1. The Cherry Orchard as a scene and the basis of the plot of the play.
2. The meaning of the cherry orchard in the present, past and future of the characters in the play.
3. Comparison of the cherry orchard with Russia.

The name of A.P. Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" seems quite natural. The action takes place in an old noble estate. The house is surrounded by a large cherry orchard. Moreover, the development of the plot of the play is connected with this image - the estate is being sold for debts. However, the moment of the transfer of the estate to the new owner is preceded by a period of stupid trampling in the place of the former owners, who do not want to deal with their property in a businesslike manner, who do not even really understand why this is necessary, how to do it, despite detailed explanations Lopakhin, a successful representative of the emerging bourgeois class.

But the cherry orchard in the play has symbolic meaning. Thanks to the way the characters of the play relate to the garden, their sense of time, their perception of life is revealed. For Lyubov Ranevskaya, the garden is her past, happy childhood and bitter memory about a drowned son, whose death she perceives as a punishment for her reckless passion. All thoughts and feelings Rane-| vskoy connected with the past. She just can't understand that she needs to change her habits, since the circumstances are now different. She is not a rich lady, a landowner, but a ruined madcap who will soon have neither a family nest nor a cherry orchard if she does not take any decisive action.

For Lopakhin, a garden is, first of all, land, that is, an object that can be put into circulation. In other words, Lopakhin argues from the point of view of the priorities of the present time. A descendant of serfs, who has made his way into the people, argues sensibly and logically. The need to independently pave his own way in life taught this man to evaluate the practical usefulness of things: “Your estate is located only twenty miles from the city, Railway, and if the cherry orchard and the land along the river are divided into summer cottages and then leased out for summer cottages, then you will have at least twenty-five thousand a year income. The sentimental arguments of Ranevskaya and Gaev about the vulgarity of dachas, that the cherry orchard is a landmark of the province, irritate Lopakhin. In fact, everything they say has no practical value in the present, does not play a role in solving a specific problem - if no action is taken, the garden will be sold, Ranevskaya and Gaev will lose all rights to their family estate, and dispose of in it will have other owners. Of course, Lopakhin's past is also connected with the cherry orchard. But what is the past? Here his “grandfather and father were slaves”, here he himself, “beaten, illiterate”, “ran barefoot in winter”. Not too bright memories are associated with a successful business person with a cherry orchard! Maybe that's why Lopakhin is so jubilant, having become the owner of the estate, why he talks with such joy about how he "grabs the cherry orchard with an ax"? Yes, according to the past, in which he was a nobody, he meant nothing in his own eyes and in the opinion of others, probably, any person would be happy to grab an ax just like that ...

“... I no longer like the cherry orchard,” says Anya, Ranevskaya's daughter. But for Anya, as well as for her mother, childhood memories are connected with the garden. Anya loved the cherry orchard, despite the fact that her childhood impressions are far from being as cloudless as those of Ranevskaya. Anya was eleven years old when her father died, her mother became interested in another man, and soon her little brother Grisha drowned, after which Ranevskaya went abroad. Where did Anya live at that time? Ranevskaya says she was drawn to her daughter. From the conversation between Anya and Varya, it becomes clear that Anya only at the age of seventeen went to her mother in France, from where both returned to Russia together. It can be assumed that Anya lived in her native estate, with Varya. Despite the fact that Anya's entire past is connected with the cherry orchard, she parted with him without much longing or regret. Anya's dreams are directed to the future: "We will plant new garden, more luxurious than this ... ".

But one more semantic parallel can be found in Chekhov's play: the cherry orchard is Russia. “The whole of Russia is our garden,” Petya Trofimov says optimistically. The obsolete noble life and the tenacity of business people - after all, these two poles of the worldview are not just special case. This is indeed a feature of Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the society of that time, many projects were hovering over how to equip the country: someone recalled the past with a sigh, someone smartly and businesslike suggested “clean up, clean up”, that is, to carry out reforms that would put Russia on a par with the leading powers peace. But, as in the story with the cherry orchard, at the turn of the era in Russia there was no real force capable of positively influencing the fate of the country. However, the old cherry orchard was already doomed...

The validity of the assertion that Chekhov laid the foundations of a new drama, created a "mood theater", now no one doubts. However, at the beginning of the century this position was not controversial. Each new play by Chekhov caused conflicting assessments. Not...

