A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard": description, characters, analysis of the play

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On January 17, 1904, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's play " The Cherry Orchard" It was this play that was destined to become a symbol of Russian drama of the twentieth century.

“The Cherry Orchard” is Chekhov’s last play and the pinnacle of his dramatic creativity. By the time this play was written in 1903, Chekhov was already a recognized master of thoughts and the author of four plays, each of which became an event - “Ivanov”, “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters”.

The main dramatic feature of The Cherry Orchard is symbolism. The main character-symbol of the play is not this or that character, but the cherry orchard itself. This garden was grown not for profit, but to please the eyes of its noble owners. But the economic realities of the beginning of the twentieth century inexorably dictate their laws, and the garden will be cut down, just as the noble nests will disintegrate, and with them the noble family will go down into history. Russia XIX century, and it will be replaced by Russia of the twentieth century with its revolutions, the first of which is just around the corner.

Chekhov had already worked closely with the Moscow Art Theater. While working on the play, he often discussed it with Stanislavsky, and the main role Ranevskaya was originally intended for the actress Olga Knipper-Chekhova, who became the writer’s wife in 1901.

The premiere of “The Cherry Orchard” took place from great success and became the main event in Moscow at the beginning of 1904, facilitated by the skill and fame of Chekhov, the reputation of the Moscow Art Theater, the directorial talent of Stanislavsky and the brilliant performance of the Moscow Art Theater actors. In addition to Olga Knipper-Chekhova, the premiere performance featured Konstantin Stanislavsky himself (who played the role of Gaev), Leonid Leonidov (who played the role of Lopakhin), Vasily Kachalov (who played Trofimov), Vladimir Gribunin (the role of Simeonov-Pishchik), Ivan Moskvin (who played Epikhodov) , and Alexander Artem delighted the audience in the role of Firs, which Chekhov wrote especially for this favorite actor.

In the same 1904, Chekhov, whose tuberculosis worsened, went to Germany for treatment, where he died in July.

And “The Cherry Orchard” began a triumphal march through the theater stages of Russia and the world, which continues to this day. Only in 1904, this play by Chekhov was staged at the Kharkov Theater by Dyukova (simultaneously with the production at the Moscow Art Theater, premiered on January 17, 1904), the Partnership new drama in Kherson (director and performer of the role of Trofimov - Vsevolod Meyerhold), at the Kiev Solovtsov Theater and at the Vilna Theater. And in 1905, “The Cherry Orchard” was also seen by spectators in St. Petersburg - Yuri Ozerovsky staged Chekhov’s play on the Alexandrinka stage, and Konstantin Korovin acted as a theater designer.

Scene from Act II of the play “The Cherry Orchard” based on the play by A.P. Chekhov. Moscow Art Theater, 1904. Photo from the almanac “Album of the Sun of Russia”, No. 7. "Moscow art theater. Plays by A.P. Chekhov"








Poster for the production of “The Cherry Orchard” at the Kiev Theater. 1904.

Analysis of A. P. Chekhov’s comedy “The Cherry Orchard”

conducted by student group 44006/1 Kalinina A.

General description of comedy.

This lyrical comedy, as Chekhov himself calls it, is aimed at revealing the social theme of the death of old noble estates. The action of the comedy takes place on the estate of L.A. Ranevskaya, a landowner, and is tied to the fact that, due to debts, the inhabitants have to sell the cherry orchard so beloved by everyone. Before us is a nobility in a state of decline. Ranevskaya and Gaev (her brother) are impractical people and do not know how to manage things. Being people of weak character, they abruptly change their mood, easily shed tears over a trivial matter, willingly talk idle talk and organize luxurious holidays on the eve of their ruin. In the play, Chekhov also shows people of the new generation, perhaps the future lies with them. This is Anya Ranevskaya and Petya Trofimov (former teacher dead son Ranevskaya Grisha). New people must be strong fighters for future happiness. True, it is difficult to classify Trofimov as one of such people: he is a “klutz,” not too strong and, in my opinion, not smart enough for the great struggle. Hope is for young Anya. “We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this...” - she believes, and in this faith is the only option in the play for a happy development of the situation for Russia.

