What a cherry orchard means to every hero. A

AP Chekhov wrote his famous play "The Cherry Orchard" in 1903. In this play, the central place is occupied not so much by the personal experiences of the characters as by an allegorical vision of the fate of Russia. Some characters personify the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs, Varya), others - the future (Lopakhin, Trofimov, Anya). The heroes of Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" reflect the society of that time.

Main characters

The heroes of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are lyrical characters with special features. For example, Epikhodov, who was constantly unlucky, or Trofimov, an "eternal student". Below will be presented all the heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard":

• Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, mistress of the estate.
• Anya, her daughter, 17 years old. She is not indifferent to Trofimov.
• Varya, her adopted daughter, 24 years old. In love with Lopakhin.
• Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya.
• Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, a native of peasants, now a merchant. He likes Varya.
• Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich, eternal student. Sympathizes with Anya, but he is above love.
• Simeonov-Pischik Boris Borisovich, a landowner who constantly has no money, but he believes in the possibility of unexpected enrichment.
• Charlotte Ivanovna, a maid, loves to perform tricks.
• Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk, unlucky person. He wants to marry Dunyasha.
• Dunyasha, the maid, considers herself like a lady. In love with Yasha.
• Firs, an old lackey, is constantly taking care of Gaev.
• Yasha, Ranevskaya's spoiled lackey.

Images of the heroes of the play

A.P. Chekhov always very accurately and subtly noticed in each character his features, be it appearance or character. This Chekhovian peculiarity is also supported by the play "The Cherry Orchard" - the images of the heroes here are lyrical and even a little touching. Each has its own unique features. Characteristics of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard can be divided into groups for convenience.

Old generation

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna appears to be a very frivolous, but kind woman who cannot fully understand that all her money is over. She is in love with some villain who left her penniless. And then Ranevskaya returns with Anya to Russia. They can be compared with people who left Russia: no matter how good it is abroad, they still continue to yearn for their homeland. The image chosen by Chekhov for his homeland will be written below.

Ranevskaya and Gaev are the personification of the nobility, the wealth of the past, which began to decline during the author's time. Both brother and sister may not fully comprehend this, but nevertheless they feel that something is happening. And by the way they begin to act, one can see the reaction of Chekhov's contemporaries - it was either a move abroad, or an attempt to adapt to new conditions.

Firs is an image of a servant who was always loyal to her masters and did not want any change in the order, because they did not need it. If with the first protagonists of "The Cherry Orchard" it is clear why they are considered in this group, then why can Varya be included here?

Because Varya takes a passive position: she humbly accepts the emerging position, but her dream is the opportunity to walk to holy places, and strong faith was characteristic of people of the older generation. And Varya, despite her rough, at first glance, activity, does not take an active part in conversations about the fate of the cherry orchard and does not offer any solutions, which shows the passivity of the wealthy class of that time.

Younger generation

Here, representatives of the future of Russia will be considered - these are educated young people who put themselves above any feelings, which was fashionable in the early 1900s. At that time, the public duty and the desire to develop science were put in the first place. But one should not assume that Anton Pavlovich portrayed a revolutionary-minded youth - rather, it is an image of most of the intelligentsia of that time, which was engaged only in reasoning on lofty topics, placed itself above human needs, but was not adapted to anything.

All this was realized in Trofimov, an "eternal student" and "shabby gentleman", who could not graduate from anything, had no profession. Throughout the play, he only talked about various matters and despised Lopakhin and Varya, who could admit the idea of ​​his possible romance with Anya - he is "above love."

Anya is a kind, sweet, still completely inexperienced girl who admires Trofimov and listens attentively to everything that he says. She personifies young people who have always been interested in the ideas of the intelligentsia.

But one of the most striking and characteristic images of that era was Lopakhin - a native of peasants who managed to make a fortune for himself. But, despite his wealth, he remained in essence a simple man. He is an active person, a representative of the so-called "kulak" class - wealthy peasants. Ermolai Alekseevich respected work, and work was always in the first place for him, so he kept putting off explaining to Varya.

It was during that period that the hero of Lopakhin could appear - then this "rising" peasantry, proud of the realization that they were no longer slaves, showed a higher adaptability to life than the nobles, which is proved by the fact that it was Lopakhin who bought the Ranevskaya estate.