"The Cherry Orchard" - last work A.P. Chekhov. The writer was terminally ill when he wrote this play. He realized that he would soon pass away, and, probably, that is why the whole play is filled with some kind of quiet sadness and tenderness. This is the farewell of a great writer...

1. New!

   A.P. Chekhov wrote his last play, The Cherry Orchard, shortly before his death, in 1904. In this work, A.P. Chekhov tried to express his attitude to the coming changes. It is difficult to find a person who would not know the play by A.P. Chekhov "Cherry ...

Having once again re-read the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Pavlovich, I was finally convinced, on the one hand, of all its genius, depth, and on the other hand, of its simplicity and lightness. A certain nerve, psychologism, tension in fusion...

"The Cherry Orchard" by A.P. Chekhov: the meaning of the name and features of the genre

2. The meaning of the title of the play "The Cherry Orchard"

Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky in his memoirs about A.P. Chekhov wrote: “Listen, I found a wonderful title for the play. Wonderful!” he announced, looking straight at me. "What?" - I got excited. “Vimshnovy Orchard” (with an emphasis on the letter “and”) - and he rolled into a joyful laugh. I did not understand the reason for his joy and did not find anything special in the title. 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 coloring: “Chimish garden. Look, it's a wonderful name! Cherry garden. Cherry blossoms!” Several days or a week passed after this meeting... Once, during a performance, he came into my dressing room and sat down at my table with a solemn smile. "Listen, not Vimshnevy, but The Cherry Orchard', he announced and burst into laughter. At first I didn’t even understand what it was about, but Anton Pavlovich continued to savor the title of the play, emphasizing the gentle sound ё in the word “cherry”, as if trying with its help to caress the former beautiful, but now unnecessary life, which he with tears destroyed in his play. This time I understood the subtlety: The Cherry Orchard is a business, commercial, income-generating garden. Such a garden is needed now. But the "Cherry Orchard" does not bring income, it keeps in itself and in its blooming whiteness the poetry of the former aristocratic life. Such a garden grows and blooms for a whim, for the eyes of spoiled aesthetes. It is a pity to destroy it, but it is necessary, since the process economic development countries require it.

The name of A.P. Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" seems quite natural. The action takes place in an old noble estate. The house is surrounded by a large cherry orchard. Moreover, the development of the plot of the play is connected with this image - the estate is being sold for debts. However, the moment of the transfer of the estate to the new owner is preceded by a period of stupid trampling in the place of the former owners, who do not want to deal with their property in a businesslike manner, who do not even really understand why this is necessary, how to do it, despite the detailed explanations of Lopakhin, a successful representative of the emerging bourgeois class.

But the cherry orchard in the play also has a symbolic meaning. Thanks to the way the characters of the play relate to the garden, their sense of time, their perception of life is revealed. For Lyubov Ranevskaya, the garden is her past, happy childhood and the bitter memory of her drowned son, whose death she perceives as a punishment for her reckless passion. All thoughts and feelings of Ranevskaya are connected with the past. She just can't understand that she needs to change her habits, since the circumstances are now different. She is not a rich lady, a landowner, but a ruined madcap who will soon have neither a family nest nor a cherry orchard if she does not take any decisive action.

For Lopakhin, a garden is, first of all, land, that is, an object that can be put into circulation. In other words, Lopakhin argues from the point of view of the priorities of the present time. A descendant of serfs, who has made his way into the people, argues sensibly and logically. The need to independently pave his own way in life taught this person to evaluate the practical usefulness of things: “Your estate is only twenty miles from the city, a railway passed nearby, and if the cherry orchard and the land along the river are divided into summer cottages and then rented out for summer cottages then you will have at least twenty-five thousand a year income. The sentimental arguments of Ranevskaya and Gaev about the vulgarity of dachas, that the cherry orchard is a landmark of the province, irritate Lopakhin. In fact, everything they say has no practical value in the present, does not play a role in solving a specific problem - if no action is taken, the garden will be sold, Ranevskaya and Gaev will lose all rights to their family estate, and dispose of it will have other owners. Of course, Lopakhin's past is also connected with the cherry orchard. But what is the past? Here his “grandfather and father were slaves”, here he himself, “beaten, illiterate”, “ran barefoot in winter”. Not too bright memories are associated with a successful business person with a cherry orchard! Maybe that's why Lopakhin is so jubilant, having become the owner of the estate, why he talks with such joy about how he "grabs the cherry orchard with an ax"? Yes, according to the past, in which he was a nobody, he meant nothing in his own eyes and in the opinion of others, probably, any person would be happy to grab an ax just like that ...

