The symbolic meaning of the comedy's name is The Cherry Orchard. "The Cherry Orchard" A.P.

The extraordinary beauty of the blossoming cherry orchard is already mentioned at the very beginning of the play. One of its owners, Gaev, reports that the garden is mentioned even in " encyclopedic dictionary". For Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, the cherry orchard is associated with memories of a bygone youth, of a time when she was so serenely happy. At the same time, the cherry orchard is also the economic basis of the estate, once associated with the suffering of the serfs.

"All Russia is our garden"

Ranevskaya and Gaev love their estate and the cherry orchard, but they are completely unadapted to life and cannot change anything. Only person who is trying to help them save the estate that is being sold for debts is the rich merchant Yermolai Lopakhin, whose father and grandfather were serfs. But Lopakhin does not notice the beauty of the cherry orchard. He proposes to cut it down and rent out the vacant plots to summer residents. Ultimately, it is Lopakhin who becomes the owner of the garden, and at the end of the play, the sound of an ax is heard ruthlessly cutting down cherry trees.

Among the characters of the Chekhov play there are also representatives younger generation- this is the daughter of Ranevskaya Anya and the "eternal student" Petya Trofimov. They are full of energy and, but they do not care about the fate of the cherry orchard. They are driven by other, abstract ideas about the transformation of the world and the happiness of all mankind. However, for beautiful phrases Petya Trofimov, as well as Gaev's pompous rantings, is not worth any specific activity.

The title of Chekhov's play is filled with symbolism. The Cherry Orchard- this is the whole of Russia in a turning point. The author thinks about what fate awaits her in the future.

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Sources:

• Compositions based on Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"

Usually the genre of a particular work can be quite easy to determine when reading. Difficulties arise when the author himself gives his creation an assessment that does not fit with the impression made on the reader. An example is the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", which the author called a comedy.

Can The Cherry Orchard be called a tragedy?

Most of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's contemporaries perceived The Cherry Orchard as tragic work. How, then, to understand the author of the play himself, who called this work a comedy and even a farce? Is it possible to unequivocally state that the sensational at one time can be unambiguously attributed to a particular genre?

The answer can be found in the definitions of different genres of literature. It is believed that the tragedy can be characterized the following features: it is distinguished by a special state of the situation and the inner world of the characters, it is characterized by torment and an insoluble conflict between the main character and the world around him. Very often, a tragedy is crowned with a deplorable one, for example, tragic death hero or the complete collapse of his ideals.

In this sense, Chekhov's play cannot be considered a tragedy in pure form. The heroes of the work are not suitable for the role of tragic characters, although their inner world complex and contradictory. However, in the play, when describing the characters, their thoughts and actions, a slight irony slips in every now and then, with which Chekhov refers to their shortcomings. The general state of the world in which the plays are, of course, can be called a turning point, but there is nothing tragic in it.

Comedy with a touch of drama

Researchers of Chekhov's work agree that most of his comedies are ambiguous and original. For example, the play "The Seagull", which was also classified as a comedy, in more reminiscent of a drama we are talking about the broken fates of people. Sometimes one gets the feeling that Chekhov deliberately misleads his reader.

It can be assumed that the writer, calling his plays comedies, put a different meaning into this genre. Perhaps this is an ironic attitude to the flow human destinies, which is filled with the desire not to make the audience laugh, but to make them think. As a result, the reader and viewer could determine their own position in relation to the action of the play, which at times contradicted the declared genre.

From this point of view, The Cherry Orchard is a work with a double bottom. It can be called a play with a two-sided emotional coloring. Memories of the tragic pages of the heroes are intertwined here with pronounced farcical ones, for example, with Epikhodov’s annoying blunders or Gaev’s inappropriate remarks, which really look comical against the background unfolding around the cherry orchard, which has become a symbol of the fading noble Russia.

Writing essays on work of art ends the system of lessons on the creativity of any outstanding writer. The last play by A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard" is studied in grade 10 high school. With this work, the author, as it were, summed up the stable theme of Russian literature of the second half of XIX century - the fate of noble nests. Author's intent works are difficult for schoolchildren to perceive, creating an essay is even more difficult for them.