Why was the characteristic of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard chosen for these characters? Because it is on the features of the characters' characters that their internal conflicts will be built.

Internal conflicts in the play

The play shows not only the personal experiences of the characters, but also the confrontation between them, which makes it possible to make the images of the characters of The Cherry Orchard brighter and deeper. Let's consider them in more detail.

Ranevskaya - Lopakhin

The most important conflict is in the Ranevskaya-Lopakhin pair. And it is due to several reasons:

• belonging to different generations;
• the opposite of characters.

Lopakhin is trying to help Ranevskaya save the estate by cutting down the cherry orchard and building summer cottages in its place. But for Raevskaya, this is impossible - after all, she grew up in this house, and "summer cottages are so common." And the fact that it was Yermolai Alekseevich who bought the estate, she sees in this a betrayal on his part. For him, buying a cherry orchard is a resolution of his personal conflict: he, a simple man, whose ancestors could not go beyond the kitchen, now became the owner. And this is his main triumph.

Lopakhin - Trofimov

The conflict in a pair of these people occurs due to the fact that they have opposite views. Trofimov considers Lopakhin an ordinary peasant, rude, limited, who is not interested in anything except work. The same one believes that Pyotr Sergeevich is simply wasting his mental abilities in vain, does not understand how one can live without money, and does not accept the ideology that a person is above everything earthly.

Trofimov - Varya

The confrontation is built, most likely, on personal rejection. Varya despises Peter for the fact that he is not busy with anything, and fears that he, with the help of his clever speeches, will fall in love with Anya. Therefore, Varya is trying in every possible way to prevent them. Trofimov teases the girl "Madame Lopakhina", knowing that everyone has been waiting for this event for a long time. But he despises her for the fact that she equated him and Anya with herself and Lopakhina, because they are above all earthly passions.

So, above it was briefly written about the characters of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov. We have described only the most significant characters. Now you can move on to the most interesting - the image of the main character of the play.

The main character of "The Cherry Orchard"

The attentive reader has already guessed (or guesses) that this is a cherry orchard. In the play, he personifies Russia itself: its past, present and future. Why did the garden itself become the main character of The Cherry Orchard?

Because it is to this estate that Ranevskaya returns after all the misadventures abroad, because it is because of him that the heroine's internal conflict is aggravated (fear of losing the garden, awareness of her helplessness, unwillingness to part with it), and a confrontation arises between Ranevskaya and Lopakhin.

The Cherry Orchard also contributes to the resolution of Lopakhin's internal conflict: he reminded him that he was a peasant, an ordinary man who was surprisingly able to get rich. And the opportunity to cut down this garden that appeared with the purchase of the estate meant that now nothing else in those parts would be able to remind him of its origin.

What the garden meant for heroes

For convenience, you can write the attitude of the heroes to the cherry orchard in the table.

The symbolism of the cherry orchard in the play

But how, then, is the image of the protagonist of The Cherry Orchard connected with the image of the Motherland? Through this garden, Anton Chekhov showed the past: when the country was rich, the estate of the nobility was in prosperity, no one thought about the abolition of serfdom. In the present, a decline in society is already outlined: it is being divided, landmarks are changing. Russia was already on the verge of a new era, the nobility was getting smaller, and the peasants were gaining strength. And the future is shown in Lopakhin's dreams: the country will be ruled by those who are not afraid to work - only those people will be able to lead the country to prosperity.

The sale of Ranevskaya's cherry orchard for debts and its purchase by Lopakhin is a symbolic transfer of the country from the wealthy class to ordinary workers. Debt here means debt for how the owners treated them for a long time, how they exploited the common people. And the fact that power in the country passes to the common people is a natural result of the path along which Russia was moving. And the nobility could do what Ranevskaya and Gaev did - go abroad or go to work. And the younger generation will try to make dreams of a bright future come true.

Conclusion

After conducting such a small analysis of the work, one can understand that the play "The Cherry Orchard" is a deeper creation than it might seem at first glance. Anton Pavlovich was able to masterfully convey the mood of the society of that time, the position in which it was. And the writer did it very gracefully and subtly, which allows this play to remain loved by readers for a long time.