“... I no longer like the cherry orchard,” says Anya, Ranevskaya's daughter. But for Anya, as well as for her mother, childhood memories are connected with the garden. Anya loved the cherry orchard, despite the fact that her childhood impressions are far from being as cloudless as those of Ranevskaya. Anya was eleven years old when her father died, her mother became interested in another man, and soon her little brother Grisha drowned, after which Ranevskaya went abroad. Where did Anya live at that time? Ranevskaya says she was drawn to her daughter. From the conversation between Anya and Varya, it becomes clear that Anya only at the age of seventeen went to her mother in France, from where both returned to Russia together. It can be assumed that Anya lived in her native estate, with Varya. Despite the fact that Anya's entire past is connected with the cherry orchard, she parted with him without much longing or regret. Anya's dreams are directed to the future: "We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this ...".

But one more semantic parallel can be found in Chekhov's play: the cherry orchard is Russia. “The whole of Russia is our garden,” Petya Trofimov says optimistically. The obsolete life of the nobility and the tenacity of business people - after all, these two poles of the worldview are not just a special case. This is indeed a feature of Russia at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. In the society of that time, many projects were hovering over how to equip the country: someone recalled the past with a sigh, someone smartly and businesslike suggested “clean up, clean up”, that is, to carry out reforms that would put Russia on a par with the leading powers peace. But, as in the story with the cherry orchard, at the turn of the era in Russia there was no real force capable of positively influencing the fate of the country. However, the old cherry orchard was already doomed... .

Thus, it can be seen that the image of the cherry orchard has quite a symbolic meaning. He is one of central images works. Each hero relates to the garden in his own way: for some it is reminiscent of childhood, for some it is just a place to relax, and for some it is a means to earn money.

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The theme of the idyllicly beautiful "noble nests" that are fading into the past is found in the works of different representatives Russian culture. Turgenev and Bunin addressed her in literature, in fine arts- Borisov-Musatov. But only Chekhov managed to create such a capacious, generalized image as the garden he described became.

The extraordinary beauty of the blossoming cherry orchard is already mentioned at the very beginning of the play. One of its owners, Gaev, reports that the garden is mentioned even in " encyclopedic dictionary". For Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, the cherry orchard is associated with memories of a bygone youth, of a time when she was so serenely happy. At the same time, the cherry orchard is also the economic basis of the estate, once associated with the suffering of the serfs.

"All Russia is our garden"

Gradually, it becomes obvious that the cherry orchard for Chekhov is the embodiment of all of Russia, which has found itself at a historical turning point. Throughout the entire action of the play, the question is decided: who will become the owner of the cherry orchard? Will Ranevskaya and Gaev be able to keep it as representatives of the old noble culture, or will it fall into the hands of Lopakhin, a capitalist of a new formation, who sees in him only a source of income?

Ranevskaya and Gaev love their estate and the cherry orchard, but they are completely unadapted to life and cannot change anything. The only person who is trying to help them save the estate, which is being sold for debts, is the rich merchant Yermolai Lopakhin, whose father and grandfather were serfs. But Lopakhin does not notice the beauty of the cherry orchard. He proposes to cut it down and rent out the vacant plots to summer residents. Ultimately, it is Lopakhin who becomes the owner of the garden, and at the end of the play, the sound of an ax is heard ruthlessly cutting down cherry trees.

Among the characters Chekhov's play there are representatives younger generation- this is the daughter of Ranevskaya Anya and the "eternal student" Petya Trofimov. They are full of energy and, but they do not care about the fate of the cherry orchard. They are driven by other, abstract ideas about the transformation of the world and the happiness of all mankind. However, for beautiful phrases Petya Trofimov, as well as Gaev's pompous rantings, is not worth any specific activity.

The title of Chekhov's play is filled with symbolism. The Cherry Orchard is the whole of Russia in a turning point. The author thinks about what fate awaits her in the future.

Related videos

Sources:

• Compositions based on Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"

Usually, the genre of a work can be easily determined when reading. Difficulties arise when the author himself gives his creation an assessment that does not fit with the impression made on the reader. An example is the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", which the author called a comedy.

Can The Cherry Orchard be called a tragedy?

Most of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's contemporaries perceived The Cherry Orchard as tragic work. How, then, to understand the author of the play himself, who called this work a comedy and even a farce? Is it possible to unequivocally state that the sensational at one time can be unambiguously attributed to a particular genre?

