Comedy "The Cherry Orchard". Character system

Chekhov's innovation is also noticeable in the depiction of the characters' characters. Unlike traditional drama, with its characters outlined quite clearly and more straightforwardly than in the epic, the heroes of Chekhov’s plays are complex and ambiguous personalities.

Ranevskaya. Each of the characters in the play has their own cherry orchard, their own Russia. For Ranevskaya, the cherry orchard is her youth, memories of her closest and beloved people - her mother, her deceased son. No one feels the spirituality and beauty of the cherry orchard like Ranevskaya: “What an amazing garden! White masses of flowers, blue sky! O my garden, the angels of heaven have not abandoned you.” The cherry orchard became for Lyubov Andreevna her happiness, her life; to destroy the orchard means for her to destroy herself. Throughout the play, we feel the feeling of anxiety growing in Ranevskaya. She feverishly tries to hold back the uncontrollable, feeling the joy of meeting the cherry orchard, and immediately remembers that the auction is coming soon. The peak of tension is the third action, when she rushes about, prays for salvation, says: “I’ve definitely lost my sight, I can’t see anything. Take pity on me. My soul is heavy today... My soul trembles from every sound, but I can’t go to my room, I’m scared alone in silence.” And all this - against the backdrop of an absurd ball, so inopportunely started by Ranevskaya herself. Tears in her eyes are mixed with laughter, albeit sad and nervous. She seems lost: what to do, how to live, what to rely on? Ranevskaya has no answer to any of these questions. Chekhov’s heroine lives with a feeling of an imminent catastrophe: “I’m still waiting for something, as if the house was about to collapse above us.”

Chekhov's heroes are ordinary people; there is no ideality in Lyubov Andreevna either: she is delicate, kind, but her kindness does not bring happiness either to herself or to those around her. With hasty intervention, she ruins Varya’s fate, leaves for Paris, forgetting to make sure that her request to place Firs in the hospital is really fulfilled, as a result of which the sick old man remains abandoned. In Ranevskaya, as in almost every person, both the bright and the sinful are combined. There is artistic truth in the fact that Chekhov shows how time passes through the destinies of the most ordinary people, how the divide between two eras is reflected in everyone.

Gaev. Gaev is a “superfluous man” of the late 19th century; he calls himself “a man of the eighties.” He really lingered in the past; the present is incomprehensible and painful to him. Faced with something new and unusual, Gaev is childishly perplexed: for some reason we must endure Lopakhin’s presence, his interference in their lives, we must decide something, while he is not capable of any decision. All of Gaev’s projects for saving the garden are naive and impracticable: “It would be nice to receive an inheritance from someone, it would be nice to marry Anya to a very rich man, it would be nice to go to Yaroslavl and try your luck with Aunt Countess.” In Gaev’s imagination, some general appears who can give “on a bill of exchange,” to which Ranevskaya immediately responds: “He’s delusional, there are no generals.” The only thing Gaev is capable of is making lengthy speeches in front of the “respected closet” and playing billiards. However, constant anxiety lives in him, the feeling of mental discomfort does not leave him. The state is “spent on lollipops”, life is passing, an obscure service in the bank lies ahead, so it is no coincidence that his last remark is accompanied by the remark “in despair”.

Lopakhin. The “borderline” is also palpable in Lopakhin’s state of mind, who, it would seem, is protected from the ruthlessness of time; on the contrary, time helps him. Lopakhin combines “predator” and “tender soul.” Petya Trofimov will say: “I, Ermolai Alekseich, understand that you are a rich man, you will soon be a millionaire. Just as in terms of metabolism we need a predatory beast that eats everything that comes in its way, so we need you,” but the same Petya will later remark: “You have thin, delicate fingers, like an artist, you have thin, delicate fingers.” soul".

Lopakhin’s Russia is the kingdom of the “summer resident,” the Russia of the entrepreneur, but Lopakhin does not feel complete spiritual harmony in such a Russia. He yearns, dreams of giant people who should live in the Russian expanses, and after buying the cherry orchard he bitterly says to Ranevskaya: “Oh, if only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change.” It is not surprising that his words: “There is a new landowner, the owner of the cherry orchard,” is accompanied by a remark “with irony.” Lopakhin is a hero of the new era, however, even this time does not give a person the fullness of happiness.

The younger generation – Petya and Anya. It would seem that Petya Trofimov sees happiness, he enthusiastically says to Anya: “I have a presentiment of happiness, Anya, I already see it.” He speaks just as enthusiastically about “a bright star that burns there in the distance” and on the way to which you just need to bypass “everything small and illusory that prevents a person from being free and happy.”

