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The image of the garden in the play “The Cherry Orchard. List of characters and the system of characters in the Chekhov drama All the heroes of the play The Cherry Orchard

A.P. Chekhov. "The Cherry Orchard". General characteristics of the play. Analysis of the third act.

Chekhov brings everyday life to the stage - without effects, beautiful poses, unusual situations. He believed that in the theater everything should be as simple, and at the same time difficult, as it happens in life. In everyday life, he sees both beauty and significance. This explains the peculiar composition of his dramas, the simplicity of the plot, the calm development of the action, the absence of stage effects, the “undercurrent”.

The Cherry Orchard is the only play by Chekhov that can be seen, though not quite clearly, as a social conflict. The bourgeoisie comes to replace the doomed nobility. Is it good or bad? Incorrect question, says Chekhov. It is a fact. “I didn’t get a drama, but a comedy, in some places even a farce,” wrote Chekhov. According to Belinsky, comedy reveals how much real life has deviated from the ideal. Was this not Chekhov's task in The Cherry Orchard? Life, beautiful in its possibilities, poetic, like a blossoming cherry orchard - and the impotence of the "stupid", unable to either preserve this poetry, or break through to it, to see it.

Feature of the genre - lyrical comedy. The characters are drawn by the author with a slight mockery, but without sarcasm, without hatred. Chekhov's heroes are already looking for their place, but they haven't found it yet, all the stage time they are going somewhere. But they never get together. The tragedy of Chekhov's heroes comes from being unrooted in the present, which they hate and fear. Genuine life, real, seems alien to them, wrong. The way out of the anguish of everyday life (and the reason for it still lies in themselves, therefore there is no way out) they see in the future, in the life that should be, but which does not come. And they don't do anything to make it happen.

One of the main motives of the play is time. Starts with a late train, ends with a late train. And the heroes do not feel that time has changed. He entered the house, where (as it seems to Ranevskaya) nothing changes, and devastated, destroyed it. Heroes are behind the times.

The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard"

Composition "The Cherry Orchard": Act 1 - exposition, Ranevskaya's arrival, the threat of losing the estate, the exit proposed by Lopakhin. 2nd act - senseless waiting for the owners of the garden, 3rd act - sale of the garden, 4th act - departure of the former owners, entry into the possession of a new one, cutting down the garden. That is, act 3 is the climax of the play.

The garden must be sold. He is destined to die, Chekhov insists on this, no matter how he feels about it. Why this will happen is quite clearly shown in Acts 1 and 2. The task of act 3 is to show how.

The action takes place in the house, the stage direction introduces the viewer to the party, which was discussed in the 2nd act. Ranevskaya calls it a ball and very accurately determines that “we started the ball inopportunely” - from the words of Petya, the viewer learns that it is at this time that the auction takes place, at which the fate of the estate is decided. Therefore, the mood of this scene is a contrast between external well-being (dances, tricks, optional “ballroom” conversations) and an atmosphere of melancholy, bad foreboding and just about ready hysteria.

How does Chekhov create this atmosphere? The idiotic performances of Simeonov-Pishchik, to which no one reacts, as if it were necessary, now and then the conversations of the owners of the house about their sadness break out, as if they are not up to the guests.

When no one needs the ball fizzles out, Gaev and Lopakhin appear with a message about the sale of the estate. Lopakhin’s “performance” in a new role leaves a complex, rather difficult impression, but the act ends on an optimistic note - Anya’s remark addressed to Ranevskaya: “Mom, you have a life left ...” There is a sense in this optimism - the most unbearable for the heroes of the play (choice , the need to decide and take responsibility) behind.

What new will we learn about the characters in Act 3?

Ranevskaya.

