The image of Gaev in the play The Cherry Orchard is brief. Screen adaptations and productions

« The Cherry Orchard" Brother main character, Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya.

History of creation

Anton Chekhov finished working on the play “The Cherry Orchard” in 1903, and already next year the play was first staged famous directors and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in Moscow art theater. The role of Gaev in this first production was played by Stanislavsky himself, and the role of Lyubov Ranevskaya was played by Chekhov’s wife, actress Olga Knipper-Chekhova.

The idea and first drafts of the play date back to 1901. “The Cherry Orchard” was the last play written by Chekhov. The playwright died a year after finishing work on this work.

Play "The Cherry Orchard"

Leonid Andreevich Gaev is the brother of the main character of the play. This is a man in years, but divorced from reality. Gaev is 51 years old, the hero loves sweets, likes to have a good drink and a hearty snack, talks an awful lot and what he says often turns out to be inappropriate. The hero behaves stupidly and realizes this, however, like Ranevskaya, he is unable to cope with himself. Ranevskaya's daughters, Gaev's nieces, constantly advise their uncle to remain silent, but he does not heed this advice.

By origin, Gaev is a landowner, but the hero, in his own words, “ate his entire fortune on candy.” The hero likes to say solemn speeches for any reason. Once Gaev even turns his speech to a bookcase. The hero loves billiards, and terms associated with this game often slip into his speech.

Gaev is unusually lazy. The hero got a place in the bank, where he can receive six thousand in income a year, but those around him do not believe that the hero will appreciate such a gift of fate and stay in this place. The old footman Firs still looks after Gaev as if he were a child, and the merchant Lopakhin, with his characteristic rudeness, calls Gaev “woman” and considers the hero a strange and frivolous person. However, despite all Gaev’s shortcomings, his relatives treat him with love.

Like his sister, Gaev rejects the idea of ​​cutting down the cherry orchard and renting out the land in order to earn money, pay off debts and save the estate in this way. The hero agrees with Ranevskaya that “dachas and summer residents are vulgar,” and makes ephemeral plans to borrow money to buy a garden from a certain aunt-countess or to give his niece Anya in marriage to a rich gentleman who will pay off his debts.

Gaev makes a promise to Ranevskaya that the estate will not be sold at auction for debts, but does nothing to fulfill this promise. Ultimately, Ranevskaya’s estate is bought at auction by the merchant Lopakhin, Ganev, Ranevskaya, the children and servants leave there saddened, and the cherry orchard is cut down. Further biography hero is unknown.

Gaev and his sister are touchingly attached to the cherry orchard, which embodies for both the best moments of life, youth and happiness. The images of Gaev and Ranevskaya in the play represent an obsolete past, which gives way to the present, embodied in the image of the practical merchant Lopakhin.

Screen adaptations and productions

In 1981, British director Richard Eyre directed the dramatic film The Cherry Orchard based on Anton Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard. The role of Leonid Gaev in this film adaptation was played by actor Frederick Treves. The hero's sister Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya was played by an actress known for her role as M in a series of films about.

Before this, Judi Dench had already starred once in the film adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. It was a film from 1962, and the actress played the role of Anya, Ranevskaya’s youngest daughter. The image of Gaev in this version was embodied by Sir Arthur John Gielgud, famous for playing Shakespearean roles, including in films.

In 1999, another film adaptation was released, this time a joint Greek-French production. The film was directed and written by Greek director Michalis Kakoyannis. The role of Gaev was played by British actor Alan Bates. Filming took place in Bulgaria.

In 2008, a Russian film adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard” was released in the genre of comedy with elements of farce and Italian square theater. The film was directed by Sergei Ovcharov. The role of Gaev was played by actor Dmitry Podnozov.

The play has been staged several times in theaters around the world. In Britain in 2009, The Cherry Orchard was staged by the London theater The Old Vic" adapted by the famous playwright and director Tom Stoppard. In 2016, the play was performed on the stage of the U Theater in California, USA. The director was Daniel Heifetz.

Quotes

“If a lot of remedies are proposed against a disease, this means that the disease is incurable.”

“Oh, wonderful nature, you shine with eternal radiance, beautiful and indifferent, you, whom we call mother, combine being and death, you live and destroy...”

“Dear, dear 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.”

/ / / The image of Gaev in Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard”

Gaev in Chekhov's play is Ranevskaya's brother Lyubov. The man is a little older than sister, educated, smart, loves to play billiards and often visits the corresponding gambling establishments.