Petya and Anya are focused on the future, they say goodbye to the old Russia without regret: “We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this.” However, Petya is a dreamer who still knows very little about life; according to Ranevskaya, he has not yet had time to “suffer” his beliefs. He does not have a clear program for how to get to this “bright star”; he only knows how to talk beautifully about it. The only life program that Petya offers to Anya: “Be free like the wind!”

The only thing Petya could do was to arouse in Anya’s soul sympathy for herself, a desire for a new life. However, Chekhov emphasizes that Anya is “first of all a child who does not fully know or understand life.” It is unknown what Anya’s desire to change her life will lead to, leaving the “cherry orchard” forever, so it is hardly worth asserting that it is in Anya that Chekhov shows the possible future of Russia.

Who is the future of Russia - this question remained unanswered in the play, because the time of the turn does not provide final knowledge about the future, only assumptions are possible about what it will be like and who will become its hero.

The play “The Cherry Orchard” was written by A.P. Chekhov in 1903, at the junction of eras, when the expectation of major and decisive changes was felt in all classes in Russia. And in his last work, A.P. Chekhov reflects on the fate of Russia, its future. “The Cherry Orchard” is called the writer’s swan song, and in this work his innovation was especially fully demonstrated.

This play has a rather simple plot, since the whole action revolves around the problem of who will get the cherry orchard. The characters of the play are united precisely by this image - the symbol of the garden, which is a kind of embodiment of their past, present or future life. As the plot develops, the character of the characters in the play is gradually revealed, and this leisurely, unhurried nature allows the author to show the inner conflict of the human soul.

The play takes place on the estate of landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. The social conflict of the play is the conflict between the departing nobility and the bourgeoisie that replaced it. Another plot line is socio-romantic. A.P. Chekhov himself says through the lips of his heroes: “All of Russia is our garden.” But Anya and Petya Trofimov’s dream is shattered by Lopakhin’s practicality, by whose will the cherry orchard is cut down. The nobility, which was accustomed to living idlely, spending, but not making money, was unable to adapt to the new conditions after the abolition of serfdom. And Ranevskaya’s estate was mortgaged and remortgaged; she “lost” her fortune long ago, but due to habit she cannot change her wasteful lifestyle. Ranevskaya does not understand that the coming time requires constant efforts from her, but Lyubov Andreevna lives with emotions, memories of the past, she is confused, broken by everything that is happening and most likely is simply afraid to think about the present. But she is just a woman, spoiled by many years of idle life, and she can be understood, but her brother Gaev is a mixture of stupid conceit and complete insignificance in everything. An important detail in describing Gaev’s character is that at his age his old lackey Firs continues to put on his pants. Gaev declares that he “ate away all his fortune on candy,” he makes long speeches, and this is just a parody of a cultured and educated person. In Russian classical literature, Gaev became the final stage in the gallery of “extra people.”

Lopakhin, a “beast of prey,” according to Petya Trofimov’s definition, becomes a clear contrast to the owners of the cherry orchard. Lopakhin's energy and economic determination are contrasted with the carelessness and impracticality of the old owners of the cherry orchard. He is a descendant of serfs, those “whose faces look out from every cherry tree in the garden,” and therefore he passes by buying an estate. Petya Trofimov says about Lopakhin: “Just as in the sense of metabolism a predatory beast is needed that eats everything that comes in its way, so you are needed.”

Ranevskaya’s tears shock Lopakhin, he understands that not everything can be bought and sold, but the practicality of the “man” wins over him. His soul will sooner or later harden, because the “businessman” in him will always prevail.

The heroes see their future differently. Ranevskaya believes that her life is over. Anya and Petya see this as a chance to start a new life and grow their own garden. The cherry orchard has become a vivid symbol of the past, and with it go both Ranevskaya and old Firs, who is forgotten in the empty, boarded-up house.

Both the plot, the characters, and the problems of the play show us Russia at a crossroads, a Russia in which the past has not yet been completely eradicated, where the present has not yet finally arrived, but the future is already visible. The passive dreamer and idealist Petya Trofimov is unlikely to be able to change his life; it’s not for nothing that he is called the “shabby gentleman.” But, according to A.P. Chekhov, it is Petya who should replace Lopakhin, because it is in his mouth that the author puts the idea that “all of Russia is our garden.” A.P. Chekhov was deeply convinced that a person needs the entire globe to be free. A storm was approaching, and A.P. Chekhov foresaw and waited for it.

