The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is the last play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by Znaniye, and it appeared as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg via A.F. Marks Publishers. On 17 January 1904, it opened at the Moscow Art Theatre in a production directed by Konstantin Stanislavski. Chekhov described the play as a comedy, with some elements of farce, though Stanislavski treated it as a tragedy. Since its first production, directors have struggled with its dual nature. It is often identified as one of the four outstanding plays by Chekhov, along with The Seagull, Three Sisters, and Uncle Vanya.
The play revolves around an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her family estate, which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard; she returns just before the estate is auctioned to pay the mortgage. Unresponsive to offers to save the estate, she allows its sale to the son of a former serf, and the family departs to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down. The story presents themes of cultural futility – the attempts of the aristocracy to maintain its status, and the attempts of the bourgeoisie to find meaning in its newfound materialism. The play dramatizes the socioeconomic forces in Russia at the turn of the 20th century; these forces include the rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the mid-19th century, in addition to the decline in power of the aristocracy.
Widely regarded as a classic of 20th-century theatre, the play has been translated into many languages and produced around the world. Major theatre directors have staged it, including Charles Laughton, Peter Brook, Andrei Șerban, Jean-Louis Barrault, Tyrone Guthrie, Katie Mitchell, Robert Falls, and Giorgio Strehler. The play has influenced many other playwrights, including Eugene O'Neill, George Bernard Shaw, David Mamet, and Arthur Miller.
Characters
The Cherry Orchard involves a number of characters. In languages other than Russian, the spelling of their names depends on the transliteration used.Family
Madame Lyubov Andreievna Ranevskaya
A landowner. Ranyevskaya is the linchpin around which the other characters revolve. A commanding and popular figure, she represents the pride of the old aristocracy, now fallen on hard times. She has confused feelings of love for her old home and sorrow at the scene of her son's death; these give her an emotional depth that keeps her from devolving into a mere aristocratic grotesque. Most of her humor comes from an inability to understand financial or business matters.Anya
Lyubov's daughter, aged seventeen. She journeys to Paris to rescue her mother from a desperate situation. She is virtuous and strong. She is close to Trofimov and listens to his revolutionary ideas, although she may not be absorbing them.Varya
Lyubov's adopted daughter, aged twenty-four. Varya manages the estate and keeps everything in order. She is the glue that holds the family together. The reason that Ranevskaya adopted her remains unclear, though she is said to have come from "simple people". Varya fantasizes about becoming a nun, though she lacks the financial means to do so. She adores her mother and sister, and she frets constantly about money. Her relationship with Lopakhin is mysterious; all characters in the play assume that these two are about to be married, but neither of them acts on it.Leonid Andreieveitch Gayev
The brother of Madame Ranevskaya. One of the more obvious comic characters, Gayev is a talkative eccentric. His addiction to billiards is symbolic of the aristocracy's decadent life of leisure, which renders them impotent in the face of change. Gayev tries hard to save his family and estate; ultimately, as an aristocrat, he either lacks sufficient drive or doesn't understand the real-world mechanisms needed to realize his goals.Grisha
The son of Lyubov, drowned many years ago before her sojourn in Paris. She is reminded of his existence by the presence of Trofimov, who was his tutor.Friends and associates
Peter Trofimov
A student and Anya's friend. Trofimov is depicted as an "eternal" student. An impassioned left-wing political commentator, he represents the rising tide of reformist political opinion in Russia, which struggled to find its place in the authoritarian Czarist autocracy.Boris Borisovich Simeonov-Pishchik
A landowner and another old aristocrat whose estate has hit hard times. He is constantly discussing new business ventures that may save him, as well as badgering Ranyevskaya for a loan. His character embodies the irony of the aristocracy's position: despite his financial peril, he spends the play relaxing and socializing with the Gayevs.Yermolai Alexeievitch Lopakhin