Gaev is lonely. In his entire life, he never acquired a wife or children. However, the man does not worry about this at all, because why have a family if you can live just like that, for yourself.

The man lives on his parents’ estate with everything ready. He does nothing, is not responsible for anything, completely relying on a rather elderly footman and his niece Varya, who is trying with all her might to save money. But the girl’s efforts are not enough and the estate runs the risk of being sold at auction. Gaev is surprised by this news. He cannot imagine his life without the house in which he lives, but the man does not want to do anything that will help avoid the auction. All household members have confidence that the cherry orchard can be saved without any effort. Only the merchant Lopakhin understood that the cherry orchard would go under the hammer. He offered to rent out the plots, but neither Gaev nor Ranevskaya took this seriously.

In general, Gaev was not interested in anything other than billiards, and the author emphasizes this several times. He never denied himself anything, led a riotous lifestyle, and since he did not have a main income, he was constantly in debt.

By nature, Gaev, like , was a spendthrift and had a habit of wasting money. However, it is he who is the first to condemn his sister for thoughtlessly “squandering” her savings. It’s hard for him to admit that he’s not far behind her in this matter.

Going to the auction, the man was sure that the money sent by his aunt would be enough to buy the estate. However, there was not enough finance, and the cherry orchard was bought by the merchant Lopakhin.

For Gaev this becomes a heavy blow. First of all, he didn't keep his word. given to sister, secondly, he and all his relatives will have to leave their former possessions and allow the cherry orchard to be cut down.

Further uncertainty frightens the man. He even agrees to go to work and take a position in the banking sector that was offered to him the day before. However, no one believes in his “impulse”. considers him too lazy to suddenly return to work after so many years of idleness.

Chekhov also shows Gaev as a person indifferent to the fate of others. On the eve of his departure, he never remembered his old, devoted footman Firs, who was simply forgotten and left to die to the sounds of the cherry orchard being cut down.

The author ridicules the image of Gaev human vices, such as frivolity, irresponsibility, spinelessness and slobbering. A grown man like Small child Sometimes he can’t even change clothes without the help of a footman. Throughout his entire life, the character’s head never even entertained the idea of ​​doing, building, or nurturing something himself. Chekhov gives everyone in this play a chance to start life with clean slate and finally, realize yourself as an individual.

Each character in Chekhov's play had an individual attitude towards the estate and the cherry orchard in particular. And if, sometimes, this feeling could hardly be called love, then it certainly was not indifference.

Each character in the play had his own story related to the garden. It was associated with childhood, serenity, purity, and an intoxicating aroma. For her, the garden is the meaning of life. The woman cannot imagine her life without him, and in the event of an auction, she says that the garden should be sold along with her.

But after the auction, the woman quickly comes to her senses and calmly accepts the loss. The author notes that in some way, she is even glad that everything is finally over. Perhaps this happens because she has money again, she has something to live on, and quite comfortably.

Just like his sister, he loves the garden very much. For a man, losing him means losing something dear and accepting complete defeat. He promises Lyubov that he will do everything to buy back the estate. The man is confident to the last that it is within his power. After the auction, Gaev is upset, does not comment on the “loss” and almost does not talk to anyone. The inspired Ermolai tells everything for him.

Buys the garden at auction. He literally “steals it from under the nose” of another merchant, throwing in ten thousand each time throughout the auction. As a result, the amount was very significant, which led to the unconditional victory of Ermolai. The man is rejoicing. His interest in the garden is significant. The business plan he drew up will bring him a lot of profit and the garden will more than pay for itself. However, the cherries will no longer please the eye; they are all immediately sent under the ax. This shows that Ermolai did not perceive the garden as something beautiful and unearthly. This place interests him only from the point of view of profit. The man believes that admiring the garden is a relic of the past. Moreover, it does not bring money, which means it is a waste of time for a pragmatic person.

For the old footman, the garden evokes memories of the former wealth of the masters. When the cherry harvest was dried special recipe, and exported for sale. It was not for nothing that he remembered this, since he believes that cherry trees should not only please the eye, but also generate income.

At first, for Ranevskaya’s daughter, like her mother, the garden initially evokes a storm of emotions. The girl is happy to be at home again and admire the beautiful flowers. However, after communicating with Peter, she radically changes her attitude towards the estate. The girl thinks about the utopia of serf life, about the remnants of the past.

When the cherry orchard is finally sold, Anya reassures her mother, promising to plant her new garden, which will be many times better. The girl leaves with undisguised happiness the places where she spent her childhood.

