. The play contains reflections writer about people and time.
The plot of the play. The nature of the conflict and the originality of the stage action.
The plot of The Cherry Orchard is simple. The landowner Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya arrives from Paris to her estate (the beginning of the first act) and after some time returns to France (the end of the fourth act). Between these events - episodes of the usual home life in the mortgaged estate of Gaev and Ranevskaya. The characters of the play reluctantly gathered in the estate, in some vain, illusory hope to save the old garden, the old family estate, to preserve their past, which now seems so beautiful to them, themselves.
Meanwhile, the event that brought them together takes place behind the stage, and on the stage itself there is no action in the traditional sense of the word: everyone is in a state of expectation. There are ordinary, meaningless conversations. But the personal experiences of the characters, their feelings and aspirations make it possible to understand the spiritual processes of time. That is why it is so important to feel.
to understand the changing internal states of the characters from the initial to the last scene.
Behind everyday scenes and details, there is a continuously moving "inner", emotional plot - the "undercurrent" of the play. This lyrical plot formed not by a sequence of events and not by relationships actors(all this only conditions it), but by "cross-cutting" themes, roll calls, poetic associations and symbols. What is important here is not the external plot, but the atmosphere that determines the meaning of the play. It is in The Cherry Orchard that this trait dramaturgy Chekhov is especially pronounced.
Each action in the play has its own direction and structure. Chekhov refuses the traditional dramatic division into phenomena and scenes, the events taking place are delimited only by actions. The play begins with a kind of exposition - an introduction, from which we learn about the main characters.
AT first act
one feels a very strange, exciting interweaving of refined, bright emotions (tender meetings, lyrical memories, words of love, hopes for salvation) with a feeling of some kind of internal instability, uncertainty of relations.
The heroes seem to feel the impossibility of returning to their former lives and foresee the impending parting with the garden, each other, their past.
Second act gives a new direction internal development plays. Sobering up, nervousness arises, Ranevskaya's story about the passion for an unworthy person sounds, the words Lopakhin, reminiscent of the fact that the cherry orchard will be sold. Both Lopakhin and Trofimov, to whom Anya reaches out in a romantic impulse, chart their own path in life.
The plot development reaches its climax in third act . It contains the completion of the fate of the cherry orchard and the implementation of the moral choice by all the heroes of the play. Behind the scenes, the auction of the estate is going on, and in the estate itself they are giving a ball. Everything that happens is ridiculous and strange. Inappropriate entertainment on the day of the sale outwardly hides the excitement of the owners and at the same time enhances the feeling of inner unrest. Everyone is waiting for news from the city. And when Gaev and Lopakhin arrive, who announces that he is now the owner of the garden, there is silence. And only the ringing of the keys thrown by Varya is heard.
But the action doesn't end there. It is unlikely that the ending, showing only uncontrollably rejoicing in connection with the acquisition of the Lopakhin estate, would satisfy Chekhov. In the last, fourth, act - the parting of all the heroes with the past, departure, farewell. It is important for the author not to show the results, not to give specific answers to the questions posed, but to capture the process of life and make the reader think about it. Each character has their own perspective. For Petya and Anya, she is connected with the future Russia, Lopakhin - with today's practical activities on the estate or in some other place, and former owners the cherry orchard is all in the past, they just have to come to terms with what is happening. There is a roll call between those who leave and those who go forward.
The fate of the estate plot organizes the play. In the construction of a dramatic plot, Chekhov departs from the clear forms of the plot and denouement; the action develops slowly, without bright events, external catastrophes. At first, nothing seems to be happening on stage, a feeling of “eventlessness” is created. The formal impetus for the development of the action is the conflict between Gaev and Ranevskaya and Lopakhin over the sale of the cherry orchard, but in the course of the action it becomes obvious that this collision is imaginary. The sale of the cherry orchard, outwardly being the climax, in essence, does not change anything either in the balance of forces or in the future destinies of the heroes. Each hero lives his own inner life little dependent on plot twists.
The complexity of determining the conflict of the play is also connected with the originality of the stage action. It would be wrong to define it as a confrontation between social forces. Lopakhin tries long and hard to keep the estate for Ranevskaya and buys it only when he realizes that the owners of the estate will not save him. They simply hand him over to Lopakhin without doing anything. Thus, there is no open clash between the outgoing generation and the coming one to replace it. How is the conflict expressed in Chekhov's play?