Instruction

Start your essay with brief analysis read the text of the play. To do this, answer the following questions in writing:
What is the genre originality of the play "The Cherry Orchard"?
What are the differences in the organization of the plot of the play from the traditional drama?
How is the theme of passing time revealed in the actions of the characters?
What techniques does Chekhov use in creating the characters of his heroes?
By what means is subtext created in the work?
What kind of symbols can be found in the play?

Match the received material with the proposed essay topics. Think about which one you understand best and be able to express your thoughts.

After choosing a topic, start drawing up a detailed plan. The recorded material will help you to head each point of the plan and "build" the logic of reasoning.

Before you start writing an essay, identify the main idea of ​​your creative work. Disclosure of the chosen topic should lead to its presentation in the conclusion. Definition main idea it is necessary not to lose the "thread" of reasoning from the beginning of a speech work to its completion. For example, opening the topic " Genre originality Chekhov's plays" might lead you to this idea: " characteristic feature Chekhov's work is a close interweaving of dramatic and comic principles, therefore, next to the tragedy of the characters' experiences, frivolous vaudeville and rude farce actively coexist.

Compositional construction Essays are traditional: introduction, main body, conclusion. The absence of one of the structural elements is considered as an error and is taken into account when scoring.

State in the introductory part general information about the problem that, in your opinion, is behind the chosen topic. For example, at the beginning of an essay on the topic “Techniques for creating characters in Chekhov’s play,” you can talk about the author’s innovation in organizing dramatic action and his refusal to divide characters into main and secondary ones.

Sources for writing the main part can be your written answers and critical articles famous literary scholars. Avoid detailed retelling the plot of the work, the presentation of information that is not related to the topic. If you write, for example, about the concept of "comic" in the play "The Cherry Orchard", note its manifestation in the work: consider the characters of Epikhodov, Simeonov-Pishchik; analyze the technique of parodic reduction of plot moves in the scenes of the fatal auction and Charlotte's tricks; bring in

One of the secrets... of the Cherry Orchard
was that it was necessary to look at what was happening
eyes ... of the garden itself.
L. V. Karasev

In dramatic works written "before Chekhov", as a rule, there was a center - an event or a character around which the action developed. There is no such center in Chekhov's play. In its place is the central image-symbol - the cherry orchard. In this image, both the concrete and the eternal, the absolute are combined - this is a garden, “there is nothing more beautiful in the world”; this is beauty, past culture, all of Russia.

Three scenic hours in The Cherry Orchard take five months (May-October) of the heroes' lives and almost a whole century: from the pre-reform period to late XIX century. The name "The Cherry Orchard" is associated with the fate of several generations of heroes - past, present and future. The fates of the characters are correlated with the fates of the country.

According to the memoirs of K. S. Stanislavsky, Chekhov once told him that he had found a wonderful name for the play - “The Cherry Orchard”: “From this I only understood that it was about something beautiful, dearly loved: the charm of the name was not conveyed in words , but in the very intonation of Anton Pavlovich's voice. A few days later, Chekhov announced to Stanislavsky: "Listen, not the Cherry, but the Cherry Orchard." “Anton Pavlovich continued to savor the title of the play, emphasizing gentle sound“ё” in the word Cherry, as if trying with its help to caress the former beautiful, but now unnecessary life, which he destroyed with tears in his play. This time I understood the subtlety: The Cherry Orchard is a business, commercial, income-generating garden. Such a garden is needed now. But the "Cherry Orchard" does not bring income, it keeps in itself and in its blooming whiteness the poetry of the past lordly life. Such a garden grows and blooms for a whim, for the eyes of spoiled aesthetes. It is a pity to destroy it, but it is necessary, since the process economic development countries require it.

