A.P. Chekhov in his play “The Cherry Orchard” creates a complex system of images. The writer in the “new drama” abandons the established division of characters into positive and negative. He divides them in his own way, putting a special meaning into each image.
The play features characters representing three generations. Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, Leonid Andreevich Gaev, Ranevskaya's adopted daughter, Varya and the old footman Firs are representatives of a bygone era.
They are impractical people, unadapted to life, they are drawn headlong into memories of the past, so much so that they are unable to solve the serious problem facing them. Ranevskaya and Gaev do not want to lose the estate with the precious cherry orchard, but they do nothing to preserve it.
This attitude towards family home causes misunderstanding and even some anger among the representative of the present, Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin. As a true hero-activist, Lopakhin looks for ways to solve the problem, offers them to the owners of the estate, but receives only silence in response. Being a realist by nature, he understands what such sluggish behavior will lead to, so he decides to take the initiative into his own hands. The hero buys the estate to turn it into summer cottages, and orders the cherry orchard, which means so much to Ranevskaya, to be cut down. This act allows us to see another side of Yermolai. He is not able to understand what the value of the garden is, and therefore his act seems heartless, like a mockery of the overly sentimental Ranevskaya.
In addition to representatives of the past and present, Chekhov introduces characters who personify the future and express their position on cherry orchard, a symbol of a bygone era. Such heroes include the “eternal student,” Petya Trofimov and Ranevskaya’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Anya. Petya expresses his position quite clearly when he says that we need to put an end to the past in order to start living in the present. This thought greatly influences Anya, and she admits that she does not experience such strong love to the cherry orchard, as before. It would seem that such heroes, personifying a bright future, should be positive and ideal. However, the author does not completely sympathize with any of his characters. Petya cannot apply his common sense thoughts and ideas in practice, and Anya, in love with the “eternal student,” does nothing. The heroes do nothing but rant about how great it would be to replace the “old” garden with a “new” one.
So why can’t we identify that there is no “ideal” hero in Chekhov’s play? Because every character has weak point. None of them are capable of thinking in various directions. Everyone is obsessed with their problems, dreams or memories. This hinders the development of heroes.
The genre of the play "The Cherry Orchard" is defined in different ways. A.P. Chekhov called his work a comedy, Stanislavsky - a tragedy, and contemporaries talked about immortal work how about drama.
There are good reasons for all three assumptions in the text of Chekhov’s work.
Comedy. There are many comic situations in The Cherry Orchard: the love idyll of Yasha and Dunyasha, the magic tricks and speech of Charlotte Ivanovna, the failures of Spikhodov. Also, there is a lot of humor in the characters, who cannot be called completely comic. For example, Lopakhin is often funny with his jokes - like “goodbye” or “Okhmelia, go to the monastery,” although he is a rich person respected by everyone. And Petya Trofimov is an “eternal student”, “ funny man", "shabby gentleman" - often finds himself in ridiculous situations, for example, falling down the stairs.
Tragedy. At the same time, there is a lot of tragedy in the characters of the play. So, Charlotte Ivanovna, on the one hand, is considered a funny and absurd woman, and, on the other hand, a lonely person, without a homeland and without relatives. Firs is funny with his deafness, and at the same time the fate of the “forgotten” man is very tragic. There is none in the play happy person: Varya experiences unrequited love, Lopakhin, despite his wealth, looks unhappy, Petya remains an inactive dreamer and philosopher.
Drama. The main source of the drama of the work is not the conflict, which consists in the struggle for the cherry orchard, but subjective dissatisfaction human life. This dissatisfaction is equally experienced by all the heroes of A.P. Chekhov’s work, without exception. The life and fate of the characters proceed awkwardly, not as we would like, bringing no joy or joy to anyone. positive emotions, nor a feeling of serene happiness.
"The Cherry Orchard" - a lyrical play in four actions Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, the genre of which the author himself defined as comedy. The play was written in 1903 and first staged on January 17, 1904 at the Moscow Art Theater. One of the most famous works Chekhov and one of the most famous Russian plays written at that time. "The Cherry Orchard" - last play Chekhov, completed on the threshold of the first Russian revolution, a year before his early death. The idea for the play arose from Chekhov at the beginning of 1901. The play was completed on September 26, 1903.
