“The Cherry Orchard” as an example of a Chekhov play
Let's remember Chekhov's stories. Lyrical mood, piercing sadness and laughter... These are his plays too - unusual plays, and even more so that seemed strange to Chekhov's contemporaries. But it was in them that the “watercolor” nature of Chekhov’s colors, his soulful lyricism, his piercing accuracy and frankness were most clearly and deeply manifested.
Chekhov's dramaturgy has several plans, and what the characters say is by no means what the author himself hides behind their remarks. And what he is hiding may not be what he would like to convey to the viewer...
This diversity makes it difficult to define the genre. For example, a play
“The Cherry Orchard” the author himself called it a comedy. But the play is sad!.. So what’s the matter?
As is known from the very beginning, the estate is doomed; The heroes are also doomed - Ranevskaya, Gaev, Anya and Varya - they have nothing to live for, nothing to hope for. The solution proposed by Lopakhin is impossible for them. Everything for them symbolizes the past, some old, wonderful life, when everything was easy and
simply, and even knew how to dry cherries and send them by cart to Moscow... But now the garden has grown old, productive years are rare, the method of preparing cherries has been forgotten... Constant trouble is felt behind all the words and actions of the heroes... And even hopes for the future expressed one of the most active heroes - Lopakhin - is unconvincing. Petya Trofimov’s words are also unconvincing: “Russia is our garden,” “we need to work.” After all, Trofimov himself is an eternal student who cannot begin any serious activity. The trouble is in the way the relationship between the characters develops (Lolakhin and Varya love each other, but for some reason they don’t get married), and in their conversations. Everyone talks about what interests them in this moment, and does not listen to others. Chekhov's heroes are characterized by a tragic “deafness,” so the important and the small, the tragic and the stupid get in the way in the dialogues.
Indeed, in “The Cherry Orchard,” as in human life, tragic (material difficulties, inability of the heroes to act), dramatic (the life of any of the heroes) and comic (for example, Petya Trofimov’s fall from the stairs at the most tense moment) are mixed. Discord is visible everywhere, even in the fact that servants behave like masters. Firs says, comparing the past and present, that “everything is fragmented.” The existence of this person seems to remind the young that life began a long time ago, even before them. It is also characteristic that he is forgotten on the estate...
And the famous “sound of a breaking string” is also a symbol. If stretched string- readiness, determination, efficiency, then a broken string means the end. True, there is still a vague hope, because the neighboring landowner Simeonov-Pishchik was lucky: he is no better than others, but they either found clay or had a railroad...
Life is both sad and funny. She is tragic, unpredictable, and that’s what she says Chekhov in his plays. And that is why it is so difficult to determine their genre - because the author simultaneously shows all aspects of our life...
“The Cherry Orchard” is a lyrical play by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in four actions, the genre of which the author himself defined as comedy.
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The success of the play, written in 1903, was so obvious that already 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 friend A.S. Kiselev, whose estate was also sold at auction.
An important thing in the history of the creation of the play is that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov wrote it at the end of his life, being seriously ill. That is why work on the work progressed very difficultly: about three years passed from the beginning of the play to its production.
This is the first reason. The second lies in Chekhov’s desire to fit into his play, intended for production on stage, the entire result of thoughts about the fate of his characters, the work on whose images was carried out very scrupulously.
Artistic originality The play became the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright.
Act one: meeting 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 Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, to arrive. She is due to return after a five-year absence, and the household is in a state of excitement. Finally, Lyubov Andreevna and her daughter Anya crossed the threshold of their house. The owner is incredibly happy that she has finally returned to her native land. Nothing has changed here in five years. Sisters Anya and Varya are talking with each other, rejoicing at the long-awaited meeting, the maid Dunyasha is preparing coffee, ordinary household little things cause tenderness in the landowner. She is kind and generous - both to the old footman Firs and to other members of the household, willingly talks with her brother, Leonid Gaev, but her beloved daughters evoke special reverent feelings. Everything seems to be going as usual, but suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, a message from the merchant Lopakhin: “... Your estate is being sold for debts, but there is a way out... Here is my project...” An enterprising merchant offers to rent out plots of the cherry orchard for dachas , having previously knocked him out. He claims that this will bring 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 as if 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 again.
Entered Petya Trofimov, former teacher Ranevskaya's deceased son Grisha, at first unrecognized by her, brings tears to his mother's eyes with his reminder. The day ends... Finally everyone goes to bed.
