"Cherry Orchard": history of creation, genre, heroes. The play "The Cherry Orchard": the history of creation

29.06.2020

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Chekhov's Cherry Orchard.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov! How much is connected with this name in the soul of a Russian person. He was endowed with amazing talent and hard work. Namely, these qualities put him on a par with the best representatives of Russian literature.
He was always attracted by the high art of simplicity and brevity, and at the same time, he strove in his works to enhance the emotional and semantic expressiveness of the narrative.
The work of A.P. Chekhov is permeated with a constant struggle with the unbearable melancholy of being. One of the few whose gaze was not just turned to the future - he lived this future. With his pen, forcing us, the readers, to think about the problems not of the moment, but of much more important and significant ones.
V 1904 year on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater with triumph was the premiere of the play by A. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard". After previous, controversial critical assessments of Chekhov's productions, "The Cherry Orchard" was accepted immediately and unconditionally. Moreover, the play gave impetus to the birth of a "new theater" tending towards symbolism and grotesque.
The Cherry Orchard became an epilogue, a requiem for an entire era. A vivid parody and a desperate comedy with an ending that gives us some hope for the future, this is perhaps the main, innovative phenomenon of this play.
Chekhov quite accurately placing accents, clearly gives us an understanding of the ideal, without which, in his opinion, meaningful human life is impossible. He is sure that pragmatism without spirituality is doomed. That is why Chekhov is closer not to Lopakhin, a representative of capitalism that was emerging in Russia, but rather to the "eternal student" Petya Trofimov, at first glance miserable and funny, but it is behind him that the author sees the future, because Petya is kind.
Anya, another character that Chekhov sympathizes with. It seems to be inept and ridiculous, but there is a certain charm and pureness in her, for which Anton Pavlovich is ready to forgive her everything. He understands perfectly well that the lopakhins, the Ranevskys, etc. will not disappear from our life, Chekhov sees the future behind the kind romantics. Even if somewhat helpless.
Lopakhin's complacency evokes Anton Pavlovich's indignation. With all the uniqueness of Chekhov's humanism, one cannot feel or hear this. Forgotten in a boarded-up house, Firs sounds like a metaphor, the meaning of which is still relevant today. Firs may be stupid, old, but he is a man, and he was forgotten. The man has been forgotten!
The essence of the play is its routine. But, an empty, boarded-up house with Firs forgotten in it and the sound of an ax chopping down a cherry orchard, make a depressing impression, touching and exposing the subtle and painful state of our soul. Once, through the lips of his hero, Shukshin said: "Not death is terrible, but parting."
The play "The Cherry Orchard" by AP Chekhov is about this, about parting. Parting, in a philosophical sense, with life. Let, by and large, not quite successful, somewhat unhappy, passed in useless aspirations, but the one that will never be. Alas, this understanding usually comes at the end of our existence on the mortal earth.
"The Cherry Orchard" is a deeply tragic thing, nevertheless, it is called a comedy by Chekhov. Paradox? Not at all. This, his last dying work, a kind of farewell to the reader, era, life ... Apparently, therefore, the leitmotif throughout the play is "spilled" and fear, and sadness and at the same time joy.
Chekhov called The Cherry Orchard a comedy not to define a genre, but as a guide to action. By playing the play as a tragedy, tragedy cannot be achieved. She will not be sad, nor scary or sad, she will be none. Only in a comedic interpretation, having achieved dissonance, can one achieve an understanding of the acuteness of the problems of human existence.
A. P. Chekhov's reflections on universal human values do not leave us indifferent even today. Theatrical performances of The Cherry Orchard on the modern stage are proof of this.