It turns out that she is able not only to infuriate with her impracticality, she is also not stupid. It seems that at this ball she woke up - sensible remarks about the Yaroslavl grandmother, about what a cherry orchard is for her. In a conversation with Petya, she is even wise, very accurately defines the essence of this person, and without prettiness and playing with herself, she talks about herself and her life. Although, of course, she remains herself - she says truthful words to Petya in order to hurt someone else, because she herself hurts. But in general, this is the peak of her reflection of life, already at the very beginning of Act 4 she will continue to play as an actress, for whom only her own role is important and the whole play is not available. And now she accepts the news of the sale of the estate not courageously, but with dignity, without a game, her grief is genuine and therefore ugly: “She has shrunk all over and is crying bitterly.”

Gaev.

It is almost non-existent in this act, and we will not learn anything new about it. All he can say is: “How much I have suffered!” - in general, again "I". It is very easy to console him in grief - with the sound of billiard balls.

Lopakhin.

Here is a surprise. Until now, we knew him as a good friend of this family, which did not deserve such a friend. He was more worried about saving the cherry orchard than all of these goons put together. And there was no thought that he himself wants to buy a garden, that for him this is not just another deal, but an act of the triumph of justice. Therefore, now his honesty is worth more. We also didn’t know about him that he was able to get carried away, forget himself, rejoice to the point of madness, he was so even and calm until now. And what kind of “genetic” hatred in him for the former owners - not personally for Gaev and Ranevskaya, but for the class: “... Grandfather and father were slaves, .. they were not even allowed into the kitchen ...” And he is also weak, because he thinks about life: “It would be better if our clumsy, unhappy life somehow changed ...”, but what to think about is not enough: “Let everything be as I wish!”

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The social statuses of the heroes of the play - as one of the characteristics

In the final play A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" there is no division into main and secondary characters. They are all the main, even seemingly episodic roles are of great importance for revealing the main idea of ​​the whole work. The characterization of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard begins with their social representation. After all, in people's heads, social status is already leaving its mark, and not only on stage. So, Lopakhin, a merchant, is already associated in advance with a noisy and tactless shopkeeper, incapable of any subtle feelings and emotions, but Chekhov warned that his merchant was different from a typical representative of this class. Ranevskaya and Simeonov-Pishchik, designated as landowners, look very strange. After all, after the abolition of serfdom, the social statuses of the landowners remained in the past, since they no longer corresponded to the new social order. Gaev is also a landowner, but in the minds of the characters he is "Ranevskaya's brother", which suggests some kind of lack of independence of this character. With the daughters of Ranevskaya, everything is more or less clear. Anya and Varya have an age indicated, showing that they are the youngest characters in The Cherry Orchard.

The age is also indicated for the oldest character - Firs. Trofimov Petr Sergeevich is a student, and this is some kind of contradiction, because if a student, then he is young and it seems too early to ascribe a patronymic, but meanwhile it is indicated.

Throughout the entire action of the play The Cherry Orchard, the characters are fully revealed, and their characters are outlined in a form typical of this type of literature - in speech characteristics given by themselves or other participants.

Brief characteristics of the main characters

Although the main characters of the play are not singled out by Chekhov as a separate line, they are easy to identify. These are Ranevskaya, Lopakhin and Trofimov. It is their vision of their time that becomes the fundamental motive of the entire work. And this time is shown through the attitude to the old cherry orchard.

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna- the main character of "The Cherry Orchard" - in the past, a rich aristocrat, accustomed to live at the behest of her heart. Her husband died quite early, leaving a lot of debts. While she indulged in new feelings, her little son tragically died. Considering herself guilty of this tragedy, she runs away from home, from her lover abroad, who, among other things, followed her and literally plundered her there. But her hopes for finding peace did not come true. She loves her garden and her estate, but she 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 carrying the cultural and historical heritage, inviolability and confidence in the worldview will be violated.

Lyubov Andreevna and her brother Gaev are characterized by all the best features of the nobility: responsiveness, generosity, education, a sense of beauty, the ability to sympathize. However, in modern times, all their positive qualities are not needed and are turned in the opposite direction. Generosity becomes irrepressible squandering, 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 feelings are not as deep as it might seem.