The origins of the work

Very often the question arises, what is included in the history of the creation of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"? In order to understand this, it is necessary to remember at the turn of what eras Anton Pavlovich worked. He was born in the 19th century, society was changing, people and their worldview were changing, Russia was moving towards a new system, which developed rapidly after the abolition of serfdom. The history of the creation of the play "The Cherry Orchard" by A.P. Chekhov, the final work of his work, begins, perhaps, from the very departure of young Anton to Moscow in 1879.

From an early age, Anton Chekhov was fond of drama and, as a student at the gymnasium, tried to write in this genre, but it became known about these first attempts at writing after the death of the writer. One of the plays is called "Fatherlessness", written around 1878. A very voluminous work, it was staged on the stage of the theater only in 1957. The volume of the play did not correspond to Chekhov's style, where “brevity is the sister of talent,” however, the strokes that have changed the entire Russian theater are already visible.

Anton Pavlovich's father had a small shop located on the first floor of the Chekhovs' house, on the second the family lived. However, since 1894, things in the store were getting worse and worse, and in 1897 the father went bankrupt completely, the whole family was forced, after the sale of the property, to move to Moscow, in which the older children had already settled by that time. Therefore, from an early age, Anton Chekhov learned what it was like when he had to part with his most expensive house in order to pay off debts. Already at a more mature age, Chekhov more than once came across cases of sale of noble estates at auctions to "new people", and in modern language - to businessmen.

Originality and timeliness

The creative history of "The Cherry Orchard" begins in 1901, when Chekhov, for the first time in a letter to his wife, informs that he conceived a new play, unlike those that he had written before. From the very beginning, he conceived it as a kind of comedic farce, in which everything would be very frivolous, funny and carefree. The plot of the play was the sale of an old manor house for debts. Chekhov had already tried to reveal this topic earlier in Fatherlessness, but it took him 170 pages of handwritten text, and a play of this volume could not fit into the framework of one performance. And Anton Pavlovich did not like to remember his early brainchild. Having honed the skill of the playwright to perfection, he again took up her.

The situation of the sale of the house was close and familiar to Chekhov, and after the sale of his father's house in Taganrog he was interested and agitated by the mental tragedy of such cases. Thus, the play was based on both his own painful impressions and the story of his friend A.S. Kiselev, whose estate also went away from the auction, and he became one of the directors of the bank, and it was from him that Gaev's image was largely written off. Also, many abandoned noble estates in the Kharkov province, where he rested, passed before the writer's gaze. The action of the play takes place, by the way, in those regions. Anton Pavlovich observed the same deplorable state of the estates and the situation of their owners on his estate in Melikhovo, and as a guest in the estate of K.S. Stanislavsky. He watched what was happening and comprehended what was happening for more than 10 years.

The process of impoverishment of the nobles lasted a long time, they simply lived through their fortunes, unreasonably squandering them and not thinking about the consequences. The image of Ranevskaya became collective, displaying proud, noble people who hardly adapt to modern life, from which the right to own human resources in the form of serfs working for the welfare of their masters has disappeared.

A play born in anguish

It took about three years from the beginning of work on the play to its production. This was due to a number of reasons. One of the main ones was the author's poor health, and even in letters to friends he complained that the work was progressing very slowly, sometimes it was possible to write no more than four lines a day. However, despite feeling unwell, he tried to write a work that was light in genre.

The second reason can be called Chekhov's desire to fit into his play, intended for staging on stage, the whole result of thinking about the fate of not only ruined landowners, but also about such typical people for that era as Lopakhin, the eternal student of Trofimov, in which one can feel a revolutionary-minded intellectual ... Even the work on the image of Yasha demanded tremendous efforts, because it was through him that Chekhov showed how the historical memory of his roots is being erased, how society and the attitude towards the Motherland as a whole are changing.

The work on the characters was carried out very scrupulously. It was important for Chekhov that the actors could fully convey the idea of ​​the play to the viewer. In letters, he described in detail the characters of the heroes, gave detailed comments to each scene. And he especially noted that his play is not a drama, but a comedy. However, V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko and K.S. Stanislavsky did not manage to consider anything comedic in the play, which made the author very upset. The production of "The Cherry Orchard" was difficult for both the directors and the playwright. After the premiere, which took place on January 17, 1904, on Chekhov's birthday, controversy flared up between critics, but no one remained indifferent to her.

