Characteristics of Simeonov-Pishchik from “The Cherry Orchard.” The Eternal Debtor in Chekhov's play

18.04.2019

Yuri Kuzmenkov

to play the role of Simeonov-Pishchik

in A. Chekhov's play " The Cherry Orchard»

Even cut him, even beat him, even gut him,

Talk about him either a little or a lot,

All this pain, all this cry from the soul

Given to him a hundredfold from God!

But without excitement, blood and without torment,

Binge drinking, pain, severe hangover,

You may not hear the beat of your heart,

When suddenly inspiration comes knocking.

The artist is a child, he believes like a child,

Everything is played by a stupid fool.

Believes in jumping from rooftops

That there is no more happiness without white clay.

He is a Russian man, he eats and drinks a lot,

But he thirsts with all his soul for spiritual food.

And if he borrows money, he laughs and gives it back

Kaligulovsky Simeonov-Pishchik.

Why was it necessary to kill?

Millions of people like you can be killed?

How good it is to play such people,

After all, you are not a person, you are better - you are a Horse!

When a close friend leaves you,

And everything around is ridiculous, stupid,

Heifetz is not needed and Brooke is not needed -

Go look at Kuzmenkov.

“The Cherry Orchard” will freeze in memory,

A sister will freeze forever in her brother's arms...

And he backs away towards the doors

Sad, sad, scary.

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We are used to completing the study of a major work with an essay, class or home, giving our students the opportunity to systematize the knowledge they have acquired, and ourselves to evaluate the results of our joint activities. Among the traditional final topics on Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” is “The past, present and future of Russia in “The Cherry Orchard” by A.P. Chekhov”, “Innovation of Chekhov’s dramaturgy”, “Images of Gaev and Ranevskaya (Ermolai Lopakhin, Petya Trofimov)”. It is impossible to write about these topics without repeating much of what was said in class; The student’s work of thought in this case is aimed only at logically constructing a retelling of what was previously heard and jotted down. This is quite tedious to do, although it is useful, especially in humanities classes, where you need to prepare graduates for a special exam. But if there is no such need, and the task of maintaining a keen interest in the author and the text comes to the fore, it is more convenient to propose topics of a different kind, partly research ones.

For several lessons on the latter Chekhov's play we have time to discuss some issues of poetics: features of the genre and plot, main motives, unusual dialogues, the role of stage directions.

You can rely in a conversation on Z. Paperny’s book “Contrary to all the rules...” and even quote some important fragments, for example these.

“Chekhov’s plays talk about tragic failures, misfortunes, absurdities in the destinies of heroes, about the discord between dreams and everyday life. But all these “inconsistencies” are told in a dramatic narrative, where everything is subordinated and proportionate, everything coincides and echoes each other. The disharmony of reality is countered by the hidden harmony of form, the rhythmicity and musicality of repetitions, details that “rhyme” with each other.”
“The mood is not just the spirit of Chekhov's plays. It is created by the interaction of many, many poetic microquantities.”
“They received special significance from Chekhov minor characters. <…>Those who, at first glance, are somewhere on the periphery of the plot, acquire a generalized symbolic meaning. The shadow of “clumsiness” falls on many of the characters in “The Cherry Orchard” and thus imperceptibly, almost imperceptibly, connects everything that happens.”

In class we also talk about heroes who, with some stretch, can be considered the main ones, that is, about Gaev, Ranevskaya, Lopakhin, Petya Trofimov.

At the same time, we deliberately do not touch (as far as possible) other characters - Epikhodov, Charlotte, Simeonov-Pishchik, Firs. Students will write an essay about one of them. Homework- prepare for a class essay on the topic “The place of Charlotte (Epikhodov, Simeonov-Pishchik, etc.) in the system of images of the play.” To do this, you need to re-read the play, remember all the remarks and actions of the character and try to comprehend them in the light of what has already been said and understood.

Just before the start of written work (one hour is allotted for it), we tell students that in good essay There must be answers to at least three questions: how is this character connected to the main motives of the play, what similarities can be found between him and other characters, how does he influence the general mood of the play.

Of course, not every student is capable of such a task. In some works (with a weak C) there was nothing but a more or less conscientious story about what exactly the hero said and did throughout four actions plays. There were no complete, exhaustive answers to the questions posed in any of the essays (and this could not be expected); there were stretches, and even gross errors in the interpretation of certain remarks. But interesting considerations and rather subtle independent observations were also not uncommon. This can be judged from the works given below (abbreviated, but without editorial corrections) by eleventh-graders of Moscow school No. 57 Igor Yastrebov, Svetlana Popova, Evgenia Sechina and Mikhail Meshkov.

Simeonov-Pishchik

At first glance, Boris Borisovich is a hero about whom we can confidently say that he is comic. Simeonov-Pishchik falls asleep during his remarks, jokes about the fact that his family comes from the horse that Caligula put in the Senate, constantly asks to borrow money, even while dancing, loses and finds the money he has. Of course, we sympathize with his desperate financial situation, but the comic scenes and incredible stories the acquisition of the necessary money, as told by Simeonov-Pishchik himself, does not allow this feeling to become acute. However, sometimes he does things that do not fit into the big picture. It is he who takes Lopakhin, drunk with his happiness and cognac, away from the bitterly crying Lyubov Andreevna after the sale cherry orchard; only he communicates with Charlotte, who “wants to talk, but has no one.” Unexpectedly, Boris Borisovich shows more humanity than one would expect from him.

Each hero of the play “The Cherry Orchard” has his own motive, and Simeonov-Pishchik is no exception. He himself constantly travels from one acquaintance to another, wanting to borrow or return, and his motive is movement. In the second act, when everyone is just walking and talking, we don’t see him, but he appears when Ranevskaya arrives and leaves the estate, he is present when Gaev and Lopakhin return from the auction. He is always in a hurry to get somewhere and makes others hurry up.

The heroes, who can confidently be considered secondary in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” often have something in common with the heroes who claim to be the main ones. Simeonov-Pishchik is always full of worries, trying to raise money before a certain number, is in a hurry to get somewhere and often doesn’t have time. In this way he resembles Lopakhin, who also always keeps track of time, who always has a lot to do and who is always late for the train. Pishchik from Nietzsche concluded that it is possible to “make fake papers,” and Lopakhin directly states that he “read the book and did not understand anything.” And even if one lends money to another, they have a lot in common.

Thus, Simeonov-Pishchik occupies an important place in common system characters, and its absence would change our feeling from the play “The Cherry Orchard”.

Epikhodov

In the comedy "The Cherry Orchard" there is a lot minor characters playing an important role in the play, one of them is Epikhodov. He takes part in many comical situations and even has the nickname “twenty-two misfortunes.” Epikhodov bumps into a chair, crushes a cardboard with a hat, putting a suitcase on it, Varya wants to hit him with a stick when she hits Lopakhin.