In The Cherry Orchard, the main characters talk more than they do, and the only person is the action. Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, the 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 the modern word "businessman" would be more suitable for him. The son and grandson of serfs became a millionaire thanks to his intuition, determination and intelligence, because if he were stupid and not educated, how could he achieve such success in his business? And it is no coincidence that Petya Trofimov speaks of his subtle soul. After all, only Ermolai Alekseevich realizes the value of the old garden and its true beauty. But his commercial streak overdoes, and he is forced to destroy the garden.

Trofimov Petya- an eternal student and a "shabby gentleman." Apparently, he also belongs to a noble family, but has become, 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 brighter future. He is also unusual for deep feelings for the people around him and attachment to the 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 the age of 12. That is, in adolescence, so important for the formation of personality, Anya was left to her own devices. She inherited the best qualities that are characteristic of the aristocracy. She is youthfully naive, perhaps that is why she was so easily carried away by Petya's ideas.

Brief characteristics of minor characters

The characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard" are divided into main and secondary only by the time of their participation in the actions. So Varya, Simeonov-Pishchik Dunyasha, Charlotte Ivanovna and the lackeys practically do not talk about the estate, and their worldview is not revealed through the garden, they are, as it were, cut off from it.

Varya- adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. But in essence, she is the housekeeper on the estate, whose duties include taking care of the masters and servants. She thinks at the everyday level, and her desire to devote herself to serving God is not taken seriously by anyone. Instead, they try to marry her off to Lopakhin, to whom she is indifferent.

Simeonov-Pishchik- the same landowner as Ranevskaya. Constantly in debt. But his positive attitude helps to overcome his difficult situation. So, he does not hesitate a bit when an offer is made to lease his lands. Thus solving their financial difficulties. He is able to adapt to a new life, unlike the owners of the cherry orchard.

Yasha- A young lackey. Having been abroad, he is no longer attracted by his homeland, and even his mother, who is trying to meet him, is no longer needed by him. Arrogance is his main trait. He does not respect the owners, he has no attachment to anyone.

Dunyasha- a young windy girl who lives one day and dreams of love.

Epikhodov- the clerk, he is a chronic loser, which he knows very well. In fact, his life is empty and aimless.

Firs- the oldest character for whom the abolition of serfdom was the greatest tragedy. He is sincerely attached to his masters. And his death in an empty house to the sound of a garden being cut down is very symbolic.

Charlotte Ivanovna- a governess and a circus performer in one person. The main reflection of the declared genre of the play.

The images of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard are combined into a system. They complement each other, thereby helping to reveal the main theme of the work.

Artwork test

Lyubov Andreevna is the main character in Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard. This woman is the main representative of the female half of the nobility of that time with all their vices and positive features. It is in her house that the play takes place.

She skillfully combines both positive and negative traits of her character.

Ranevskaya is a naturally beautiful woman with good manners, a true noblewoman, kind, but very trusting in life. After the death of her husband and the tragic death of her son, she goes abroad, where she lives for five years with her lover, who eventually robs her. There, Lyubov Andreevna leads a wasteful lifestyle: balls, receptions, all this takes a lot of money. Meanwhile, her daughters live in poverty, but she has a cool attitude towards them.

She is far from reality, lives in her own world. Her sentimentality is manifested in longing for the Motherland, for the bygone youth. Arriving, after a long absence home, where she returns in the spring, Ranevskaya finds peace. Nature itself with its beauty helps her in this.

At the same time, she does not think about the future, throws a ball, knowing that she has no money for her later life. It's just that Lyubov Andreevna cannot give up a beautiful life.

She is kind, helps others, especially old Firs. But on the other hand, leaving the estate, she forgets about him, leaving him in an abandoned house.

Leading an idle life can not be happy. It is her fault in the death of the garden. She did nothing good in her life, so she remained in the past, very unhappy. Having lost the cherry orchard and the estate, she also loses her homeland, returning to Paris.