Artistic methods and stylistics

On the one hand, the history of writing Chekhov's comedy "The Cherry Orchard" is not so long, but on the other, Anton Pavlovich went to her all his creative life. The images have been collected for decades, artistic techniques, showing everyday life without pathos on the stage, have also been perfected for more than one year. The Cherry Orchard became another cornerstone in the chronicle of the new theater, which began largely thanks to the talent of Chekhov as a playwright.

From the moment of the first production to the present day, the directors of this play have no consensus on the genre of this play. Someone sees a deep tragedy in what is happening, calling it a drama, some perceive the play as a tragicomedy or tragedy. But everyone is unanimous in the opinion that "The Cherry Orchard" has long become a classic not only in Russian, but also in world drama.

A brief description of the history of the creation and writing of the famous play will help 10 grade students prepare notes and lessons while studying this wonderful comedy.

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"The Cherry Orchard" is a lyric play by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in four acts, the genre of which the author himself defined as a comedy.

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The success of the play, written in 1903, was so obvious that on January 17, 1904, the comedy was shown at the Moscow Art Theater. The Cherry Orchard is one of the most famous Russian plays created at that time. It is noteworthy that it is based on Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's own painful impressions of his acquaintance A.S. Kiselev, whose estate was also gone from the auction.

It is important in the history of the play's creation that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov wrote it already at the end of his life, being seriously ill. That is why the work on the work progressed very difficult: about three years passed from the beginning of the play to its production.

This is the first reason. The second consists in Chekhov's desire to fit into his play, intended for staging on stage, the whole result of thinking about the fate of his characters, the work on whose images was carried out very scrupulously.

The artistic originality of the play became the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright.

Act one: acquaintance with the characters of the play

The heroes of the play - Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, the maid Dunyasha, the clerk Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich (who is very clumsy, "22 misfortunes", as those around him call him) - are waiting for the owner of the estate, landowner Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, to arrive. She is due to return after a five-year absence, and the household is in excitement. Finally, Lyubov Andreevna and her daughter Anya crossed the threshold of their house. The hostess is incredibly happy that she has finally returned to her native land. Nothing has changed here in five years. Sisters Anya and Varya talk among themselves, rejoicing at the long-awaited meeting, the maid Dunyasha prepares coffee, ordinary household trifles cause tenderness in the landowner. She is kind and generous - both to the old lackey Firs and to other household members, she willingly talks with her brother, Leonid Gayev, but her beloved daughters evoke special tremulous feelings. Everything, it would seem, goes on as usual, but suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, the message of the merchant Lopakhin: "... Your estate is being sold for debts, but there is a way out ... Here is my project ..." after cutting it down. He claims that this will bring a considerable income to the family - 25 thousand a year and save them from complete ruin, but no one agrees to such an offer. The family does not want to part with the cherry orchard, which they consider the best and to which they are attached with all their hearts.

So, no one listens to Lopakhin. Ranevskaya pretends that nothing is happening and continues to answer meaningless questions about the trip to Paris, not wanting to accept reality as it is. A casual conversation about nothing starts up again.

Petya Trofimov, the former teacher of the deceased son of Ranevskaya Grisha, who at first was unrecognized by her, came in to make his mother cry with his reminder. The day is coming to an end ... Finally, everyone goes to bed.

Act two: there is very little left before the sale of the cherry orchard

The action takes place in nature, near an old church, from where you can see both the cherry orchard and the city. There is very little time left before the sale of a cherry orchard at auction - literally a few days. Lopakhin is trying to convince Ranevskaya and her brother to lease the garden to summer cottages, but again no one wants to hear him, they hope for the money that the Yaroslavl aunt will send. Lyubov Ranevskaya recalls the past, perceiving her misfortunes as punishment for sins. First, the husband died from champagne, then the son of Grisha drowned in the river, after which she left for Paris so that the memories of the area where such a grief happened would not stir the soul.

Lopakhin suddenly opened up, telling about his difficult fate in childhood, when his father "did not teach, but only beat him drunk, and all with a stick ..." Lyubov Andreevna invites him to marry Vara, his adopted daughter.

Enter student Petya Trofimov and both Ranevskaya's daughters. A conversation starts between Trofimov and Lopakhin. One says that “in Russia, very few are working so far,” the other calls for evaluating all that is given by God and starting to work.