Like many other characters in the play, Epikhodov does nothing, he is carried along by the flow of life. Epikhodov, like the rest of the characters in the comedy, can be referred to as “klutz.” He breaks something all the time and tries to do things he doesn’t know how to do: plays the guitar and sings “like a jackal,” speaks funny and illiterately about books and beliefs, plays billiards and breaks his cue. His actions and words (for example, an unexpected and unnecessary question about Bocle) complement many other events that happened inopportunely (for example, a ball on the day of the auction, Gaev’s lofty speeches, an attempt to arrange an explanation between Varya and Lopakhin just before departure, a senseless waste of Ranevskaya’s money).

In the image of Epikhodov one can see the enhanced comic features of the main characters.

Some incorrect phrases of the poorly educated Lopakhin (for example, “Every outrage has its decency”) are similar to those of even more illiterate and funny words Epikhodov, who uses a lot of unnecessary and cluttered phrases (“But, of course, if you look from the point of view, then you, if I may put it this way, excuse my frankness, completely brought me into a state of mind”).

Attempts by Epikhodov, who wants to seem like a “developed person,” to speak in sublime words (for example, the phrase “For a madman who is in love, this is a mandolin,” said when he was playing the guitar) and to sing about high love- more funny option Gaev’s empty speeches about the “respected wardrobe” and about “wonderful nature”. Both Gaev and Epikhodov inappropriately talk about trends and beliefs in which they understand nothing, and Epikhodov comes out with completely ridiculous words that he “can’t understand in any way whether to live or shoot himself,” and just in case he carries a revolver with him . Epikhodov calls his minor troubles misfortunes, says that “fate treats him without regret, like a storm treats a small ship,” and this reminds Gaev, who says that he “got a lot in life for his beliefs.”

You can notice some similarities between Epikhodov and the scoundrel Yasha. Both heroes imagine themselves to be educated people and immediately after talking about their education, they express some absurd judgment (Epikhodov’s phrase about the revolver, Yasha’s words “if a girl loves someone, then she is immoral”). Yasha and Epikhodov are contemptuous of Russia and believe that “abroad everything has long been in full swing.” Both of them say cruel words about the sick Firs. Epikhodov has the phrase “Long-living Firs, in my opinion final opinion, is not suitable for repair, he needs to go to his forefathers,” Yasha says to Firs: “I’m tired of you, grandfather. I wish you would die soon.”

So, Epikhodov is an important character who participates in creating the mood and general atmosphere of the play, and helps to better understand other characters.

Charlotte

If we single out the main characters of “The Cherry Orchard” (at least, the most important ones), they will be those whose fate and thoughts are connected with the orchard. However, remaining thus on the periphery of the plot, as far as in this case this word is applicable, and at the end of the poster the characters: Epikhodov, Simeonov-Pishchik, Charlotte Ivanovna are important for understanding the play, which we will try to show with the last example.

Charlotte’s ventriloquism, like Epikhodov’s “misfortunes” and Pishchik’s eternal worries about money, is one of the most striking farcical details of “The Cherry Orchard” (in general, all three are superior to the main characters in this respect, at least not inferior to them: there are similar traits, for example , and Gaev with his penchant for heartfelt speeches, but in small roles they are concentrated much more strongly).

Her more ordinary actions are not so noticeable, but numerous: she comes and goes in the first act, with a lorgnette on her belt; eats a cucumber; says that her dog “and eats nuts” (Pishchik ( surprised). Think about it!); in an old cap fiddling with a gun...<…>Unexpectedly sad remarks addressed to no one burst into the comic and everyday: “I have no one to talk to... I’m all alone, alone, I have no one and... and who I am, why I am, is unknown...” And , despite the difference in tonality, the beginning of the longest such monologue: “I don’t have a real passport, I don’t know how old I am, and it still seems to me that I’m young,” refers to the image of Ranevskaya with her “and now I’m like little "

Once established, this parallel develops, and Charlotte's actions already cast a shadow on the entire play. During the agonizing wait for the results of the auction, Charlotte shows tricks and - ein, zwei, drei - “sells” the blanket behind which Anya and Varya are hiding - this is how the motive for selling the house is refracted; and therefore, the aspirations and hopes associated with the auction are overshadowed by the buffoonery of this scene: they are just as artificial and unjustified in Gaev and Ranevskaya, and in Lopakhin, in the words of Petya Trofimov, they resemble “waving his hands.” And then last episode with the participation of Charlotte, where ventriloquism itself instead comic effect acquires a shade of the same melancholy: with something, especially, it seems, the ease of turning a “child” into a knot, it emphasizes Charlotte’s restlessness, homelessness (“I have to leave... I have nowhere to live in the city”) - makes me remember that former owners the estates are now almost as homeless as she is. Even textual coincidences become symbolic meaning(Ranevskaya, act one: “I want to jump, wave my arms,” stage directions in the third act: “In the hall, a figure in a gray top hat, in checkered trousers, waves his arms and jumps” to cries of “bravo, Charlotte Ivanovna!”).

So, the image is secondary, the governess Charlotte in her own way sets off the entire play, introducing into it not only comic notes.

Firs

The image of Firs - the old faithful servant of the Gayevs - occupies significant place in the play's image system. In my opinion, his words and actions enhance the feeling created central characters: Lyubov Andreevna and Leonid Andreevich, people who largely live in their past. After all, for Firs they are still “the lord’s children.” He remembers what clothes are required “for travel,” and turns to Gaev with the words: “Again, they put on the wrong trousers,” and closer to night he brings him a coat. At the same time, Firs is the only economic person in this house: “Without me, who will give money here, who will give orders? One for the whole house.” Firs appears in this work as the “spirit of the estate.”

Before leaving, everyone was worried and worried about him. It was clarified four times whether Firs was sent to the hospital. However, this never happened, and he remains alone in a boarded-up house, in which there will be no one until spring. But even then he doesn’t stop thinking about the Gayevs: “And Leonid Andreich, I suppose, didn’t put on a fur coat, he went in a coat... I didn’t look... It’s young and green!” Probably, the spirit of the estate was destined to die with her. The “spirit of history” was forgotten, as was the history itself in which he lived. Against the background of such a picture, the phrases “Goodbye, old life!” sound with bitter irony. and “Hello, new life!”

The sound of a breaking string, which occurs twice in the play, is also inextricably linked with Firs. After the first time, he utters a phrase that can probably be called prophetic: “Before the misfortune, there was also...” The second time we hear this sound is after Firs was left in a locked house. From that moment on, his fate, like the fate of all time to which he belonged, was predetermined. Thus, Firs extremely strongly influences our perception of one of the problems posed in the play - the change of time, being himself the image of this time.

In classical drama, heroes perform actions, pronounce monologues, win or die. In accordance with their role in the development of action, they are divided into positive and negative, main and secondary. In a Chekhov play there are no major or minor characters. characters. Epikhodov is just as important to the author as Gaev, and Charlotte is no less interesting than Ranevskaya. Even the “random” Passerby, who appears at the end of the second act, an episodic person, from the point of view of traditional drama, plays a certain semantic role in Chekhov’s play.