To understand the main conflict in the play " Cherry Orchard“It is necessary to take into account the time of writing this work and the circumstances of its creation.
Chekhov wrote “The Cherry Orchard” at the beginning of the twentieth century, when Russia was at the crossroads of eras, when revolution was inevitably approaching, and many felt the impending enormous changes in the entire habitual and established way of life of Russian society. Many writers of that time tried to comprehend and understand the changes taking place in the country, and Anton Pavlovich was no exception. The play “The Cherry Orchard” was presented to the public in 1904, becoming the final play in the work and life of the great writer, and in it Chekhov reflected his thoughts about the fate of his country.
The decline of the nobility, caused by changes in the social structure and the inability to adapt to new conditions; separation from their roots not only of landowners, but also of peasants who began to move to the city; the emergence of a new bourgeois class that came to replace the merchants; the emergence of intellectuals who came from common people- and all this against the backdrop of the emerging general discontent of life - this is, perhaps, the main source of the conflict in the comedy “The Cherry Orchard”. The destruction of dominant ideas and spiritual purity affected society, and the playwright grasped this on a subconscious level.
Sensing the impending changes, Chekhov tried to convey his feelings to the viewer through the originality of the conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” which became a new type, characteristic of all his drama. This conflict does not arise between people or social forces, it manifests itself in discrepancy and repulsion real life, its negation and replacement. And this could not be played, this conflict could only be felt. By the beginning of the twentieth century, society was not yet able to accept this, and it was necessary to rebuild not only the theater, but also the audience, and for a theater that knew and was able to reveal open confrontations, it was practically impossible to convey the features of the conflict in the play “The Cherry Orchard.”
That's why Chekhov was disappointed with the premiere show. After all, out of habit, conflict was designated as a clash between the past, represented by impoverished landowners, and the future. However, the future is closely connected with Petya Trofimov and Anya does not fit into Chekhov’s logic. It is unlikely that Anton Pavlovich connected the future with the “shabby gentleman” and “eternal student” Petya, who was unable to even monitor the safety of his old galoshes, or Anya, when explaining whose role, Chekhov placed the main emphasis on her youth, and this was the main requirement for performer.
Why did Chekhov focus on the role of Lopakhin, saying that if his image fails, then the whole play will fail? At first glance, it is Lopakhin’s confrontation with the frivolous and passive owners of the garden that is a conflict in its classical interpretation, and Lopakhin’s triumph after the purchase is its resolution. However, this is precisely the interpretation that the author feared. The playwright said many times, fearing the roughening of the role, that Lopakhin is a merchant, but not in his traditional sense, that he is a soft man, and in no case can one trust his portrayal to a “screamer”. After all, it is through correct opening The image of Lopakhin makes it possible to understand the entire conflict of the play.
So what is the main conflict of the play? Lopakhin is trying to tell the owners of the estate how to save their property, offering the only real option, but they do not heed his advice. To show the sincerity of his desire to help, Chekhov makes it clear about Lopakhin’s tender feelings for Lyubov Andreevna. But despite all attempts to reason with and influence the owners, Ermolai Alekseevich, “man by man,” becomes the new owner of a beautiful cherry orchard. And he is happy, but this is joy through tears. Yes, he bought it. He knows what to do with his acquisition in order to make a profit. But why does Lopakhin exclaim: “If only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life! And it is these words that serve as a pointer to the conflict of the play, which finds itself in to a greater extent philosophical - the discrepancy between the needs of spiritual harmony and the world and reality in the transitional era and, as a consequence, the discrepancy between a person and himself and with historical time. In many ways, this is why it is almost impossible to identify the stages of development of the main conflict of the play “The Cherry Orchard”. After all, it arose even before the beginning of the actions described by Chekhov, and never found its resolution.
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 the characters to the audience 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 your personality, relationships with outside world and the people around him, but change his place in general history they can't do it.
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, man-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 images 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.
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.
The symbol of the garden in the play “The Cherry Orchard” occupies one of the central places. This work drew a line under the entire work of A.P. Chekhov. It is with a garden that the author compares Russia, putting this comparison into the mouth of Petya Trofimov: “All of Russia is our garden.” But why is it a cherry orchard, and not an apple orchard, for example? It is noteworthy that Chekhov placed special emphasis on the pronunciation of the name of the garden precisely through the letter “E”, and for Stanislavsky, with whom this play was discussed, the difference between the “cherry” and “cherry” orchard did not immediately become clear. And the difference, according to him, was that the cherry tree is a garden that can make a profit, and it is always needed, and the cherry tree is the keeper of the passing lordly life, blooming and growing for pleasure aesthetic tastes their owners.
