RESPONSE PLAN
1. The origins of the play.
2. Genre features of the play.
4. The conflict of comedy and its features.
5. Basic images of comedy.
6. The main idea of the play.
7. The symbolic sound of the title of the play.
1. A.P. Chekhov finished his play “The Cherry Orchard” in 1903, when the new century was knocking on the door. There was a reassessment of centuries-old values. The nobility was ruined and stratified. It was a class doomed to destruction. It was replaced by a powerful force - the bourgeoisie. The dying of the nobility as a class and the arrival of capitalists is the basis of the play. Chekhov understands that the new masters of life will not last long as a class, since another, young force is growing up that will build a new life in Russia.
2. The play “The Cherry Orchard” is imbued with a bright, lyrical mood. The author himself emphasized that “The Cherry Orchard” is a comedy, since he managed to combine a dramatic, sometimes tragic beginning with a comic one.
3. The main event of the play is the purchase of the cherry orchard. All the problems and experiences of the characters are built around this. All thoughts and memories are connected with him. The cherry orchard is the central image of the play.
4. Truthfully depicting life, the writer talks about the fate of three generations, three social strata of society: the nobility, the bourgeoisie and the progressive intelligentsia. A distinctive feature of the plot is the absence of a pronounced conflict. All events take place in the same estate with permanent characters. The external conflict in the play is replaced by the drama of the characters’ experiences.
5. The old world of serf Russia is personified by the images of Gaev and Ranevskaya, Varya and Firs. Today's world, the world of the business bourgeoisie, is represented by Lopakhin, the world of undecided trends of the future - by Anya and Petya Trofimov.
6. The expectation of change is the main leitmotif of the play.
All the heroes of “The Cherry Orchard” are oppressed by the temporality of all things, the frailty of existence. In their life, as in the life of contemporary Russia, “the connecting thread has broken,” the old has been destroyed, but the new has not yet been built, and it is unknown what this new will be like. They all unconsciously grasp at the past, not realizing that it no longer exists.Hence the feeling of loneliness in this world, the awkwardness of existence. Not only Ranevskaya, Gaev, Lopakhin are lonely and unhappy in this life, but also Charlotte and Epikhodov. All the characters in the play are closed in on themselves, they are so absorbed in their problems that they do not hear or notice others. Uncertainty and anxiety about the future still gives birth in their hearts to hope for something better. But what is this better future? Chekhov leaves this question open... Petya Trofimov looks at life exclusively from a social point of view. There is a lot of truth in his speeches, but they do not have a concrete idea of \u200b\u200bresolving eternal issues. He understands little about real life. Therefore, Chekhov gives us this image in contradiction: on the one hand, he is an accuser, and on the other, a “klutz,” “an eternal student,” “a shabby gentleman.” Anya is full of hope and vitality, but she still has so much inexperience and childhood.
7. The author does not yet see in Russian life a hero who could become the real owner of the “cherry orchard”, the guardian of its beauty and wealth. The very title of the play carries deep ideological content. The garden is a symbol of passing life. The end of the garden is the end of the outgoing generation - the nobles. But in the play, the image of a new garden grows, “more luxurious than this.” “All of Russia is our garden.” And this new blooming garden, with its fragrance, its beauty, will be cultivated by the younger generation.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
1. What is the problem and what is the fault of the former owners of the cherry orchard?
2. Why does Chekhov end the play with the sound of an ax?
47. Past, present, future in the play A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard". (Ticket 24)
Option 1
The cardinal conflict in Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” is expressed by the complex opposition of three times - past, present and future.
The past is connected with the images of Ranevskaya and Chekhov.
“The Cherry Orchard” shows the historical change of social structures: the period of cherry orchards ends with the elegiac beauty of a passing manor life, with the poetry of memories of a former life. The owners of the cherry orchard are indecisive, not adapted to life, impractical and passive, they have paralysis of will. These traits are filled with historical meaning: these people are failing because their time has passed. People obey the dictates of history more than personal feelings.
Ranevskaya is replaced by Lopakhin, but she does not blame him for anything, he has sincere and heartfelt affection for her. “My father was a serf to your grandfather and father, but you, in fact, you once did so much for me that I forgot everything and love you like my own... more than my own,” he says.