The creation of this piece was not spontaneous. The author pondered for a long time about this story, the characters and the main idea. The first sketches were made in 1901, about which Chekhov informed his wife. The writing was seriously delayed due to the poor health of the playwright. The play "The Cherry Orchard" was written in 1903 and staged at the Moscow Art Theater the following year. Chekhov created this work based on a real story about how his friend A. Kiselev lost his estate - it went under the hammer. The play turned out to be excellent - its success immediately became apparent. And in our time, this work is played on the stages of theaters around the world.

main characters

Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya- the owner of an estate with a cherry orchard. Her actions are mostly frivolous, she idealizes her world, not paying attention to real problems.
Anya- daughter of Ranevskaya 17 years old. She is a sane person who understands that circumstances have changed and she will have to adapt to a new way of life.
Leonid Andreevich Gaev- Ranevskaya's brother. He loves to argue, he says that he will come to mind. Therefore, he is not taken seriously. His character is very much like a sister's.
Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin- a typical merchant. He came from the bottom and made a lot of money on his own, but remained uneducated.
Varya- adopted daughter of Lyubov Andreevna. She is a believer and wants to make a pilgrimage. When the adoptive mother left, she was the mistress of the house.
Petr Sergeevich Trofimov- an eternal student, loves to think about serious problems of history, philosophy, and the future.
Boris Borisovich Simeonov-Pishchik- a neighbor, has a lot of debts.
Charlotte Ivanovna- a governess who grew up in a circus knows a lot of tricks. She does not see the meaning in her life and complains to everyone that she does not have a loved one.
Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov- a clerk, he loves Dunyasha.
Dunyasha- a young maid.
Firsis an old 87-year-old footman. All his life he served in this house, gave up freedom.
Yasha- a young footman.

Summary of the play "The Cherry Orchard"

All events take place in the estate, the main advantage of which is a gorgeous cherry orchard.

Step 1

May 1904. Children's room. The garden has blossomed, filling the entire estate with a gorgeous smell. Lopakhin and Dunyasha are waiting for Lyubov Andreevna to arrive. For the previous 5 years she had been abroad with her daughter, governess and Yasha. Dunyasha is very worried about the arrival of the owners. Epikhodov appears with flowers. The maid tells Lopakhin that the clerk recently offered to become his wife. The carriages arrive. Varya, Gaev, Firs and Boris Borisovich come to meet the family. Ranevskaya and Anya are very happy with their arrival and that nothing has changed here, as if they had not been absent for a long time. A bustle began in the house. Dunyasha wants to tell Anya what was in the house, but the girl does not listen to her. She was only interested in the fact that Pyotr Trofimov was visiting the house. The conversations of the heroes indicate that Ranevskaya has very little money.She has already sold property abroad and now in August, most likely, she will have to sell this house with a garden in order to pay off her debts. Varya and Anya talk about how disastrous their situation is. The landowner herself does not know how to save, but only sighs and remembers with Firs how they used to make money on cherries and cook delicious dishes from them. Lopakhin makes a proposal to cut down trees, and divide the area into pieces and rent out to residents of the city for summer cottages.He promises a lot of profit from this. But Ranevskaya and her brother are very fond of this garden and are against such a proposal. Lopakhin asks them to consider this option and leaves.

Gaev hopes to borrow money, and in the meantime, make friends with a wealthy aunt again and solve financial issues for her funds. Trofimov appears, who loves Anya very much.

Step 2

Three weeks have passed, and soon there will be an auction for the sale of the Ranevskaya estate. But the family still continues to chic and awaits a magical solution to their problem. Everyone is in nature, in a place where you can see the church and the cherry orchard. Over the past period, Dunyasha fell in love with Yasha, but he is in no hurry to make their relationship public. The governess, the maid, the young footman and the clerk are walking. Charlotte laments how lonely she is, Epikhodov worries that the maid is not building a relationship with him, and even says that he is ready to kill himself. But the girl is so in love with the footman that she does not even notice how frivolous he is to her. Lyubov Andreevna with her brother and Lopakhin appear near the church. Leonid Andreevich talks about how convenient the railway is, with the help of which they were able to quickly get to the city and even have breakfast. Lopakhin asks Ranevskaya about the decision on the land lease, but she ignores him, arguing that there is no money, and scolding herself for extravagance. Ranevskaya and her brother are very much waiting for their aunt to send them money, but they still would not be enough to pay the debt, and they consider the lease option unacceptable. Lopakhin is amazed at how short-sighted they behave, he is angry about this, because his proposal would help save the estate. But they do not perceive it. Ranevskaya reproaches the merchant for being down to earth and uneducated, but wants him to become Varya's husband.