Action two: there is very little time 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 the cherry orchard at auction - literally a matter of days. Lopakhin is trying to convince Ranevskaya and her brother to rent out the garden for dachas, but again no one wants to hear from him, they are hoping for the money that the Yaroslavl aunt will send. Lyubov Ranevskaya remembers the past, perceiving her misfortunes as punishment for sins. First, her husband died from champagne, then her son Grisha drowned in the river, after which she left for Paris so that memories of the area where such grief happened would not stir her soul.
Lopakhin suddenly opened up, talking about his difficult fate in childhood, when his father “didn’t teach, but only beat him when he was drunk, and that was all with a stick...” Lyubov Andreevna invites him to marry Varya, his adopted daughter.
Enter student Petya Trofimov and both daughters of Ranevskaya. A conversation ensues between Trofimov and Lopakhin. One says that “in Russia, very few people still work,” the other calls to appreciate everything that has been given by God and start working.
The attention of the conversation is attracted by a passerby who recites poetry and then asks to donate thirty kopecks. Lyubov Andreevna gives him gold coin, for which her daughter Varya reproaches her. “People have nothing to eat,” she says. “And you gave him the gold…”
After Varya, Lyubov Andreevna, Lopakhin and Gaeva leave, Anya and Trofimov are left alone. The girl admits to Petya that she no longer loves the cherry orchard as before. The student reasons: “...To live in the present, you must first atone for the past... through suffering and continuous work...”
You can hear Varya calling Anya, but her sister only gets annoyed and does not respond 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 dance, but no one feels joy. Everyone is depressed about looming debts. Lyubov Andreevna understands that they started the ball completely inappropriately. Those in the house are waiting for Leonid, who must bring news from the city: whether the garden has been sold or whether the auction did not take place at all. But Gaev is still not there. Household members begin to worry. The old footman Firs admits that he is not feeling well.
Trofimov teases Varya with Madame Lopakhina, which irritates the girl. But Lyubov Andreevna really offers to marry the merchant. Varya seems to agree, but the catch is that Lopakhin still hasn’t proposed, and she doesn’t want to impose herself.
Lyubov Andreevna worries more and more: has the estate been sold? Trofimov reassures Ranevskaya: “Does it matter, there is no turning back, the path is overgrown.”
Lyubov Andreevna takes out a handkerchief, from which a telegram falls, informing her that her beloved has fallen ill again and is calling her. Trofimov begins to reason: “he’s a petty scoundrel and a nonentity,” to which Ranevskaya responds with anger, calling the student a klutz, a neat freak, and a funny eccentric who doesn’t know how to love. Petya is offended and leaves. A crash is heard. Anya reports that a student fell down the stairs.
The young footman Yasha, talking with Ranevskaya, asks to go to Paris if she has the opportunity to go there. Everyone seems to be busy talking, but are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the auction for the cherry orchard. Lyubov Andreevna is especially worried; she literally cannot find a place for herself. Finally, Lopakhin and Gaev enter. It is clear that Leonid Andreevich 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 details of the auction. Lyubov Andreevna 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 " new garden, more luxurious than this... and quiet, deep joy will descend on the soul like the sun.”
Act four: after the sale of the estate
The property has been sold. In the corner of the children's room there are packed things ready for removal. 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 the footman Yasha wants to drink it. Each of the former residents of the estate is dejected by what happened, and family friends are also despondent. Anya voices her mother’s request that the garden not be cut down until she leaves.
“Really, is there really a lack of 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 for her it is beginning new life. Gaev is also happy.
Governess Charlotte Ivanovna sings a song as she leaves.
Boris Borisovich Simeonov-Pishchik, a neighboring landowner, comes into the house. To the surprise of everyone, he repays the debt to both Lyubov Andreevna and Lopakhin. He reports the news about a successful deal: he managed to lease the land to the British for the extraction of rare white clay. The neighbor did not know that the estate had been sold, so he is surprised to see the suitcases packed and the former owners preparing to leave.
Lyubov Andreevna, firstly, is worried 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 propose to Varya. They seem to be not indifferent to each other, however, no one wants to take the first step. And although Lyubov Andreevna makes a last attempt to leave the young people alone to resolve this complex issue, nothing comes of such an idea.
After former owner Houses last time looks longingly at the walls and windows of the house, everyone is leaving.