Form and content of the work.

1) Form: a) problem part (subjective beginning), the world of a work of art: Main characters (images): landowner Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, her daughters Anya and Varya, her brother Gaev Leonid Andreevich, merchant Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, student Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich, landowner Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, governess Charlotte Ivanovna, clerk Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, maid Dunyasha, footman Firs and Yasha, as well as several minor characters (passerby, station master, postal official, guests and servants). In addition, we highlight the “garden” as an independent hero; it takes its place in the system of images of the play. b) Structure (composition) of the work, organization of the work at the macrotext level: the comedy consists of four acts. All of them are intertwined plotwise and chronologically, forming a single picture of events. c) Artistic speech

This work is a comedy, so it is very emotional. We note that the text of the play is full of historicisms and archaisms, denoting objects and phenomena from the life of people of the early 20th century (lackey, nobles, master). There is colloquial vocabulary and colloquial forms of words in the servants’ remarks (“I’m good, what a fool I’ve been!”, “Charming, after all, I’ll take one hundred and eighty rubles from you... I’ll take it...”), and there are also numerous borrowings from French and German languages, direct transliteration and foreign words as such (“Sorry!”, “Ein, zwei, drei!”, “They are dancing grand-rond in the hall”).

subject - This is a phenomenon of the external and internal life of a person, which is the subject of study of a work of art. Work under study polythematic, because contains more than one topic.

According to the method of expression, topics are divided into: 1) explicitly expressed: theme of love for home(“Children’s room, my dear, beautiful room...”, “Oh, my garden!”, “Dear, dear closet! I greet your existence, which for more than a hundred years has been directed towards the bright ideals of goodness and justice”), theme of family, love for relatives(“My darling has arrived!”, “my beloved child”, “I suddenly felt sorry for my mother, so sorry, I hugged her head, squeezed her with my hands and couldn’t let go. Then my mother kept caressing her and crying”), old age theme(“I’m tired of you, grandfather. I wish you would die sooner,” “Thank you, Firs, thank you, my old man. I’m so glad that you’re still alive”), love theme(“And what’s there to hide or remain silent about, I love him, that’s clear. I love him, I love him... This is a stone on my neck, I’m going to the bottom with it, but I love this stone and I can’t live without it,” “ You have to be a man, at your age you have to understand those who love. And you have to love yourself... you have to fall in love”; nature conservation theme, the theme of the future of Russia.

2) cultural and historical topics: the theme of the future of Russia

According to the classification of the philologist Potebnya:

2) Internal form (shaped structures, plot elements, etc.)

3) External form (words, text structure, composition, etc.)

Problems of the work.

The main problems of this play are questions about the fate of the Motherland and the duty and responsibility of the younger generation. The problem is implicitly expressed, since the author conveys this idea through the symbol of the cherry orchard, revealed from various aspects: temporal, figurative and spatial).

Specific issues: a) social (social relationships, building a new life, the problem of a noble leisurely society); b) socio-psychological (inner experiences of the characters); d) historical (the problem of nobles getting used to the abolition of serfdom).

Chronotope.

Straightforward, the action takes place in May 1900, immediately after the abolition of serfdom, and ends in October. Events take place in chronological order on Ranevskaya’s estate, but there are references to the heroes’ past.

Characteristics of heroes.

It is worth noting that there are no sharply positive or sharply negative characters in the work.

Appearance The heroes are given very briefly, and mainly only their clothes are described. The text does not contain characteristics of all heroes.

Lopakhin - “in a white vest, yellow shoes”, “with a pig’s snout”, “thin, delicate fingers, like an artist’s”

Trofimov – 26-27 years old, “in a shabby old uniform, with glasses”, “hair is not thick”, “How ugly you have become, Petya”, “stern face”

Firs - 87 years old, “in a jacket and white vest, shoes on his feet.”