The state of anxious expectation does not leave Ranevskaya and Gaev throughout the whole action. Their mental discord is connected not only with the loss of the estate - it is deeper: people have lost the sense of time. They lagged behind him, and therefore everything happens somehow absurdly and awkwardly in their lives. Heroes are passive, their ideals and lofty dreams collapse in the face of life's obstacles. These are people who do not change, each holding his own against the backdrop of time moving forward. Confused and not understanding the course of life. The crisis state of the old owners of the estate is connected with the loss of their faith in life, the loss of the ground under their feet. But there are no culprits. Time moves forward and something goes into the past. The conflict of the play reflects the discrepancy between the characters' inner feeling of life laws and the dictates of the times.
Heroes of the Cherry Orchard.
It is important for the reader and viewer of The Cherry Orchard to feel that in his play Chekhov not only created images of people whose lives fell on a turning point, but captured time itself in its movement. The course of history is the main nerve comedy, its plot and content. The system of images in the play is represented by various social forces that connect their lives with a certain time: the local nobles Ranevskaya and Gaev live in memories of the past, the merchant Lopakhin is a person of the present, and the dreams of raznochinets Petya Trofimov and Ranevskaya's daughter Anya are turned to the future.
The characters of Chekhov's heroes are complex and ambiguous; drawing them, the writer shows the contradictory, changing spiritual image of a person. In the images of the main characters, even after the final curtain, something remains unsaid, which makes readers and viewers think and argue.
Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya is the owner of the estate. The very first remarks suggest a subtle and sensitive nature in the heroine. She is sweet and attractive, sincerely and directly expresses her feelings, benevolent and affable. According to others, she has a wonderful character.
There is no noble arrogance, arrogance in her: in her youth, she did not disdain to bring 15-year-old Lopakhin, who was beaten by her drunken father, into the house and tell him words of consolation. Ranevskaya is smart and able to truthfully judge herself and life.
But as the action develops, details appear that indicate the ambiguity and inconsistency of Ranevskaya's character. She easily gives money to peasants and a random passerby, while her relatives are in poverty. She returns to Paris to the man who robbed her, using the money sent by the Yaroslavl grandmother for Anya. Always gentle, she can shower Petya Trofimov with insults in response to the truth about her lover. Brought up, she can ask offhand questions. Throughout the action, Ranevskaya admires the cherry orchard, without which she "did not understand her life", but does nothing to save the estate. Life at the expense of others made her helpless, weak-willed, dependent on circumstances, confused in the face of time. She can't change anything. The mismanagement and frivolity of the heroine lead the beautiful estate to complete ruin, to sale for debts.
Much less significant is Ranevskaya's brother, Leonid Andreevich Gaev. His sister's shortcomings - impracticality, frivolity, lack of will - reached extraordinary proportions in him. But, besides this, he is also petty, vulgar, and sometimes even stupid. This is an aged capricious child who ate his fortune on candy. Symbolic details - sucking candies, playing billiards, as well as the nature of the relationship of 51-year-old Gaev with his old servant Firs emphasize the lack of independence and infantilism of his nature. Gaev is arrogant and arrogant, he considers Lopakhin a "boor" and a man. His speeches addressed to the closet, "billiard" remarks, inappropriate in conversation, empty phrases emphasize worthlessness, point to the spiritual impoverishment of the hero.
Ranevskaya and Gaev throughout the play experience the dramatic events that take place in their lives, the collapse of hopes, but are unable to influence the circumstances, to understand the essence of what is happening. They voluntarily or involuntarily betray everything that is dear to them: relatives, a garden, an old servant. People who have lost themselves in time, who have collapsed not only materially, but also spiritually - these are the representatives of the way of Russian life that is fading into the past.
Yermolai Lopakhin is the central character in the play, according to Chekhov. In his letters from Yalta to Moscow, the author insisted that K.S. Stanislavsky play Lopakhin, he believed that this role should be played by a first-class actor, but simply a talented one could not do it. “After all, this is not a merchant in the vulgar sense of the word, this must be understood.” Chekhov warned against a simplistic understanding of this image, which was so important to him.
Lopakhin's personality is significant and unusual. He is a successful merchant in his business, energetic, hardworking, intelligent, knowing what he wants from life, firmly and confidently realizing the goal set for him. But at the same time, he is a person who has the soul of an artist, who knows how to appreciate beauty. Petya Trofimov, who looks at life in a completely different way than Lopakhin, tells him: “After all, I still love you. You have thin, tender fingers, like an artist, you have a thin, tender soul ... "
Lopakhin's thoughts about Russia are reminiscent of Gogol's digressions from " dead souls":" Lord, you gave us vast forests, vast fields, the deepest horizons, and living here, we ourselves should really be giants ... "He owns the most heartfelt words about the cherry orchard. Lopakhin treats Ranevskaya with tenderness, he is ready to help her despite his interests.