Leonid Gaev

The landowner Leonid Gaev is endowed with a peculiar character in the play "The Cherry Orchard". In some ways, he is similar to his sister Ranevskaya. He is also inherent in romanticism, sentimentality. He loves the garden and is very worried about selling it, but does absolutely nothing to save the estate.

His idealism is manifested in the fact that he makes unrealizable plans, thinking that his aunt will give money, or Anya will marry successfully, or someone will leave them an inheritance and the garden will be saved.

Leonid Andreevich is very talkative, likes to make speeches, but at the same time he can say nonsense. His nieces often ask him to be quiet.

Completely impractical, lazy, not adapted to change. Lives on everything ready, leading a wild life in his old world, not understanding new trends. The servant even helps him to undress, although over time he will not even remember his devoted Firs.

He does not have a family, because he believes that he needs to live for himself. He lives for himself, visiting gambling establishments, playing billiards and having fun. At the same time, he scatters money, having a lot of debts.

You cannot rely on him. He swears that the garden will not be sold, but does not fulfill his promise. Gaev takes the loss of his garden and estate hard, even gets a job as an employee in a bank, but few people believe that he will stay there because of his laziness.

Ermolai Lopakhin

Merchant Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin is a representative of a new class - the bourgeoisie, which replaced the nobility.

Coming from the common people, he never forgets this and treats the common people well, because his grandfather and father were serfs on the Ranevsky estate. Since childhood, he knew what ordinary people were and always considered himself a peasant.

Thanks to his intelligence, perseverance, hard work, he got out of poverty and became a very rich man, although he is always afraid of losing his acquired capital. Ermolai Alekseevich gets up early, works hard and has achieved success.

Lopakhin is sometimes gentle, kind and affectionate, he notices beauty and, in his own way, he feels sorry for the cherry orchard. He offers Ranevskaya a plan to save the garden, while not forgetting that in her time she did a lot for him. And when Ranevskaya refuses to hand over the garden for dachas, the vein of a predator, a conqueror, appears in his features. He buys an estate and a garden in which his ancestors were slaves, and triumphs, because his old dream has come true. Here you can clearly see his merchant's grip. “I can pay for everything,” he says. Destroying the garden, he does not worry, but rejoices at his own benefit.

Anya

Anya is one of the heroes who aspire to the future.

From the age of twelve, she was brought up on her uncle's estate, left by her mother, who went abroad. Of course, she could not get a proper education, because the governess in the past was just a circus performer. But Anya stubbornly, using books, filled in the gaps in knowledge.

The beauty of the cherry orchard, which she loved very much, and the abundance of time on the estate gave impetus to the formation of her delicate nature.

Anya is sincere, spontaneous and childishly naive. She believes in people, which is why Petya Trofimov, her younger brother's former teacher, had such a strong influence on her.

After four years of the girl's stay abroad, with her mother, seventeen-year-old Anya returns home and meets Petya there. Having fallen in love with him, she sincerely trusted the young schoolboy and his ideas. Trofimov changed her attitude to the cherry orchard and to the surrounding reality.

Anya wants to leave her parental home and start a new life by passing the exams for the gymnasium course and live by working herself. The girl is ready to follow Petya anywhere. She no longer feels sorry for either the cherry orchard or the old life. She believes in a bright future and strives for it.

Believing in a happy future, she sincerely says goodbye to her mother: “We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this ...”.

Anya is a representative of the youth who can change the future of Russia.

Petya Trofimov

The image of Petya Trofimov in the work is inextricably linked with the theme of the future of Russia.

Petya is a former teacher of Ranevskaya's son. They call him an eternal student, because he will never finish his studies at the gymnasium. Moving from place to place, he wanders around the country, dreaming of a better life, in which beauty and justice will triumph.

Trofimov really perceives the events taking place, realizing that the garden is beautiful, but its death is inevitable. He hates the nobility, is convinced that their time is up, condemns people who use the labor of others and preaches the ideas of a bright future where everyone will be happy. But the bottom line is that he only preaches and does nothing for this future himself. For Trofimov, it is not important whether he himself will reach this future, or whether he will show the way to others. And he knows how to speak and convince perfectly.