At the same time, the garden in Chekhov's work is significant not only as a symbol, but also as an independent natural, extremely poetic image. I. Sukhikh rightly asserts that Chekhov’s nature is not only a “landscape”, or a psychological parallel to the experiences of the characters, but also the original harmony of the “unspoiled” person J. J. Rousseau (“back to nature”). “Nature for Chekhov is a kind of independent element, existing in its own way. special laws beauty, harmony, freedom ... It ... is ultimately fair, contains the stamp of regularity, the highest expediency, naturalness and simplicity, often absent in human relations. It is necessary not to “return” to it, but to rise, join, comprehending its laws. The words of the playwright himself from his letters are consistent with this statement: “Looking at the spring, I really want to see paradise in the next world.”

It is the garden that is the ontological basis of the plot of Chekhov's play: "the story of the garden as a living being is the first link ... in the chain of transformations" of the play. “This is a kind of subsoil of the text, the foundation from which the whole world of its ideology and style grows ... The garden is doomed not because its enemies are strong - merchants, industrialists, summer residents, but because it really is time to die ".

The play is dominated by the motives of "breaking", rupture, separation. So, the billiard cue broken by Epikhodov in the third act remains declared “unclaimed” at the plot level, as Yasha tells with a laugh.

This motif continues in the final remark of the play: “A distant sound is heard, as if from the sky, the sound of a broken string, fading, sad. There is silence, and only one can hear how far in the garden they knock on wood with an ax. The clarification “just from the sky” indicates that the main conflict of the play is found outside the stage framework, to some kind of force from the outside, in front of which the characters of the play are powerless and weak-willed. The sound of a broken string and an ax remains the sound impression that Chekhov spoke about the need for in any work (he, let me remind you, considered: literary work"should give not only a thought, but also a sound, a certain sound impression"). “What does a broken string have in common with the death of a garden? The fact that both events coincide or in any case overlap in their “form”: a break is almost the same as a cut. It is no coincidence that in the finale of the play the sound of a broken string merges with the blows of an ax.

The finale of The Cherry Orchard leaves a really ambiguous, vague impression: sadness, but also some kind of bright, albeit vague, hope. “The resolution of the conflict is in accordance with all the specifics of its content. The finale is colored by a double sound: it is both sad and bright... The arrival of the best does not depend on the elimination of private interferences, but on the change of all forms of existence. And as long as there is no such change, each individually is powerless before common destiny". In Russia, according to Chekhov, a premonition of a revolution was ripening, but vague and vague. The writer recorded the state of Russian society, when there was only one step left from general disunity, listening only to oneself to general enmity.

In accordance with the literary tradition, Chekhov's work belongs to literature XIX century, although life ended and creative way writer in the twentieth century. His literary heritage became, in the full sense of the word, a link between literary classics 19th century and literature of the 20th century. Chekhov was the last great writer of the outgoing century, he did what, for various reasons, was not done by his brilliant predecessors: he gave new life the genre of the story; he discovered a new hero - a salaried official, an engineer, a teacher, a doctor; created the new kind drama - Chekhov theater.

The Cherry Orchard is social play A.P. Chekhov about the death and degeneration of the Russian nobility. It was written by Anton Pavlovich in last years life. Many critics say that it is this drama that expresses the writer's attitude to the past, present and future of Russia.

Initially, the author planned to create a carefree and funny play, where the main driving force action will be the sale of the estate under the hammer. In 1901, in a letter to his wife, he shares his ideas. Previously, he had already raised a similar topic in the drama "Fatherlessness", but he recognized that experience as unsuccessful. Chekhov wanted to experiment, not resurrect plots buried in his desk. The process of impoverishment and degeneration of the nobles passed before his eyes, and he watched, creating and accumulating vital material to create artistic truth.

The history of the creation of The Cherry Orchard began in Taganrog, when the writer's father was forced to sell the family nest for debts. Apparently, Anton Pavlovich experienced something similar to the feelings of Ranevskaya, which is why he so subtly delved into the experiences of seemingly fictional characters. In addition, Chekhov was personally acquainted with the prototype of Gaev - A.S. Kiselyov, who also sacrificed the estate in order to correct the shaky financial situation. His situation is one of hundreds. The entire Kharkov province, where the writer had visited more than once, became shallow: the noble nests disappeared. Such a large-scale and controversial process attracted the attention of the playwright: on the one hand, the peasants were freed and received the long-awaited freedom, on the other hand, this reform did not add prosperity to anyone. Such an obvious tragedy could not be ignored, the light comedy conceived by Chekhov did not work out.