Gaev says that there is an offer for him to work in a bank, but Ranevskaya immediately cuts off that it is not for him. Then the daughters of the landowner and Petya come up to the company. They continue to talk about what pride is and how many educated intellectuals are essentially nothing of interest. Everyone goes home, but Anya and Peter are left alone. Anya honestly tells him that this cherry orchard does not mean much to her, and she will be happy to make a radical decision to change her life.

Step 3

August 22 is the day when the auction is to take place. Evening, living room, music, dancing. Boris Borisovich and Peter talk, they are interrupted by the hostess, who is very worried - she is waiting for Gaev to return from the auction, but he is delayed. Lyubov Andreevna wonders if the auction was and how it ended. She is also worried about whether her aunt had enough funds to buy out the estate, although she realizes that 15,000 rubles is too small, it would not even be enough to pay interest. The governess shows tricks and entertains everyone. The young footman asks Ranevskaya to go to Paris, since he does not like the rudeness of the inhabitants of Russia. Ranevskaya is waiting for her to leave for the capital of France to her beloved, and wants to arrange the lives of her daughters before that. She wants to give Varya for Lopakhin, and Anya for Petya, although she is worried about his uncertain social status and material condition. The results of the auction are still unknown, but everyone seems to have already decided what they will do when it is sold. Epikhodov tries his best to speak to the maid, who is completely uninterested in him, and Varya drives him away. Firs fusses about serving the gentlemen, and everyone sees that he is not well. A very joyful Ermolai Alekseevich and a crying Leonid Andreevich appear. Lopakhin reports that he became the new owner of the estate. This news delights him, since his ancestors were slaves here, and he became the master. He can't wait for the cutting down of the garden and the construction of summer cottages to begin. Lopakhin sees a new beginning in this. Ranevskaya is crying, and Varya throws the keys and leaves. Anya calms her mother, convinces her that life does not end there and that many wonderful events await them.

Step 4

The event starts in the former children's room. There is no one, just suitcases with things. A knock is heard as the cherry orchard is being cut down. Lopakhin and Yasha are waiting for the Ranevskys to come out. The landowner and her brother are very sad, Anya and Peter are in high spirits, Yasha is happy to leave Russia and away from his mother, and Lopakhin wants to quickly lock up the house and start a project prepared in advance. Ranevskaya is crying, and Anya says that the sale of the estate has solved many problems and it has become easier for all of them to live.

Family members go to Kharkov, and then their paths will go their separate ways: Lyubov Andreevna takes Yasha and goes with him to France, Anya goes to study, and Petya is going to Moscow, Leonid Andreevich agreed to work in a bank, and Varya will work as a housekeeper nearby. Only Firs remained in the building, who fell ill, but due to the hustle and bustle, no one knows whether he was taken to the hospital or not.

Important! A neighbor comes in and gives Ranevsky a debt. He said that he had surrendered the land to foreigners who are going to extract white clay there. He says it was very scary to do it, but everything happened as well as possible.

Ranevskaya tries to marry Varya Lopakhina, but when they were left alone, Yermolai Alekseevich does not propose to the girl, which upset her very much. Crews arrived and started loading things. Everybody left. Gaev and Ranevskaya stay to say goodbye to their home. They cry bitterly and remember the happy moments of youth, realizing that their life will never be the same again. The house was closed. Then Firs comes, everyone has forgotten about him. He is not angry, but simply lies down on the sofa and gradually leaves for another world. The Cherry Orchard is a metaphor that Anton Pavlovich used to describe the collapse of the old way of life in Russia and the construction of a new one. The garden, which was so loved and so cherished by the old owners, is cut down without regrets, and in its place something new is being built, based on commerce and money. Another version of the work "The Cherry Orchard" in an abbreviation we recommend that you learn from the video below.