Lyubov Ranevskaya, landowner - “She is a good person. An easy, simple person,” very sentimental. He lives idly out of habit, despite the fact that he is completely in debt.

Anya, Ranevskaya's daughter, is in love with Petya Trofimov and is under his influence. She is passionate about the idea that the nobility is guilty before the Russian people and must atone for their guilt. Anya believes in future happiness, new, better life(“We will plant new garden, more luxurious than this”, “Goodbye home! Goodbye old life!"

Varya is described by her adoptive mother Ranevskaya as “simple, works all day,” “a good girl.”

Leonid Andreevich Gaev - Ranevskaya’s brother, “a man of the eighties”, a man confused in words, lexicon which consists mainly of “billiard words” (“I’m cutting into a corner!”, “A doublet into a corner... Croisé in the middle...”) and complete nonsense (“Dear, dear closet! I greet your existence, which is now more for a hundred years was directed towards the bright ideals of goodness and justice; your silent call to fruitful work has not weakened for a hundred years, maintaining (through tears) in the generations of our family vigor, faith in a better future and nurturing in us the ideals of goodness and social self-awareness") . One of the few who comes up with various plans to save the cherry orchard.

Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin is a merchant, “he is good, interesting person", he characterizes himself as a "man by man." He himself comes from a family of serfs, and now - rich man who knows where and how to invest money. Lopakhin is a very contradictory hero, in whom callousness and rudeness fight with hard work and ingenuity.

Pyotr Trofimov - Chekhov describes him as an “eternal student”, already old, but still not graduating from university.

Ranevskaya, angry at him during an argument about love, shouts: “You are twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, and you are still a second-grade high school student!” Lopakhin ironically asks, “How many years have you been studying at the university?” This hero belongs to the generation of the future, he believes in it, denies love and is in search of truth.

Portraits, as we described earlier, are brief – they are not an independent element of the work.

The interior is an intrinsic element in the work (i.e. it is needed for description as such), because, among other things, it creates an image of time: in the first and third acts, this is an image of the past and present (the comfort and warmth of one’s home after a long separation (“My room, my windows, as if I had never left”, “The living room, separated by an arch from the hall . The chandelier is burning")), in the fourth and last act - this is a picture of the future, the realities of the new world, the emptiness after the departure of the heroes (“The scenery of the first act. There are no curtains on the windows, no paintings, there is a little furniture left, which is folded in one corner, definitely for sale. There is a feeling of emptiness. Suitcases, travel items, etc. are stacked near the exit door and at the back of the stage. The door to the left is open."

Thus, the interior performs a descriptive and characteristic function.

Artistic landscape.

It is worth noting that the same description of a landscape performs two functions at once (the development of external and internal action and a descriptive-characteristic function), based on the presence in the play of such a hero as the “cherry orchard”, we will give examples: “It’s already May, Cherry trees are blooming", "Field. An old, crooked, long-abandoned chapel, next to it there is a well, large stones that were apparently once gravestones, and an old bench. The road to Gaev's estate is visible. To the side, towering, the poplars darken: that’s where the cherry orchard begins. In the distance there is a row of telegraph poles, and far, far away on the horizon a large city is vaguely visible, which is visible only in very good, clear weather. The sun will set soon." Artistic detail.

1. Portrait: Gaev about Anya: “She is good, kind, nice, I love her very much, but no matter how you come up with mitigating circumstances, you still have to admit that she is vicious. You can feel it in her slightest movement.”

2.Portrait-psychological: Dunyasha about Epikhodov: “He’s an unhappy person, something happens every day. They tease him like that: twenty-two misfortunes...”

3. Verbal: “billiard words” by Gaev, for example “I’m cutting to the middle!”, “From two sides to the middle” and others.

Composition of the play.