The main storyline of the play is connected with Lopakhin. The son of a serf, he is obsessed with the idea of buying an estate where his father and grandfather were serfs. The hero, who at first tried to save the garden for Ranevskaya, at the end of the play becomes its owner and destroyer. But in the triumph of Lopakhin, who has achieved his goal, in his unbridled, unbridled joy, inability to wait with cutting down the garden until the former owners leave, there is something that involuntarily removes him from the reader.
In the last scenes, Lopakhin does not look like a winner, which is confirmed by his words about an "uncoordinated, unhappy life" in which he and others like him will be the main force.
In the image of Lopakhin, the good personal qualities of a person, his good intentions and the results of his practical activities come into conflict. “As a person, Lopakhin is subtler and more humane than the role imposed on him by history” (G. Byaly). Chekhov created an unexpected image that did not fit into the usual literary and theatrical canons, in which he introduced features characteristic of a part of Russian entrepreneurs who left a noticeable mark on the history of Russian culture at the turn of the century - Stanislavsky (the owner of the Alekseev factory), Savva Morozov, who gave money for construction of the Art Theater, creators art galleries Tretyakov, Shchukin and others.
Chekhov associated dreams of a brighter future with the younger generation: Petya Trofimov and Anya, although Varya and even Yasha can be attributed to them by age.
From the first moment Anya appears on the stage, we immediately succumb to her charm. The remark that opens the first act corresponds to the image of the girl. "My sun! My spring, ”Petya says about her. Concerning the issue of the stage embodiment of this image, Chekhov emphasized the need to take into account Anya's age. She is very young - she is 17 years old: "a child ... not knowing life", in the words of the author himself.
Anya wants to study and then work. She rejoices at parting with the past: “It begins new life, mother!" Anya understands her mother, pities and protects her, but does not want to live the way she does. Sincerity, naivete, directness, goodwill, joyful perception of life, faith in the future determine the appearance of the heroine.
Petya Trofimov, a former teacher of Ranevskaya's little son, is spiritually close to Anya. He is a raznochinets by origin (the son of a doctor), poor, deprived of the education available to the nobles, several times expelled from the university (“eternal student”), he earns his livelihood through translations. A little eccentric, funny, awkward and awkward ("shabby master"). A detail that makes it possible to judge financial situation, - old and dirty galoshes, about the disappearance of which he worries so much.
Petya is a man of democratic convictions, he proclaims democratic ideas, he is outraged by the position of the workers, by the difficult conditions of their life; he sees the reason for the spiritual degeneration of the nobility in serfdom. Petya is well versed in what is happening, accurately judges people. Ranevskaya admits: “You are bolder, more honest, deeper than us ...”
But Petya, like each of the heroes of the play, does not always match his words with his deeds. He often says that he needs to work, but he cannot graduate from the university; grandiloquently speaks of the road to a brighter future, while he himself regrets the loss of galoshes. Petya knows little about life, but sincerely wants to see a different Russia and is ready to dedicate his fate to a cause that will transform the world. Petya's words: "All Russia is our garden" - acquire a symbolic meaning.
New construction principles dramatic work also led to a different vision of Chekhov's characters, different from the traditional theatrical rules. The usual division of heroes into main and secondary becomes more relative. It is difficult to say who is more important for understanding the author's intention: Gaev or Fries? The playwright is interested not so much in characters or actions, but in the manifestation of the mood of the characters, each of which participates in the creation of general atmosphere plays.
In the development of the plot, it is necessary to take into account off-stage characters. Many are drawn to them storylines plays, and all of them participate in the development of the action: Ranevskaya's "Parisian lover", Anya's grandmother from Yaroslavl, etc.
Nevertheless, there is a central image in the play around which the main action is built - this is the image of a cherry orchard.
The role of images-symbols in the play. The meaning of the name.
Symbolism is an important element of Chekhov's dramaturgy. A symbol is a substantive image that replaces in artistic text multiple meanings. Separate motifs and images in Chekhov's plays often receive a symbolic meaning. Thus, the symbolic meaning acquires the image of a cherry orchard.
The Cherry Orchard is a wonderful creation of nature and human hands. This is not just a background against which the action develops, but the personification of the value and meaning of life on earth. The word garden in Chekhov means a long peaceful life, going from great-grandfathers to great-grandchildren, tireless creative work. The symbolic content of the image of the garden is multifaceted: beauty, past, culture, and finally, all of Russia.
The Cherry Orchard becomes a kind of touchstone in the play, which makes it possible to reveal the essential properties of the characters. It highlights the spiritual possibilities of each of the characters. The Cherry Orchard is both the sad past of Ranevskaya and Gaev, and the dull present of Lopakhin, and the joyful and at the same time uncertain future of Petya and Anya. But the garden is also the economic basis of the estate, inextricably linked with serfdom. Thus, reflections on the social structure of Russian life are connected with the image of the cherry orchard.