A similar situation occurs with. He talks about the garden with undisguised contempt, boldly looks into the future and calmly leaves the estate, and this despite the fact that he remains practically homeless.

Each character in the story is shown through the image of a cherry orchard - their attitude to life itself. Some cling to the past, others worry about the future, and still others simply live in the present.

Gaev's place in the system of images of the work

To understand Chekhov’s perception of the nobility, it is necessary to consider the characterization of Gaev in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the brother of the main character, practically Ranevskaya’s double, but less significant. Therefore on the list characters he is designated "Ranevskaya's brother", although he is older than her and has as many rights to the estate as his sister.

Gaev Leonid Andreevich is a landowner, “who spent his fortune on candy,” leading an idle lifestyle, but it is strange to him that the garden is being sold for debts. He is already 51 years old, but he has neither a wife nor children. He lives in an old estate, which is being destroyed before his eyes, under the tutelage of the old lackey Firs. However, it is Gaev who is always trying to borrow money from someone in order to cover at least the interest on his and his sister’s debts. And his options for repaying all the loans are more like pipe dreams: “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 your luck with the aunt countess...”

The image of Gaev in the play “The Cherry Orchard” became a caricature of the nobility as a whole. All negative sides Ranevskaya found an uglier attitude in her brother, thereby further emphasizing the comedy of what was happening. Unlike Ranevskaya, Gaev's description is mainly in stage directions, which reveal his character through actions, while the characters say very little about him.

Characteristics of Gaev

Very little is said about Gaev's past. But it is clear that he is an educated man who knows how to express his thoughts in beautiful but empty speeches. He lived all his life on his estate, a regular at men's clubs, where he indulged in his favorite pastime, playing billiards. He brought all the news from there and there he received an offer to become a bank employee with an annual salary of six thousand. However, for those around him it was very surprising, the sister says: “Where are you!” Sit already...” Lopakhin also expresses doubts: “But he won’t sit still, he’s very lazy...”. The only person The one who believes him is his niece Anya “I believe you uncle!”. What caused such distrust and, in some ways, even disdainful attitude on the part of others? After all, even the lackey Yasha shows his disrespect for him.

As has already been said, Gaev is an empty talker; at the most inopportune moments he can launch into a rant, so that everyone around him is simply lost and asks him to remain silent. Leonid Andreevich himself understands this, but it is part of his nature. He is also very infantile, unable to defend his point of view, and cannot really formulate it. He so often has nothing substantive to say that his favorite word “Whom” is constantly heard and completely inappropriate billiard terms appear. Firs still follows his master like a little child, either shaking off the dust from his trousers, or bringing him a warm coat, and for a fifty-year-old man there is nothing shameful in such care, he even goes to bed under the sensitive gaze of his lackey. Firs is sincerely attached to the owner, but even Gaev in the finale of the play “The Cherry Orchard” forgets about his devoted servant. He loves his nieces and his sister. Just to become the head of the family in which he remained the only man, he couldn’t and he can’t help anyone, since it doesn’t even occur to him. All this shows how shallow the feelings of this hero are.

For Gaev, the cherry orchard means as much as it does for Ranevskaya, but, like her, she is not ready to accept Lopakhin’s offer. After all, dividing the estate into plots and renting them out is “off”, largely because it will bring them closer to such businessmen as Lopakhin, but for Leonid Andreevich this is unacceptable, since he considers himself a true aristocrat, looking down on such merchants. Having returned in a depressed state from the auction at which the estate was sold, Gaev has only tears in his eyes, and as soon as he hears the blows of the cue on the balls, they dry up, once again proving that deep emotions are simply not characteristic of him.

Gaev as the final stage in the evolution of the nobility in the works of A.P. Chekhov

Gaev closed the chain consisting of images of nobles created by Chekhov throughout creative life. He created “heroes of his time,” aristocrats with an excellent education, unable to defend their ideals, and it was this weakness that allowed people like Lopakhin to occupy a dominant position. In order to show how small the nobles had become, Anton Pavlovich understated the image of Gaev as much as possible, bringing him to the point of caricature. Many representatives of the aristocracy were very critical of this depiction of their class, accusing the author of ignorance of their circle. But Chekhov didn’t even want to create a comedy, but a farce, and he succeeded.

Reasoning about the image of Gaev and a description of the features of his character can be used by 10th grade students when writing an essay on the topic “Characteristics of Gaev in the play “The Cherry Orchard”.”