The meaning of the name

Since the cherry orchard symbolizes Russia, it can be concluded that the author dedicated the work to the question of her fate, as Gogol wrote " Dead Souls for the sake of the question “Where does the trio bird fly?”. In fact, this is not about selling the estate, but about what will happen to the country? Will they sell it, will they cut it down for profit? Chekhov, analyzing the situation, understood that the degeneration of the nobility, the supporting class for the monarchy, promises trouble for Russia. If these people, called by their origin to be the core of the state, cannot be held responsible for their actions, then the country will go to the bottom. Such dark thoughts waited for the author reverse side the topic they touched on. It turned out that his heroes were not laughing, just like himself.

The symbolic meaning of the title of the play "The Cherry Orchard" is to convey to the reader the idea of ​​the work - the search for an answer to questions about the fate of Russia. Without this sign, we would perceive comedy as a family drama, a drama from privacy or a parable about the problem of fathers and children. That is, an erroneous, narrow interpretation of what was written would not allow the reader to understand the main thing even after a hundred years: we are all responsible for our garden, regardless of generation, beliefs and social status.

Why did Chekhov call The Cherry Orchard a comedy?

Many researchers really classify it as a comedy, since along with tragic events (the destruction of an entire estate), comic scenes constantly occur in the play. That is, it cannot be unequivocally attributed to a comedy, it is more correct to classify The Cherry Orchard as a tragic farce or tragicomedy, since many researchers attribute Chekhov's dramaturgy to a new phenomenon in the theater of the 20th century - anti-drama. The author himself stood at the origins of this trend, so he did not call himself that. However, the innovation of his work spoke for itself. This writer is now recognized and introduced into school curriculum, and then many of his works remained misunderstood, as they were out of the common rut.

The genre of The Cherry Orchard is difficult to define, because now, given the dramatic revolutionary events that Chekhov did not find, we can say that this play is a tragedy. An entire era dies in it, and hopes for revival are so weak and vague that it’s somehow impossible to even smile in the finale. An open ending, a closed curtain, and only a dull knock on wood is heard in my thoughts. This is the impression of the performance.

main idea

The ideological and thematic meaning of the play "The Cherry Orchard" is that Russia is at a crossroads: it can choose the path to the past, present and future. Chekhov shows the mistakes and failure of the past, the vices and predatory grip of the present, but he still hopes for a happy future, showing the sublime and at the same time independent representatives of the new generation. The past, no matter how beautiful it may be, cannot be returned, the present is too imperfect and miserable to accept, so we must put all our efforts into ensuring that the future lives up to bright expectations. To do this, everyone should try right now, without delay.

The author shows how important the action is, but not the mechanical pursuit of profit, but the spiritualized, meaningful, moral action. It is about him that Pyotr Trofimov speaks, it is him that Anechka wants to see. However, we also see the pernicious legacy of past years in the student - he talks a lot, but did little for his 27 years. Nevertheless, the writer hopes that this age-old slumber will be overcome on a clear and cool morning - tomorrow, where the educated, but at the same time active descendants of the Lopakhins and Ranevskys will come.