Lopakhin's period is coming, the cherry orchard is cracking under his ax, he is doomed, he is cut down for summer cottages. In Lopakhin's victory there is a certain historical pattern, but at the same time, his triumph will not bring decisive changes: the general structure of life will remain the same.
Petya and Anya live for the future. They understand the beauty of the cherry orchard. Petya feels that the garden is not only tainted by the past of serfdom, but is also doomed to the present, in which there is no place for beauty. The future is drawn to him as a triumph not only of justice, but also of beauty. Anya and Petya want all of Russia to be like a beautiful blooming garden.
The image of the cherry orchard is fanned with lyricism and at the same time is able to highlight the meaning of what is happening with the light of irony. Expressing his attitude to him in words and, most importantly, in deeds, each character more clearly reveals his moral basis. In a complex interweaving of diverse images, the problem of personality and its ideals is solved.
Reflections and disputes about the cherry orchard, about its past, near and distant future all the time result in judgments and discussions about the present, past and future of Russia. The whole emotional atmosphere, which is associated in the play with the image of the cherry orchard, serves to affirm its enduring aesthetic value, the loss of which cannot but impoverish the spiritual life of people. If a existing life dooms the garden to death, then it is natural to deny this life and strive for a new one, which will allow turning all of Russia into a flowering garden.
Such are the deep philosophical foundations of Chekhov's reflections on the cherry orchard and its fate. They lead to the main thing in the play - to the thought of people, their lives in the past and in the present, about their future.
In addition to the cherry orchard, there are others in the play. symbolic images and motives. The image and fate of Gayev's old servant, Firs, are symbolic. At the end of the play, all the characters leave, leaving him in a locked house to fend for himself. They leave their past in this house, the embodiment of which is an old servant. The word of the fool, uttered by Firs, can be attributed to each of the heroes. The problem of humanism is also connected with this image. Almost no one remembered the faithful servant, who, even at such a moment, thinks not of himself, but of his master, who has not put on a warm coat. The blame for the dramatic denouement of Firs' life is laid on all the main characters of The Cherry Orchard.
The traditional symbol of time - the clock - becomes the key to the play. Lopakhin is the only hero who looks at his watch all the time, the rest have lost their sense of time. The movement of the hands of the clock is symbolic, correlating with the life of the heroes: the action begins in the spring and ends in late autumn, the May time of flowering is replaced by the October cold.
The gesture of Varya is symbolic, throwing the keys to the house on the floor after the news that the estate now has a new owner. The keys are perceived as a sign of attachment to the household, a symbol of power.
Money appears in the play as a symbol of wasted wealth and Ranevskaya's relaxed will. Gaev's lollipops and billiards - as a symbol of an absurd, empty life lived.
The sound background of the play is symbolic: the ringing of keys, the clatter of an ax on wood, the sound of a broken string, music, which contributes to the creation of a certain atmosphere of what is happening on the stage.
The genre of the play.
Shortly after the premiere of The Cherry Orchard, on April 10, 1904, Chekhov, in a letter to O. L. Knipper, in an unusually harsh tone for him, remarked: “Why is my play so stubbornly called a drama on posters and in newspaper ads? Nemirovich and Alekseev (Stanislavsky. - Auth.) in my play see positively not what I wrote, and I am ready to give any word that both of them have never read my play carefully. Many times in letters and conversations with different people Chekhov stubbornly repeated: "The Cherry Orchard" is a comedy, in places even a farce. Later, the genre of the work was defined by literary critics in greater accordance with the author's intention: The Cherry Orchard was called a lyrical comedy.
Researchers note the optimistic tone of the play as a whole. The impression of tragedy, characteristic of Chekhov's previous plays, is different in The Cherry Orchard. The play organically combined the laughter that sounded in Chekhov's stories and the sad reflections of his dramas, giving rise to laughter through tears, but tears not taken seriously.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.
The estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. Spring, cherry trees bloom. But the beautiful garden is 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 nicknamed "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. Lopakhin's proposal surprises Ranevskaya: how can you cut down her favorite wonderful 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 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 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 to 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 upon a time generals and barons danced here, and now, as Firs complains, both the postal official and the head of the station "are not willing to go." 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 immediately, then - after reading them first, now she doesn't vomit anymore. "This 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 " beast of prey”, 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: a new life begins - she will graduate from the gymnasium, will work, read books, a “new world” will open before her. wonderful world". Simeonov-Pishchik suddenly appears out of breath and, instead of asking for money, on the contrary, distributes debts. It turned out that the British found white clay on his land.
Everyone settled down differently. Gaev says that now he is a bank servant. Lopakhin promises to find a new job 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 material was provided by the Internet portal briefly.ru, compiled by E. V. Novikova