The attention of the conversation is attracted by a passer-by who recites poetry, and then asks for a donation of thirty kopecks. Lyubov Andreevna gives him a gold coin, for which her daughter Varya reproaches her. “People have nothing to eat,” she says. - And you gave him the gold ... "

After Varya's departure, Lyubov Andreevna, Lopakhina and Gaeva, Anya and Trofimov are left alone. The girl confesses to Pete that she no longer loves the cherry orchard, as before. The student argues: "... To live in the present, you must first redeem the past ... by suffering and continuous work ..."

Varya can be heard calling Anya, but her sister is only irritated, not responding to her voice.

Act Three: The Day The Cherry Orchard Is Sold

The third act of The Cherry Orchard takes place in the living room in the evening. Couples are dancing, but no one feels joy. Everyone is discouraged about impending debts. Lyubov Andreevna understands that they started the ball quite inopportunely. Those in the house are waiting for Leonidas, who must bring news from the city: was the garden sold or the auction did not take place at all. But Gaev is still not there. Households begin to worry. Old footman Firs admits that he is not feeling well.

Trofimov teases Varya with Madame Lopakhina, which annoys the girl. But Lyubov Andreevna really proposes to marry a merchant. Varya seems to agree, but the catch is that Lopakhin has not yet made an offer, and she herself does not want to impose.

Lyubov Andreevna worries more and more: has the estate been sold? Trofimov calms Ranevskaya: "Does it matter, there is no turning back, the path is overgrown."

Lyubov Andreevna takes out a handkerchief, from which a telegram falls, in which it is reported that her beloved is sick again and calls her. Trofimov begins to argue: "he is a petty scoundrel and insignificant", to which Ranevskaya responds with anger, calling the student a fool, a neat and funny eccentric who does not know how to love. Petya takes offense and leaves. A crash is heard. Anya reports that the student fell down the stairs.

The young footman Yasha, talking with Ranevskaya, asks to Paris if she has the opportunity to go there. Everyone seems to be busy talking, but are in anxious anticipation of the outcome of the auction in the cherry orchard. Lyubov Andreevna is especially worried, literally does not find a place for herself. Finally, LOPAKHIN and GAYEV enter. It can be seen that Leonid Andreyevich is crying. Lopakhin reports that the cherry orchard has been sold, and when asked who bought it, he answers: “I bought it.” Ermolai Alekseevich reports the details of the auction. Lyubov Andreyevna sobs, realizing that nothing can be changed. Anya consoles her, trying to focus on the fact that life goes on, no matter what. She seeks to instill hope that they will plant "a new garden, more luxurious than this ... and a quiet, deep joy will descend on the soul, like the sun."

Act four: after the sale of the estate

The estate is sold. In the corner of the children's room, there are packed things ready for removal. The peasants come to say goodbye to their former owners. The sounds of cherries being cut down can be heard from the street. Lopakhin offers champagne, but no one, except Yasha's footman, wants to drink it. Each of the former tenants of the estate is depressed by what happened, family friends are also depressed. Anya voices her mother's request that the garden should not be chopped down before she leaves.

“Indeed, is there really not enough tact,” says Petya Trofimov and leaves through the hallway.

Yasha and Ranevskaya are going to Paris, Dunyasha, in love with a young footman, asks him to send a letter from abroad.

Gaev hurries Lyubov Andreevna. The landowner sadly says goodbye to the house and garden, but Anna admits that a new life begins for her. Gaev is also happy.

Governess Charlotte Ivanovna, leaving, sings a song.

Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, a landowner neighbor, enters the house. To the surprise of everyone, he repays debt to both Lyubov Andreevna and Lopakhin. He reports the news of a successful deal: he managed to lease land to the British for the extraction of rare white clay. The neighbor did not even know that the estate was sold, so he is surprised to see the packed suitcases and the preparations of the former owners for departure.

Lyubov Andreevna, firstly, worries about the sick Firs, because it is still not known for certain whether he was sent to the hospital or not. Anya claims that Yasha did it, but the girl is mistaken. Secondly, Ranevskaya is afraid that Lopakhin will never make an offer to Varya. They seem to be not indifferent to each other, however, no one wants to take the first step. And although Lyubov Andreevna is making a last attempt to leave young people alone to solve this difficult issue, nothing comes of such an undertaking.