Exposition. Located in the first act - these are scenes of Dunyasha, Lopakhin and Epikhodov waiting for Ranevskaya’s arrival from Paris. Such scenes tell the reader and viewer about the estate Lyubov Andreevna

, reveals the main feature of its inhabitants - everyone talks about their own things, without listening to others. Scenes of the appearance of Ranevskaya with her daughter and governess Charlotte, the clarification of the relationship between Ranevskaya and her brother Gaev. Opens the main problem plays - reluctance to sell the cherry orchard, and at the same time, the impossibility of making a different decision. Lopakhin offers his own conditions - buy the garden, cut everything down and rent it out as summer cottages. Nobody agrees.

Development of action. In the second act, the fate of the cherry orchard and the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev are decided, who live an idle life, without controlling their expenses, thereby driving themselves into even greater debt.

Climax. In the third act, the scene of the ball at Ranevskaya’s estate is described, and behind the scene the sale of the estate to Lopakhin takes place, all the characters learn about it. This shocks the heroes.

« Pishchik. What's up for auction? Tell me! Lyubov Andreevna. Is the cherry orchard sold?

Lopakhin. Sold.

Lyubov Andreevna. Who bought it?

Lopakhin. I bought".

Denouement is described in the fourth act of the play using scenes of Ranevskaya’s departure back to Paris. All the heroes leave the house, except for the footman Firs: he has been forgotten.

Plot external. Performs both functions: constructive (illuminates the elements of the image) and characteristic (reveals the image of the characters). External: general development of events. Interior almost completely absent. Partially presented in the monologues of the characters in the play. Conflicts: 1. Psychological, moral: internal conflict of the human soul. 2. Socio-historical: the conflict of the outgoing nobility and the bourgeoisie coming to replace it (Ranevskaya, Gaev and Ani and Trofimov, respectively).

Thus The plot is multilinear, concentric. The composition is complex (external: dividing the play into actions, internal: replicas of the characters). All types of text are present (narration, description and reasoning). The work is a play.

The Cherry Orchard is a lyrical work by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, written in 1903, a year before his death. The play consists of four acts. Chekhov put the whole meaning of the work in its title, in the emphasis on the penultimate syllable, on the letter e. After all, it is she who says that the garden is intended to give pleasure to its appearance, by its presence, and not by commercial possession. He does not bring monetary gain, but demonstrates the charm of his unusual blooming whiteness and past refined noble life. The garden is capable of living only to satisfy the whims of spoiled aesthetes, and not to make money, which is why it must be destroyed, as this is required by economic development and vital necessity.

Act one

Everything happens in the estate, whose owner is Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. The magnificent garden surrounding the house faces the fate of being sold for debts that the owner incurred while living abroad, for several years, after a series of misfortunes befell her. Lyubov Andreevna, who arrived with her daughter Anya, is met at the station by Ranevskaya’s brother Leonid Andreevich Gaev and Varya, her adopted daughter.

At the estate Lyubov Andreevna is waiting for other characters - the merchant Lopakhin is an old friend and good acquaintance, Dunyasha is the maid, a little later the clerk Epikhodov arrives, everyone calls him “thirty-three misfortunes” for his ability to get into various troubles. The hospitable house is gradually filled with arriving guests, joyful excitement reigns all around, everyone is animatedly talking about their problems, arguing, interrupting each other.

Lopakhin reminded Lyubov Andreevna that the estate would soon be sold at auction, and to avoid this, it was necessary to divide all the land into several plots and it must be offered for rent to summer residents. Ranevskaya learns with bitterness that the once “dear student” Petya Trofimov, who once taught her drowned son, unfortunately the metamorphosis that happened to him is not pleasing; he has turned into an “eternal student.” Gaev, together with Varya, come up with projects on where to get money to pay off debts. Finally, the servant Firs accompanies Gaev to rest. Ranevskaya’s own daughter Anya was inspired by the fact that Leonid Andreevich would be able to help out the estate.