The play “The Cherry Orchard” was the result of the writer’s creative path. With this play, with the help of plot, characters and issues, A.P. Chekhov completed the ideological debunking of the nobility, begun by Turgenev in the novel “Fathers and Sons.” Over the many years that have passed since the abolition of serfdom, the nobility has largely lost its economic position; it gradually disappeared from the historical arena. The new owner of the cherry orchard is also not a positive hero for A.P. Chekhov. Although he is, of course, more viable and has a strong grip, in the pursuit of profit, people like him, undoubtedly, unfortunately, destroy spiritual values.

The individual is brought in to visually show a commonality, and a visual picture illustrates some kind of commonality” (A.F. Losev).\nName the central image-symbol of the play\nA. P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" and give the maximum\nnumber of its interpretations, justifying all interpretations..jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29 \/30\/1\/f\/2-page-12_300.jpg"),("number":13,"text":"thesis\n Generalized symbolic subtext\nembedded in the system of images: all main estates, three generations; heroes are divided into “people of phrase” and “people of action”, isolated in the system of images “victims and predators, unfortunate and happy”; all heroes one way or another can be called “klutzes”. .jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30\/1\/f\/2-page-13_300.jpg" ),("number":14,"text":"- The play has a system of symbolic\noppositions (dream - reality,\nhappiness - trouble, past - future).\n- In the speech of the characters there are traditional\nsymbols, words- emblems. (Trofimov: “we\nare moving uncontrollably towards a bright star.”\n- Plot twists in A.P. Chekhov’s play often\nacquire symbolic overtones. (Final\nof the play. The blame for the tragic ending of Firs’ life is placed on all the main characters \nplays)..jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30\/1\/f\/2-page- 14_300.jpg"),("number":15,"text":"The author's remarks sometimes transfer\nthe action into a conventional plan. (Petya fascinates Anya with loud words, which are filled with faith in a wonderful future: “I have a presentiment of happiness..., I already see it...” It is no coincidence that the author’s remark mentions Epikhodov, who plays guitar, the same sad song."\nThis is how the author's doubt about the\njustice of Petya's premonitions is manifested..jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\ /30\/1\/f\/2-page-15_300.jpg"),("number":16,"text":"General conversation\n Determine the chronological framework of the play. What\nis the peculiarity of the space-time organization of "The Cherry Orchard"?\n \nHow is the theme of passing time revealed in the actions of the characters?\n \nWhat, in your opinion, is the internal conflict of the play?\n \nDoes A. P. Chekhov's play seem to you to be a drama or a comedy\n"The Cherry Orchard" garden"?\n \nWho is to blame for the death of "The Cherry Orchard"?\n \nHow does Ranevskaya's environment and proximity to other characters in the play influence the reader's attitude towards Lyubov Andreevna's drama?\n \nWhat makes you regret, and what hopes does " The Cherry Orchard by A.P. Chekhov?\n \nWhat are your impressions of the work of the writer, playwright, or just a person? Has anything changed in your initial perception of his\ncreativity and himself?.jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30 \/1\/f\/2-page-16_300..jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30\/ 1\/f\/2-page-17_300.jpg"),("number":18,"text":""All of Russia is our garden."\n\n"We will plant a new garden,\nmore luxurious than this." .jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30\/1\/f\/2-page-18_300.jpg" ),("number":19,"text":"Homework\nWrite a miniature essay,\nproposing your own option for saving\nthe cherry orchard..jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\ /\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30\/1\/f\/2-page-19_300.jpg"),("number":20,"text":"Internet resources\nhttp :\/\/www.0lik.ru\/cliparts\/clipartrastr\/180727-klenovye-ugolki.h\ntml\nhttp:\/\/www.google.ru\/imgres\nhttp:\/\/www .google..jpg","smallImageUrl":"http:\/\/pedsovet.su\/\/_load-files\/load\/29\/30\/1\/f\/2-page-20_300 .jpg")]">

Division of the play's image system

Traditionally, the system of images in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is divided into three groups, symbolizing the present, future and past, which include all the characters. In the process of staging the play, Chekhov gave the actors precise instructions and recommendations on how to play each character; it was very important for him to convey to the viewer the characters of the characters, because it was through their images that Chekhov tried to show the comedy of what was happening. In addition, each character is assigned a certain socio-historical role. The author seems to be saying that it is possible to adjust their personality, relationships with the outside world and people around them, but they cannot change their place in general history.