Exercise

Presented by landed nobility in the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"? Give brief description these characters.

Answer

The local nobility is represented in the play by the old owners of the cherry orchard - brother and sister Gaev and Ranevskaya, as well as Simeonov-Pishchik.

Ranevskaya and Gaev are nice, sweet, in their own way good people. Ranevskaya is sentimental, accustomed to an idle life, wastes money, her feelings are superficial and shallow.

Exercise

Tell us about Gaev. How is he similar to Ranevskaya? What are you interested in? Compare their monologues in front of the closet. How do they characterize the characters?

Answer

Gaev is in many ways similar to his sister, completely helpless in practical matters, a phrase-monger. He is already over fifty, but he is still like a child. Gaeva is still undressed by Firs at night.

When Ranevskaya returns to native home, she is worried about the resurrected past, she is surprised that everything is the same here; as it was, as if time did not move. This immutability of things delights Gaev. Only his enthusiasm is frankly ridiculous. Pompously and solemnly he addresses the closet. His love for the estate is limited by his own eloquence. He offers many plans to save the estate, but it is clear that all of them are untenable.

Question

What is close to the owners of the cherry orchard Simeonov-Pishchik?

Answer

Those qualities that in Ranevskaya are surrounded by a haze of poetry, in Gaev are reduced to the comic, and in Simeon Pishchik they are reduced to farce.

Question

How is Ranevskaya characterized by her attitude towards Vara, towards Anya, towards the servants, towards Lopakhin, towards Trofimov? How can you evaluate the kindness of Ranevskaya?

Answer

Ranevskaya's kindness coexists with indifference. She kisses things and takes the news of the nanny’s death completely indifferently: “My dear old man,” she calls Firs. And then he was left in the house where his life ended forever.

Ranevskaya leaves Varya, whom she loves, “like her own.” Ani goes to Paris with the money. He loves Anya, cries for his dead son, but leaves 12-year-old Anya for 5 years with his unlucky brother; hugs Firs, kisses Dunyasha, but does not think about the fact that there is nothing to eat in the house, etc.

Question

How does her refusal of Lopakhin’s proposal characterize her? Why did everyone calm down after the sale of the cherry orchard?

Answer

Ranevskaya's garden is dear, but her love is inactive. She hoped that it would work out that way. And in Act IV, Ranevskaya and Gaev completely calmed down. What worried them has passed, they no longer feel responsible for the cherry orchard.

Questions

1. How to understand Chekhov’s words: “It’s not difficult to play Ranevskaya, you just need to take the right tone from the very beginning; you need to come up with a smile and a way to laugh, you need to know how to dress”?

2. What does Ranevskaya consider to be her sins and are they sins? What are her real sins?

3. Who is to blame for Ranevskaya’s fate? Was there a choice?

Exercise

Find the positive and negative in the images of the local nobility.

conclusions

The images of Ranevskaya and Gaev are the embodiment of peace noble nest, for whom time has stopped. The drama is in their vulnerability and simplicity. Comedy lies in the contrast of speech and actions. Life in vain, a future without hope, life in debt, “at someone else’s expense.” “Selfish, like children, and flabby, like old people,” Gorky will say about them.

Literature

1. D.N. Murin. Russian literature second half of the 19th century century. Guidelines in the form of lesson planning. Grade 10. M.: SMIO Press, 2002.

2. E.S. Rogover. Russian literature XIX century. M.: Saga; Forum, 2004.

3. Encyclopedia for children. T. 9. Russian literature. Part I. From epics and chronicles to classics of the 19th century century. M.: Avanta+, 1999.

Comedy in 4 acts

Characters

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, landowner. Anya, her daughter, 17 years old. Varya, her stepdaughter, 24 years old. Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya. Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, merchant. Trofimov Petr Sergeevich, student. Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, landowner. Charlotte Ivanovna, governess. Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk. Dunyasha, maid. Firs, footman, old man 87 years old. Yasha, a young footman. Passerby. Station Manager. postal official. Guests, servants.

The action takes place on the estate of L.A. Ranevskaya.

Act one

A room that is still called a nursery. One of the doors leads to Anya's room. Dawn is coming soon the sun will rise. It’s already May, the cherry trees are blooming, but it’s cold in the garden, it’s morning. The windows in the room are closed.

Dunyasha enters with a candle and Lopakhin with a book in his hand.

Lopakhin. The train arrived, thank God. What time is it now? Dunyasha. Soon it's two. (Puts out the candle.) It’s already light. Lopakhin. How late was the train? For at least two hours. (Yawns and stretches.) I'm good, what a fool I've been! I came here on purpose to meet him at the station, and suddenly overslept... I fell asleep while sitting. It's a shame... I wish you could wake me up. Dunyasha. I thought you left. (Listens.) Looks like they're already on their way. Lopakhin (listens). No... Get your luggage, this and that...

Lyubov Andreevna lived abroad for five years, I don’t know what she’s become now... She’s a good person. An easy, simple person. I remember when I was a boy of about fifteen, my late father - he was selling in a shop here in the village - hit me in the face with his fist, blood came out of my nose... Then we came together to the yard for some reason, and he was drunk. Lyubov Andreevna, as I remember now, still young, so thin, led me to the washstand, in this very room, in the nursery. “Don’t cry, he says, little man, he’ll heal before the wedding...”

A peasant... My father, it’s true, was a peasant, but here I am in a white vest and yellow shoes. With a pig's snout in a row of Kalash... Just now he's rich, a lot of money, but if you think about it and figure it out, then the man is a man... (Flips through the book.) I read the book and didn’t understand anything. I read and fell asleep.

Dunyasha. And the dogs didn’t sleep all night, they sense that their owners are coming. Lopakhin. What are you, Dunyasha, so... Dunyasha. Hands are shaking. I'll faint. Lopakhin. You are very gentle, Dunyasha. And you dress like a young lady, and so does your hairstyle. You can not do it this way. We must remember ourselves.

Epikhodov enters with a bouquet; he is wearing a jacket and brightly polished boots that squeak loudly; upon entering, he drops the bouquet.

Epikhodov (raises the bouquet). So the Gardener sent it, he says, to put it in the dining room. (Gives Dunyasha a bouquet.) Lopakhin. And bring me some kvass. Dunyasha. I'm listening. (Leaves.) Epikhodov. It's morning, the frost is three degrees, and the cherry trees are all in bloom. I cannot approve of our climate. (Sighs.) I can’t. Our climate may not be conducive just right. Here, Ermolai Alekseich, let me add to you, I bought myself boots the day before, and they, I dare to assure you, squeak so much that there is no way. What should I lubricate it with? Lopakhin. Leave me alone. Tired of it. Epikhodov. Every day some misfortune happens to me. And I don’t complain, I’m used to it and even smile.