The answer can be found in the definitions of different genres of literature. It is believed that the tragedy can be characterized by the following features: it is distinguished by a special state of the situation and the inner world of the characters, it is characterized by torment and an insoluble conflict between the main character and the world around him. Very often, a tragedy is crowned with a deplorable one, for example, tragic death hero or the complete collapse of his ideals.

In this sense, Chekhov's play cannot be considered a tragedy in pure. The characters are not fit for the role. tragic characters, although they inner world complex and contradictory. However, in the play, when describing the characters, their thoughts and actions, a slight irony slips in every now and then, with which Chekhov refers to their shortcomings. The general state of the world in which the plays are, of course, can be called a turning point, but there is nothing tragic in it.

Comedy with a touch of drama

Researchers of Chekhov's work agree that most of his comedies are ambiguous and original. For example, the play "The Seagull", which was also classified as a comedy, is more like a drama, which deals with the broken destinies of people. Sometimes one gets the feeling that Chekhov deliberately misleads his reader.

It can be assumed that the writer, calling his plays comedies, put a different meaning into this genre. Perhaps this is an ironic attitude to the flow human destinies, which is filled with the desire not to make the audience laugh, but to make them think. As a result, the reader and viewer could determine their own position in relation to the action of the play, which at times contradicted the declared genre.

From this point of view, The Cherry Orchard is a work with a double bottom. It can be called a play with a two-sided emotional coloring. Memories of tragic pages heroes are intertwined here with pronounced farcical ones, for example, with Epikhodov’s annoying blunders or Gaev’s inappropriate remarks, which really look comical against the background unfolding around the cherry orchard, which has become a symbol of the fading noble Russia.

Writing essays on work of art ends the system of lessons on the creativity of any outstanding writer. The last play by A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard" is studied in grade 10 high school. With this work, the author, as it were, summed up the stable theme of Russian literature of the second half of XIX century - the fate of noble nests. The author's intention of the work is difficult for schoolchildren to perceive, and even more difficult for them is the creation of an essay.

Instruction

Start your essay with brief analysis read the text of the play. To do this, answer the following questions in writing:
What is the genre originality of the play "The Cherry Orchard"?
What are the differences in the organization of the plot of the play from the traditional drama?
How is the theme of passing time revealed in the actions of the characters?
What techniques does Chekhov use in creating the characters of his heroes?
By what means is subtext created in the work?
What kind of symbols can be found in the play?

Match the received material with the proposed essay topics. Think about which one you understand best and be able to express your thoughts.

After choosing a topic, start drawing up a detailed plan. The recorded material will help you to head each point of the plan and "build" the logic of reasoning.

Before you start writing an essay, identify the main idea of ​​your creative work. Disclosure of the chosen topic should lead to its presentation in the conclusion. Definition main idea necessary in order not to lose the "thread" of reasoning from the beginning speech work until its completion. For example, revealing the topic “Genre originality of Chekhov’s play” may lead you to the following idea: “ characteristic feature Chekhov's work is a close interweaving of dramatic and comic principles, therefore, next to the tragedy of the characters' experiences, frivolous vaudeville and rude farce actively coexist.

Compositional construction Essays are traditional: introduction, main body, conclusion. The absence of one of the structural elements is considered as an error and is taken into account when scoring.

State in the introductory part general information about the problem that, in your opinion, is behind the chosen topic. For example, at the beginning of an essay on the topic “Techniques for creating characters in Chekhov’s play,” you can talk about the author’s innovation in organizing dramatic action and his refusal to divide characters into main and secondary.

Sources for writing the main part can be your written answers and critical articles famous literary scholars. Avoid a detailed retelling of the plot of the work, a presentation of information that is not related to the topic. If you write, for example, about the concept of "comic" in the play "The Cherry Orchard", note its manifestation in the work: consider the characters of Epikhodov, Simeonov-Pishchik; analyze the technique of parodic reduction of plot moves in the scenes of the fatal auction and Charlotte's tricks; bring in

The Cherry Orchard is social play A.P. Chekhov about the death and degeneration of the Russian nobility. It was written by Anton Pavlovich in last years life. Many critics say that it is this drama that expresses the writer's attitude to the past, present and future of Russia.