Work test

The prototypes of Ranevskaya, according to the author, were Russian ladies who lived idly in Monte Carlo, whom Chekhov observed abroad in 1900 and early 1901: “And what insignificant women... [about a certain lady. - V.K.] “she lives here with nothing to do, just eats and drinks...” How many Russian women die here” (from a letter from O.L. Knipper).

At first, Ranevskaya’s image seems sweet and attractive to us. But then it acquires stereoscopicity and complexity: the lightness of her stormy experiences is revealed, exaggeration in the expression of feelings: “I can’t sit still, I’m not able to. (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.) My table...” At one time, the literary critic D. N. Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky even asserted, referring to the behavior of Ranevskaya and Gaev: “The terms “frivolity” and “emptiness” are no longer used here in a common and general way , and in a closer - psychopathological - sense, the behavior of these characters in the play “is incompatible with the concept of a normal, healthy psyche.” But the fact of the matter is that all the characters in Chekhov’s play are normal, ordinary people, only them usual life, everyday life is viewed by the author as if through a magnifying glass.

Ranevskaya, despite the fact that her brother (Leonid Andreevich Gaev) calls her a “vicious woman,” oddly enough, evokes respect and love from all the characters in the play. Even the footman Yasha, as a witness to her Parisian secrets and quite capable of familiar treatment, does not occur to him to be cheeky with her. Culture and intelligence gave Ranevskaya the charm of harmony, sobriety of mind, and subtlety of feelings. She is smart, capable of telling the bitter truth about herself and about others, for example, about Pete Trofimov, to whom she says: “You have to be a man, at your age you have to understand those who love. And you have to love yourself... “I am above love!” You are not above love, but simply, as our Firs says, you are a klutz.”

And yet, there is much that evokes sympathy in Ranevskaya. Despite all her lack of will and sentimentality, she is characterized by a breadth of nature and a capacity for selfless kindness. This attracts Petya Trofimov. And Lopakhin says about her: “She is a good person. An easy, simple person."

Ranevskaya’s double, but a less significant personality, is Gaev in the play; it is no coincidence that in the list of characters he is presented by belonging to his sister: “Ranevskaya’s brother.” And he is sometimes able to say smart things, sometimes be sincere, self-critical. But the sister’s shortcomings - frivolity, impracticality, lack of will - become caricatures in Gaev. Lyubov Andreevna only kisses the closet in a fit of emotion, while Gaev makes a speech in front of him in “high style.” In his own eyes, he is an aristocrat of the highest circle, Lopakhina does not seem to notice and tries to put “this boor” in his place. But his contempt—the contempt of an aristocrat who ate his fortune “on candy”—is ridiculous.

Gaev is infantile and absurd, for example, in the following scene:

“Firs. Leonid Andreevich, you are not afraid of God! When should you sleep?

Gaev (swatting away Firs). So be it, I’ll undress myself.”

Gaev is another version of spiritual degradation, emptiness and vulgarity.

It has been noted more than once in the history of literature, the unwritten “history” of the reader’s perception of Chekhov’s works, that he allegedly experienced a special prejudice towards the high society - towards noble, aristocratic Russia. These characters - landowners, princes, generals - appear in Chekhov's stories and plays not only empty, colorless, but sometimes stupid and poorly mannered. (A.A. Akhmatova, for example, reproached Chekhov: “And how he described representatives of the upper classes... He didn’t know these people! He didn’t know anyone higher than the assistant station manager... Everything is wrong, wrong!”)

However, it is hardly worth seeing in this fact a certain tendentiousness of Chekhov or his incompetence; the writer had a lot of knowledge of life. It’s not about this, it’s not about social “registration” Chekhov's characters. Chekhov did not idealize representatives of any class, no social group, he was, as you know, outside of politics and ideology, outside of social preferences. All classes “got it” from the writer, and the intelligentsia too: “I don’t believe in our intelligentsia, hypocritical, false, hysterical, ill-mannered, lazy, I don’t believe even when it suffers and complains, because its oppressors come from its own depths.” .

With that high cultural-moral, ethical-aesthetic demands, with that wise humor with which Chekhov approached man in general and his era in particular, social differences lost their meaning. This is the peculiarity of his “funny” and “sad” talent. In The Cherry Orchard itself there are not only no idealized characters, but also certainly goodies(this applies to Lopakhin (“modern” Chekhov’s Russia), and to Anya and Petya Trofimov (Russia of the future).