Chekhov's dramaturgy tends to involve not only the characters in the action, but also the environment around them: he believed that only through the description of daily life and routine affairs is it possible to fully reveal the characters' characters.
It is in Chekhov's plays Ah, “undercurrents” appeared, giving movement to everything that was happening. Another feature of Chekhov's plays was the use of symbols. Moreover, these symbols had two directions - one side was real and had a very objective outline, and the second side was elusive, it can only be felt at the subconscious level. This happened in The Cherry Orchard. The symbolism of the play lies in the garden, and in the sounds heard behind the stage, and even in Epikhodov’s broken billiard cue, and in Petya Trofimov’s fall from the stairs. But special meaning In Chekhov's dramaturgy, symbols of nature are occupied, including manifestations of the surrounding world.
The meaning of the cherry orchard symbol in the play is by no means accidental. For many peoples, flowering cherry trees symbolize purity and youth. For example, in China, spring blossoms, in addition to the listed meanings, are associated with courage and feminine beauty, and the tree itself is a symbol of good luck and spring. In Japan, the cherry blossom is the emblem of the country and the samurai, and means prosperity and wealth. And for Ukraine, cherry is the second symbol after viburnum, denoting the feminine principle. Cherry is associated with a beautiful young girl, and the cherry orchard in songwriting is a favorite place for walks. The symbolism of the cherry orchard near a house in Ukraine is enormous; it is it that drives away evil forces from the house, acting as a talisman. There was even a belief: if there is no garden near the hut, then devils gather around it. During the move, the garden remained untouched, as a reminder of the origins of its family. For Ukraine, cherry is a divine tree. But at the end of the play, the beautiful cherry orchard goes under the ax. Isn't this a warning that not only the heroes are ahead, but the whole Russian Empire Great trials await? It’s not for nothing that Russia is compared to this garden.
For each character, the symbol of the garden in the comedy “The Cherry Orchard” has its own meaning. The action of the play begins in May, when the cherry orchard, the fate of which is to be decided by the owners, blooms, and ends in late autumn, when all nature freezes. The flowering reminds Ranevskaya and Gaev of their childhood and youth; this garden has been next to them all their lives, and they simply cannot imagine how it could disappear. They love it, they admire it and are proud of it, telling them that their garden is included in the book of landmarks of the area. They understand that they are capable of losing their estate, but they cannot wrap their heads around how it is possible to cut down a beautiful garden and build some kind of dachas in its place. And Lopakhin sees the profit that he can bring, but this is only a superficial attitude towards the garden. After all, having bought it for a lot of money, leaving no chance for competitors at the auction to take possession of it, he admits that this cherry orchard is the best he has ever seen. The triumph of the purchase is connected, first of all, with his pride, because the illiterate man that Lopakhin considered himself to be became the master where his grandfather and father “were slaves.”
Petya Trofimov is most indifferent to the garden. He admits that the garden is beautiful, it pleases the eye, gives some importance to the life of its owners, but every twig and leaf tells him about hundreds of serfs who worked to make the garden flourish and that this garden is a relic of serfdom that must be ended . He tries to convey this to Anya, who loves the garden, but not as much as her parent, who is ready to hold onto it to the last. And Anya understands that it’s impossible to start new life, preserving this garden. It is she who calls on her mother to leave in order to lay new garden, implying that it is necessary to start a different life that will fit into the realities of time.
Firs, who served there all his life, is closely connected with the fate of the estate and garden. He is too old to start something again, and he had such an opportunity when serfdom canceled and wanted to marry him, but gaining freedom would be a misfortune for him, and he speaks about it directly. He is deeply attached to the garden, to the house, to the owners. He is not even offended when he discovers that he has been forgotten in an empty house, either because he no longer has the strength and is indifferent to him, or because he understands: the old existence is over, and there is nothing for him in the future. And how symbolic the death of Firs looks to the sounds of the garden being cut down, this is due to the fact that final scene the role of symbols is intertwined - the sound of a broken string drowns in the sounds of axes, showing that the past is irretrievably gone.