After the former mistress of the house for the last time looks longingly at the walls and windows of the house, everyone leaves.

In the hustle and bustle, they did not notice that they had locked up the sick Firs, who mutters: "Life has passed, as if it never lived." The old lackey holds no grudge against the owners. He lies down on the sofa and passes into another world.

We bring to your attention the story of Anton Chekhov, where, with the subtle and inimitable irony inherent in the writer, he describes the character of the main character - Shchukina. What was the peculiarity of her behavior, read the story.

The essence of the play "The Cherry Orchard"

From literary sources it is known that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was very happy when he came up with the title for the play - "The Cherry Orchard".

It seems logical, because it reflects the very essence of the work: the old way of life changes to a completely new one, and the cherry orchard, which the former owners cherished, is mercilessly cut down when the estate passes into the hands of the enterprising merchant Lopakhin. The Cherry Orchard is a prototype of old Russia, which is gradually disappearing into oblivion. The past is fatefully crossed out, giving way to new plans and intentions, which, according to the author, are better than the previous ones.

Scientific adviser: Barnashova Elena Vyacheslavovna, Cand. philol. Sci., Department of Theory and History of Culture, NR TSU, Russia, Tomsk

Annotation.

This article is devoted to the study of the perception of the world and the inner world of a person of a turning point of the late XIX - early XX century. To reveal this topic, the author uses the analysis of the work of A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard". This play was not chosen by chance, it is in it that the writer most fully reveals the mood of a person in a crisis era, and also an assessment of the general atmosphere of that time is given.

Key words: A.P. Chekhov, "The Cherry Orchard", the perception of the world, the era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, crisis perception of the world.

This topic is relevant for the XXI century, since now the consonance of the eras can be traced. Modern man is in a similar state. The surrounding reality shows its instability, values ​​quickly become obsolete, new ideas, opinions, preferences appear, the world around is rapidly changing every second. Confidence in a stable future disappears. As at the end of the 19th century, a person cannot find support, unshakable ideals on which he could rely. The 21st century embraces a special atmosphere of longing, expectations of change, and fatigue from life. In this regard, the author of the article considers it expedient to study the work of A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" to reveal the special mood of this crisis era and human perception of the world. And understanding the atmosphere of the late XIX-early XX centuries. will give an opportunity to understand the processes taking place in the inner world of a modern person.

Anton Pavlovich wrote the play "The Cherry Orchard" in 1903, a year before his death. He shares the idea of ​​a new work in a letter with his wife O.L. Knipper March 7, 1901: "The next play I write will certainly be funny, very funny, at least by design." And in the summer of 1902, the writer clearly defines the contours of the plot, and comes up with a title for his new play. However, the writing of the play was postponed due to Anton Pavlovich's illness, but already in June 1903, being at a dacha near Moscow in Naro-Fominsk, the writer began writing a full-fledged plot of the play. And on September 26, 1903, the play was finished.

The play is being created at a difficult time for the country. The era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was marked by rapid changes in all spheres of society. Society was torn apart by contradictions, revolutionary sentiments grew, especially among the workers. The socio-political situation in the country was aggravated. Old values ​​are losing their credibility with the common people. The revolutionary movements, opposing the old, still cannot offer anything concrete in return. The person finds himself at a crossroads.

And it was in this "troubled" time that this play was created. This last work, written by Chekhov, reflects the whole essence of the cultural era of that time and how a person felt in it.

This is one of his most interesting and most talked about plays. Until now, researchers have not come to a consensus on the interpretation of this work, with each reading it reveals new meanings and gives rise to new interpretations.

The plot of this play is quite common and ordinary. However, the value of Chekhov's work is not at all in the plot, but in the subtle human psychologism with which the writer shows a person, his experiences and spiritual searches. A special atmosphere of the work is also created, it becomes more depressing in comparison with other plays. Here we will no longer see dreams of a happy life, some kind of feeling of dissatisfaction. A sense of doom now hovers in the air. It is in this that Chekhov's work particularly accurately and subtly shows the turning point and the person living in it, who is trying to find support, but cannot do it in any way. The characters cannot clearly understand what is tormenting them, they cannot express their feelings. They are in an endless search for answers to their tormenting questions.