Initially, the author planned to create a carefree and funny play, where the main driving force action will be the sale of the estate under the hammer. In 1901, in a letter to his wife, he shares his ideas. Previously, he had already raised a similar topic in the drama "Fatherlessness", but he recognized that experience as unsuccessful. Chekhov wanted to experiment, not resurrect plots buried in his desk. The process of impoverishment and degeneration of the nobles passed before his eyes, and he watched, creating and accumulating vital material to create artistic truth.

The history of the creation of The Cherry Orchard began in Taganrog, when the writer's father was forced to sell the family nest for debts. Apparently, Anton Pavlovich experienced something similar to the feelings of Ranevskaya, which is why he so subtly delved into the experiences of seemingly fictional characters. In addition, Chekhov was personally acquainted with the prototype of Gaev - A.S. Kiselyov, who also sacrificed the estate in order to correct the shaky financial situation. His situation is one of hundreds. The entire Kharkov province, where the writer had visited more than once, became shallow: the noble nests disappeared. Such a large-scale and ambiguous process attracted the attention of the playwright: on the one hand, the peasants were freed and received the long-awaited freedom, on the other hand, this reform did not add prosperity to anyone. Such an obvious tragedy could not be ignored, the light comedy conceived by Chekhov did not work out.

The meaning of the name

Since the cherry orchard symbolizes Russia, we can conclude that the author devoted the work to the question of her fate, as Gogol wrote Dead Souls for the sake of the question “Where does the trinity bird fly?”. In fact, this is not about selling the estate, but about what will happen to the country? Will they sell it, will they cut it down for profit? Chekhov, analyzing the situation, understood that the degeneration of the nobility, the supporting class for the monarchy, promised trouble for Russia. If these people, called by their origin to be the core of the state, cannot be held responsible for their actions, then the country will go to the bottom. Such gloomy thoughts lay in wait for the author on reverse side the topic they touched on. It turned out that his heroes were not laughing, just like himself.

The symbolic meaning of the title of the play "The Cherry Orchard" is to convey to the reader the idea of ​​the work - the search for an answer to questions about the fate of Russia. Without this sign, we would perceive comedy as a family drama, a drama from privacy or a parable about the problem of fathers and children. That is, an erroneous, narrow interpretation of what was written would not allow the reader even in a hundred years to understand the main thing: we are all responsible for our garden, regardless of generation, beliefs and social status.

Why did Chekhov call The Cherry Orchard a comedy?

Many researchers really classify it as a comedy, since along with tragic events (the destruction of an entire estate), comic scenes constantly occur in the play. That is, it cannot be unequivocally attributed to a comedy, it is more correct to classify The Cherry Orchard as a tragic farce or tragic comedy, since many researchers attribute Chekhov's dramaturgy to a new phenomenon in the theater of the 20th century - anti-drama. The author himself stood at the origins of this trend, so he did not call himself that. However, the innovation of his work spoke for itself. This writer is now recognized and introduced into school curriculum, and then many of his works remained misunderstood, as they were out of the common rut.

The genre of The Cherry Orchard is difficult to define, because now, given the dramatic revolutionary events that Chekhov did not find, we can say that this play is a tragedy. An entire era dies in it, and hopes for a revival are so weak and vague that it’s somehow impossible to even smile in the finale. An open ending, a closed curtain, and only a dull knock on wood is heard in my thoughts. This is the impression of the performance.

Main idea

The ideological and thematic meaning of the play "The Cherry Orchard" lies in the fact that Russia is at a crossroads: it can choose the path to the past, present and future. Chekhov shows the mistakes and failure of the past, the vices and predatory grip of the present, but he still hopes for a happy future, showing the sublime and at the same time independent representatives of the new generation. The past, no matter how beautiful it may be, cannot be returned, the present is too imperfect and miserable to accept, so we must put all our efforts into ensuring that the future lives up to bright expectations. To do this, everyone should try right now, without delay.

The author shows how important the action is, but not the mechanical pursuit of profit, but the spiritualized, meaningful, moral action. It is about him that Pyotr Trofimov speaks, it is him that Anechka wants to see. However, we also see the pernicious legacy of past years in the student - he talks a lot, but did little for his 27 years. Nevertheless, the writer hopes that this age-old slumber will be overcome on a clear and cool morning - tomorrow, where the educated, but at the same time active descendants of the Lopakhins and Ranevskys will come.