Throughout the entire play, it is clear that the characters are connected with the cherry orchard, some more, some less, but it is through their relationship to it that the author tried to reveal their meaning in the time space of the past, present and future. The symbol of the cherry orchard in Chekhov's play is a symbol of Russia, which is at a crossroads in its development, when ideologies, social strata are mixed and many people simply cannot imagine what will happen next. But this is shown so unobtrusively in the play that even M. Gorky, who did not highly appreciate the production, admitted that it awakened in him a deep and inexplicable melancholy.
A.P. Chekhov. Play “The Cherry Orchard” (1903)
Innovation in 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 going on 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 irrevocably 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 the subtext, the “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. What is important in Chekhov's plays is the invisible subtext that is made up of statements that have hidden meaning, which do not convey direct information, but only signal that intense tension is taking place in the hero’s soul inner work. 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 instead of May there will be October, instead of an organized and in its own way beautiful human life - emptiness, instead cherry blossoms- 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”
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. Have 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 “ extra person” 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 impossible: “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 noticeable in state of mind Lopakhin, who seems to be protected from the ruthlessness of time, on the contrary, time helps him. Lopakhin combines “predator” and “ gentle soul" Petya Trofimov will say: “I, Ermolai Alekseich, understand that you are a rich man, you will soon be a millionaire. This is how you need it in terms of metabolism beast of prey, who eats everything that comes his way, so you are needed,” but the same Petya will later remark: “You have thin, delicate fingers, like an artist, you have a subtle, gentle 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 new era However, 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 and does not 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 image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is ambiguous and complex. This is not just part of the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev, as it might seem at first glance. This is not what Chekhov wrote about. The Cherry Orchard is a symbolic image. It signifies the beauty of Russian nature and the life of the people who raised it and admired it. Together with the death of the garden, this life also perishes.
Center that unites characters
The image of the garden in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is the center around which all the characters unite. At first it may seem that these are just old acquaintances and relatives who, by chance, gathered at the estate to solve everyday problems. However, this is not true. It is no coincidence that Anton Pavlovich united characters representing various social groups and age categories. Their task is to decide the fate of not only the garden, but also their own.
Gaev and Ranevskaya’s connection with the estate
Ranevskaya and Gaev are Russian landowners who own an estate and a cherry orchard. This is brother and sister, they are sensitive, smart, educated people. They are able to appreciate beauty and feel it very subtly. That’s why the image of the cherry orchard is so dear to them. In the perception of the heroes of the play “The Cherry Orchard”, he personifies beauty. However, these characters are inert, which is why they cannot do anything to save what is dear to them. Ranevskaya and Gaev, for all their spiritual wealth and development, are devoid of responsibility, practicality and a sense of reality. Therefore, they cannot take care not only of loved ones, but also of themselves. These heroes do not want to listen to Lopakhin’s advice and rent out the land they own, although this would bring them a decent income. They think that dachas and summer residents are vulgar.
Why is the estate so dear to Gaev and Ranevskaya?
Gaev and Ranevskaya cannot rent out the land because of the feelings connecting them with the estate. They have a special relationship with the garden, which is like a living person to them. Much connects these heroes with their estate. The Cherry Orchard seems to them to be the personification of bygone youth, a past life. Ranevskaya compared her life with " cold winter" and "dark stormy autumn." When the landowner returned to the estate, she again felt happy and young.
Lopakhin's attitude to the cherry orchard
The image of the garden in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is also revealed in Lopakhin’s attitude towards it. This hero does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya and Gaev. He finds their behavior illogical and strange. This person wonders why they do not want to listen to seemingly obvious arguments that will help find a way out of a difficult situation. It should be noted that Lopakhin is also capable of appreciating beauty. The cherry orchard delights this hero. He believes that there is nothing more beautiful in the world than him.
However, Lopakhin is a practical and active person. Unlike Ranevskaya and Gaev, he cannot just admire the cherry orchard and regret it. This hero strives to do something to save him. Lopakhin sincerely wants to help Ranevskaya and Gaev. He never ceases to convince them that both the land and the cherry orchard should be rented out. This must be done as soon as possible, since the auction will be soon. However, the landowners do not want to listen to him. Leonid Andreevich can only swear that the estate will never be sold. He says he won't allow the auction.