Dunyasha comes in and gives Lopakhin kvass.

I will go. (Bumps into a chair, which falls.) Here... (As if triumphant.) You see, excuse the expression, what a circumstance, by the way... This is simply wonderful! (Leaves.)

Dunyasha. And to me, Ermolai Alekseich, I must admit, Epikhodov made an offer. Lopakhin. A! Dunyasha. I don’t know how... He’s a quiet man, but sometimes when he starts talking, you won’t understand anything. It’s both good and sensitive, just incomprehensible. I kind of like him. He loves me madly. He is an unhappy person, something happens every day. They tease him like that: twenty-two misfortunes... Lopakhin (listens). Looks like they're coming... Dunyasha. They're coming! What's wrong with me... I'm completely cold. Lopakhin. They really are going. Let's go meet. Will she recognize me? We haven't seen each other for five years. Dunyasha (excited). I'm going to fall... Oh, I'm going to fall!

You can hear two carriages approaching the house. Lopakhin and Dunyasha quickly leave. The stage is empty. There is noise in the neighboring rooms. Firs, who had gone to meet Lyubov Andreevna, hurriedly passes across the stage, leaning on a stick; he is in an old livery and a tall hat; He says something to himself, but not a single word can be heard. The noise behind the stage is getting louder and louder. Voice: “Let’s go here...” Lyubov Andreevna, Anya and Charlotte Ivanovna with a dog on a chain, dressed for travel. Varya in a coat and scarf, Gaev, Simeonov-Pishchik, Lopakhin, Dunyasha with a bundle and an umbrella, a servant with things - everyone is walking through the room.

Anya. Let's go here. Do you, mom, remember which room this is? Lyubov Andreevna (joyfully, through tears). Children's! Varya . It's so cold, my hands are numb. (To Lyubov Andreevna.) Your rooms, white and purple, remain the same, mommy. Lyubov Andreevna. Children's room, my dear, beautiful room... I slept here when I was little... (Crying.) And now I'm like a little girl... (Kisses his brother, Varya, then his brother again.) But Varya is still the same, she looks like a nun. And I recognized Dunyasha... (Kisses Dunyasha.) Gaev. The train was two hours late. What's it like? What are the procedures? Charlotte (to Pishchik). My dog also eats nuts. Pishchik (surprised). Just think!

Everyone leaves except Anya and Dunyasha.

Dunyasha. We're tired of waiting... (Takes off Anya’s coat and hat.) Anya. I didn’t sleep on the road for four nights... now I’m very cold. Dunyasha. You left during Lent, then there was snow, there was frost, but now? My darling! (Laughs, kisses her.) I've been waiting for you, my sweet little light... I'll tell you now, I can't stand it for one minute... Anya (sluggishly). Something again... Dunyasha. The clerk Epikhodov proposed to me after the Saint. Anya. You're all about one thing... (Straightens her hair.) I lost all my pins... (She is very tired, even staggering.) Dunyasha. I don't know what to think. He loves me, he loves me so much! Anya (looks at his door, tenderly). My room, my windows, as if I never left. I'm home! Tomorrow morning I’ll get up and run to the garden... Oh, if only I could sleep! I didn’t sleep the whole way, I was tormented by anxiety. Dunyasha. On the third day Pyotr Sergeich arrived. Anya (joyfully). Peter! Dunyasha. They sleep in the bathhouse and live there. I'm afraid, they say, to embarrass me. (Looking at his pocket watch.) We should have woken them up, but Varvara Mikhailovna didn’t order it. You, he says, don’t wake him up.

Varya enters, she has a bunch of keys on her belt.

Varya . Dunyasha, coffee quickly... Mommy asks for coffee. Dunyasha. Just a minute. (Leaves.) Varya . Well, thank God, we've arrived. You're home again. (Caresing.) My darling has arrived! The beauty has arrived! Anya. I've suffered enough. Varya . I'm imagining! Anya. I left during Holy Week, it was cold then. Charlotte talks the whole way, performing tricks. And why did you force Charlotte on me... Varya . You can’t go alone, darling. At seventeen! Anya. We arrive in Paris, it’s cold and snowy. I speak French badly. Mom lives on the fifth floor, I come to her, she has some French ladies, an old priest with a book, and it’s smoky, uncomfortable. I suddenly felt sorry for my mother, so sorry, I hugged her head, squeezed her with my hands and couldn’t let go. Mom then kept caressing and crying... Varya (through tears). Don't talk, don't talk... Anya. She had already sold her dacha near Menton, she had nothing left, nothing. I also didn’t have a penny left, we barely got there. And mom doesn't understand! We sit down at the station for lunch, and she demands the most expensive thing and gives the footmen a ruble each as a tip. Charlotte too. Yasha also demands a portion for himself, it’s just terrible. After all, mom has a footman, Yasha, we brought him here... Varya . I saw a scoundrel. Anya. Well, how? Did you pay interest? Varya . Where exactly. Anya. My God, my God... Varya . The estate will be sold in August... Anya. My God... Lopakhin (looks through the door and hums). Me-e-e... (Leaves.) Varya (through tears). That's how I would give it to him... (Shakes his fist.) Anya (hugs Varya, quietly). Varya, did he propose? (Varya shakes her head negatively.) After all, he loves you... Why don’t you explain what you’re waiting for? Varya . I don't think anything will work out for us. He has a lot to do, he has no time for me... and he doesn’t pay attention. God be with him, it’s hard for me to see him... Everyone talks about our wedding, everyone congratulates, but in reality there is nothing, everything is like a dream... (In a different tone.) Your brooch looks like a bee. Anya (sad). Mom bought this. (He goes to his room, speaks cheerfully, like a child.) And in Paris I'm on hot-air balloon flew! Varya . My darling has arrived! The beauty has arrived!

Dunyasha has already returned with a coffee pot and is making coffee.

(Stands near the door.) I spend the whole day doing housework, my dear, and I keep dreaming. I would marry you off to a rich man, and then I would be at peace, I would go to the desert, then to Kyiv... to Moscow, and so on I would go to holy places... I would go and go. Splendor!.. Anya. Birds sing in the garden. What time is it now? Varya . It must be the third one. It's time for you to sleep, darling. (Entering Anya’s room.) Splendor!

Yasha comes in with a blanket and a travel bag.

Yasha (walks across the stage, delicately). Can I go here, sir? Dunyasha. And you won’t recognize you, Yasha. What have you become abroad? Yasha. Hm... Who are you? Dunyasha. When you left here, I was like... (Points from the floor.) Dunyasha, Fedora Kozoedov's daughter. You do not remember! Yasha. Hm... Cucumber! (Looks around and hugs her; she screams and drops the saucer. Yasha quickly leaves.) Varya (at the door, in a dissatisfied voice). What else is there? Dunyasha (through tears). I broke the saucer... Varya . This is good. Anya (leaving his room). I should warn my mother: Petya is here... Varya . I ordered him not to wake him. Anya (thoughtfully.) Six years ago my father died, a month later my brother Grisha, a pretty seven-year-old boy, drowned in the river. Mom couldn’t bear it, she left, left, without looking back... (Shudders.) How I understand her, if only she knew!