AP Chekhov first mentions the idea of writing the play "The Cherry Orchard" in one of his letters dated in the spring of 1901. At first it was conceived by him "as a funny play, where the devil would walk with a yoke." In 1903, when work on "The Cherry Orchard" continues, A.P. Chekhov writes to his friends: "The whole play is funny, frivolous." The theme of the play "the estate goes under the hammer" was by no means new to the writer. Earlier it was touched upon by him in the drama "Fatherlessness" (1878-1881). Throughout his career, Chekhov was interested and worried about the psychological tragedy of the situation of the sale of an estate and the loss of a house. Therefore, the play "The Cherry Orchard" reflected many of the writer's life impressions associated with the memories of the sale of his father's house in Taganrog, and his acquaintance with the Kiselevs, who owned the Babkino estate near Moscow, where the Chekhov family stayed in the summer of 1885-1887. In many ways, the image of Gaev was written off from A.S. Kiselev, who became a member of the board of a bank in Kaluga after the forced sale of the estate for debts. In 1888 and 1889, Chekhov rested at the Lintvarev estate, near Sumy, Kharkov province. There he saw with his own eyes the neglected and dying noble estates. Chekhov could observe the same picture in detail in 1892-1898, while living on his estate in Melikhovo, as well as in the summer of 1902, when he lived in Lyubimovka, the estate of KS Stanislavsky. The ever stronger "third estate", which was distinguished by a tough business acumen, gradually ousted from the "noble nests" their ruinous masters who thoughtlessly lived their fortunes. From all this Chekhov drew the idea of the play, which subsequently reflected many details of the life of the inhabitants of the dying noble estates.

The work on the play "The Cherry Orchard" required extraordinary efforts from the author. So, he writes to friends: "I write four lines a day, and those with unbearable torment." Chekhov, constantly struggling with bouts of illness and everyday troubles, writes a "vigorous play".

On October 5, 1903, the famous Russian writer Nikolai Garin-Mikhailovsky wrote in a letter to one of his correspondents: “I met and fell in love with Chekhov. , caress, peace, and the sea, the mountains doze in him, and this moment with a wonderful pattern seems eternal. And tomorrow ... He knows his tomorrow and is glad and satisfied that he has finished his drama "The Cherry Garden".

Chekhov also sends several letters to directors and actors, where he comments in detail on some scenes of The Cherry Orchard, gives characteristics of its characters, with particular emphasis on the comedic features of the play. But KS Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, founders of the Art Theater, took it as a drama. According to Stanislavsky, the reading of the play by the troupe was greeted with "unanimous enthusiasm." He writes to Chekhov: “I cried like a woman, I wanted to, but could not restrain myself. I hear you say:“ Excuse me, but this is a farce. ”No, for an ordinary person this is a tragedy ... I feel a special thing about this play tenderness and love. "

However, the director's interpretation of The Cherry Orchard did not satisfy Chekhov. "This is a tragedy, no matter what way out to a better life you open in the last act," Stanislavsky writes to the author, confirming his vision and logic of the play's movement to the dramatic finale, which meant the end of the previous life, the loss of home and the destruction of the garden. Chekhov was extremely indignant that the performance was deprived of comedic intonations. He believed that Stanislavsky, who played the role of Gayev, was too procrastinating in the fourth act. Chekhov confesses to his wife: "How awful it is! The act, which should last 12 minutes maximum, you have 40 minutes. Stanislavsky ruined the play for me."

In December 1903 Stanislavsky complained: "The Cherry Orchard" "is not blooming yet. The flowers have just appeared, the author has arrived and confused us all. The flowers have fallen off, and now only new buds are appearing."

AP Chekhov wrote "The Cherry Orchard" as a play about home, life, homeland, love, loss, and rapidly slipping away time. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, this did not seem far from certain. Each new play by Chekhov evoked a variety of assessments. The comedy "The Cherry Orchard" was no exception, where the nature of the conflict, the characters, the poetics of Chekhov's drama were new and unexpected.

For example, A. M. Gorky described Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" as a rehash of old motives: "I listened to Chekhov's play - in reading it does not give the impression of a big thing. Not a word is new. Everything is moods, ideas - if you can talk about them - faces - all this was already in his plays. Of course - beautifully and - of course - from the stage it will breathe green melancholy into the audience. And I don’t know about what longing is.