New owner of the garden
Nevertheless, the auction still took place. The owner of the estate is Lopakhin, who cannot believe his own happiness. After all, his father and grandfather worked here, “were slaves”, they weren’t even allowed into the kitchen. The purchase of an estate for Lopakhin becomes a kind of symbol of his success. This is a well-deserved reward for many years of work. The hero would like his grandfather and father to rise from the grave and be able to rejoice with him, to see how much their descendant has succeeded in life.
Negative qualities of Lopakhin
The cherry orchard for Lopakhin is just land. It can be bought, mortgaged or sold. This hero, in his joy, did not consider himself obliged to show a sense of tact towards former owners purchased estate. Lopakhin immediately begins to cut down the garden. He did not want to wait for the former owners of the estate to leave. The soulless lackey Yasha is somewhat similar to him. He completely lacks such qualities as attachment to the place in which he was born and raised, love for his mother, and kindness. In this respect, Yasha is the complete opposite of Firs, a servant who has unusually developed these feelings.
Attitude to the garden of the servant Firs
In revealing it, it is necessary to say a few words about how Firs, the oldest of everyone in the house, treated him. For many years he served his masters faithfully. This man sincerely loves Gaev and Ranevskaya. He is ready to protect these heroes from all troubles. We can say that Firs is the only one of all the characters in The Cherry Orchard endowed with such a quality as devotion. This is a very integral nature, which is fully manifested in the servant’s attitude towards the garden. For Firs, the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev is a family nest. He strives to protect it, as well as its inhabitants.
Representatives of the new generation
The image of the cherry orchard in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is dear only to those characters who have important memories associated with it. The representative of the new generation is Petya Trofimov. The fate of the garden does not interest him at all. Petya declares: “We are above love.” Thus, he admits that he is not capable of experiencing serious feelings. Trofimov looks at everything too superficially. He doesn't know real life, which he is trying to remake based on far-fetched ideas. Anya and Petya are outwardly happy. They thirst for a new life, for which they strive to break with the past. For these heroes, the garden is “all of Russia,” and not a specific cherry orchard. But is it possible to love the whole world without loving your home? Petya and Anya are losing their roots in their quest for new horizons. Mutual understanding between Trofimov and Ranevskaya is impossible. For Petya there are no memories, no past, and Ranevskaya deeply worries about the loss of the estate, since she was born here, her ancestors also lived here, and she sincerely loves the estate.
Who will save the garden?
As we have already noted, it is a symbol of beauty. Only people who can not only appreciate it, but also fight for it can save it. Active and energetic people who replace the nobility treat beauty only as a source of profit. What will happen to her, who will save her?
The image of the cherry orchard in Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is a symbol of the home and the past, dear to the heart. Is it possible to boldly move forward if the sound of an ax is heard behind you, destroying everything that was previously sacred? It should be noted that the cherry orchard is and it is no coincidence that such expressions as “hitting a tree with an ax”, “trampling a flower” and “cutting off the roots” sound inhumane and blasphemous.
So, we briefly examined the image of the cherry orchard as understood by the characters in the play “The Cherry Orchard.” Reflecting on the actions and characters of the characters in Chekhov’s work, we also think about the fate of Russia. After all, it is a “cherry orchard” for all of us.
Pәn
Subject: Russian literature
Takyryp
Subject: Play "The Cherry Orchard". Character image system. Symbolism in the play. (2 hours)
About the procedure:
Lesson objectives:
Bilimdik
educational:
- expand the understanding of the work of A.P. Chekhov through an analysis of the play “The Cherry Orchard”;
Consolidate theoretical knowledge: types of drama, symbol;
Damytushylyk
developing:
Develop associative imaginative thinking, ability to analyze, generalize, draw conclusions, develop monologue speech;
Tarbielik
educational:
Contribute spiritual development students, the formation of moral values.
Sabaktyn turi
Lesson type : a lesson in gaining new knowledge
Adisi
Method: partial-search
Please keep in mind
Form : group.
Kural-zhabdyktar
Equipment: text of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", presentation for the lesson.
Kornekti kuraldar
visual material: illustrations for the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", handout.
Dog Barysy:
Lesson progress:
Org moment.
Target setting .
Hello guys! I'm glad to see you. Take a close look at how the office is decorated today. Why is it the way you think? What is the topic of the lesson, please?