And Petya Trofimov was Grisha’s teacher, he can remind you...

Firs enters; he is wearing a jacket and a white vest.

Firs (goes to the coffee pot, worried). The lady will eat here... (Puts on white gloves.) Is your coffee ready? (Strictly to Dunyasha.) You! What about cream? Dunyasha. Oh, my God... (Quickly leaves.) Firs (busts around the coffee pot). Eh, you klutz... (Mumbling to himself.) We came from Paris... And the master once went to Paris... on horseback... (Laughs.) Varya . Firs, what are you talking about? Firs. What do you want? (Joyfully.) My lady has arrived! Waited for it! Now at least die... (Cries with joy.)

Enter Lyubov Andreevna, Gaev, Lopakhin and Simeonov-Pishchik; Simeonov-Pishchik in a thin cloth undershirt and trousers. Gaev, entering, makes movements with his arms and body, as if playing billiards.

Lyubov Andreevna. Like this? Let me remember... Yellow in the corner! Doublet in the middle! Gaev. I'm cutting into a corner! Once upon a time, you and I, sister, slept in this very room, and now I am already fifty-one years old, oddly enough... Lopakhin. Yes, time is ticking. Gaev. Whom? Lopakhin. Time, I say, is ticking. Gaev. And here it smells like patchouli. Anya. I'll go to bed. Good night, Mother. (Kisses mother.) Lyubov Andreevna. My beloved child. (Kisses her hands.) Are you glad you're home? I won't come to my senses. Anya. Goodbye, uncle. Gaev (kisses her face, hands). The Lord is with you. How similar you are to your mother! (To her sister.) You, Lyuba, were exactly like that at her age.

Anya shakes hands with Lopakhin and Pishchik, leaves and closes the door behind her.

Lyubov Andreevna. She was very tired. Pischik. The road is probably long. Varya (Lopakhin and Pishchik). Well, gentlemen? It's the third hour, it's time to know the honor. Lyubov Andreevna(laughs). You are still the same, Varya. (Draws her to him and kisses her.) I'll have some coffee, then we'll all leave.

Firs puts a pillow under her feet.

Thank you dear. I'm used to coffee. I drink it day and night. Thank you, my old man. (Kisses Firs.)

Varya . To see if all the things were brought... (Leaves.) Lyubov Andreevna. Is it really me sitting? (Laughs.) I want to jump and wave my arms. (Covers his face with his hands.) What if I'm dreaming? God knows, I love my homeland, I love it dearly, I couldn’t watch from the carriage, I kept crying. (Through tears.) However, you need to drink coffee. Thank you, Firs, thank you, my old man. I'm so glad you're still alive. Firs. Day before yesterday. Gaev. He doesn't hear well. Lopakhin. Now, at five o'clock in the morning, I have to go to Kharkov. Such a shame! I wanted to look at you, talk... You are still just as gorgeous. Pishchik (breathes heavily). Even prettier... Dressed like a Parisian... my cart is lost, all four wheels... Lopakhin. Your brother, Leonid Andreich, says about me that I’m a boor, I’m a kulak, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Let him talk. I only wish that you would still believe me, that your amazing, touching eyes would look at me as before. Merciful God! My father was a serf to your grandfather and father, but you, in fact, you once did so much for me that I forgot everything and love you like my own... more than my own. Lyubov Andreevna. I can't sit, I can't... (Jumps up and walks around in great excitement.) I won’t survive this joy... Laugh at me, I’m stupid... The closet is my dear... (Kisses the closet.) The table is mine. Gaev. And without you, the nanny died here. Lyubov Andreevna (sits down and drinks coffee). Yes, the kingdom of heaven. They wrote to me. Gaev. And Anastasius died. Parsley Kosoy left me and now lives in the city with the bailiff. (Takes a box of lollipops out of his pocket and sucks.) Pischik. My daughter, Dashenka... I bow to you... Lopakhin. I want to tell you something very pleasant and funny. (Looking at his watch.) I’m leaving now, I don’t have time to talk... well, I’ll say it in two or three words. You already know that your cherry orchard is being sold for debts, an auction is scheduled for August twenty-second, but don’t worry, my dear, sleep well, there is a way out... Here is my project. Attention please! Your estate is located only twenty miles from the city, near the Railway, and if the cherry orchard and the land along the river are divided into dacha plots and then rented out as dachas, then you will have at least twenty-five thousand a year in income. Gaev. Sorry, what nonsense! Lyubov Andreevna. I don’t quite understand you, Ermolai Alekseich. Lopakhin. You will take the smallest amount from the summer residents, twenty-five rubles a year for a tithe, and if you announce it now, then I guarantee anything, you won’t have a single free scrap left until the fall, everything will be taken away. In a word, congratulations, you are saved. The location is wonderful, the river is deep. Only, of course, we need to clean it up, clean it up... for example, say, demolish all the old buildings, this house, which is no longer good for anything, cut down the old cherry orchard... Lyubov Andreevna. Cut it down? My dear, forgive me, you don’t understand anything. If there is anything interesting, even wonderful, in the entire province, it is only our cherry orchard. Lopakhin. The only remarkable thing about this garden is that it is very large. Cherries are born once every two years, and there’s nowhere to put them, no one buys them. Gaev. And in " Encyclopedic Dictionary"This garden is mentioned. Lopakhin (looking at his watch). If we don’t come up with anything and come to nothing, then on August 22 both the cherry orchard and the entire estate will be sold at auction. Make up your mind! There is no other way, I swear to you. No and no. Firs. In the old days, about forty to fifty years ago, cherries were dried, soaked, pickled, jam was made, and it used to be... Gaev. Shut up, Firs. Firs. And it used to be that dried cherries were sent by cartload to Moscow and Kharkov. There was money! And dried cherries then were soft, juicy, sweet, fragrant... They knew the method then... Lyubov Andreevna. Where is this method now? Firs. Forgot. Nobody remembers. Pischik (To Lyubov Andreevna). What's in Paris? How? Did you eat frogs? Lyubov Andreevna. Ate crocodiles. Pischik. Just think... Lopakhin. Until now, there were only gentlemen and peasants in the village, but now there are also summer residents. All cities, even the smallest ones, are now surrounded by dachas. And we can say that in twenty years the summer resident will multiply to an extraordinary extent. Now he only drinks tea on the balcony, but it may happen that on his one tithe he will start farming, and then your cherry orchard will become happy, rich, luxurious... Gaev (indignant). What nonsense!

Varya and Yasha enter.