A special relationship between the characters themselves. The misunderstanding between them is clearly shown. The heroes seem to speak different languages, as a result of this, so-called "parallel dialogues" appear, when, for example, Ranevskaya and Lopakhin talk about the sale of an estate, the landowner does not seem to hear what her interlocutor is talking about (or does not want to hear), she says about her beautiful childhood, plunging into memories, she does not notice anything around her.

Chekhov, moving away from the class, depicts people from the point of view of their perception of the surrounding reality. And we see Lopakhin, who was able to adjust and survive in this changed world, but on the other hand, the image of Ranevskaya, a person who does not want and cannot change, she is not ready for changes in her life, and therefore continues to live as before. A special fear of the future is read in her image, she looks defenseless and desperate. It should be noted that this aspect cannot be tied to the social aspects of the characters, since then their status would be emphasized, but the play instead focuses on emotional experiences.

A special place in the play is occupied by the image of the Garden; on the one hand, it appears as a kind of metaphor for life, an ideal where everyone is striving to get. It is symbolic that the heroes look at the garden only from afar. But on the other hand, the Garden is an image of the past, of that happy, carefree past, where everything was clear. Where certain authorities remained, unshakable values, where life flowed smoothly and measuredly, and everyone knew what awaited tomorrow. Therefore, Firs says: "In the old days, forty or fifty years ago, cherries were dried ... And dried cherries were then soft, juicy ... The method was then known ...". This special way, the secret of life, which allowed the cherry orchard to bloom, has been lost and now must be cut down and destroyed. Time moves forward, the surrounding world changes, and therefore the Garden must go into the past. It is very difficult to part with him, but this is what will be the main impetus for the development of the present, and with it the future.

Along with this, the problem of human self-determination in a new, constantly changing world is traced. Some find their occupation (like Lopakhin), others (Ranevskaya) still live in the past and are afraid to face the future. At first, she is really afraid to part with the orchard, but after the sale, Gaev says: “Before the sale of the cherry orchard, we all worried, suffered, and then, when the issue was finally resolved, irrevocably, everyone calmed down, even cheered up,” thereby proving the need for change.

Another important factor is “random” sounds. Like the sound of a bursting arrow at the end. In my opinion, these are assumptions about the future of the author himself. Throughout the play, tension grew, there was an internal conflict of a person with himself with his old habits of prejudices, inevitable changes were felt that pressed on the person, forced him to make his "right" decision. The heroes rushed about in search of the truth and did not want to change anything, but the changes slowly took over their lives. And at the end the garden is sold, everyone left, and we see an empty stage, we hear the sound of a broken string, nothing and no one is left except Firs. The tension was resolved, leaving a void that encourages the reader to see something of their own in it. Chekhov didn’t know exactly what this “future” would look like, he didn’t know what would be there, but he definitely had a presentiment of inevitable changes, which are already very close, so close that we can already hear the sound of an ax.

Thus, the writer strove to show the character's inner life, his feelings and emotions, the external everyday aspects were not so important. And so Chekhov tries to get away from the usual social characteristics of the characters, he tries to more fully describe their extra-class features. For example, personal characteristics, individualization of speech, special gestures. Another feature of The Cherry Orchard is that the reader does not see a pronounced social conflict, there are no contradictions or collisions. The speech of the heroes is also becoming new: they often say "random" phrases, and at the same time do not listen to each other, they conduct parallel conversations. The whole meaning of the work is manifested in the totality of these small strokes, unsaid words.

The heroes appear before the readers as realistically as in life, the writer shows that there is no one true truth that can be accepted by everyone. Each has its own truth, its own meaning and way of life, in which they sincerely believe. Anton Pavlovich showed the tragedy of the situation at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, when a person stood at a crossroads. Old values ​​and guidelines were crumbling, but new ones had not yet been found and assimilated. Life, to which everyone was accustomed, was changing, and the person felt the inevitable approach of these changes.

Bibliography:

1. Chekhov A.P. Complete works and letters: in 30 volumes / ch. ed. N.F. Belchikov. - M.: Nauka, 1980 .-- T. 9: Letters 1900-March 1901. - 614 p.