Act two

Lopakhin, who arrived the next day, again continues to persuade Ranevskaya to divide the land. But the frivolous Ranevskaya and Gaev again ignore Lopakhin’s proposal and talk about something completely insignificant; the amazed Lopakhin makes an attempt to leave them, but remains at Ranevskaya’s insistence. Anya, Trofimov and Varya appear, everyone philosophizes together, Petya scolds the intelligentsia. Everyone interrupts each other, from the outside the conversation resembles a useless hubbub. Looking at this conversation, it is easy to understand that those present are completely unable and unwilling to listen to the other person. Finally, everyone has left and Anya and Trofimov can talk freely with each other.

Act three

The bidding began, on this day, completely inappropriately, Ranevskaya planned a ball, Lyubov Andreevna anxiously awaits Gaev’s return with the money that her aunt gave in Yaroslavl. But this money is only 15,000, and it is not enough to pay off debts. Petya tries to reassure Ranevskaya, convincing her that the garden is all over, and to face the truth, it is not really needed. But Lyubov Andreevna does not see the meaning of life without a garden.

Every day she receives news from Paris and now she no longer tears it up as before. Having left her without funds, her lover calls her again. Ranevskaya and Trofimov argue, then make up. Lopakhin and Gaev arrived. Lopakhin is on top, ex-son The serf became the owner of the garden, paying a lot of money for it. And now the garden will be cut down, Ermolai Lopakhin will “take an ax to the cherry orchard.” Anya unsuccessfully consoles her mother, saying that another garden will appear, even better, and “quiet and deep joy” awaits them ahead.

Act four

The house is empty. Lopakhin wants to go to Kharkov, Petya Trofimov plans to go to Moscow, both of them are sarcastic about each other. Lopakhin wants to help Trofimov with money, but his damned pride does not allow Petya to take it. Ranevskaya and Gaev suddenly became cheerful. With the sale of the cherry orchard, worries and worries went away. Lyubov Andreevna had already planned how she would live in Paris with the money she received from her aunt. Anya is happy that she will finally be able to finish her studies at the gymnasium. Suddenly Simeonov-Pishchik arrives, he is in a hurry to pay off his debts, since white clay was found on his land, and brilliant prospects are open for him.

Everyone decide on your future life. Gaev identified himself as a bank official. Lopakhin must find a place for Charlotte. Epidokhova hires Lopakhin to manage her land. Varvara will serve as the Ragulins' housekeeper, although Varya likes Lopakhin, she expects the first actions from him, and he runs away under some plausible pretext. The sick Firs must be sent to the hospital for treatment. Finally, everything calmed down and everyone left. And only the old servant remains in the house, they simply forgot about him. He lies down and dies. The sound of a guitar string breaking is heard behind the stage, and then the blows of axes.

Relevance of the work

The Cherry Orchard is a special work; it still evokes a strong surge of feelings, analogies and a new understanding of historical processes in Russian history. The last, most historical work of Chekhov and truly prophetic, describing a certain moment Russian life. The work is relevant at all times.

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 my 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 pompous 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 the auction for the estate with the cherry orchard, Ranevskaya, on a strange whim, arranges noisy party with a guest 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 having a 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.” Petya, however, is greatly concerned 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

The estate of landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. Spring, cherry trees are blooming. But the beautiful garden will soon have to be sold for debts. For the last five years, Ranevskaya and her seventeen-year-old daughter Anya have lived abroad. Ranevskaya’s brother Leonid Andreevich Gaev and her adopted daughter, twenty-four-year-old Varya, remained on the estate. Things are bad for Ranevskaya, there are almost no funds left. Lyubov Andreevna always squandered money. Six years ago, her husband died from drunkenness. Ranevskaya fell in love with another person and got along with him. But soon he died tragically, drowning in the river, her little son Grisha. Lyubov Andreevna, unable to bear the grief, fled abroad. The lover followed her. When he fell ill, Ranevskaya had to settle him at her dacha near Menton and look after him for three years. And then, when he had to sell his dacha for debts and move to Paris, he robbed and abandoned Ranevskaya.