Despite constant disagreements, the premiere of "The Cherry Orchard" still took place on January 17, 1904 - on the birthday of A. P. Chekhov. The Art Theater timed it to the 25th anniversary of the literary activity of A.P. Chekhov. All the artistic and literary elite of Moscow gathered in the hall, and among the spectators were A. Bely, V. Ya. Bryusov, A. M. Gorky, S. V. Rachmaninov, F. I. Shalyapin. The appearance on the stage after the third act of the author was greeted with long applause. The last play by A.P. Chekhov, which became his creative testament, began its independent life.

The demanding Russian public met with great enthusiasm the play, whose bright spirit could not fail to captivate the viewer. The performances of "The Cherry Orchard" were successfully staged in many theaters in Russia. But, nevertheless, Chekhov never saw the performance, which fully corresponded to his creative intentions. "The chapter on Chekhov is not over yet," wrote Stanislavsky, admitting that A. P. Chekhov had far outstripped the development of the theater.

Contrary to critical forecasts, The Cherry Orchard has become an unfading classic of the Russian theater. The author's artistic discoveries in drama, his original vision of the contradictory sides of life are unusually clearly manifested in this thoughtful work.

AP Chekhov first mentions the idea of writing the play "The Cherry Orchard" in one of his letters dated in the spring of 1901.

At first it was conceived by him "as a funny play, where the devil would walk with a yoke." In 1903, when work on "The Cherry Orchard" continues, A.P. Chekhov writes to his friends: "The whole play is cheerful, frivolous." The theme of the play "the estate goes under the hammer" was by no means new to the writer.

Earlier it was touched upon by him in the drama "Fatherlessness" (1878-1881). Throughout his career, Chekhov was interested and worried about the psychological tragedy of the situation of the sale of an estate and the loss of a house. Therefore, the play "The Cherry Orchard" reflected many of the writer's life impressions associated with memories of the sale of his father's house in Taganrog, and his acquaintance with the Kiselevs, who owned the Babkino estate near Moscow, where the Chekhov family stayed in the summer of 1885-1887. In many ways, the image of Gaev was copied from A.S.

Kiselev, who became a member of the board of the bank in Kaluga after the forced sale of the estate for debts. In 1888 and 1889, Chekhov rested at the Lintvarev estate, near Sumy, Kharkov province. There he saw with his own eyes the neglected and dying noble estates. Chekhov could observe the same picture in detail in 1892-1898, while living on his estate in Melikhovo, as well as in the summer of 1902, when he lived in Lyubimovka, the estate of KS Stanislavsky.

The ever stronger "third estate", which was distinguished by a tough business acumen, gradually ousted from the "noble nests" their ruinous masters who thoughtlessly lived their fortunes. From all this Chekhov drew the idea of the play, which subsequently reflected many details of the life of the inhabitants of the dying noble estates.

Garin-Mikhailovsky writes in a letter to one of his correspondents: “I met and fell in love with Chekhov. He is bad.

And it burns out like the most wonderful day of autumn. Delicate, subtle, subtle tones. A beautiful day, caress, peace, and the sea, mountains doze in it, and this moment with a wonderful pattern of distance seems to be eternal. And tomorrow ... He knows his tomorrow and is glad and satisfied that he has finished his drama The Cherry Garden. Chekhov also sends several letters to directors and actors, where he comments in detail on some scenes of The Cherry Orchard, gives characteristics of its characters, with particular emphasis on the comedic features of the play.

But KS Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, founders of the Art Theater, took it as a drama. According to Stanislavsky, the reading of the play by the troupe was greeted with "unanimous enthusiasm." He writes to Chekhov: “I cried like a woman, I wanted to, but could not restrain myself.

I hear you say: "Excuse me, but this is a farce." No, for an ordinary person this is a tragedy ...

I feel a special tenderness and love for this play. "The production of the play required a special theatrical language, new intonations. Both its creator and the actors perfectly understood this.

It seemed to me that "The Cherry Orchard" is not a play, but a piece of music, a symphony. And this play should be played especially truthfully, but without real rudeness. "However, the director's interpretation of" The Cherry Orchard "did not satisfy Chekhov. the vision and logic of the play's movement to a dramatic ending, which meant the end of the previous life, the loss of a home and the destruction of the garden.