Varya . Here, mommy, there are two telegrams for you. (He selects a key and unlocks the antique cabinet with a jingle.) Here they are. Lyubov Andreevna. This is from Paris. (Tears up telegrams without reading.) It's over with Paris... Gaev. Do you know, Lyuba, how old this cabinet is? A week ago I pulled out the bottom drawer and looked and there were numbers burned into it. The cabinet was made exactly one hundred years ago. What's it like? A? We could celebrate the anniversary. An inanimate object, but still, after all, a bookcase. Pishchik (surprised). A hundred years... Just think!.. Gaev. Yes... This is a thing... (Having felt the closet.) Dear, respected closet! I greet your existence, which for more than a hundred years has been 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 generations of our family vigor, faith in a better future and nurturing in us the ideals of goodness and social self-awareness. Lopakhin. Yes... Lyubov Andreevna. You are still the same, Lepya. Gaev (a little confused). From the ball to the right into the corner! I'm cutting it to medium! Lopakhin (looking at his watch). Well, I have to go. Yasha (gives Lyubov Andreevna medicine). Maybe you should take some pills now... Pischik. There is no need to take medications, dear... they do no harm or good... Give it here... dear. (Takes the pills, pours them into his palm, blows on them, puts them in his mouth, and washes them down with kvass.) Here! Lyubov Andreevna(scared). You're crazy! Pischik. I took all the pills. Lopakhin. What a mess.

Everyone laughs.

Firs. They were with us on Holy Day, they ate half a bucket of cucumbers... (Mumbling.) Lyubov Andreevna. What is he talking about? Varya. He's been mumbling like this for three years now. We're used to it. Yasha. Advanced age.

Charlotte Ivanovna in a white dress, very thin, tight-fitting, with a lorgnette on her belt, she walks across the stage.

Lopakhin. Sorry, Charlotte Ivanovna, I haven’t had time to say hello to you yet. (Wants to kiss her hand.) Charlotte (removing her hand). If I let you kiss my hand, you will then wish on the elbow, then on the shoulder... Lopakhin. I'm having no luck today.

Everyone laughs.

Charlotte Ivanovna, show me the trick!

Lyubov Andreevna. Charlotte, show me a trick! Charlotte. No need. I want to sleep. (Leaves.) Lopakhin. See you in three weeks. (Kisses Lyubov Andreevna’s hand.) Goodbye for now. It's time. (To Gaev.) Goodbye. (Kisses Pishchik.) Goodbye. (Gives his hand to Varya, then to Firs and Yasha.) I don't want to leave. (To Lyubov Andreevna.) If you think about dachas and decide, then let me know, I’ll get you a loan of fifty thousand. Seriously think about it. Varya (angrily). Yes, finally leave! Lopakhin. I'm leaving, I'm leaving... (Leaves.) Gaev. Ham. However, sorry... Varya is marrying him, this is Varya’s groom. Varya . Don't say too much, uncle. Lyubov Andreevna. Well, Varya, I will be very glad. He is a good man. Pischik. Man, we must tell the truth... the most worthy... And my Dashenka... also says that... different words speaks. (Snores, but wakes up immediately.) But still, dear lady, lend me... a loan of two hundred and forty rubles... pay the interest on the mortgage tomorrow... Varya (scared). No, no! Lyubov Andreevna. I really have nothing. Pischik. There will be some. (Laughs.) I never lose hope. Now, I think, everything is lost, I’m dead, and lo and behold, the railroad passed through my land, and... they paid me. And then, look, something else will happen not today or tomorrow... Dashenka will win two hundred thousand... she has a ticket. Lyubov Andreevna. The coffee is drunk, you can rest. Firs (cleans Gaeva with a brush, instructively). They put on the wrong pants again. And what should I do with you! Varya (quietly). Anya is sleeping. (Quietly opens the window.) The sun has already risen, it’s not cold. Look, mommy: what wonderful trees! My God, the air! The starlings are singing! Gaev (opens another window). The garden is all white. Have you forgotten, Lyuba? This long alley goes straight, like a stretched belt, it shines in moonlit nights. Do you remember? Have you forgotten? Lyubov Andreevna (looks out the window at the garden). Oh, my childhood, my purity! I slept in this nursery, looked at the garden from here, happiness woke up with me every morning, and then he was exactly the same, nothing has changed. (Laughs with joy.) All, all white! Oh my garden! After a dark, stormy autumn and cold winter again you are young, full of happiness, the heavenly angels have not abandoned you... If only I could take the heavy stone off my chest and shoulders, if only I could forget my past! Gaev. Yes, and the garden will be sold for debts, oddly enough... Lyubov Andreevna. Look, the late mother is walking through the garden... in a white dress! (Laughs with joy.) That's her. Gaev. Where? Varya . The Lord is with you, mommy. Lyubov Andreevna. There is no one, it seemed to me. To the right, at the turn towards the gazebo, a white tree bent over, looking like a woman...

Trofimov enters, wearing a worn student uniform and glasses.

What an amazing garden! White masses of flowers, blue sky...

Trofimov. Lyubov Andreevna!

She looked back at him.

I will just bow to you and leave immediately. (Kisses his hand warmly.) I was ordered to wait until the morning, but I didn’t have enough patience...

Lyubov Andreevna looks in bewilderment.

Varya (through tears). This is Petya Trofimov... Trofimov. Petya Trofimov, former teacher your Grisha... Have I really changed that much?

Lyubov Andreevna hugs him and quietly cries.

Gaev (embarrassed). Full, full, Lyuba. Varya (crying). I told you, Petya, to wait until tomorrow. Lyubov Andreevna. Grisha is my... my boy... Grisha... son... Varya . What should I do, mommy? God's will. Trofimov (softly, through tears). It will be, it will be... Lyubov Andreevna(cries quietly). The boy died, drowned... Why? For what, my friend? (Quietly.) Anya is sleeping there, and I’m talking loudly... making noise... What, Petya? Why are you so stupid? Why have you aged? Trofimov. One woman in the carriage called me this: shabby gentleman. Lyubov Andreevna. You were just a boy then, a cute student, but now you don’t have thick hair and glasses. Are you still a student? (Goes to the door.) Trofimov. I must be a perpetual student. Lyubov Andreevna (kisses his brother, then Varya). Well, go to sleep... You too have aged, Leonid. Pishchik (follows her). So, now to sleep... Oh, my gout. I’ll stay with you... I would like, Lyubov Andreevna, my soul, tomorrow morning... two hundred and forty rubles... Gaev. And this one is all his own. Pischik. Two hundred and forty rubles... to pay interest on the mortgage. Lyubov Andreevna. I have no money, my dear. Pischik. I'll give it back, honey... The amount is trivial... Lyubov Andreevna. Well, okay, Leonid will give... You give it, Leonid. Gaev. I'll give it to him, keep your pocket. Lyubov Andreevna. What to do, give it... He needs... He will give it.