In the bustle, they did not notice that they had locked up the sick Firs, who was muttering: “Life has passed, as if he had never lived.” The old footman holds no grudge against his masters. He lies down on the sofa and passes into another world.
We bring to your attention a story by Anton Chekhov, where, with the subtle and inimitable irony characteristic of the writer, he describes the character main character- Shchukina. What was the peculiarity of her behavior, read in 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 name for the play - “The Cherry Orchard”.
It seems logical, because it reflects the very essence of the work: the old way of life is changing to a completely new one, and the cherry orchard, which was treasured former owners, is mercilessly cut down when the estate passes into the hands of the enterprising merchant Lopakhin. “The Cherry Orchard” is a prototype old Russia, which is gradually disappearing into oblivion. The past is fatefully crossed out, giving way to new plans and intentions, which, in the author’s opinion, are better than the previous ones.
The Cherry Orchard - summary plays by A.P. Chekhov
5 (100%) 2 votes“The Cherry Orchard” is the pinnacle of Russian drama of the early 20th century, a lyrical comedy, a play that marked the beginning new era development of Russian theater.
The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of nobles sells their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who went through such life situation, describes with subtle psychologism state of mind people who will soon be forced to leave their homes. The innovation of the play is the absence of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary ones. They are all divided into three categories:
- people of the past - noble aristocrats (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their lackey Firs);
- people of the present - their bright representative, the merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
- people of the future - the progressive youth of that time (Petr Trofimov and Anya).
History of creation
Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was quite difficult, but nevertheless, in 1903 the work was completed. First theatrical performance The play took place a year later on the stage of the Moscow art theater, becoming the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright and a textbook classic of the theatrical repertoire.
Analysis of the play
Description of the work
The action takes place on the family estate of landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. They are met at the railway station by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).
The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is nearing complete collapse. Entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his version of a solution to the problem - break land plot on shares and give them to summer residents for use for a certain fee. The lady is burdened by this proposal, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, with which many warm memories of her youth are associated. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gaev, imbued with his sister’s feelings, reassures her with a promise that their family estate will not be put up for sale.
The action of the second part takes place on the street, in the courtyard of the estate. Lopakhin, with his characteristic pragmatism, continues to insist on his plan to save the estate, but no one pays attention to him. Everyone turns to the teacher Pyotr Trofimov who has appeared. He delivers an excited speech dedicated to the fate of Russia, its future and touches on the topic of happiness in a philosophical context. The materialist Lopakhin is skeptical about the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is capable of being imbued with his lofty ideas.
The third act begins with Ranevskaya using her last money to invite an orchestra and organize a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they went to the city for an auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a tedious wait, Lyubov Andreevna learns that her estate was bought at auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy at his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.
The finale is entirely dedicated to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The parting scene is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a surprisingly deep monologue by Firs, whom the owners in a hurry forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. The cherry orchard is being cut down.
Main characters
A sentimental person, the owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she got used to luxurious life and by inertia continues to allow herself many things, which, given the deplorable state of her finances, logically common sense should be inaccessible to her. Being a frivolous person, very helpless in everyday matters, Ranevskaya does not want to change anything about herself, while she is fully aware of her weaknesses and shortcomings.
A successful merchant, he owes a lot to the Ranevsky family. His image is ambiguous - he combines hard work, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a “peasant” beginning. At the end of the play, Lopakhin does not share Ranevskaya’s feelings; he is happy that, despite his peasant origins, he was able to afford to buy the estate of his late father’s owners.
Like his sister, he is very sensitive and sentimental. Being an idealist and romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic rescue plans family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but at the same time completely inactive.
Petya Trofimov
An eternal student, a nihilist, an eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the “highest truth,” he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which immensely upsets Ranevskaya’s daughter Anya, who is in love with him.
A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Pyotr Trofimov. Recklessly believing in better life After the sale of her parents' estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of shared happiness next to her lover.
An 87-year-old man, a footman in the Ranevskys' house. The type of servant of old times, surrounds his masters with fatherly care. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.
A young lackey who treats Russia with contempt and dreams of going abroad. A cynical and cruel man, he is rude to old Firs and even treats his own mother with disrespect.