Theme of the work

1. The author used an image that is well known to each of us and understandable to everyone. Many have cherry orchards to this day, and then they were an indispensable attribute of every estate. They bloom in May, beautifully and fragrantly defend the week allotted to them, and then quickly fall off. Just as beautifully and suddenly fell the nobility, once a support Russian Empire mired in debt and endless controversy. As a matter of fact, these people were unable to justify the hopes placed on them. Many of them, with their irresponsible attitude to life, only undermined the foundations of Russian statehood. What should have been a centuries-old oak forest was just a cherry orchard: beautiful, but quickly vanished. Cherry fruits, alas, were not worth the place they occupied. This is how the theme of the death of noble nests was revealed in the play "The Cherry Orchard".
2. The themes of the past, present and future are realized in the work thanks to a multi-level system of images. Each generation symbolizes the time allotted to it. In the images of Ranevskaya and Gaev, the past dies, in the image of Lopakhin the present is in charge, but the future is waiting for its day in the images of Anya and Peter. The natural course of events takes human face, the change of generations is shown on specific examples.
3. The theme of time also occupies an important place. His power is devastating. Water wears away a stone - and so time erases human laws, destinies and beliefs into powder. Until recently, Ranevskaya could not even think that her former serf would settle in the estate and cut down the garden, which was passed down by Gaev from generation to generation. This unshakable order of the social order collapsed and sunk into oblivion, in its place capital and its market laws hoisted up, in which power was provided by money, and not by position and origin.

Issues

1. The problem of human happiness in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is manifested in all the fates of the characters. Ranevskaya, for example, experienced many troubles in this garden, but she is happy to return here again. She fills the house with her warmth, remembers her native lands, nostalgic. She is not at all worried about debts, the sale of the estate, the inheritance of her daughter, after all. She is happy with forgotten and re-experienced impressions. But now the house has been sold, the bills have been repaid, and happiness is in no hurry with the advent of a new life. Lopakhin tells her about calmness, but only anxiety grows in her soul. Instead of liberation comes depression. Thus, that for one happiness is misfortune for another, all people understand its essence in different ways, which is why it is so difficult for them to get along together and help each other.
2. The problem of preserving memory also worries Chekhov. People of the present ruthlessly cut down what was the pride of the province. Noble nests, historically important buildings, perish from inattention, are erased into oblivion. Of course, active businessmen will always find arguments to destroy unprofitable junk, but they will perish ingloriously historical monuments, monuments of culture and art, which the Lopakhins' children will regret. They will be deprived of ties with the past, the continuity of generations, and will grow up as Ivans who do not remember kinship.
3. The problem of ecology in the play does not go unnoticed. The author claims not only historical value cherry orchard, but also natural beauty, its importance for the province. All the inhabitants of the surrounding villages breathed these trees, and their disappearance is a small ecological catastrophe. The area will be orphaned, the gaping lands will become impoverished, but people will fill every patch of inhospitable space. The attitude to nature should be as careful as to a person, otherwise we will all be left without a home that we love so much.
4. The problem of fathers and children is embodied in the relationship between Ranevskaya and Anechka. You can see the estrangement between family members. The girl regrets the unlucky mother, but she does not want to share her way of life. Lyubov Andreevna indulges the child with gentle nicknames, but cannot understand that in front of her is no longer a child. The woman continues to pretend that she still does not understand anything, therefore she shamelessly builds her personal life to the detriment of her interests. They are very different, so they do not make any attempts to find a common language.
5. The problem of love for the motherland, or rather, its absence, is also traced in the work. Gaev, for example, is indifferent to the garden, he cares only about his own comfort. His interests do not rise above consumer ones, so the fate of his home does not bother him. Lopakhin, his opposite, also does not understand Ranevskaya's scrupulousness. However, he does not understand what to do with the garden either. He is guided only by mercantile considerations, profits and calculations are important to him, but not the safety of his home. He clearly expresses only love for money and the process of obtaining it. A generation of children dream of a new garden, they don't need the old one. This is where the problem of indifference comes into play. Nobody needs the Cherry Orchard, except for Ranevskaya, and even she needs memories and the old way of life, where she could do nothing and live happily. Her indifference to people and things is expressed in the scene where she calmly drinks coffee while listening to the news of the death of her nanny.
6. The problem of loneliness torments every hero. Ranevskaya was abandoned and deceived by her lover, Lopakhin cannot improve relations with Varya, Gaev is an egoist by nature, Peter and Anna are just beginning to get closer, and it is already obvious that they are lost in a world where there is no one to give them a helping hand.
7. The problem of mercy haunts Ranevskaya: no one can support her, all men not only do not help, but do not spare her. The husband drank himself, the lover left, Lopakhin took away the estate, her brother does not care about her. Against this background, she herself becomes cruel: she forgets Firs in the house, he is nailed inside. In the image of all these troubles lies an inexorable fate that is merciless to people.
8. The problem of finding the meaning of life. Lopakhin is clearly not satisfied with his meaning of life, which is why he evaluates himself so low. This search only awaits Anna and Peter ahead, but they are already winding, not finding a place for themselves. Ranevskaya and Gaev with a loss wealth and their privileges are lost and cannot orient themselves again.
9. The problem of love and selfishness is clearly visible in the contrast of brother and sister: Gaev loves only himself and does not particularly suffer from losses, but Ranevskaya searched for love all her life, but did not find it, and she herself lost it along the way. Only crumbs fell to the lot of Anechka and the cherry orchard. Even loving person can become selfish after so many years of disappointment.
10. Problem moral choice and responsibility concerns, first of all, Lopakhin. He gets Russia, his activities are able to change it. However, he lacks the moral foundations for realizing the importance of his actions for his descendants, realizing the responsibility to them. He lives by the principle: "After us - even a flood." He does not care what will be, he sees what is.