What problems do you think we will solve in today's lesson? (children's answers: we will find out how Chekhov's play was created, we will determine the genre of the play, we will get to know the characters, we will learn to speak correctly and beautifully.)
Write down the date in your notebooks, the topic of the lesson as the lesson progresses, make the necessary notes in your notebook.
Main part.
Today you are divided into groups that will help you better understand the meaning of the play “The Cherry Orchard”: the image of the cherry orchard, past, present, future. And in this regard, you and I will have to answer the main question:
What kind of “unconditional and honest truth” could Chekhov see in the end? XIX century?
Messages
1. Features of the dramatic method of Chekhov the innovator
Genre: “new drama”.
Principles of the “new drama”
Mood theater
There are no villains or angels
Dialogue drives action and reveals characters
Subtext
The significance of each replica
Key symbols
The history of the creation of the play “The Cherry Orchard”
On March 7, 1901, to his wife O. Knipper, he confessed: “The next play I will write will certainly be funny, very funny, at least in concept.” “He imagined,” Stanislavsky recalls, “an open window with a branch of white cherry blossoms climbing from the garden into the room. Artyom had already become a footman, and then, out of the blue, a manager. His master, and sometimes it seemed to him that it was his mistress, is always without money, and in critical moments she turns for help to her lackey or manager, who has quite a lot of money saved up from somewhere." This is the writer’s last play, so it contains his most intimate thoughts about life, about the fate of his homeland.
The meaning of the play's title:
Listen, not BAnd shnevy, and Vishne “Nice garden,” he announced and burst out laughing. At the first minute I didn’t even understand what they were talking about, but Anton Pavlovich continued to savor the title of the play, emphasizing the gentle sound “e” in the word “Cherry”, as if trying with its help to caress the former beautiful, but now unnecessary life that he destroyed with tears in his play. This time I understood the subtlety: “The Cherry Orchard” is a business, commercial garden that generates income. We need such a garden
Now. But “The Cherry Orchard” does not bring in any income; it preserves within itself and in its blooming whiteness the poetry of the former lordly life. Such a garden grows and blooms for whim, for the eyes of spoiled aesthetes. It’s a pity to destroy it, but it’s necessary, because the process economic development countries requires
this.
K. S. Stanislavsky: A. P. Chekhov in Art Theater. In the book "A. P. Chekhov in the memoirs of his contemporaries" .
So, our goal is to understand what is behind the cherry orchard, how the characters relate to it, and what the cherry orchard is a symbol of.
Now let’s imagine for a moment that each of you in your group already has the main images of the play, and we ourselves are already the heroes of our play.
Introduce yourself - group business cards
Groups introduce themselves: decorating tables, coloring for their names.
Now let’s see how the characters in the play relate to the cherry orchard - performance by the group “Image of the Cherry Orchard”.
Let's try to create a cluster “The Cherry Orchard Through the Eyes of the Heroes”
Ranevskaya - childhood
Anya - childhood, house Lopakhin - present, peasant (slave), dachas
Firs - lordly well-being
Pyotr Trofimov - serfdom Gaev - childhood
“If there is anything interesting, even wonderful, in the entire province, it is only our cherry orchard.”
The garden is the past, childhood, but also a sign of prosperity, pride, a memory of happiness.
"And in" Encyclopedic Dictionary"This garden is mentioned."
A garden is a symbol of childhood, a garden-home, but childhood has to be parted with.
“Why don’t I love the cherry orchard as much as I used to?”
Garden - hopes for the future.
“We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this.”
The garden is a memory of the past: grandfather and father were serfs; hopes for the future - cut down, divide into plots, rent out. A garden is a source of wealth, a source of pride.
Lopakhin: “If the cherry orchard... is then rented out for dachas, then you will have at least twenty-five thousand a year in income.”
“Cherry trees are born once every two years, and no one buys even that.”
How do Firs and Petya Trofimov feel about the cherry orchard?
( For Firs garden - lordly well-being.
“In the old days, about forty to fifty years ago, cherries were dried, soaked, pickled, jam was made... There was money!”
For Trofimov : The cherry orchard symbolizes the serfdom past.
“Aren’t human beings looking at you from every leaf, from every trunk?”