2. Chekhov A.P. Stories and plays / A.P. Chekhov. - M.: Pravda, 1987 .-- 464 p.

On our website) take place in the old noble estate, which belongs to Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. The estate is located not far from the big city. Its main attraction is a huge cherry orchard, which occupies almost a thousand acres. Once this garden was considered one of the most wonderful places in the province and brought a lot of income to the owners. There is even a mention of him in the Encyclopedic Dictionary. But after the fall of serfdom, the economy on the estate was upset. There is no more demand for cherries that are born only once every two years. Ranevskaya and her brother, Leonid Andreevich Gaev, who lives here on the estate, are on the verge of ruin.

The first act of The Cherry Orchard takes place on a cold May morning. Ranevskaya and her daughter Anya are returning from France. In the estate, where the cherries have already bloomed, she is awaited by the eldest (adopted) daughter Varya (24 years old), who runs the farm in the absence of her mother, and the merchant Yermolai Lopakhin, the son of a serf, a grasping man who has become very rich in recent years.

Lyubov Andreevna and Anya arrive from the railway station, accompanied by Gaev and their neighbor-landowner Simeonov-Pishchik, who met them. The arrival is accompanied by a lively conversation, which well describes the characters of all the heroes of this Chekhovian play.

"The Cherry Orchard". Performance based on the play by A.P. Chekhov, 1983

Ranevskaya and Gaev are typical inactive aristocrats, accustomed to living without labor on a grand scale. Lyubov Andreevna thinks only of her love passions. Her husband died six years ago, and a month later the boy-son Grisha also drowned in the river. Taking most of the estate's funds, Ranevskaya left to be comforted in France with her lover, who shamelessly deceived and robbed her. She left her daughters on the estate with almost no money. 17-year-old Anya came to her mother in Paris only a few months ago. Foster Vara had to manage the lossless estate herself, saving on everything and making debts. Ranevskaya returned to Russia only because she was left abroad completely penniless. The lover squeezed everything out of her, forced her to sell even a dacha near Menton, and he himself remained in Paris.

In the dialogues of the first act, Ranevskaya appears as a woman, exaggeratedly sensitive and vulnerable. She loves to show kindness by giving generous tips to lackeys. However, in her random words and gestures every now and then a mental callousness, indifference to loved ones slips.

Match Ranevskaya and her brother, Gaev. The main interest in his life is billiards - he now and then pours billiard terms. Leonid Andreevich loves to utter pompous speeches about "bright ideals of goodness and justice", about "social consciousness" and "fruitful work", but, as you can understand, he himself does not serve anywhere and does not even help young Vara to manage the estate. The need to take care of every penny makes Varya stingy, not preoccupied for her age, like a nun. She expresses a desire to give up everything and go to wander through the splendor of the holy places, but with such piety she feeds her old servants with one pea. Varya's younger sister, Anya, is very reminiscent of her mother with an inclination to enthusiastic dreams and isolation from life. A family friend, Simeonov-Pishchik, is the same ruined landowner as Ranevskaya and Gaev. He is only looking for where to intercept a loan of money.

A muzhik, poorly educated, but a business merchant, Lopakhin reminds Ranevskaya and Gaev that their estate will be sold for debts in August. He also offers a way out. The estate is located next to a large city and a railway, so its land can be profitably leased to summer residents of thousands for 25 annual income. This will allow not only to pay off the debt, but also to have a large profit. However, the famous cherry orchard will have to be cut down.

Gaev and Ranevskaya reject such a plan with horror, not wanting to lose their dear memories of their youth. But they cannot think of anything else. Without felling, the estate will inevitably pass to another owner - and the cherry orchard will still be destroyed. Nevertheless, the indecisive Gaev and Ranevskaya shy away from ruining him with their own hands, hoping for a miracle that will help them out by unknown means.

Several other characters also participate in the dialogues of the first action: the hapless clerk Epikhodov, with whom minor misfortunes constantly occur; the maid Dunyasha, from constant communication with bars herself became sensitive, like a noblewoman; Gayeva Firs, an 87-year-old footman, loyal to the owner like a dog and refused to leave him after the abolition of serfdom; Ranevskaya's lackey Yasha, a stupid and boorish young commoner, who, however, was imbued in France with contempt for "ignorant and wild" Russia; superficial foreigner Charlotte Ivanovna, a former circus performer, and now Anya's governess. The former teacher of the drowned son of Ranevskaya, the "eternal student" Petya Trofimov, also appears for the first time. The character of this remarkable character will be detailed in the following acts of The Cherry Orchard.