Petya convinced Anya that it was impossible to live the old life, that changes were needed, that it was necessary to get rid of poverty, vulgarity and dirt and become free.

He considers himself a free man and refuses Lopakhin's money, just as he refuses love, denying it. He tells Anya that their relationship is higher than love and calls to believe him, his ideas.

At the same time, Petya is petty. That's when he lost his old galoshes, he was very upset, but he was happy when the galoshes were found.

Here he is, Petya Trofimov - an ordinary intellectual of advanced views, who has many shortcomings.

Varya

Varya, unlike other characters in the work, lives in the present, and not in the past and future.

At 24, she is simple and rational. When the mother went abroad, all the household chores fell on her shoulders, and she coped with this for the time being. Varya works from morning to evening, saving every penny, but the extravagance of her relatives made it possible to save the estate from ruin.

She is very religious and dreams of going to a monastery, only she could not raise money to go to holy places. Others do not believe in her religiosity, but in fact she is.

Varya is direct and strict, not afraid to make comments, but makes them correctly. At the same time, she has a feeling of love and tenderness. She loves her sister Anya very much, calls her a darling, a beauty, and is very worried that she is in love with Petya Trofimov, because he is not a match for her.

Varya likes Lopakhin, whom her mother hopes to marry, but she understands that he will not propose to her, because he is busy accumulating his own wealth.

But Trofimov for some reason considers Varia limited, not understanding what is happening. But this is not so, the girl understands that the estate has fallen into decay and ruined, that it will be sold and the cherry orchard will not be saved. This is the reality in her understanding, and in this reality one must continue to live.

In a new life, Varya will survive without money, because she has a practical character and is adapted to life's difficulties.

Charlotte Ivanovna

Charlotte Ivanovna is a minor character in the play. She is the governess of the Ranevsky family. She herself comes from a family of circus performers who earned their living by performing.

From early childhood, Charlotte also helped her parents perform circus acts, and when her parents died, she was raised by a German lady, who gave her an education. Growing up, Charlotte began to work as a governess, earning her living.

Charlotte knows how to show tricks and tricks, speaks in different voices. All this remained with her from her parents, although she knows nothing more about them, even her own age. Some heroes consider her an attractive woman, but nothing is said about the heroine's personal life.

Charlotte is very lonely, as she says: "...I don't have anyone." But on the other hand, she is a free person and does not depend on circumstances, she only observes what is happening from the side and evaluates what is happening in her own way. So, she speaks with a slight reproach about the extravagance of her masters, but she says it with such ease that it is noticeable that she does not care.

The image of Charlotte is in the background, but some of her remarks are connected with the actions of the main characters of the play. And at the end of the work, Charlotte worries that she has nowhere to live and needs to leave the city. This highlights the fact that she is just as homeless as her owners.

Heroes of the work The Cherry Orchard

Main characters

Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya- a woman who does not have money, but wants to prove to herself and the public that they are. Irresponsible and emotional. As a rule, he does not think about what will happen “after”, he lives one day. We can say that in a cocoon of pompous fun, she hides from everyday difficulties, worries and responsibilities. Her bankruptcy occurred during her life abroad - having hastily sold the estate, she returns to France.

Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin- a wealthy merchant from a simple class. Quite cunning, enterprising. Rough, but incredibly resourceful. Calculating. It is he who buys the estate of the main character.

Minor Heroes

Leonid Andreevich Gaev- the sentimental brother of Ranevskaya. In order to "sweeten" her sister's grief after the sale of the estate, she begins to develop plans to overcome difficulties. Quite often they are absurd and ineffective.

Trofimov Petr Sergeevich- a person quite incomprehensible, with oddities. His main hobby is reasoning. Trofimov has no family, does not serve anywhere, he is a man without a fixed place of residence. Despite the fact that he is a person of extraordinary views, sometimes Pyotr Sergeevich contradicts himself.