Structure of the work
The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without dividing into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is exposition and plotting, in the second there is an increase in tension, in the third there is a climax (the sale of the estate), in the fourth there is a denouement. Characteristic feature the play is the lack of genuine external conflict, dynamism, unpredictable turns storyline. The author's remarks, monologues, pauses and some understatement give the play a unique atmosphere of exquisite lyricism. Artistic realism The play is achieved through the alternation of dramatic and comic scenes.
(Scene from a modern production)
The development of the emotional and psychological plane dominates in the play; the main driver of the action is the internal experiences of the characters. The author expands art space works by introducing a large number of characters who never appear on stage. Also, the effect of expanding spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, giving an arched form to the play.
Final conclusion
Chekhov's last play, one might say, is his “swan song.” The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of Chekhov’s special concept of life, which is characterized by extraordinary attention to small, at first glance minor details, focusing attention on the internal experiences of the characters.
In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the author captured the state of critical disunity of Russian society of his time; this sad factor is often present in scenes where the characters hear only themselves, creating only the appearance of interaction.
What could be more beautiful than a blossoming cherry tree? Just as it is impossible to imagine a garden without an apple tree, it is also unthinkable without a cherry tree. Since the 16th century, merchants coming to Rus' have called local juicy apples and large, juicy cherry fruits, filled with the summer heat, a miracle of miracles.
I've been trying to plant mine for several years now. The Cherry Orchard, but this attempt cannot be called successful. Many seedlings did not take root at all, some died in the second year, and the rest are somehow reluctant to grow. In general, one can say that they do not grow, but suffer. There are, of course, a couple of trees with which everything is fine, but the garden of my dreams does not work out.
But I don’t intend to give up, because nothing is impossible, everything you can imagine is possible. And a dream, that’s why it’s a dream, to fulfill it. After reading a lot of literature on this issue, I seem to understand what the problems are and why the cherries don’t want to grow. And there are many problems, both common to all gardeners and specifically to my summer cottage.
Problems in growing cherries
It turns out that in last years The yield of cherries and sweet cherries is decreasing everywhere, because dangerous cherry diseases such as fungal diseases coccomycosis and monilial blight have become widespread. In addition, the climatic conditions in our risky farming zone also aggravate the effects of these scourges. And the plants end the growing season weakened, with reduced immunity. Therefore, in harsh winters, diseases easily overcome them.
Another negative climate factor is long rains in August-September, which lead to the formation of a dense, water-saturated film on the soil surface and excessive saturation of the root layer of soil with moisture. And the result is this: oxygen is displaced from the soil; then, after 5 rainy days, the suction roots die off, and after 20, even the skeletal roots die. After such stress, even healthy trees shed their leaves prematurely.
And the third most harmful factor is the slow warming of the soil in the spring. For example, this situation often happens here: the ground is frozen and there is still snow until mid-April, and by the end of the month the air temperature rises sharply, i.e. This results in a sharp temperature difference between roots and shoots. This leads to physiological wilting and even death of trees.
What is the way out of this sad situation? It seems to me that the Smolensk cherry planting technology, which I found in my gardening magazines and really liked, can help in this case. I want to next season apply it on my site, I must have my own blooming The Cherry Orchard)))
New technologies for cultivating cherries
What is this technology? This is surface planting of seedlings from containers in summer months after warming up the soil with the subsequent formation of high bulk ridges. I'll tell you briefly about this method.
So, Stage 1– seedlings are pre-planted in containers corresponding to the size of the roots with holes in the bottom. For backfilling, we take ordinary soil with peat, sand and wood ash. Organic and mineral fertilizers We do not use those containing nitrogen.
Stage 2- from the beginning of April, we place seedlings in containers in the sun on a film sprinkled with a layer of sand and water them. We need the film to prevent the roots from penetrating into the soil. The sun begins to warm up the container with the root system, and the temperature of the roots rises to active temperature and becomes higher than the air temperature. And all the growth potential flows into the root system. By the time the soil in the garden warms up enough, i.e. By the time of planting, flower buds may even form on seedlings already in containers.
Stage 3– carefully remove the seedling with developed young roots along with a lump of earth, without destroying it. Then we place it on a flat soil surface, without making holes, and cover it with earth - 20 cm above the root system. We take the soil from the row spacing at a distance of at least 1 m from the seedling. The result is a gentle mound, and at the same time the root system of the plant continues to be in a mode with increased root temperature. We tie the tree to a peg to prevent it from being swayed by the wind, and make a hole around the trunk of the seedling for watering. We plant seedlings according to the following scheme: the distance between the tops of the ridges is 5 m; the distance between cherry seedlings in a row is 4 m, between cherry seedlings – 3 m.