Petya Trofimov, announcing the onset of a new life, pronouncing passionate tirades against old injustice, also dearly loves Ranevskaya and on the night of her arrival greets her with touching and timid delicacy: “I will just bow to you and immediately leave.”
But this atmosphere of universal goodwill cannot change anything. Leaving their estate forever, Ranevskaya and Gaev accidentally find themselves alone for a minute. “They were definitely waiting for this, they throw themselves on each other’s necks and sob restrainedly and quietly, afraid not to be heard.” Here, as if before the eyes of the audience, history is being made, its inexorable progress can be felt.
In Chekhov's play, “the century marches on its iron path.” Lopakhin's period begins, the cherry orchard is cracking under his ax, although as a person Lopakhin is subtler and more humane than the role imposed on him by history. He cannot help but rejoice that he has become the owner of the estate where his father was a serf, and his joy is natural and understandable. And at the same time, Lopakhin understands that his triumph will not bring decisive changes, that the general flavor of life will remain the same, and he himself dreams of the end of that “awkward, unhappy life” in which he and others like him will be the main force.
They will be replaced by new people, and this will be the next step in history, which Trofimov happily talks about. He himself does not embody the future, but he feels it approaching. No matter how “shabby gentleman” and klutz Trofimov may seem, he is a man of difficult fate: according to Chekhov, he is “in exile every now and then.” Trofimov's soul is “full of inexplicable forebodings,” he exclaims: “All of Russia is our garden.”
The joyful words and exclamations of Trofimov and Anya set the tone for the entire play. Complete happiness is still far away, the Lopakhin era has yet to be experienced, a beautiful garden is being cut down, Firs has been forgotten in the boarded-up house. The tragedies of life are far from over.
Russia at the turn of two centuries had not yet developed a real ideal of man. Premonitions of an impending revolution are brewing within her, but people are not ready for it. There are rays of truth, humanity and beauty in each of the heroes. At the end there is a feeling that life is ending for everyone. People have not risen to the heights that the upcoming trials require of them.
Conflict in a dramatic work
One of the features of Chekhov’s dramaturgy was the absence of open conflicts, which is quite unexpected for dramatic works, because it is conflict that is the driving force of the entire play, but it was important for Anton Pavlovich to show people’s lives through a description of everyday life, thereby bringing the stage characters closer to the viewer. As a rule, the conflict finds expression in the plot of the work, organizing it; internal dissatisfaction, the desire to get something, or not to lose, pushes the heroes to commit some actions. Conflicts can be external and internal, and their manifestation can be obvious or hidden, so Chekhov successfully hid the conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard” behind the everyday difficulties of the characters, which is present as an integral part of that modernity.
The origins of the conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard” and its originality
To understand the main conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” it is necessary to take into account the time when this work was written and the circumstances of its creation. Chekhov wrote “The Cherry Orchard” at the beginning of the twentieth century, when Russia was at the crossroads of eras, when revolution was inevitably approaching, and many felt the impending enormous changes in the entire habitual and established way of life of Russian society. Many writers of that time tried to comprehend and understand the changes taking place in the country, and Anton Pavlovich was no exception. The play “The Cherry Orchard” was presented to the public in 1904, becoming the final play in the work and life of the great writer, and in it Chekhov reflected his thoughts about the fate of his country.
The decline of the nobility, caused by changes in the social structure and the inability to adapt to new conditions; separation from their roots not only of landowners, but also of peasants who began to move to the city; the emergence of a new bourgeois class that came to replace the merchants; the appearance of intellectuals who came from the common people - and all this against the backdrop of the emerging general discontent of life - this is, perhaps, the main source of the conflict in the comedy “The Cherry Orchard”. The destruction of dominant ideas and spiritual purity affected society, and the playwright grasped this on a subconscious level.