Theme of the work

1. The author used an image that is well known to each of us and understandable to everyone. cherry orchards many have to this day, and then they were an indispensable attribute of every estate. They bloom in May, beautifully and fragrantly defend the week allotted to them, and then quickly fall off. Just as beautifully and suddenly fell the nobility, once a support Russian Empire mired in debt and endless controversy. As a matter of fact, these people were unable to justify the hopes placed on them. Many of them, with their irresponsible attitude to life, only undermined the foundations of Russian statehood. What should have been a centuries-old oak forest was just a cherry orchard: beautiful, but quickly vanished. Cherry fruits, alas, were not worth the place they occupied. This is how the theme of the death of noble nests was revealed in the play "The Cherry Orchard".
2. The themes of the past, present and future are realized in the work thanks to a multi-level system of images. Each generation symbolizes the time allotted to it. In the images of Ranevskaya and Gaev, the past dies, in the image of Lopakhin the present is in charge, but the future is waiting for its day in the images of Anya and Peter. The natural course of events takes human face, the change of generations is shown on specific examples.
3. The theme of time is also important. His power is devastating. Water wears away a stone - and so time erases human laws, destinies and beliefs into powder. Until recently, Ranevskaya could not even think that her former serf would settle in the estate and cut down the garden, which was passed down by Gaev from generation to generation. This unshakable order of social structure collapsed and sank into oblivion, in its place capital was hoisted up and its market laws in which money provided power, not position and origin.

Issues

1. The problem of human happiness in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is manifested in all the fates of the characters. Ranevskaya, for example, experienced many troubles in this garden, but she is happy to return here again. She fills the house with her warmth, remembers her native lands, and is nostalgic. She is not at all concerned about debts, the sale of the estate, the inheritance of her daughter, after all. She is happy with forgotten and re-experienced impressions. But now the house has been sold, the bills have been repaid, and happiness is in no hurry with the advent of a new life. Lopakhin tells her about calmness, but only anxiety grows in her soul. Instead of liberation comes depression. Thus, that for one happiness is misfortune for another, all people understand its essence in different ways, which is why it is so difficult for them to get along together and help each other.
2. The problem of preserving memory also worries Chekhov. People of the present ruthlessly cut down what was the pride of the province. noble nests, historically important buildings, perish from inattention, are erased into oblivion. Of course, active businessmen will always find arguments to destroy unprofitable junk, but they will perish ingloriously historical monuments, monuments of culture and art, which the Lopakhins' children will regret. They will be deprived of ties with the past, the continuity of generations, and will grow up as Ivans who do not remember kinship.
3. The problem of ecology in the play does not go unnoticed. The author claims not only the historical value of the cherry orchard, but also its natural beauty, its importance for the province. All the inhabitants of the surrounding villages breathed these trees, and their disappearance is a small ecological catastrophe. The area will be orphaned, the gaping lands will become impoverished, but people will fill every patch of inhospitable space. The attitude towards nature must be as careful as towards man, otherwise we will all be left without a home that we love so much.
4. The problem of fathers and children is embodied in the relationship between Ranevskaya and Anechka. You can see the estrangement between family members. The girl regrets the unlucky mother, but she does not want to share her way of life. Lyubov Andreevna indulges the child with gentle nicknames, but cannot understand that in front of her is no longer a child. The woman continues to pretend that she still does not understand anything, therefore she shamelessly builds her personal life to the detriment of her interests. They are very different, so they do not make any attempts to find a common language.
5. The problem of love for the motherland, or rather, its absence, is also traced in the work. Gaev, for example, is indifferent to the garden, he cares only about his own comfort. His interests do not rise above consumer ones, so the fate of his home does not bother him. Lopakhin, his opposite, also does not understand Ranevskaya's scrupulousness. However, he does not understand what to do with the garden either. He is guided only by mercantile considerations, profits and calculations are important to him, but not the safety of his home. He clearly expresses only love for money and the process of obtaining it. A generation of children dream of a new garden, they don't need the old one. This is where the problem of indifference comes into play. Nobody needs the Cherry Orchard, except for Ranevskaya, and even she needs memories and the old way of life, where she could do nothing and live happily. Her indifference to people and things is expressed in the scene where she calmly drinks coffee, listening to the news of the death of her nanny.
6. The problem of loneliness torments every hero. Ranevskaya was abandoned and deceived by her lover, Lopakhin cannot improve relations with Varya, Gaev is an egoist by nature, Peter and Anna are just beginning to get closer, and it is already obvious that they are lost in a world where there is no one to give them a helping hand.
7. The problem of mercy haunts Ranevskaya: no one can support her, all men not only do not help, but do not spare her. The husband drank himself, the lover left, Lopakhin took away the estate, her brother does not care about her. Against this background, she herself becomes cruel: she forgets Firs in the house, he is nailed inside. In the image of all these troubles lies an inexorable fate that is merciless to people.
8. The problem of finding the meaning of life. Lopakhin is clearly not satisfied with his meaning of life, which is why he evaluates himself so low. This search only awaits Anna and Peter ahead, but they are already winding, not finding a place for themselves. Ranevskaya and Gaev, with the loss of material wealth and their privileges, are lost and cannot find their bearings again.
9. The problem of love and selfishness is clearly visible in the contrast between brother and sister: Gaev loves only himself and does not particularly suffer from losses, but Ranevskaya searched for love all her life, but did not find it, and she herself lost it along the way. Only crumbs fell to the lot of Anechka and the cherry orchard. Even loving person can become selfish after so many years of disappointment.
10. Problem moral choice and responsibility concerns, first of all, Lopakhin. He gets Russia, his activities are able to change it. However, he lacks the moral foundations for realizing the importance of his actions for his descendants, realizing the responsibility to them. He lives by the principle: "After us - even a flood." He does not care what will be, he sees what is.