Chekhov was extremely outraged that the performance was deprived of comedic intonations. He believed that Stanislavsky, who played the role of Gayev, was too procrastinating in the fourth act. Chekhov confesses to his wife: "How awful it is! The act, which should last 12 minutes maximum, you have 40 minutes. Stanislavsky ruined the play for me." In December 1903 Stanislavsky complained: "The Cherry Orchard" "is not blooming yet.

The flowers had just appeared, the author arrived and confused us all. Flowers have fallen, and now only new buds appear. " It seemed far from indisputable.Each new play by Chekhov evoked very different evaluations.

The comedy "The Cherry Orchard" was no exception, where the nature of the conflict, the characters, the poetics of Chekhov's drama were new and unexpected. For example, A. M. Gorky described Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" as a rehash of old motives: "I listened to Chekhov's play - in reading it does not give the impression of a big thing. Not a word is new. Everything is moods, ideas - if you can talk about them - faces - all this was already in his plays.

Of course - beautifully and - of course - from the stage will breathe green melancholy on the audience. And what the longing is about - I don't know. "

All the artistic and literary elite of Moscow gathered in the hall, and among the spectators were A. Bely, V. Ya.Bryusov, A.M.

Gorky, S. V. Rachmaninov, F. I. Shalyapin. The appearance on the stage after the third act of the author was greeted with long applause.

The last play by A.P. Chekhov, which became his creative testament, began its independent life.

AP Chekhov first mentions the idea of writing the play "The Cherry Orchard" in one of his letters dated in the spring of 1901. At first it was conceived by him "as a funny play, where the devil would walk with a yoke." In 1903, when work on "The Cherry Orchard" continues, A.P. Chekhov writes to his friends: "The whole play is funny, frivolous." The theme of the play "the estate goes under the hammer" was by no means new to the writer. Earlier it was touched upon by him in the drama "Fatherlessness" (1878-1881). Throughout his career, Chekhov was interested and worried about the psychological tragedy of the situation of the sale of an estate and the loss of a house. Therefore, the play "The Cherry Orchard" reflected many of the writer's life impressions associated with memories of the sale of his father's house in Taganrog, and his acquaintance with the Kiselevs, who owned the Babkino estate near Moscow, where the Chekhov family stayed in the summer of 1885-1887. In many ways, the image of Gaev was written off from A.S. Kiselev, who became a member of the board of a bank in Kaluga after the forced sale of the estate for debts. In 1888 and 1889, Chekhov rested at the Lintvarev estate, near Sumy, Kharkov province. There he saw with his own eyes the neglected and dying noble estates. Chekhov could observe the same picture in detail in 1892-1898, while living on his estate in Melikhovo, as well as in the summer of 1902, when he lived in Lyubimovka, the estate of KS Stanislavsky. The ever stronger "third estate", which was distinguished by a tough business acumen, gradually ousted from the "noble nests" their ruinous masters who thoughtlessly lived their fortunes. From all this Chekhov drew the idea of the play, which subsequently reflected many details of the life of the inhabitants of the dying noble estates.

The production of the play required a special theatrical language and new intonations. Both its creator and the actors perfectly understood this. MP Lilina (the first performer of the role of Ani) wrote to AP Chekhov on November 11, 1903: “... It seemed to me that The Cherry Orchard was not a play, but a piece of music, a symphony. but no real rudeness. "
However, the director's interpretation of The Cherry Orchard did not satisfy Chekhov. "This is a tragedy, no matter what way out to a better life you open in the last act," Stanislavsky writes to the author, confirming his vision and logic of the play's movement to the dramatic finale, which meant the end of the previous life, the loss of home and the destruction of the garden. Chekhov was extremely indignant that the performance was deprived of comedic intonations. He believed that Stanislavsky, who played the role of Gayev, was too procrastinating in the fourth act. Chekhov confesses to his wife: "How awful it is! The act, which should last 12 minutes maximum, you have 40 minutes. Stanislavsky ruined the play for me."

For example, A. M. Gorky described Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" as a rehash of old motives: "I listened to Chekhov's play - in reading it does not give the impression of a big thing. Not a word is new. Everything is moods, ideas - if you can talk about them - faces - All this was already in his plays. Of course - beautifully and - of course - from the stage will blow the audience with green longing. And what the longing is about - I don't know. "