Stage 4– Fertilizers are applied to cherries when the first leaves appear. We spread the manure along the crest of the raised ridge between the plants, without embedding it in the ground. The roots cannot “get” to the fertilizers, and direct nutrition, which is very undesirable, is excluded. With this method, vapors remain in the air for 10 days, which are absorbed by the first leaves in the form of air feeding. Such fertilizing, bypassing the roots and at a time when the roots have not yet warmed up enough, has a positive effect and gives a powerful starting impulse to the growing season. Subsequently, rains gradually wash away nutrients that penetrate the roots and are captured by microorganisms. This process occurs slowly throughout the growing season.
Advantages of the new method
How about you, Dear friends, this is a method of planting cherries. I think that it should justify itself, especially since in my area the groundwater level is low and this also does not contribute to good heating and growth of the root system. In other regions, this method may not be so good. But one thing must be clearly remembered: deep planting in cold soil will never produce positive results.
Returning to all of the above, I will repeat once again what are the advantages of this planting method:
- Exceptional early fruiting - the harvest can be obtained already in the year of planting. And, if we delay planting seedlings until mid-summer, then even small-sized seedlings can begin to bear fruit.
- High winter hardiness, since the roots of the seedlings go deep at a certain angle and are protected from frost by a higher and looser layer of soil. With ordinary planting in holes, water accumulates as a result of prolonged rains and greatly depresses the plants; they suffer from a lack of oxygen in the soil. Because of this, the roots are located close to the surface of the soil, which freezes quite deeply, as it is sufficiently compacted by rain.
- High annual yield.
- Resistance against the wind, because the root system in the bulk ridge is located in the form of a pyramid and has the highest mechanical stability (anchoring).
- During the rainy season, not a single root falls into an area oversaturated with moisture.
Perhaps I’ll end this article here, but the conversation about growing cherries is not over yet. In the following articles we will talk about other “cherry” issues: about choosing varieties, about other ways of planting cherries, about caring for them, about growing cherries and felt cherries.
See you soon, dear friends!
Almost the entire land of the old noble estate, owned by Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya and her brother, Leonid Andreevich Gaev, is occupied by a huge cherry orchard, famous throughout the province. Once upon a time, it gave the owners a large income, but after the fall of serfdom, the economy on the estate fell apart, and the garden remained for him just a non-profitable, albeit charming decoration. Ranevskaya and Gaev, no longer young people, lead an absent-minded, carefree life typical of idle aristocrats. Preoccupied only with her feminine passions, Ranevskaya leaves for France with her lover, who soon robs her completely there. Management of the estate falls on the adopted daughter of Lyubov Andreevna, 24-year-old Varya. She tries to save on everything, but the estate is still mired in unpayable debts. [Cm. full text of “The Cherry Orchard” on our website.]
Act 1 of The Cherry Orchard begins with the scene of returning on a May morning to native home Ranevskaya, who went bankrupt abroad. Her youngest also comes with her, own daughter, 17-year-old Anya, who has been living with her mother in France for the past few months. Lyubov Andreevna is met on the estate by acquaintances and servants: the rich merchant Ermolai Lopakhin (the son of a former serf), the neighbor-landowner Simeonov-Pishchik, the elderly footman Firs, the frivolous maid Dunyasha and the “eternal student” Petya Trofimov, in love with Anya. The scene of Ranevskaya’s meeting (like all other scenes of “The Cherry Orchard”) is not particularly rich in action, but Chekhov, with extraordinary skill, reveals in her dialogues the characteristics of the characters in the play.
The businesslike merchant Lopakhin reminds Ranevskaya and Gaev that in three months, in August, their estate will be put up for auction for an outstanding debt. There is only one way to prevent its sale and the ruin of the owners: to cut down the cherry orchard and turn over the vacated land for dachas. If Ranevskaya and Gaev do not do this, the garden will almost inevitably be cut down by the new owner, so it will not be possible to save it in any case. However, the weak-willed Gaev and Ranevskaya reject Lopakhin’s plan, not wanting to lose the dear memories of their youth along with the garden. Those who like to have their head in the clouds, they shy away from destroying the garden with their own hands, hoping for some miracle that will help them out in unknown ways.
Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard”, act 1 – summary full text of act 1.
"The Cherry Orchard". Performance based on the play by A. P. Chekhov, 1983
Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", act 2 - briefly
A few weeks after Ranevskaya's return, most of the same characters gather in a field, on a bench near an old abandoned chapel. Lopakhin again reminds Ranevskaya and Gaev that the deadline for selling the estate is approaching - and again invites them to cut down the cherry orchard, giving the land for dachas.
However, Gaev and Ranevskaya answer him inappropriately and absent-mindedly. Lyubov Andreevna says that “dacha owners are vulgar,” and Leonid Andreevich relies on a rich aunt in Yaroslavl, from whom he can ask for money - but hardly more than a tenth of what is needed to pay off his debts. Ranevskaya's thoughts are all in France, from where the scammer-lover sends her telegrams every day. Shocked by the words of Gaev and Ranevskaya, Lopakhin in his hearts calls them “frivolous and strange” people who do not want to save themselves.
After everyone else has left, Petya Trofimov and Anya remain at the bench. Untidy Petya, who is constantly expelled from the university, so that he cannot complete the course for many years, crumbles in front of Anya in high-flown tirades about the need to rise above everything material, above even love itself, and through tireless work to go towards some (incomprehensible) ideal. The existence and appearance of commoner Trofimov is very different from the lifestyle and habits of the nobles Ranevskaya and Gaev. However, in Chekhov's portrayal, Petya appears to be just as impractical a dreamer, just as worthless a person as those two. Petya's sermon is enthusiastically listened to by Anya, who is very reminiscent of her mother in her tendency to get carried away by any emptiness in a beautiful wrapper.
For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard”, act 2 – summary. You can read the full text of Act 2 on our website.
Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", act 3 - briefly
In August, on the very day of bidding for the estate with the cherry orchard, Ranevskaya, on a strange whim, hosts a noisy party with an invited Jewish orchestra. Everyone is tensely awaiting news from the auction, where Lopakhin and Gaev have gone, but, wanting to hide their excitement, they try to dance cheerfully and joke. Petya Trofimov venomously criticizes Varya for wanting to become the wife of the predatory rich man Lopakhin, and Ranevskaya for love affair with an obvious swindler and unwillingness to face the truth. Ranevskaya accuses Petya of the fact that all his bold, idealistic theories are based only on a lack of experience and ignorance of life. At 27 years old, he does not have a mistress, preaches work, and he himself cannot even graduate from university. Frustrated, Trofimov runs away almost in hysterics.
Pre-revolutionary poster for the play based on Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”
Lopakhin and Gaev return from the auction. Gaev walks away, wiping away his tears. Lopakhin, at first trying to restrain himself, and then with increasing triumph, says that he bought the estate and the cherry orchard - the son of a former serf, who was previously not even allowed into the kitchen here. The dancing stops. Ranevskaya cries, sitting down on a chair. Anya tries to console her with the words that they have beautiful souls instead of a garden, and now they will begin a new, pure life.
For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard”, act 3 – summary. You can read the full text of Act 3 on our website.
Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", act 4 - briefly
In October, the old owners leave their former estate, where the tactless Lopakhin, without waiting for their departure, already orders the cutting down of the cherry orchard.
A rich Yaroslavl aunt sent Gaev and Ranevskaya some money. Ranevskaya takes them all for herself and again goes to France to visit her old lover, leaving her daughters in Russia without funds. Varya, whom Lopakhin never marries, has to go as a housekeeper to another estate, and Anya will take the exam for the gymnasium course and look for work.
Gaev was offered a place at the bank, but everyone doubts that, due to his laziness, he will sit there for a long time. Petya Trofimov returns to Moscow to study late. Imagining himself as a “strong and proud” person, he intends in the future to “reach the ideal or show others the way to it.” However, Petya is greatly worried about the loss of his old galoshes: without them, he has nothing to set off on. Lopakhin goes to Kharkov to immerse himself in work.
Having said goodbye, everyone leaves the house and locks it. The 87-year-old footman Firs, forgotten by his owners, finally appears on the stage. Mumbling something about past life, this sick old man lies down on the sofa and falls silent into immobility. In the distance there is a sad, dying sound, similar to the breaking of a string - as if something in life has gone away without return. The ensuing silence is broken only by the knocking of an ax on a cherry tree in the garden.
For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard”, act 4 – summary. On our website you can read and