Symbolism of the play

The garden is the main character in Chekhov's play. It not only symbolizes estate life, but also connects times and epochs. The image of the Cherry Orchard is noble Russia, with the help of him, Anton Pavlovich predicted the future of the changes that awaited the country, although he himself could no longer see them. It also expresses the author's attitude to what is happening.

Episodes depict ordinary everyday situations, "little things in life", through which we learn about the main events of the play. In Chekhov, the tragic and the comic are mixed, for example, in the third act Trofimov philosophizes, and then absurdly falls down the stairs. There is some symbolism in this. copyright: he ironically over the heroes, casts doubt on the veracity of their words.

The system of images is also symbolic, the meaning of which is described in a separate paragraph.

Composition

The first step is exposure. Everyone is waiting for the arrival of the mistress of the estate Ranevskaya from Paris. In the house, everyone thinks and talks about his own, not listening to others. The disunity, located under the roof, illustrates the discordant Russia, where such similar friend on other people.

The plot - Lyubov Andreeva enters with her daughter, gradually everyone learns that they are in danger of ruin. Neither Gaev nor Ranevskaya (brother and sister) can prevent it. Only Lopakhin knows a tolerable rescue plan: to cut down cherries and build dachas, but the proud owners do not agree with him.

Second action. As the sun sets, the fate of the garden is once again discussed. Ranevskaya arrogantly rejects Lopakhin's help and continues to do nothing in the bliss of her own memories. Gaev and the merchant constantly quarrel.

Third act (climax): while the old owners of the garden are having a ball, as if nothing had happened, the auction is going on: the former serf Lopakhin acquires the estate.

Fourth act (denouement): Ranevskaya returns to Paris to squander the rest of her savings. After her departure, everyone disperses in all directions. Only the old servant Firs remains in the packed house.

Chekhov's innovation as a playwright

It remains to add that the play is not without reason beyond the understanding of many schoolchildren. Many researchers attribute it to the theater of the absurd (what is it?). This is a very complex and ambiguous phenomenon in modernist literature, which is still being debated. The fact is that Chekhov's plays can be classified as a theater of the absurd for a number of reasons. The lines of the heroes very often have no logical connection with each other. They seem to be facing nowhere, as if they are spoken by one person and at the same time talking to himself. The destruction of dialogue, the failure of communication - this is what the so-called anti-drama is famous for. In addition, the alienation of the individual from the world, his global loneliness and life turned into the past, the problem of happiness - all these are features of the existential problematic in the work, which are again inherent in the theater of the absurd. This is where the innovation of Chekhov the playwright in the play The Cherry Orchard manifested itself, and these features attract many researchers in his work. Such a “provocative” phenomenon, misunderstood and condemned by public opinion, is hard to fully perceive even for an adult, not to mention the fact that only a few who were attached to the world of art managed to fall in love with the theater of the absurd.

Image system

Chekhov does not speaking names, like Ostrovsky, Fonvizin, Griboyedov, but there are off-stage characters (for example, a Parisian lover, Yaroslavl aunt) who are important in the play, but Chekhov does not bring them into "external" action. In this drama there is no division into bad and good heroes, but there is a multifaceted system of characters. Actors plays can be divided into:

• on the heroes of the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs). They only know how to waste money and think, not wanting to change anything in their lives.
• on the heroes of the present (Lopakhin). Lopakhin is a simple "muzhik" who got rich with the help of labor, bought an estate and is not going to stop.
• on the heroes of the future (Trofimov, Anya) - this is the young generation dreaming of higher truth and supreme happiness.