The heroes of the past include Ranevskaya and her brother and the old servant Firs: they are so mired in their memories that they are unable to adequately assess either the present or the future. Lopakhin is a bright representative of today, a man of action. Well, Petya is an idealist, an eternal student, thinking about the common good that undoubtedly awaits in the future. It is clear that Chekhov built the characters in The Cherry Orchard according to his favorite principle of “bad good people.”

And in fact, it is impossible to single out any of the heroes as a villain, a victim, or absolutely ideal. Everyone has their own truth, and the viewer just needs to decide which of them is closer to him.

Features of the play's images

One of the features of Chekhov's images is the combination of positive and negative properties. Thus, Ranevskaya is characterized by impracticality and selfishness, but at the same time she is capable of sincere love, has a broad soul and generosity, she is beautiful both externally and internally. Gaev, despite his infantilism and sentimentality, is very kind. Brother and sister are characterized by those moral and cultural principles of hereditary nobility, which have already become an echo of the past. “Eternal student” Petya Trofimov argues very correctly and beautifully, but, like the old owners of the garden, he is absolutely divorced from reality and is not adapted to life. With his speeches, he also captivates Anya, who embodies the symbol of youth and hope for a better future, but is absolutely helpless in independent life. Her opposite is Varya, whose earthiness may interfere with her happiness.

Undoubtedly, in the play “The Cherry Orchard” the system of images is headed by Lopakhin. Chekhov insisted that Stanislavsky himself play him, and the playwright tried to convey to the performer the psychology of this character. Perhaps he is the only one whose internal beliefs are as close as possible to actions. Another striking feature of all the characters in this play is their inability and unwillingness to hear each other; everyone is so busy with themselves and their personal experiences that they are simply unable to understand others’. And instead of going through the ongoing test together - deprivation of home - they live with ideas about their future, in which everyone will be on their own. This is especially evident in the first act: Ranevskaya is so immersed in her memories that she is completely detached from what is happening, Anya is also busy with her thoughts, although Varya is trying to talk about what is happening in the house in her absence.

Brief characteristics of the characters in the play “The Cherry Orchard”

The characteristics of the images of “The Cherry Orchard” show how different people are gathered in one place. This is especially evident in the current characters. Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna is one of the central characters of the play; the fate of the entire estate depends on her decision; her favorite tactic for solving all problems is escape. This happened after the tragic death of her youngest son, which coincided with a destructive passion for an unworthy person, “and I went abroad, completely left, never to return.” After an unsuccessful suicide attempt because of the love that tormented her, “... she was suddenly drawn to Russia,” and after the sale of the estate, Lyubov Andreevna returned to Paris again, leaving her daughters to choose their own path in life. Anya dreams of getting an education that will help her get a job, but her adopted daughter Varya’s prospects are less rosy. Ranevskaya’s weak attempts to marry her to Lopakhin were not crowned with success, and Ranevskaya simply did not think of allocating funds to fulfill Varina’s dream - to devote herself to God, since the interests of those around her did not really care or excite her. But meanwhile, she does not refuse financial assistance to her friend Pishchik, giving her last money to a random passer-by, although she is well aware of her plight. Another female character in the play is the maid Dunyasha, a peasant girl accustomed to life in a manor’s house, striving to demonstrate her “subtle” nature, not through actions, but through constant voicing. She dreams of love and marriage, but pushes away Epikhodov, who proposed to her.

Her brother Gaev Leonid Andreevich is in many ways similar to his sister. But he is characterized by idle talk, and perhaps that is why no one takes him seriously (even the lackey Yasha treats him with extreme disrespect) and is openly considered unadapted to life. This is especially evident when he tells his sister that he was offered a position at the bank “Where are you!” Just sit there…”, but meanwhile everyone is waiting for him to find the money to pay off his debts. He naively believes that fifteen thousand sent by his aunt will be enough to save the estate.

The only sane person in the play is Lopakhin, who offers a real way to save the estate, but he is perceived by the owners as “vulgarity.” Although Ranevskaya’s neighbor Simeonov-Pishchik, who is in the same position, constantly looking for money to pay interest on his debts, at the end of the play says that he leased his land to the British for the extraction of rare clay. Thus showing that it is not so scary to use your land to generate income. It is Lopakhin who is the representative of the new era that has come. Petya compares him to a predator: “that’s how a predatory beast is needed... that’s how you are needed.” He sincerely tries with all his might to help Ranevskaya, but her lack of understanding of obvious things angers him: “I’m babysitting you.” It is Lopakhin who, with his plan, breathes new life into the old estate.