Sensing the impending changes, Chekhov tried to convey his feelings to the viewer through the originality of the conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” which became a new type, characteristic of all his drama. This conflict does not arise between people or social forces, it manifests itself in the discrepancy and repulsion of real life, its denial and replacement. And this could not be played, this conflict could only be felt. By the beginning of the twentieth century, society was not yet able to accept this, and it was necessary to rebuild not only the theater, but also the audience, and for a theater that knew and was able to reveal open confrontations, it was practically impossible to convey the features of the conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard.” That's why Chekhov was disappointed with the premiere show. After all, out of habit, conflict was designated as a clash between the past, represented by impoverished landowners, and the future. However, the future is closely connected with Petya Trofimov and Anya does not fit into Chekhov’s logic. It is unlikely that Anton Pavlovich connected the future with the “shabby gentleman” and “eternal student” Petya, who was unable to even monitor the safety of his old galoshes, or Anya, when explaining whose role, Chekhov placed the main emphasis on her youth, and this was the main requirement for performer.
Lopakhin is the central character in revealing the main conflict of the play
Why did Chekhov focus on the role of Lopakhin, saying that if his image fails, then the whole play will fail? At first glance, it is Lopakhin’s confrontation with the frivolous and passive owners of the garden that is a conflict in its classical interpretation, and Lopakhin’s triumph after the purchase is its resolution. However, this is precisely the interpretation that the author feared. The playwright said many times, fearing the roughening of the role, that Lopakhin is a merchant, but not in his traditional sense, that he is a soft man, and in no case can one trust his image to a “screamer”. After all, it is through the correct disclosure of the image of Lopakhin that it becomes possible to understand the entire conflict of the play.
So what is the main conflict of the play? Lopakhin is trying to tell the owners of the estate how to save their property, offering the only real option, but they do not heed his advice. To show the sincerity of his desire to help, Chekhov makes it clear about Lopakhin’s tender feelings for Lyubov Andreevna. But despite all attempts to reason with and influence the owners, Ermolai Alekseevich, “man by man,” becomes the new owner of a beautiful cherry orchard. And he is happy, but this is joy through tears. Yes, he bought it. He knows what to do with his acquisition in order to make a profit. But why does Lopakhin exclaim: “If only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change!” And it is these words that serve as a pointer to the conflict of the play, which turns out to be more philosophical - the discrepancy between the needs of spiritual harmony with the world and reality in a transitional era and, as a result, the discrepancy between a person and himself and with historical time. In many ways, this is why it is almost impossible to identify the stages of development of the main conflict of the play “The Cherry Orchard”. After all, it arose even before the beginning of the actions described by Chekhov, and never found its resolution.
In literature lessons we read and analyzed play by A.P. Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard”. External plot of "The Cherry Orchard"- this is a change of owners of the house and garden, the sale of the estate for debts. At first it seems that the play clearly identifies opposing forces, reflecting different periods of Russia's existence at that time: the past (Ranevskaya and Gaev), the present (Lopakhin), the future (Petya and Anya). It seems that the clash of these forces should give rise to the main conflict of the play. The characters are focused on the most important event in their lives - the sale of the cherry orchard
The peculiarity of the conflict is the absence of open confrontation. Each hero has his own internal conflict.
For Ranevskaya and Gaev, representatives of the past, The Cherry Orchard- this is the only place on earth where they can still feel at home. In the play, the ghost of the deceased mother is seen only by Ranevskaya. Only she is able to sense something familiar in the white cherry tree, reminiscent of maternal affection, unique childhood, beauty and poetry. Despite her kindness and love of beauty, she is a frivolous woman who wastes money, is carefree and indifferent to the fate of Russia. It was Ranevskaya who spent all the money on her lover that should have been used to pay interest. She gives her last money to a passerby when she has nothing at home and lends it - “Give it to him. He needs it, he’ll give it back.” Moreover, Ranevskaya is now taking to Paris all the money sent by her grandmother for Anya. “Long live grandma!” - this exclamation does not look good on Lyubov Andreevna; one hears in it not only despair, but also open cynicism. Gaev, on the other hand, is a childishly carefree person, also loves beautiful phrases, and is kind. But his words are at odds with his deeds; he is disdainful of the people. The servants left him - they don’t understand him. Also, the sexes in the tavern, to whom he talks about art, do not understand the train of his thoughts and the meaning of his sayings.