Gaev and Varya meet Lyubov Andreevna and Anya at the station. The maid Dunyasha and the merchant Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin are waiting for them at home. Lopakhin's father was a serf of the Ranevskys, he himself became rich, but says of himself that he remained a “man a man.” The clerk Epikhodov comes, a man with whom something constantly happens and who is nicknamed “twenty-two misfortunes.”

Finally the carriages arrive. The house is filled with people, everyone is in pleasant excitement. Everyone talks about their own things. Lyubov Andreevna looks at the rooms and through tears of joy remembers the past. The maid Dunyasha can’t wait to tell the young lady that Epikhodov proposed to her. Anya herself advises Varya to marry Lopakhin, and Varya dreams of marrying Anya to a rich man. The governess Charlotte Ivanovna, a strange and eccentric person, boasts about her amazing dog; the neighbor, the landowner Simeonov-Pishchik, asks for a loan of money. The old faithful servant Firs hears almost nothing and mutters something all the time.

Lopakhin reminds Ranevskaya that the estate should soon be sold at auction, the only way out is to divide the land into plots and rent them out to summer residents. Ranevskaya is surprised by Lopakhin’s proposal: how can her beloved wonderful cherry orchard be cut down! Lopakhin wants to stay longer with Ranevskaya, whom he loves “more than his own,” but it’s time for him to leave. Gaev addresses welcoming speech to the hundred-year-old “respected” cabinet, but then, embarrassed, again begins to meaninglessly utter his favorite billiard words.

Ranevskaya does not immediately recognize Petya Trofimov: so he has changed, turned ugly, the “dear student” has turned into an “eternal student.” Lyubov Andreevna cries, remembering her little drowned son Grisha, whose teacher was Trofimov.

Gaev, left alone with Varya, tries to talk about business. There is a rich aunt in Yaroslavl, who, however, does not love them: after all, Lyubov Andreevna did not marry a nobleman, and she did not behave “very virtuously.” Gaev loves his sister, but still calls her “vicious,” which displeases Anya. Gaev continues to build projects: his sister will ask Lopakhin for money, Anya will go to Yaroslavl - in a word, they will not allow the estate to be sold, Gaev even swears by it. The grumpy Firs finally takes the master, like a child, to bed. Anya is calm and happy: her uncle will arrange everything.

Lopakhin never ceases to persuade Ranevskaya and Gaev to accept his plan. The three of them had breakfast in the city and, on their way back, stopped in a field near the chapel. Just now, here, on the same bench, Epikhodov tried to explain himself to Dunyasha, but she had already preferred the young cynical lackey Yasha to him. Ranevskaya and Gaev don’t seem to hear Lopakhin and are talking about completely different things. Without convincing the “frivolous, unbusinesslike, strange” people of anything, Lopakhin wants to leave. Ranevskaya asks him to stay: “it’s still more fun” with him.

Anya, Varya and Petya Trofimov arrive. Ranevskaya starts a conversation about a “proud man.” According to Trofimov, there is no point in pride: a rude, unhappy person should not admire himself, but work. Petya condemns the intelligentsia, who are incapable of work, those people who philosophize importantly, and treat men like animals. Lopakhin enters the conversation: he works “from morning to evening,” dealing with large capitals, but he is becoming more and more convinced how few decent people there are around. Lopakhin doesn’t finish speaking, Ranevskaya interrupts him. In general, everyone here does not want and does not know how to listen to each other. There is silence, in which the distant sad sound of a broken string can be heard.

Soon everyone disperses. Left alone, Anya and Trofimov are glad to have the opportunity to talk together, without Varya. Trofimov convinces Anya that one must be “above love”, that the main thing is freedom: “all of Russia is our garden,” but in order to live in the present, one must first atone for the past through suffering and labor. Happiness is close: if not they, then others will definitely see it.