Symbolism of the play

The garden is the main character in Chekhov's play. It not only symbolizes estate life, but also connects times and epochs. The image of the Cherry Orchard is noble Russia, with the help of which Anton Pavlovich predicted the future of the changes that awaited the country, although he himself could no longer see them. It also expresses the author's attitude to what is happening.

Episodes depict ordinary everyday situations, "little things in life", through which we learn about the main events of the play. In Chekhov, the tragic and the comic are mixed, for example, in the third act Trofimov philosophizes, and then absurdly falls down the stairs. In this one can see a certain symbolism of the author's attitude: he ironically over the characters, casts doubt on the veracity of their words.

The system of images is also symbolic, the meaning of which is described in a separate paragraph.

Composition

The first step is exposure. Everyone is waiting for the arrival of the mistress of the estate Ranevskaya from Paris. In the house, everyone thinks and talks about his own, not listening to others. The disunity, located under the roof, illustrates the discordant Russia, where such similar friend on other people.

The plot - Lyubov Andreeva enters with her daughter, gradually everyone learns that they are in danger of ruin. Neither Gaev nor Ranevskaya (brother and sister) can prevent it. Only Lopakhin knows a tolerable rescue plan: to cut down cherries and build dachas, but the proud owners do not agree with him.

Second action. As the sun sets, the fate of the garden is once again discussed. Ranevskaya arrogantly rejects Lopakhin's help and continues to do nothing in bliss own memories. Gaev and the merchant constantly quarrel.

Third act (culmination): while the old owners of the garden are having a ball, as if nothing had happened, the auction is going on: the former serf Lopakhin acquires the estate.

Fourth act (denouement): Ranevskaya returns to Paris to squander the rest of her savings. After her departure, everyone disperses in all directions. Only the old servant Firs remains in the packed house.

Chekhov's innovation as a playwright

It remains to add that the play is not without reason beyond the understanding of many schoolchildren. Many researchers attribute it to the theater of the absurd (what is it?). This is a very complex and controversial phenomenon in modernist literature, the debate about the origin of which continues to this day. The fact is that Chekhov's plays can be classified as a theater of the absurd for a number of reasons. The lines of the heroes very often have no logical connection with each other. They seem to be turned to nowhere, as if they are spoken by one person and at the same time talking to himself. The destruction of dialogue, the failure of communication - this is what the so-called anti-drama is famous for. In addition, the alienation of the individual from the world, his global loneliness and life turned into the past, the problem of happiness - all these are features of the existential problem in the work, which are again inherent in the theater of the absurd. This is where the innovation of Chekhov the playwright in the play The Cherry Orchard manifested itself, and these features attract many researchers in his work. Such a "provocative" phenomenon, misunderstood and condemned public opinion, it is difficult to fully perceive even an adult, not to mention the fact that only a few who were attached to the world of art managed to fall in love with the theater of the absurd.