The characters in The Cherry Orchard are constantly jumping from one topic to another. With visible dialogicity, they do not hear each other. There are as many as 34 pauses in the play, which are formed between many "useless" statements of the characters. The phrase is repeatedly repeated: “You are still the same”, which makes it clear that the characters do not change, they stand still.

The action of the play "The Cherry Orchard" begins in May, when the fruits of the cherry trees begin to bloom, and ends in October. Conflict has no bright pronounced character. All the main events that decide the future of the heroes take place behind the scenes (for example, the sale of the estate). That is, Chekhov completely abandons the norms of classicism.

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Origins of the play's title

The last play by A.P. Chekhov caused controversy both at the beginning of the 20th century and now. And this applies not only to genre affiliation, characterization of the characters, but also to the name. In the sense of the name of the play "The Cherry Orchard", both the critics, who became the first spectators, and the current fans of Chekhov's legacy, have already tried to figure it out. Of course, the name of the play is not accidental. Indeed, in the center of events is the fate of the noble estate, surrounded by a cherry orchard. Why did Chekhov choose the cherry orchard as the basis? After all, gardens planted with only one type of fruit trees were not found in estates. But it is the cherry orchard that becomes one of the central acting characters, no matter how strange it may sound in relation to an inanimate object. For Chekhov great importance the use of the word "cherry" and not "cherry" played in the title of the play. The etymology of these words is different. Cherry is called jam, seeds, color, and cherry is the trees themselves, their leaves and flowers, and the garden itself is cherry.

The name as a reflection of the fate of the heroes

In 1901, when Chekhov thought about writing new play He already had that name. Still not knowing exactly what the characters would be, he already clearly imagined what the action would unfold around. Telling Stanislavsky about his new play, he admired its title, calling it "The Cherry Orchard", pronouncing the title many times with different intonations. Stanislavsky did not share and did not understand the author's joy at the title. After some time, the playwright and director met again, and the author announced that the garden in the play and the title would not be “cherry”, but “cherry”. And only after replacing just one letter, Konstantin Sergeevich understood and imbued with the meaning of the title "The Cherry Orchard" of Chekhov's new play. After all, a cherry orchard is just a piece of land planted with trees that can generate income, and when you say “cherry orchard”, some inexplicable feeling of tenderness immediately appears and home comfort linking generations. And it is no coincidence that the fate of Ranevskaya and Gaev, Anya and Lopakhin, Firs and Yasha are intertwined with the fate of the garden. They all grew up and were born under the shade of this garden. Even before the birth of Firs, the oldest participant in the action, the garden was planted. And the lackey caught it in its heyday - when the garden gave a huge harvest, which always managed to find a use. Anya, as the youngest heroine, has not seen this, and for her the garden is just a beautiful and native corner of the Earth. For Ranevskaya and Gaev, the garden is something alive, which they admire to the very depths of their souls, they, like these cherry trees, have taken root just as deeply, only not in the ground, but in their convictions. And it seems to them that since the garden stands unchanged so long years, then their habitual life is also unshakable. However, it is perfectly clear that everything around is changing, people are changing, their values ​​and desires are changing. For example, Anya parted with the garden without pity, saying that she no longer loved him; Ranevskaya is attracted by distant Paris; Lopakhin is overcome by pride and greed. Only the garden remains unchanged, and only by the will of the people does it go under the axe.

The symbolism of the play's title

The meaning of the title of the play "The Cherry Orchard" is very symbolic: throughout the whole action, it is present in the scenery, conversations. It was the cherry orchard that became the main symbol of the play as a whole. And the image of the garden turns out to be closely connected with the thoughts of the characters about life in general, and through the attitude towards it, in many ways, the author revealed the characters' characters. It is quite possible that it was the cherry tree that would have become the emblem of the Moscow Art Theater, if even earlier this place had not been taken by a seagull from the drama of the same name by A.P. Chekhov.

The given facts, the history of the name of the play and the description of the meaning of the name, will help 10th grade students when writing an essay on the topic “The meaning of the name of the play“ The Cherry Orchard ”” or when preparing a report on the corresponding topic.

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