The twenty-second of August arrives, trading day. It was on this evening, completely inappropriately, that a ball was being held at the estate, and a Jewish orchestra was invited. Once upon a time, generals and barons danced here, but now, as Firs complains, both the postal official and the station master “don’t like to go.” Charlotte Ivanovna entertains guests with her tricks. Ranevskaya anxiously awaits her brother's return. The Yaroslavl aunt nevertheless sent fifteen thousand, but it was not enough to redeem the estate.

Petya Trofimov “calms” Ranevskaya: it’s not about the garden, it’s over long ago, we need to face the truth. Lyubov Andreevna asks not to judge her, to have pity: after all, without the cherry orchard, her life loses its meaning. Every day Ranevskaya receives telegrams from Paris. At first she tore them right away, then - after reading them first, now she no longer tears them. "This wild man", whom she still loves, begs her to come. Petya condemns Ranevskaya for her love for “a petty scoundrel, a nonentity.” Angry Ranevskaya, unable to restrain herself, takes revenge on Trofimov, calling him a “funny eccentric”, “freak”, “clean”: “You have to love yourself... you have to fall in love!” Petya tries to leave in horror, but then stays and dances with Ranevskaya, who asked him for forgiveness.

Finally, a confused, joyful Lopakhin and a tired Gaev appear, who, without saying anything, immediately goes home. The Cherry Orchard was sold, and Lopakhin bought it. The “new landowner” is happy: he managed to outbid the rich man Deriganov at the auction, giving ninety thousand on top of his debt. Lopakhin picks up the keys thrown on the floor by the proud Varya. Let the music play, let everyone see how Ermolai Lopakhin “takes an ax to the cherry orchard”!

Anya consoles her crying mother: the garden is sold, but there is more to come whole life. There will be a new garden, more luxurious than this, “quiet, deep joy” awaits them...

The house is empty. Its inhabitants, having said goodbye to each other, leave. Lopakhin is going to Kharkov for the winter, Trofimov is returning to Moscow, to the university. Lopakhin and Petya exchange barbs. Although Trofimov calls Lopakhin “ a beast of prey", necessary "in the sense of metabolism", he still loves the "tender, subtle soul" in him. Lopakhin offers Trofimov money for the trip. He refuses: no one should have power over the “free man”, “in the forefront of moving” to the “highest happiness”.

Ranevskaya and Gaev even became happier after selling the cherry orchard. Previously they were worried and suffered, but now they have calmed down. Ranevskaya is going to live in Paris for now with money sent by her aunt. Anya is inspired: it’s starting new life- she will graduate from high school, will work, read books, and a “new wonderful world” will open before her. Suddenly, out of breath, Simeonov-Pishchik appears and instead of asking for money, on the contrary, he gives away debts. It turned out that the British found white clay on his land.

Everyone settled down differently. Gaev says that now he is a bank employee. Lopakhin promises to find a new place for Charlotte, Varya got a job as a housekeeper for the Ragulins, Epikhodov, hired by Lopakhin, remains on the estate, Firs should be sent to the hospital. But still Gaev sadly says: “Everyone is abandoning us... we suddenly became unnecessary.”

There must finally be an explanation between Varya and Lopakhin. Varya has been teased as “Madame Lopakhina” for a long time. Varya likes Ermolai Alekseevich, but she herself cannot propose. Lopakhin, who also speaks highly of Varya, agrees to “end this matter right away.” But when Ranevskaya arranges their meeting, Lopakhin, having never made up his mind, leaves Varya, taking advantage of the first pretext.

“It's time to go! On the road! - with these words they leave the house, locking all the doors. All that remains is old Firs, whom everyone seemed to care about, but whom they forgot to send to the hospital. Firs, sighing that Leonid Andreevich went in a coat and not a fur coat, lies down to rest and lies motionless. The same sound of a broken string is heard. “Silence falls, and you can only hear how far away in the garden an ax is knocking on a tree.”