Image system

Chekhov does not speaking names, like Ostrovsky, Fonvizin, Griboyedov, but there are off-stage characters (for example, a Parisian lover, Yaroslavl aunt) who are important in the play, but Chekhov does not bring them into "external" action. In this drama there is no division into bad and good heroes, but there is a multifaceted system of characters. Actors plays can be divided into:

• on the heroes of the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs). They only know how to waste money and think, not wanting to change anything in their lives.
• on the heroes of the present (Lopakhin). Lopakhin is a simple “muzhik” who got rich with the help of labor, bought an estate and is not going to stop.
• on the heroes of the future (Trofimov, Anya) - this is the younger generation, dreaming of the highest truth and the highest happiness.

The characters in The Cherry Orchard are constantly jumping from one topic to another. With visible dialogue, they do not hear each other. There are as many as 34 pauses in the play, which are formed between many "unnecessary" statements of the characters. The phrase is repeatedly repeated: “You are still the same”, which makes it clear that the characters do not change, they stand still.

The action of the play "The Cherry Orchard" begins in May, when the fruits of the cherry trees begin to bloom, and ends in October. The conflict does not have a pronounced character. All the main events that decide the future of the heroes take place behind the scenes (for example, the sale of the estate). That is, Chekhov completely abandons the norms of classicism.

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Origins of the play's title

The last play by A.P. Chekhov caused controversy both at the beginning of the 20th century and now. And this applies not only to the genre affiliation, characterization of the characters, but also to the name. In the sense of the name of the play "The Cherry Orchard", both the critics, who became the first spectators, and the current fans of Chekhov's legacy, have already tried to figure it out. Of course, the name of the play is not accidental. Indeed, in the center of events is the fate of the noble estate, surrounded by a cherry orchard. Why did Chekhov choose the cherry orchard as the basis? After all, gardens planted with only one species fruit trees, did not meet in the estates. But it is the cherry orchard that becomes one of the central acting characters, no matter how strange it may sound in relation to an inanimate object. For Chekhov great importance the use of the word "cherry" and not "cherry" played in the title of the play. The etymology of these words is different. Cherry is called jam, seeds, color, and cherry is the trees themselves, their leaves and flowers, and the garden itself is cherry.

The name as a reflection of the fate of the heroes

In 1901, when Chekhov thought about writing new play He already had that name. Still not knowing exactly what the characters would be, he already clearly imagined what the action would unfold around. Telling Stanislavsky about his new play, he admired its title, calling it "The Cherry Orchard", pronouncing the title many times with different intonations. Stanislavsky did not share and did not understand the author's joy at the title. After some time, the playwright and director met again, and the author announced that the garden in the play and the title would not be “cherry”, but “cherry”. And only after replacing just one letter, Konstantin Sergeevich understood and imbued with the meaning of the title "The Cherry Orchard" of Chekhov's new play. After all, a cherry orchard is just a piece of land planted with trees that can generate income, and when you say “cherry orchard”, some inexplicable feeling of tenderness and home comfort immediately appears, a link between generations. And it is no coincidence that the fate of Ranevskaya and Gaev, Anya and Lopakhin, Firs and Yasha are intertwined with the fate of the garden. They all grew up and were born under the shade of this garden. Even before the birth of Firs, the oldest participant in the action, the garden was planted. And the lackey caught it in its heyday - when the garden gave a huge harvest, which always managed to find a use. Anya, as the youngest heroine, has not seen this, and for her the garden is just a beautiful and native corner of the Earth. For Ranevskaya and Gaev, the garden is something alive, which they admire to the very depths of their souls, they, like these cherry trees, have taken root just as deeply, only not in the ground, but in their convictions. And it seems to them that since the garden stands unchanged so long years, then their habitual life is also unshakable. However, it is perfectly clear that everything around is changing, people are changing, their values ​​and desires are changing. For example, Anya parted with the garden without pity, saying that she no longer loved him; Ranevskaya is attracted by distant Paris; Lopakhin is overcome by pride and greed. Only the garden remains unchanged, and only by the will of the people does it go under the axe.