A merchant. Lopakhin is by far the wealthiest character in the play, but he comes from the lowest social class, since his father was a peasant and his grandfather was a serf. This contrast defines his character: he enjoys living the high life, but at the same time, he is uncomfortably conscious of his low beginnings and obsession with business. He is often portrayed on stage as an unpleasant character because of his greedy tendencies and ultimate betrayal of the Gayev family, but nothing in the play itself suggests this; he works strenuously to help the Gayevs, but to no avail. Lopakhin represents the new middle class in Russia, one of many threats to the old aristocratic way of life.Charlotta Ivanovna
A governess. By far the most eccentric character, Charlotta is the only governess whom the Gayevs can afford, and she is a companion for Anya. She is a melancholy figure, raised by a German woman with no real knowledge of who her circus entertainer parents were. She performs card tricks and ventriloquism at the party in the play's third act, and she pragmatically accepts her loss of station when the family disbands.Servants and dependents
Yepikhodov
A clerk. The Gayev's estate clerk is another source of comedy. He is unfortunate and clumsy in the extreme, earning him the insulting nickname "Twenty-Two Calamities", mostly invoked by Yasha. Yepikhodov considers himself to be in love with Dunyasha, whom he has asked to marry him.Dunyasha
A housemaid. Like Lopakhin, she is another example of social mobility in Russia during this period. A peasant who is employed as the Gayev's chambermaid, Dunyasha is an attention seeker, making dramatic scenes and dressing as a lady to show off. She is in some respects representative of the aristocracy's impotence, since a chambermaid would not previously have had the freedom to dress like a lady and flirt with menservants. Although pursued romantically by Yepikhodov, she is in love with Yasha, attracted to the cultivation that he has acquired in Paris.Firs
A manservant, aged 87. An aging eccentric, Firs considers the emancipation of the Russian serfs to be a disaster, and he speaks nostalgically of the old days when all serfs admired their masters and owners, such as Gayev's parents and grandparents. His senility is a source of much of the play's poignancy, symbolizing the decay of the old order into muttering madness.Yasha
A young manservant, accompanying Lyubov on her way back from Paris and desperate to return. Yasha represents the new, disaffected Russian generation, who dislike the staid old ways and who will be the foot soldiers of the revolution. A rude, inconsiderate, and predatory young man, Yasha, like Dunyasha and Charlotta, is the best the Gayevs can afford. He toys with the girlish affections of Dunyasha, the maid.Minor characters
A Stranger
A passer-by who encounters the Gayevs as they idle about on their estate during Act II. He is symbolic of the intrusion of new ideologies and social movements that infringed on the aristocracy's peace in Russia at the turn of the 20th century.The Stationmaster and the Postmaster
Both officials attend the Gayevs' party in Act III. They play minor roles: the Stationmaster attempts to recite a poem, and the Postmaster flirts with Dunyasha. Nevertheless, they are primarily symbols of the decline of the aristocracy in 1900s Russia. Firs comments that although they once had barons and lords at the ball, now it is the postman and the stationmaster who attend, even if only to be polite.Guests and miscellaneous figures
In addition to the characters named above, the minor characters include guests and miscellaneous figures.Plot
Act 1
The play opens on a May day in the nursery of Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya's home in the provinces of Russia, at the start of the 20th century. Ranevskaya has been living in France since her young son drowned. After she tried to kill herself, Ranevskaya's 17-year-old daughter Anya and Anya's governess Charlotta Ivanovna have brought her home, accompanied by Yasha, Ranevskaya's valet. Upon returning, they are met by Lopakhin, Dunyasha, Varya, Ranevskaya's brother Gayev, Boris Simeonov-Pishchik, Semyon Yepikhodov, and Firs.Lopakhin has come to remind Ranevskaya and Gayev that their estate, including the cherry orchard, will soon be auctioned to pay off the family's debts. Lopakhin proposes to save the estate by allowing part of it to be developed into summer cottages; however, this would require the destruction of the cherry orchard, which is nationally known for its size.
Ranevskaya is enjoying the view of the orchard as day breaks, when she is surprised by Peter Trofimov, a young student and former tutor of Ranevskaya's dead son, Grisha. Trofimov had insisted on seeing Ranevskaya upon her return, and she is grief-stricken at the reminder of this tragedy. After Ranevskaya retires for the evening, Anya confesses to Varya that their mother is heavily in debt. They retire for the night with the hope that the estate will be saved and the cherry orchard preserved. Trofimov gazes after the departing Anya in adoration.