Anya- a young, fragile, romantic girl. Despite the fact that the heroine supports her parent, some innovative features and a thirst for change are already beginning to appear in her.

Varya- realist. One might say, even a somewhat mundane, peasant girl. She manages the estate, is the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. He has feelings for Lopakhin, but is afraid to admit it.

Simeonov - Pishchik- a ruined nobleman, who is "in debt as in silks." He tries in vain to cover all his debts. Always in search of livelihood. In order to be rescued financially, he grovels and humiliates himself, without feeling remorse. Sometimes Fortune really is on his side.

Charlotte Ivanovna- governess. Age unknown. Even among the crowd feels lonely. She is able to perform tricks, which indicates that it is possible that her childhood was spent in a circus family.

Epikhodov- if there are "darlings of fate", then he is the complete opposite. Something always happens to the hero, he is clumsy, unlucky and "offended by Fortune". Despite a decent education, he does not know how to express his thoughts properly.

Dunyasha– This girl is a simple maid, but she has ambitions and demands. As a rule, the details of her wardrobe are not much different from the outfits of a secular lady. However, the essence of man remains the same. Therefore, even among the pompous gloss, you can see the fact that Dunya is a peasant woman. Her attempts to look more respectable are pathetic.

Firs, servant- He treats the masters well, but he takes care of them as if they were babies, he is too patronizing. By the way, the hero even dies with the thought of the owners.

Yasha- Once upon a time he was a lackey. Now a soulless and empty dandy who has been to Paris. Treats native people with disrespect. He condemns the fact that Russia is chasing the West, considers this a manifestation of ignorance and ignorance.

Option 3

The play The Cherry Orchard was written by Chekhov in 1903. It shows the main problems of the dying nobility. The heroes of the play are saturated with the vices of the society of that time. In this work there is a discussion about the future fate of Russia.

Lyubov Andreevna is the mistress of the house in which all the events of the play take place. She is a beautiful woman, well-mannered, educated, kind and trusting in life. After heavy losses in life, the death of her husband and son, she goes abroad, more than her lover robbed her. Living abroad, she leads a chic lifestyle, while her daughters are in poverty in their homeland. She is on cold terms with them.

And then one spring she decided to return home. And only at home she found peace, the beauty of her native nature helped her in this.

Even without money, he cannot give up a beautiful life.

But being a bad housewife, she loses everything: the house, the garden, and, as a result, the Motherland. She returns to Paris.

Leonid Gaev was a landowner, and had a peculiar character. He was the brother of the main character, he, like her, was romantic and sentimental. He loved his house and garden, but does nothing to save it. He loves to talk very much, and, moreover, does not think about what he says. And nieces often ask him to be quiet.

He does not have his own family, he decided to live for himself, and he lives. He goes to gambling establishments, plays billiards, has fun. He has a lot of debt. You can't rely on him. Nobody believes him.

In this hero, the writer showed almost all the vices of the youth of that period.

Yermolai Lopakhin was a merchant, a representative of the new bourgeois class. He was a native of the people. Remembers the good, and does not break away from the people. He knew that his ancestors were from serfs. With his perseverance and work, he got out of poverty, earned a lot of money.

He offered a plan to save the garden and the estate, but Ranevskaya refused. Then he buys the entire estate at an auction, and becomes the owner, where his ancestors were slaves.

His image shows the superiority of the bourgeoisie over the nobility.

He buys the garden, and when everyone left the estate, he cut it down.

Anya is the daughter of Lyubov Andreevna. She lived abroad with her mother, returned to her homeland at the age of 17 and immediately fell in love with her brother's former teacher. Peter Trofimov. She trusts his ideas. He completely reconfigured the girl. She became a prominent representative of the new nobility.

Petya once taught his son Ranevskaya. He was nicknamed the eternal student, because he could not finish his studies at the gymnasium. He convinced Anya that life must be changed, it is necessary to get rid of poverty. He does not believe in Anna's love, tells her that their relationship is higher than love. Encourages her to go with him.

Varya is the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya, she began to housekeeping on the estate early, she really understands what is happening. In love with Lopakhin.