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich is characterized by an internal conflict between internal self-esteem and external well-being. On the one hand, he is a merchant who could afford buying a cherry orchard and the estate in which his father and grandfather worked all his life, on the other hand, he unflatteringly cleanses himself from the inside. This indicates a precarious position between his essence and external rule. “My dad was a man, he didn’t understand anything, he didn’t teach me, he just beat me when he was drunk, and that was all with a stick. In essence, I’m just as much of a blockhead and an idiot. I haven’t studied anything, my handwriting is bad, I write in such a way that people are ashamed of me, like a pig.”
Also, Petya Trofimov, the teacher of Ranevskaya’s late son, has an internal conflict within himself. It lies in the discrepancy between the words and actions of the character. He scolds everything that slows down the development of Russia, criticizes the intelligentsia, which does not look for anything and does not work. But Trofimov does not notice that he himself is a prominent representative of such an intelligentsia: beautiful words are different from his actions. Peter denies love, considering it something “petty and illusory,” he only calls on Anya to believe him, as he anticipates happiness. Ranevskaya reproaches T. for his coldness when he says that there is no difference, the estate has been sold. At the end of the play, T. is looking for forgotten galoshes, which become a symbol of his worthless, albeit illuminated by beautiful words, life.
This is the peculiarity of the conflict - there is no single confrontation, and each hero is deep in solving his own internal conflict.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Classic of world literature. A doctor by profession. Honorary Academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in the category of fine literature (1900-1902). One of the most famous playwrights in the world. His works have been translated into more than 100 languages. His plays, especially The Seagull, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, have been staged in many theaters around the world for over 100 years.
Over 25 years of creativity, Chekhov created more than 300 different works (short humorous stories, serious stories, plays), many of which became classics of world literature.
The Cherry Orchard
A lyrical play in four acts by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, the genre of which the author himself defined as a comedy. The play was written in 1903 and first staged on January 17, 1904 at the Moscow Art Theater. One of Chekhov's most famous works and one of the most famous Russian plays written at that time.
Critics called the play “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov a drama, but the writer himself believed that there was nothing dramatic in it, and it was, first of all, a comedy.
History of creation
“The Cherry Orchard” is Chekhov’s last play, completed on the threshold of the first Russian revolution, a year before his early death. The idea for the play arose from Chekhov at the beginning of 1901. The play was completed on September 26, 1903
Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky
in his memoirs about Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
“Listen, I found a wonderful title for the play. Wonderful! - he announced, looking at me point-blank. "Which?" - I got worried. “The Cherry Orchard,” and he burst into joyful laughter. I did not understand the reason for his joy and did not find anything special in the name. However, in order not to upset Anton Pavlovich, I had to pretend that his discovery made an impression on me... Instead of explaining, Anton Pavlovich began to repeat in different ways, with all sorts of intonations and sound colors: “The Cherry Orchard. Listen, this is a wonderful name! The Cherry Orchard. Cherry!”... After this date, several days or a week passed... Once during the performance, he came into my dressing room and sat down at my table with a solemn smile. Chekhov loved to watch us prepare for the performance. He watched our makeup so carefully that you could guess from his face whether you were putting paint on your face successfully or unsuccessfully. “Listen, not Cherry, but the Cherry Orchard,” he announced and burst into laughter. At first I didn’t even understand what they were talking about, but Anton Pavlovich continued to savor the title of the play, emphasizing the gentle sound e in the word “Cherry”, as if trying to use it to caress the former beautiful, but now unnecessary life, which he tearfully destroyed in his play. This time I understood the subtlety: “The Cherry Orchard” is a business, commercial garden that generates income. Such a garden is still needed now. But “The Cherry Orchard” does not bring in any income; it preserves within itself and in its blooming whiteness the poetry of the former lordly life. Such a garden grows and blooms for whim, for the eyes of spoiled aesthetes. It would be a pity to destroy it, but it is necessary, since the process of economic development of the country requires it.
Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya - landowner
Anya - her daughter, 17 years old
Varya - her adopted daughter, 24 years old
Leonid Andreevich Gaev - Ranevskaya's brother
Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin - merchant
Pyotr Sergeevich Trofimov - student
Boris Borisovich Simeonov-Pishchik - landowner
Charlotte Ivanovna - governess
Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov - clerk
Dunyasha - housemaid
Firs - footman, old man 87 years old
Yasha - young footman
drunk passerby
station manager
postal official
guests
servant
The action begins in the spring on the estate of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who, after several years of living in France, returns with her seventeen-year-old daughter Anya to Russia. At the station, Gaev, Ranevskaya’s brother, and Varya, her adopted daughter, are already waiting for them.
Ranevskaya has practically no money left, and the estate with its beautiful cherry orchard may soon be sold for debts. A merchant friend, Lopakhin, tells the landowner his solution to the problem: he proposes dividing the land into plots and renting them out to summer residents. Lyubov Andreevna is very surprised by this proposal: she cannot imagine how it is possible to cut down the cherry orchard and give her estate, where she grew up, where she spent her young life and where her son Grisha died, to rent to summer residents. Gaev and Varya are also trying to find some way out of the current situation: Gaev reassures everyone and swears that the estate will not be sold: his plans are to borrow some money from a rich Yaroslavl aunt, who, however, does not like Ranevskaya.
In the third act, Gaev and Lopakhin leave for the city where the auction is to take place, and meanwhile dances are being held on the estate. Governess Charlotte Ivanovna entertains the guests with her ventriloquism tricks. Each of the heroes is busy with their own problems. Lyubov Andreevna is worried about why her brother has not returned for so long. When Gaev does appear, he informs his sister, full of baseless hopes, that the estate has been sold, and Lopakhin has become its buyer. Lopakhin is happy, he feels his victory and asks the musicians to play something fun, he has nothing to do with the sadness and despair of the Ranevskys and Gaev.
The final act is dedicated to the departure of Ranevskaya, her brother, daughters and servants from the estate. They are leaving a place that meant so much to them and starting a new life. Lopakhin’s plan came true: now, as he wanted, he will cut down the garden and lease the land to summer residents. Everyone leaves, and only the old footman Firs, abandoned by everyone, delivers a final monologue, after which the sound of an ax on wood is heard.
The play begins as a comedy, but at the end one can see the author’s characteristic combination of comic and tragic.
The dialogue in the play is structured in an unusual way: most often the lines are not a consistent answer to a previously asked question, but rather reproduce a chaotic conversation. This is due not only to Chekhov’s desire to bring the conversation in the play closer to the conversations that happen in real life, but also an indicator that the characters do not hear or listen to each other.
The main distinguishing feature of the work is the special Chekhovian symbolism. The “main, central character” of the work is not a character, but the image of a cherry orchard - a symbol of noble Russia. In the play, the garden is cut down, and in life the nobles’ nests are falling apart, old Russia, the Russia of the Ranevskys and Gaevs, is becoming obsolete. There is also a moment in which Chekhov foresaw subsequent events that he was no longer able to see. Symbolism in the play uses a variety of artistic means: semantic (the main topic of conversation) and external (clothing style), leitmotifs, behavior, and actions.
- The play "The Cherry Orchard", written in 1903,
became for Chekhov:
- His debut work
- The latest in creativity, the result of reflections on the fate of Russia
- A means to pay off gambling debts incurred by the writer
- The opportunity to bring your wife on stage,
for which the play was written
2. Among the heroes of the play “The Cherry Orchard” there is NO:
- Lyubov Andreevna and Ermolai Alekseevich
- Vari and Gaeva
- Petit and Ani
- Uncles Vanya and Ionych
3. Why and why does Lopakhin buy a cherry orchard?
Lopakhin buys a cherry orchard (as part of Ranevskaya’s estate) because the plot is in a great location. An estate with a cherry orchard can bring good income. Lopakhin is also pleased to become the owner of the estate in which his father and grandfather were serfs.
4. Lopakhin’s father was:
- A landowner, a friend of Ranevskaya's father.
- A simple man.
- He came from a noble family hostile to Lopakhin.
- French Ambassador.
5. What exactly threatens Ranevskaya’s cherry orchard?
- Deforestation by poachers.
- A fire that broke out due to drought.