Lyubov Andreevna, Trofimov, Pischik and Firs leave. Gaev, Varya and Yasha remain.

Gaev. My sister has not yet gotten over the habit of wasting money. (To Yasha.) Move away, my dear, you smell like chicken. Yasha (with a grin). And you, Leonid Andreich, are still the same as you were. Gaev. Whom? (Vara.) What did he say? Varya (Yasha). Your mother came from the village, has been sitting in the common room since yesterday, wants to see you... Yasha. God bless her! Varya . Ah, shameless! Yasha. Very necessary. I could come tomorrow. (Leaves.) Varya . Mommy is the same as she was, hasn’t changed at all. If she had her way, she would give everything away. Gaev. Yes...

If a lot of remedies are offered against a disease, this means that the disease is incurable. I think, I’m racking my brains, I have a lot of money, a lot, and that means, in essence, none. It would be nice to receive an inheritance from someone, it would be nice to marry our Anya to a very rich man, it would be nice to go to Yaroslavl and try his luck with the aunt countess. My aunt is very, very rich.

Varya (crying). If only God would help. Gaev. Do not Cry. My aunt is very rich, but she doesn’t love us. My sister, firstly, married a lawyer, not a nobleman...

Anya appears at the door.

She married a non-nobleman and behaved in a manner that cannot be said to be very virtuous. She is good, kind, nice, I love her very much, but no matter how you come up with mitigating circumstances, I still have to admit that she is vicious. This is felt in her slightest movement.

Varya (whispers). Anya is standing at the door. Gaev. Whom?

Surprisingly, something got into my right eye... I couldn’t see well. And on Thursday, when I was in district court...

Anya enters.

Varya . Why aren't you sleeping, Anya? Anya. Can't sleep. I can not. Gaev. My baby. (Kisses Anya’s face and hands.) My child... (Through tears.) You are not a niece, you are my angel, you are everything to me. Believe me, believe... Anya. I believe you, uncle. Everyone loves and respects you... but, dear uncle, you need to be silent, just silent. What did you just say about my mother, about your sister? Why did you say this? Gaev. Yes Yes... (She covers her face with her hand.) Indeed, this is terrible! My God! God save me! And today I gave a speech in front of the closet... so stupid! And only when I finished did I realize that it was stupid. Varya . Really, uncle, you should be silent. Keep quiet, that's all. Anya. If you remain silent, then you yourself will be calmer. Gaev. I'm silent. (Kisses Anya and Varya’s hands.) I'm silent. Just about the matter. On Thursday I was in the district court, well, the company got together, a conversation began about this and that, fifth and tenth, and it seems that it will be possible to arrange a loan against bills to pay interest to the bank. Varya . If only God would help! Gaev. I'll go on Tuesday and talk again. (Vara.) Don’t cry. (Not.) Your mother will talk to Lopakhin; he, of course, will not refuse her... And when you have rested, you will go to Yaroslavl to see the countess, your grandmother. This is how we will act from three ends and our job is in the bag. We'll pay the interest, I'm sure... (Puts a lollipop in his mouth.) On my honor, I swear whatever you want, the estate will not be sold! (Excitedly.) I swear on my happiness! Here's my hand to you, then call me a crappy, dishonest person if I allow it to the auction! I swear with all my being! Anya (the calm mood has returned to her, she is happy). How good you are, uncle, how smart! (Hugs uncle.) I'm at peace now! I'm at peace! I'm happy!

Firs enters.

Firs (reproachfully). Leonid Andreich, you are not afraid of God! When should you sleep? Gaev. Now. You go away, Firs. So be it, I’ll undress myself. Well, kids, bye-bye... Details tomorrow, now go to bed. (Kisses Anya and Varya.) I am a man of the eighties... They don’t praise this time, but I can still say that I got a lot in my life for my beliefs. No wonder the man loves me. You need to know the guy! You need to know which... Anya. You again, uncle! Varya . You, uncle, remain silent. Firs (angrily). Leonid Andreich! Gaev. I'm coming, I'm coming... Lie down. From two sides to the middle! I put clean... (He leaves, followed by Firs.) Anya. I'm at peace now. I don’t want to go to Yaroslavl, I don’t like my grandmother, but I’m still at peace. Thanks uncle. (Sits down.) Varya . Need sleep. I'll go. And here without you there was displeasure. In the old servants' quarters, as you know, only old servants live: Efimyushka, Polya, Evstigney, and Karp. They began to let some rogues spend the night with them - I remained silent. Only now, I hear, they spread a rumor that I ordered them to be fed only peas. From stinginess, you see... And this is all Evstigney... Okay, I think. If so, I think, then wait. I call Evstigney... (Yawns.) He comes... What about you, I say, Evstigneus... you are such a fool... (Looking at Anya.) Anya!..

I fell asleep!.. (Takes Anya by the arm.) Let's go to bed... Let's go!.. (He leads her.) My darling has fallen asleep! Let's go to...

A.P. Chekhov wrote his famous play “The Cherry Orchard” in 1903. In this play, the central place is occupied not so much by the personal experiences of the characters, but by an allegorical vision of the fate of Russia. Some characters personify the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs, Varya), others - the future (Lopakhin, Trofimov, Anya). The characters in Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" reflect the society of that time.

Main characters

The heroes of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are lyrical characters with special features. For example, Epikhodov, who was constantly unlucky, or Trofimov, an “eternal student.” Below will be presented all the characters of the play "The Cherry Orchard":

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, mistress of the estate.
Anya, her daughter, 17 years old. I am not indifferent to Trofimov.
Varya, her adopted daughter, 24 years old. In love with Lopakhin.
Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya.
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, a native of peasants, now a merchant. He likes Varya.
Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich, eternal student. He likes Anya, but he is above love.
Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, a landowner who constantly has no money, but he believes in the possibility of unexpected enrichment.
Charlotte Ivanovna, the maid, loves to show tricks.
Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk, unlucky man. He wants to marry Dunyasha.
Dunyasha, the maid, considers herself like a lady. In love with Yasha.
Firs, an old footman, constantly takes care of Gaev.
Yasha, Ranevskaya's spoiled lackey.

Images of the characters in the play

A.P. Chekhov always very accurately and subtly noticed his features in each character, be it appearance or character. This Chekhovian feature is also supported by the play “The Cherry Orchard” - the images of the heroes here are lyrical and even a little touching. Each has its own unique features. For convenience, the characteristics of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard can be divided into groups.

Old generation

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna appears very frivolous, but kind woman, who cannot fully understand that all her money is gone. She is in love with some scoundrel who left her without funds. And then Ranevskaya returns with Anya to Russia. They can be compared to people who left Russia: no matter how good it is abroad, they still continue to yearn for their homeland. The image chosen by Chekhov for his homeland will be written below.

Ranevskaya and Gaev are the personification of the nobility, the wealth of past years, which during the author’s time began to decline. Both brother and sister cannot fully understand this, but nevertheless they feel that something is happening. And by the way they begin to act, you can see the reaction of Chekhov’s contemporaries - it was either a move abroad, or an attempt to adapt to new conditions.