She lives in the present, not the past and the future. Varya will survive in the new life, because she has a practical character.

Charlotte Ivanovna, Dunyasha, Yasha, Firs servants in the Ranevsky estate, do not know where to go after the sale of the estate. Firs, due to his old age, did not know what to do, and when everyone left the estate, he dies in the house.

This work showed the decline of the nobility.

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The social statuses of the heroes of the play - as one of the characteristics

In the final play A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" there is no division into main and secondary characters. They are all the main, even seemingly episodic roles are of great importance for revealing the main idea of ​​the whole work. The characterization of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard begins with their social representation. After all, in people's heads, social status is already leaving its mark, and not only on stage. So, Lopakhin, a merchant, is already associated in advance with a noisy and tactless shopkeeper, incapable of any subtle feelings and emotions, but Chekhov warned that his merchant was different from a typical representative of this class. Ranevskaya and Simeonov-Pishchik, designated as landowners, look very strange. After all, after the abolition of serfdom, the social statuses of the landowners remained in the past, since they no longer corresponded to the new social order. Gaev is also a landowner, but in the minds of the characters he is "Ranevskaya's brother", which suggests some kind of lack of independence of this character. With the daughters of Ranevskaya, everything is more or less clear. Anya and Varya have an age indicated, showing that they are the youngest characters in The Cherry Orchard.

The age is also indicated for the oldest character - Firs. Trofimov Petr Sergeevich is a student, and this is some kind of contradiction, because if a student, then he is young and it seems too early to ascribe a patronymic, but meanwhile it is indicated.

Throughout the entire action of the play The Cherry Orchard, the characters are fully revealed, and their characters are outlined in a form typical of this type of literature - in speech characteristics given by themselves or other participants.

Brief characteristics of the main characters

Although the main characters of the play are not singled out by Chekhov as a separate line, they are easy to identify. These are Ranevskaya, Lopakhin and Trofimov. It is their vision of their time that becomes the fundamental motive of the entire work. And this time is shown through the attitude to the old cherry orchard.

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna- the main character of "The Cherry Orchard" - in the past, a rich aristocrat, accustomed to live at the behest of her heart. Her husband died quite early, leaving a lot of debts. While she indulged in new feelings, her little son tragically died. Considering herself guilty of this tragedy, she runs away from home, from her lover abroad, who, among other things, followed her and literally plundered her there. But her hopes for finding peace did not come true. She loves her garden and her estate, but she 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 carrying the cultural and historical heritage, inviolability and confidence in the worldview will be violated.

Lyubov Andreevna and her brother Gaev are characterized by all the best features of the nobility: responsiveness, generosity, education, a sense of beauty, the ability to sympathize. However, in modern times, all their positive qualities are not needed and are turned in the opposite direction. Generosity becomes irrepressible squandering, 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 feelings are not as deep as it might seem.

In The Cherry Orchard, the main characters talk more than they do, and the only person is the action. Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, the 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 the modern word "businessman" would be more suitable for him. The son and grandson of serfs became a millionaire thanks to his intuition, determination and intelligence, because if he were stupid and not educated, how could he achieve such success in his business? And it is no coincidence that Petya Trofimov speaks of his subtle soul. After all, only Ermolai Alekseevich realizes the value of the old garden and its true beauty. But his commercial streak overdoes, and he is forced to destroy the garden.

Trofimov Petya- an eternal student and a "shabby gentleman." Apparently, he also belongs to a noble family, but has become, 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 brighter future. He is also unusual for deep feelings for the people around him and attachment to the 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 the age of 12. That is, in adolescence, so important for the formation of personality, Anya was left to her own devices. She inherited the best qualities that are characteristic of the aristocracy. She is youthfully naive, perhaps that is why she was so easily carried away by Petya's ideas.

Brief characteristics of minor characters

The characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard" are divided into main and secondary only by the time of their participation in the actions. So Varya, Simeonov-Pishchik Dunyasha, Charlotte Ivanovna and the lackeys practically do not talk about the estate, and their worldview is not revealed through the garden, they are, as it were, cut off from it.