- Petya, who wants to marry Anya and take possession of all Ranevskaya’s property.
- Selling at auction for debts.
6. What kind of solution to the problem with the cherry orchard does Lopakhin Ranevskaya propose?
- Rent out the garden area for dachas and make a profit from it.
- Marry him, Lopakhin, and use his money to cover the debt.
- Flee to Paris in the hope that the creditors will not be able to find Ranevskaya there and will forget about the debt.
- Get your daughters married to rich suitors as quickly and successfully as possible.
7. What does the owner of the Ranevskaya estate do during the auction?
- Packing his things in preparation for leaving for Paris
- Participates in the auction together with Lopakhin
- Throws a ball at the estate
- Visits friends, trying to borrow money to pay interest
- drama
- tragedy
- comedy
10. What is Ranevskaya’s maiden name?
- Gaeva
- Trofimova
- Lopakhina
- Epikhodova
Interesting Facts:
It was in honor of Lyubov Ranevskaya from “The Cherry Orchard” that Faina Feldman took the pseudonym.
Faina is a Soviet actress of Belarusian-Jewish origin. Ranevskaya is also memorable for her sayings, many of which became popular.
content:
In literature lessons, we read and analyzed A. P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard.” The external plot of “The Cherry Orchard” is a change of owners of the house and garden, the sale of the estate for debts. At first it seems that the play clearly identifies opposing forces, reflecting different periods of Russia's existence at that time: the past (Ranevskaya and Gaev), the present (Lopakhin), the future (Petya and Anya). It seems that the clash of these forces should give rise to the main conflict of the play. The characters are focused on the most important event in their lives - the sale of the cherry orchard
The peculiarity of the conflict is the absence of open confrontation. Each hero has his own internal conflict.
For Ranevskaya and Gaev, representatives of the past, the cherry orchard is the only place on earth where they can still feel at home. In Chekhov's play, the ghost of her deceased mother is seen only by Ranevskaya. Only she is able to sense something familiar in the white cherry tree, reminiscent of maternal affection, unique childhood, beauty and poetry. Despite her kindness and love of beauty, she is a frivolous woman who wastes money, is carefree and indifferent to the fate of Russia. It was Ranevskaya who spent all the money on her lover that should have been used to pay interest. She gives her last money to a passerby when she has nothing at home and lends it - “Give it to him. He needs it, he’ll return it.”
Moreover, Ranevskaya is now taking to Paris all the money sent by her grandmother for Anya. “Long live grandma!” - this exclamation does not paint Lyubov Andreevna; in it one can hear not only despair, but also open cynicism. Gaev, on the other hand, is a childishly carefree person, also loves beautiful phrases, and is kind. But his words are at odds with his deeds; he is disdainful of the people. The servants left him - they don’t understand him. Also, the sexes in the tavern, to whom he talks about art, do not understand the train of his thoughts and the meaning of his sayings.
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich is characterized by an internal conflict between internal self-esteem and external well-being. On the one hand, he is a merchant who was able to afford the purchase of a cherry orchard and an estate in which his father and grandfather worked all his life, on the other hand, he unflatteringly cleanses himself from the inside. This indicates a precarious position between his essence and external rule. “My dad was a man, an idiot. He didn’t understand anything, he didn’t teach me, he just beat me when he was drunk, and that was all with a stick. In essence, I’m just as much of a blockhead and an idiot. I haven’t studied anything, my handwriting is bad, I write in such a way that people are ashamed of me, like a pig. "
Petya Trofimov, the teacher of Ranevskaya’s late son, also has an internal conflict. It lies in the discrepancy between the words and actions of the character. He scolds everything that slows down the development of Russia. criticizes the intelligentsia, which does not seek anything and does not work. But Trofimov does not notice that he himself is a prominent representative of such an intelligentsia: beautiful words are different from his actions. Peter denies love, considering it something “petty and illusory,” he only calls on Anya to believe him, as he anticipates happiness. Ranevskaya reproaches T. for his coldness when he says that there is no difference, the estate has been sold. At the end of the play, T. is looking for forgotten galoshes, which become a symbol of his worthless, albeit illuminated by beautiful words, life.