“All Russia is our garden” is his dream of a transformed homeland, but it is not clear by whose strength this will be done)
Question:
What is the symbol of the cherry orchard in A.P. Chekhov’s play?
(Garden is a symbol of home, a symbol of beauty, a symbol of the past, a symbol of the present, a symbol of the future, Russia).
For the author, the garden embodies love for native nature; bitterness because they cannot preserve its beauty and wealth; the author’s idea about a person who can change lives is important; the garden is a symbol of a lyrical, poetic attitude towards the Motherland. In the author's remarks: “beautiful garden”, “wide open space”, the sound of a broken string, the sound of an ax.
Chekhov: “In the second act you will give me a real green field and a road, and a distance unusual for the stage.” "The sound...should be shorter and felt from afar" .
Now let's find out everything about cherries and their properties? Is it useful?
3. Message about cherries.
Fizminutka
System of images - characteristics of heroes by groups
Past tense (Ranevskaya, Gaev)
Present tense (Lopakhin)
Future tense (Trofimov, Anya)
What heroes symbolize what?
Describe the characters - the past:
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna
Lack of will, inability to adapt, romantic enthusiasm, unstable psyche, inability to live
She is outwardly charming, loves nature, music, sweet, kind, simple, trusting and sincere to the point of enthusiasm, but there is no depth in her emotional experiences: her moods are fleeting, she easily moves from tears to laughter
It’s as if she’s sensitive and attentive to people, but what indifference to everything that goes beyond her well-being
Gaev Leonid Andreevich
Weak-willed, worthless, lived his whole life on the estate, doing nothing
Spent my fortune on lollipops
The only activity is billiards.
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna – main character“The Cherry Orchard” is a former rich aristocrat, accustomed to living according to the dictates of her heart. Her husband died quite early, leaving a lot of debts. While she was indulging in new feelings, she died tragically little son. Considering herself guilty of this tragedy, she runs away from home, from her lover abroad, who also followed her and literally robbed her there. But her hopes of finding peace were not realized. She loves her garden and her estate, but cannot save it. It is unthinkable for her to accept Lopakhin’s proposal, because then the centuries-old order in which the title of “landowner” is passed down from generation to generation will be violated, carrying with it the cultural and historical heritage, inviolability and confidence in the worldview.
Lyubov Andreevna and herbrother Gaev
All the best features of the nobility are characteristic: responsiveness, generosity, education, a sense of beauty, the ability to sympathize.
However, in modern times all of them positive qualities are not needed and turn over in the opposite direction. Generosity becomes irrepressible spending, responsiveness and the ability to sympathize turn into slobbering, education turns into idle talk.
According to Chekhov, these two heroes do not deserve sympathy and their experiences are not as deep as they might seem.
Present:
Lopakhin
Enormous energy, enterprise, wide scope of work
Becomes the owner of the estate created by the hands of his great-grandfather
Petya Trofimov: “Just as in terms of metabolism we need a predatory beast that eats everything that gets in its way, so we need you.”
In the play “The Cherry Orchard” the main characters talk more than they do, and the only person is the action.Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich , central character, according to the author. Chekhov was sure that if his image failed, then the whole play would fail. Lopakhin is designated as a merchant, but it would be more suitable for him modern word"businessman". The son and grandson of serfs became a millionaire thanks to his instincts, determination and intelligence, because if he were stupid and uneducated, how could he have achieved such success in his business? And it is no coincidence that Petya Trofimov talks about his subtle soul. After all, only Ermolai Alekseevich realizes the value of the old garden and its true beauty. But his commercial spirit gets the better of him, and he is forced to destroy the garden.
Who is the symbol of the future?
Trofimov Petya - an eternal student and a “shabby gentleman.” Apparently he also belongs to noble family, but became, in fact, a homeless tramp, dreaming of the common good and happiness. He talks a lot, but does nothing for the speedy onset of a bright future. He also lacks deep feelings for the people around him and attachment to a place. He lives only in dreams. However, he managed to captivate Anya with his ideas.
Anya, daughter of Ranevskaya . Her mother left her in the care of her brother at age 12. That is, in adolescence, which is so important for the formation of personality, Anya was left to her own devices. She inherited best qualities which are characteristic of the aristocracy. She is youthfully naive, which is perhaps why she was so easily carried away by Petya’s ideas.