Varya- adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. But in essence, she is the housekeeper on the estate, whose duties include taking care of the masters and servants. She thinks at the everyday level, and her desire to devote herself to serving God is not taken seriously by anyone. Instead, they try to marry her off to Lopakhin, to whom she is indifferent.

Simeonov-Pishchik- the same landowner as Ranevskaya. Constantly in debt. But his positive attitude helps to overcome his difficult situation. So, he does not hesitate a bit when an offer is made to lease his lands. Thus solving their financial difficulties. He is able to adapt to a new life, unlike the owners of the cherry orchard.

Yasha- A young lackey. Having been abroad, he is no longer attracted by his homeland, and even his mother, who is trying to meet him, is no longer needed by him. Arrogance is his main trait. He does not respect the owners, he has no attachment to anyone.

Dunyasha- a young windy girl who lives one day and dreams of love.

Epikhodov- the clerk, he is a chronic loser, which he knows very well. In fact, his life is empty and aimless.

Firs- the oldest character for whom the abolition of serfdom was the greatest tragedy. He is sincerely attached to his masters. And his death in an empty house to the sound of a garden being cut down is very symbolic.

Charlotte Ivanovna- a governess and a circus performer in one person. The main reflection of the declared genre of the play.

The images of the heroes of The Cherry Orchard are combined into a system. They complement each other, thereby helping to reveal the main theme of the work.

Artwork test

The main character of the play, the landowner and mistress of the estate with a cherry orchard. Several years ago her husband died, and then her son Grisha died tragically. After that, she hastily left for Paris, leaving the estate, servants and adopted daughter Barbara. There she bought a summer house in Monton, which she later sold. Daughter Anya found her in Paris with strangers and without a penny of money.

One of the main characters in the play, the brother of the landowner Ranevskaya. He is a man of the old school, like his sister - sentimental. She is very worried about the sale of the family estate and the loss of the cherry orchard. By nature, Gaev is an idealist and a romantic. He is not particularly adapted to the "new" life. He refers to the people of the 80s of the 19th century.

One of the main characters in the play, a merchant, a descendant of serfs who worked for Ranevskaya's father and grandfather. Lopakhin's father was uneducated and rude, often beat him. Ranevskaya was kind to the boy, protected him. He says that he loves her more than his own, as she has done a lot for him. He says about himself that although he broke away from the peasants, he never became educated.

One of the main characters in the play, the adopted daughter of the landowner Ranevskaya. She is 24 years old and she manages the entire household of the Ranevskys, acting at the same time as an adopted daughter and a housekeeper. By nature, Varya is a very modest and pious girl, conscientious about her duties. She is often busy with petty economic affairs and, unlike the masters, knows how to save rationally.

One of the characters in the play, a former teacher of the seven-year-old son of Ranevskaya, a raznochinets of 26 or 27 years old. Many call him an “eternal student” and a “gymnasium student” because he studies all the time and never finishes the course. Petya wears glasses and likes to philosophize about how to live.

A girl of seventeen years old, the daughter of the landowner Ranevskaya, a symbol of sincerity and spontaneity in the play "The Cherry Orchard". Anya, like many other members of her family, grew up in a cherry orchard, received a noble upbringing under the guidance of such governesses as Charlotte Ivanovna, a former circus acrobat without a passport and a certain age.

The oldest character in the play, a devoted footman at the Ranevskaya estate. He is 87 years old and he devoted most of his life to serving his masters. He remembers well his father and grandfather Ranevskaya. Despite the abolition of serfdom, he remained to serve the masters. He cared and cares about them as if they were his own children.

Dunyasha belongs to a number of minor characters in the play. Characters like her mostly enhance the comedy or tragedy of the situation. She is a maid in the Ranevskaya estate, but her behavior does not correspond to her position. About herself, she says that she has become all pampered and delicate, just like the ladies.