But, perhaps, only the cherry orchard occupies a truly central place in the system of images of Chekhov’s play. Through the attitude towards it and its perception, the author shows the inner content of each of the main characters, reflecting their time and their historical era, and the garden itself becomes the image and symbol of all of Russia.

The article analyzed the system of images of Chekhov's play and gave a brief description of the main characters of the comedy. The main objective of this article is to help 10th graders write an essay on the topic “The system of images in the play “The Cherry Orchard”.”

Work test

A.P. Chekhov. Play “The Cherry Orchard” (1903)

Innovation of Chekhov's dramaturgy

It has become common to hear the expression “Chekhov’s theater”. Indeed, Chekhov's plays are recognizable by their muted conflicts, the author's special intonation of inspired sadness, and the depth of the “undercurrent.”

Features of the conflict. The main category of drama is conflict, but in Chekhov's plays there are no direct clashes, no direct confrontation between the characters. All the characters are more or less kind, considerate, and all treat each other favorably. Conflicts are muted, the reasons for the misfortune of Chekhov's heroes do not lie on the surface. Chekhov reflects the hidden drama of the most ordinary life: “Let everything on stage be as complex and at the same time as simple as in life. People have lunch, they only have lunch, and at this time their happiness is formed and their lives are shattered.”

Chekhov's dramas are permeated by an atmosphere of general trouble, which is intensified by the feeling of general loneliness. With mutual participation and even love, people cannot get through to each other, “everything is in pieces.” These words spoken by Firs become one of the main motifs of the play “The Cherry Orchard”: everything and everyone is “in pieces.” Anya, for example, sincerely and tenderly loves her mother, understands that she has no right to condemn her for anything, but at the end of the play, Ranevskaya’s restrained sobs are drowned out by Anya’s cheerful voice: she is no longer with her mother, and it is unlikely that she will ever be with her , although I didn’t love her any less. Petya Trofimov tries to find words of sympathy, but says the wrong thing, causing Ranevskaya to exclaim: “But we need to say it differently, differently.” Lopakhin, who wants to help Ranevskaya save the estate, who loves her “like his own, more than his own,” triumphs after buying the cherry orchard: “Come everyone to watch how Ermolai Lopakhin will hit the cherry orchard with an ax, how the trees will fall to the ground!” And then, with reproach and tears, he says to Ranevskaya: “My poor, good one, you won’t bring me back now.” Everyone is “apart”, everyone suffers, loves, rejoices or despairs individually.

Chekhov's heroes feel their constant, deep-seated unhappiness, but cannot understand its true reasons. “I’m still waiting for something, as if the house was about to collapse above us,” “I’ve definitely lost my sight, I can’t see anything,” Ranevskaya says in alarm. There are auctions in the city, the estate is being sold at auction, and an orchestra is playing in the garden and people are dancing in the hall. Ranevskaya understands the incompatibility of these events, but does not refuse the inappropriate ball, which resembles a feast during the plague. It seems that everything is happening against her will, regardless of her desires, as if some unknown forces are guiding events and destinies, connecting and separating people. Time itself becomes such a force in the play “The Cherry Orchard” - the time of the border, ruthless and wise at the same time. The drama of Ranevskaya and Gaev is deeper than simple ruin; their drama is that time leaves them no hope, that their Russia is irretrievably leaving, and there is no place for them in the new one. The fate of a person in the flow of time - this is how one can define the main theme of the play.

"Undercurrent". Another innovative feature of Chekhov’s dramaturgy is subtext, “undercurrent.” If in a traditional drama the hero is revealed only through action and words, then Chekhov’s heroes, in addition, also through the hidden meaning of words and actions, intonation, gestures, even pauses. In Chekhov's plays, the important thing is the invisible subtext, which consists of statements that have a hidden meaning, do not convey direct information, but only signal that intense internal work is taking place in the hero's soul. The “undercurrent” of Chekhov’s plays is a dialogue not only of words, but also of feelings, moods, and unspoken thoughts.

The semantic content of the author's remark. The author's longing for a more spiritual, meaningful, beautiful life is palpable not only in the characters' dialogues, but even in the author's remarks. For example, the first and last acts of the play “The Cherry Orchard” take place in the same room – the nursery. However, if in the first act the author’s remark creates a feeling of cheerfulness, freshness, joy, then in the last act it will be October instead of May, instead of an organized and in its own way beautiful human life there will be emptiness, instead of cherry blossoms there will be the sound of an ax on wood. You can also recall one more remark - the sound of a broken string, fading and sad, which is heard as if from the sky. It's like a clot of anxiety accumulated in the souls of the heroes.

The system of images in the play “The Cherry Orchard”