So who is the future? For Petya? For Anya? For Lopakhin?
This question could have been rhetorical if history had not provided Russia with a second attempt to resolve it. The end of the play is very symbolic - the old owners leave and forget the dying Firs. So, the logical ending: inactive consumers in the social sense, a servant who served them all his life, and a cherry orchard - all this is irrevocably a thing of the past, to which there is no way back. History cannot be returned.
I would like to note how main symbol in the play the cherry orchard. Trofimov’s monologue reveals the symbolism of the garden in the play: “All of Russia is our garden. The earth is great and beautiful, there are many wonderful places on it. Think, Anya: your grandfather, great-grandfather and all your ancestors were serf owners who owned living souls, and don’t human beings look at you from every cherry tree in the garden, from every leaf, from every trunk, don’t you really hear voices... Own living souls, because this has reborn all of you who lived before and are now living, so that your mother, you, and uncle no longer notice that you are living in debt at someone else’s expense, at the expense of those people whom you do not allow beyond the front hall.. “All the action takes place around the garden; its problems highlight the characters’ characters and their destinies. It is also symbolic that the ax raised over the garden caused a conflict between the heroes and in the souls of most of the heroes the conflict is never resolved, just as the problem is not resolved after cutting down the garden.
And in order to answer the question that stood before us at the beginning of the lesson, what truth did Chekhov see at the end?XIX
century, you will have to do creative work.
Creative work. Try to imagine what the cherry orchard would think in October, when the cold weather is already approaching, and sees people with axes coming towards it - your task is to compose a “Monologue of the soul of the cherry orchard.” (5-7 minutes)
During compilation creative work playing sound recording: vocalise No. 5 Tenderness. Garden of Eden S.V. Rachmaninov
Try to summarize all of the above. How do you understand the image of the cherry orchard?
The image of cherry unites all the characters in the play around itself. At first glance, it seems that these are only relatives and old acquaintances who, by chance, have gathered at the estate to solve their everyday problems. But that's not true. The writer connects the characters different ages And social groups, and they must one way or another decide the fate of the garden, and therefore their own fate.
How does the author feel about the cherry orchard? What is the symbol of the cherry orchard for A.P. Chekhov?
For the author, the garden embodies love for his native nature; bitterness because they cannot preserve its beauty and wealth; the author’s idea about a person who can change lives is important; the garden is a symbol of a lyrical, poetic attitude towards the Motherland.
Have you noticed which color is most often repeated in the play?
Of all the variety of colors in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” Chekhov uses only one – white, using it in different ways throughout the first act.
“Gaev (opens another window). The garden is all white."
At the same time, the garden in the play is only named, shown only outside the windows, as the potential possibility of its destruction is outlined, but not specified.
White- anticipation of a visual image. The heroes of the work repeatedly talk about him: “Lyubov Andreevna. All, all white! O my garden! To the right, at the turn to the gazebo, a white tree bent over, looking like a woman... What an amazing garden! White masses of flowers."
White– a symbol of purity, light, wisdom.
Bottom line
Chekhov in the play “The Cherry Orchard” used almost the entire range of symbolic expressive means: sound, real, verbal symbolism. This helps him create a voluminous artistic canvas, bright and scenic, with its own “undercurrent”, depicting the death of noble nests.
Conclusion
So what truth did Chekhov see?
Chekhov saw the truth about the future of Russia, that everything is in the hands of man: In a troubled era, it will either perish or be reborn.
Chekhov in the play “The Cherry Orchard” used almost the entire range of symbolic expressive means: sound, real, verbal symbolism. This helps him create a voluminous artistic canvas, bright and scenic, with its own “undercurrent”, depicting the death of noble nests and the death of old Russia.
Reflection. Lesson summary.
Sinkwine.
At the end of the lesson - write a syncwine to cherry orchard
1st line – one keyword defining the content of the syncwine;
2nd line – two adjectives characterizing this concept;
3rd line – three verbs denoting an action within a given topic;
4th line – a short sentence revealing the essence of the topic or attitude towards it;
5th line – synonym keyword(noun).
First example:
The Cherry Orchard.
Bright, deep.
Written, directed, completed.
Comedy in four acts.
Chekhov.
Lesson grades.
Homework: make a cluster based on biographyI.A. Bunina, read the story "Mr. from San Francisco."