Firs is an image of a servant who was always faithful to her masters and did not want any change in order, because they did not need it. If with the first main characters of “The Cherry Orchard” it is clear why they are considered in this group, then why can Varya be included here?

Because Varya occupies a passive position: she humbly accepts the developing position, but her dream is the opportunity to walk in holy places, and strong faith was characteristic of people of the older generation. And Varya, despite her seemingly vigorous activity, does not take an active part in conversations about the fate of the cherry orchard and does not offer any solutions, which shows the passivity of the wealthy class of that time.

Younger generation

Representatives of the future of Russia will be considered here - these are educated young people who put themselves above any feelings, which was fashionable in the early 1900s. At that time, public duty and the desire to develop science were put in first place. But one should not assume that Anton Pavlovich portrayed revolutionary-minded youth - this is, rather, a depiction of the majority of the intelligentsia of that time, who were only engaged in discussing lofty topics, putting themselves above human needs, but were not adapted to anything.

All this was embodied in Trofimov - the “eternal student” and “shabby gentleman”, who was never able to graduate from anything and had no profession. Throughout the play he only talked about various matters and despised Lopakhin and Varya, who was able to admit the idea of his possible romance with Anya - he is “above love.”

Anya is a kind, sweet, still completely inexperienced girl who admires Trofimov and listens carefully to everything he says. She personifies youth, who have always been interested in the ideas of the intelligentsia.

But one of the most striking and characteristic images of that era was Lopakhin, a native of peasants who managed to make a fortune for himself. But, despite his wealth, he remained essentially a simple man. This is an active person, a representative of the so-called “kulaks” class - wealthy peasants. Ermolai Alekseevich respected work, and work always came first for him, so he kept postponing an explanation with Varya.

It was during that period that Lopakhin’s hero could appear - then this “rising” peasantry, proud of the realization that they were no longer slaves, showed a higher adaptability to life than the nobles, which is proven by the fact that it was Lopakhin who bought Ranevskaya’s estate.

Why was the characterization of the characters in The Cherry Orchard chosen specifically for these characters? Because it is on the characteristics of the characters that their internal conflicts will be built.

Internal conflicts in the play

The play shows not only the personal experiences of the characters, but also the confrontation between them, which makes the images of the heroes of “The Cherry Orchard” brighter and deeper. Let's take a closer look at them.

Ranevskaya - Lopakhin

Most main conflict is in the pair Ranevskaya - Lopakhin. And it is due to several reasons:

belonging to different generations;
contrast of characters.

Lopakhin is trying to help Ranevskaya preserve the estate by cutting down the cherry orchard and building dachas in its place. But for Raevskaya this is impossible - after all, she grew up in this house, and “dachas are so vulgar.” And in the fact that it was Ermolai Alekseevich who bought the estate, she sees this as a betrayal on his part. For him, buying a cherry orchard is the resolution of his personal conflict: he, a simple man, whose ancestors could not go beyond the kitchen, has now become the owner. And this is where his main triumph lies.

Lopakhin - Trofimov

The conflict in a pair of these people occurs due to the fact that they have opposing views. Trofimov considers Lopakhin an ordinary guy, rude, limited, who is not interested in anything other than work. The same one believes that Pyotr Sergeevich is simply wasting his mental capacity, does not understand how one can live without money, and does not accept the ideology that man is above all earthly things.

Trofimov - Varya

The confrontation is most likely based on personal hostility. Varya despises Peter because he is not busy with anything, and fears that with the help of his clever speeches he will make Anya fall in love with him. Therefore, Varya tries in every possible way to prevent them. Trofimov teases the girl “Madame Lopakhina,” knowing that everyone has been waiting for this event for a long time. But he despises her because she equated him and Anya with herself and Lopakhin, because they are above all earthly passions.

So, above it was briefly written about the characters of the heroes of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”. We described only the most significant characters. Now we can move on to the most interesting thing - the image of the main character of the play.

The main character of "The Cherry Orchard"

The attentive reader has already guessed (or is guessing) that this is a cherry orchard. He personifies Russia itself in the play: its past, present and future. Why did the orchard itself become the main character of “The Cherry Orchard”?

Because it is to this estate that Ranevskaya returns after all the misadventures abroad, because it is because of him that the heroine’s internal conflict intensifies (fear of losing the garden, awareness of her helplessness, reluctance to part with it), and a confrontation arises between Ranevskaya and Lopakhin.

The Cherry Orchard also helps resolve internal conflict Lopakhin: he reminded him that he was a peasant, an ordinary man who miraculously managed to get rich. And the opportunity that arose with the purchase of the estate to cut down this garden meant that now nothing else in those parts could remind him of his origin.

What did the garden mean to the heroes?

For convenience, you can write the characters’ attitude towards the cherry orchard in a table.

Ranevskaya	Gaev	Anya	Varya	Lopakhin	Trofimov
A garden is a symbol of wealth and well-being. The most connected with him happy memories childhood. Characterizes her attachment to the past, so it is difficult for her to part with it	Same attitude as my sister	For her, the garden is an association with childhood, but due to her youth, she is not so attached to it, and still has hopes for a bright future	The same association with childhood as Anya’s. At the same time, she is not upset about its sale, since she can now live the way she wants	The garden reminds him of his peasant origins. By knocking it out, he says goodbye to the past, while at the same time hoping for a happy future.	Cherry trees are a symbol of serfdom for him. And he believes that it would even be right to abandon them in order to free himself from the old way of life

Symbolism of the cherry orchard in the play

But how then is the image of the main character of “The Cherry Orchard” connected with the image of the Motherland? Through this garden, Anton Chekhov showed the past: when the country was rich, the class of nobles was in its prime, and no one thought about the abolition of serfdom. In the present, there is already a decline in society: it is divided, guidelines are changing. Russia was already on the threshold new era, the nobility became smaller, and the peasants gained strength. And the future is shown in Lopakhin’s dreams: the country will be ruled by those who are not afraid to work - only those people will be able to lead the country to prosperity.

The sale of Ranevskaya's cherry orchard for debts and its purchase by Lopakhin is a symbolic transfer of the country from the rich class to ordinary workers. Debt here means debt for how their owners treated them for a long time, how they exploited the common people. And the fact that power in the country is transferring to the common people, is a natural result of the path along which Russia was moving. And the nobility had only to do what Ranevskaya and Gaev did - go abroad or go to work. And the younger generation will try to fulfill their dreams of a bright future.

Conclusion

Having carried out such a small analysis of the work, one can understand that the play “The Cherry Orchard” is a deeper creation than it might seem at first glance. Anton Pavlovich was able to masterfully convey the mood of society at that time, the situation in which it found itself. And the writer did this very gracefully and subtly, which allows this play to remain loved by readers for a long time.