The symbolism of the play's title

The meaning of the title of the play "The Cherry Orchard" is very symbolic: throughout the whole action, it is present in the scenery, conversations. It was the cherry orchard that became the main symbol of the play as a whole. And the image of the garden turns out to be closely connected with the thoughts of the characters about life in general, and through the attitude towards it, in many ways, the author revealed the characters' characters. It is quite possible that it was the cherry tree that would have become the emblem of the Moscow Art Theater, if even earlier this place had not been taken by a seagull from the drama of the same name by A.P. Chekhov.

The above facts, the history of the name of the play and the description of the meaning of the name, will help 10th grade students when writing an essay on the topic “The meaning of the name of the play“ The Cherry Orchard ”” or when preparing a report on the corresponding topic.

Artwork test

Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is a moral testament of a dying writer to his descendants. It was this (as he showed in the play) that the author saw Russia. Its past, present and future. And in this image of Russian reality, one can see a deep symbolic meaning. We are presented with Russia of the past ( Ranevskaya and Gaev), present Russia (Lopakhin) and future Russia (Anya and Petya Trofimov) In this play, the author depicts the ordinary life of ordinary people. There are no bright events in it (except for the sale cherry orchard), and all the talk is just about the fate of the garden Usual life and the usual way of life noble estate- this is a passing nature. Heroes - nobles live more with memories of a bygone happy time, when the garden gave great amount cherries, they sold it, and stockpiled it, and boiled it. Now it’s not like that. The bar is trying to live as before - to arrange a ball, give the last money to a passerby, goof off and mess around. But the old way of life is cracking and crumbling under the influence of a new life. Main character plays are a cherry orchard And this is also a symbol. A symbol of beauty, grandeur, tranquility and former greatness and prosperity And the main conflict of the work is connected with the attitude of the characters to the cherry orchard. The garden is both an allegory, and a dream, and regret ... Chekhov himself loved gardens, and planted a lot of them in his short life. For him, a garden is a whole living world. It is interesting that in the play there is no great external conflict between the characters, it is replaced by the drama of the experiences of the characters in the play. (This is one of the writer's tricks) He wanted, so that life goes on as it goes. We rarely arrange big conflicts and scandals in life. So it is here. The whole conflict lies in how the characters relate to the fate of the cherry orchard. And here the interests of the outgoing noble way of life and the emerging new - bourgeois way of life are implicitly arguing (conflicting). The nobles are Ranevskaya and her brother Gaev. , and Gaev, as they gossip, ate a fortune on candy. Their behavior speaks of worthlessness, frivolity and carelessness. And words disagree with deeds. They talk about saving the garden, about how they lived well among this beauty. But they do not accept Lopakhin's sincere advice for the real salvation of the garden, which is so dear to them. False arrogance does not allow them to rent the garden to summer residents. It’s better to let it disappear. he robbed and deceived her. Another participant in the hidden conflict, Yermolai Lopakhin, failing to convince the nice and dear owners of the garden, unexpectedly buys a garden at the auction. It seemed that the conflict was resolved. But Lopakhin is the temporary owner of the garden. He is kind, generous, but uncouth , is poorly educated. His internal conflict (which, by the way, every hero has) is in external well-being and internal low self-esteem. And yet the conflict is resolved - the bourgeoisie triumphs. Although there is an indication in the play that there are other contenders for the garden .It is Anya and Petya Trofimov (the younger generation), according to Chekhov, who are able to turn Russia into a garden (So they say: "All Russia is our garden) But these heroes are lifeless and weak. Petya is a reasoner (only he is able to issue slogans) He is nowhere does not serve, although proud and swaggering ... A symbol of meaninglessness " eternal student"serve galoshes, which he is looking for at the end of the play. They are also not needed, like him. Chekhov does not claim this. But, having honestly shown this "revolutionary", he debunks him. here you are - Petya), and scoundrels use its fruits. By the way, he is also in the play. He was guessed by the brilliant Chekhov. Thus, we can conclude that the author in the play "V.s" created a symbolic picture of Russia and its representatives at the beginning of the 20th century, a terrible and unfair century. The playwright felt, guessed and predicted in a symbolic form the future fateful events in the history of his Motherland.