- Essays
- On literature
- Chekhov
- Charlotte Ivanovna in the play The Cherry Orchard
The play “The Cherry Orchard” is defined by Chekhov himself as comedic, but tragic notes can also be traced in it. All the characters in the play are significant for the meaning. Even the most insignificant at first glance and fleeting characters carry a certain role.
Charlotte Ivanovna, the governess, is not the primary heroine of The Cherry Orchard, but she plays a significant role in the play. She is absolutely alone, and it comes through in the text. But at the same time, she is absolutely free. Charlotte does not obey anyone, she is guided only by her inner urges, and loves to show tricks. She is often asked about this. She knows absolutely nothing about herself - neither who she is nor how old she is. She is undoubtedly very sorry.
Charlotte does not know what love is, because she did not receive love as a child. She grew like a weed, on her own. This greatly affected her development as a person. She did not know her parents; she was taken in by a lady when her parents died. Charlotte doesn't even know whether her parents were married or not. Absolute emptiness in my soul and memories. She cannot understand the meaning of life, subconsciously she is in constant search for herself. Although outwardly she is very independent. She is often sad: “I really want to talk, but I don’t have anyone to talk to... I don’t have anyone.” She has no relatives, no friends, complete loneliness.
Charlotte Ivanovna is a heroine without age, social status or nationality. Usually Chekhov very carefully thinks through the images of the heroines of his play, but not in this case. Charlotte is completely independent from any of the characters. She is on her own wavelength, outside of time and space.
The role of Charlotte Ivanovna, although not the main one, carries the main semantic load in the play. She is a kind of observer from the outside. It helps to better understand the essence of the play. Charlotte lacks a mentor who could help her stay on the right path and find herself. Watching Charlotte, I want to sincerely feel sorry for her, because there is nothing in her life that could please her to the depths of her soul. I want to help her, but there is nothing to do. She is a deeply lonely and unhappy person. By her own. Despite this, she tries to maintain peace of mind as much as she can and maintain good spirits.
Charlotte is a complex and collective image. It carries a special role with great meaning.
Essay about Charlotte Ivanovna
The play “The Cherry Orchard”, written by A.P. Chekhov, tells us about the most ordinary everyday life. There are no surnames in this play that would indicate the characters' personalities. The characters in The Cherry Orchard simply talk about their lives, laugh and cry, drink coffee. This is the main difference between this play and the plays of those times, where irony constantly plays over human existence, and the heroes bear the surnames corresponding to them. Here we can understand how the author himself relates to his characters thanks to the lines he gives them.
One of the characters in “The Cherry Orchard” is Charlotte Ivanovna, the Ranevskys’ governess, who, like the reader, knows nothing about herself. She does not have a passport, so she does not know how old she is, she also does not know her parents, perhaps they were not even married. The only thing the reader knows about her is that Charlotte’s parents went to fairs and showed various tricks. That's why she knows how to perform tricks. She also knows German, since after the death of her parents she was raised by some German lady.
At first glance, Charlotte is such a strange character that she seems out of place in this play. After all, she does not participate in a single everyday moment. Not in the sale of the estate, not in any other past or future of the play. She is absolutely alone, she has no one to talk to, she has no one. She did not experience any feelings of love or caring as a child. And since she grew up destined for herself and her understanding of what is happening around her, Charlotte cannot find people who could understand her judgment. In the same way, because of this, she cannot understand herself, because no one mentored her or taught her life. She is in search of herself. But this is the whole essence of the character of Charlotte Ivanovna.
Charlotte is introduced into the play in order to evaluate what is happening from the outside, as if to judge without bias. The reader sees various everyday and life events not only by what is happening, but also by Charlotte Ivanovna’s reasoning. As Chekhov wrote, she was left to herself from childhood. So now she does not obey the conditions of society and is completely free in her actions. If he wants, he will show tricks, but if he wants, he will go to bed. That’s why Anton Pavlovich himself wrote in his letters that the role of Charlotte is important, and her role must be played by an actress with humor.
The main point, as in any other plays by Chekhov, is the structure of life. Anton Pavlovich shows how it can be unfair and it is completely unnecessary for this work to end with a happy ending. But in this play, this structure of life remains unresolved.
Appearance
Charlotte is a "very thin" figure woman. The author chose such an epithet to emphasize not the stateliness of the woman, her slimness and grace, but rather her thinness, comparable to soreness. Charlotte's figure is also wrapped in clothes and accessories. For what? Unclear. Here we can assume that the classic wants to emphasize the circus roots: an acrobat. Another option is poor nutrition. Owners with limited funds are unlikely to think about food for their servants.
Interesting selection of clothes for the heroine:
- Lornet on the belt;
- Old cap;
- Belt with buckle;
- Gray cylinder;
- Checkered trousers.
A woman should always make the viewer smile. There is no indication of age here. It is difficult to logically build her fate and determine how old she is. The author does not describe the heroine's face. Such a collective appearance of a dry old acrobat without age, relatives, friends. There is one more epithet in the text: “most charming.” This is what Simeonov-Pishchik calls the lady. It remains unclear what is its charm? Does the man really have this attitude towards Charlotte?
The social status of the woman is not clear, there is no precise statement about her nationality. Maybe that's why the author leaves her faceless. An actress with a sense of humor can play a character on stage - this is the main instruction of the classic.
Act one
Illustration by B. Joganson for the first act of Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard”
A room that is still called a nursery. One of the doors leads to Anya's room. Dawn, the sun will rise soon. It’s already May, the cherry trees are blooming, but it’s cold in the garden, it’s morning. The windows in the room are closed. Enter Dunyasha
with a candle and
Lopakhin
with a book in his hand.
Lopakhin
. The train arrived, thank God. What time is it now?
Dunyasha
.
Soon it's two. (Puts out the candle.)
It’s already light.
Lopakhin
.
How late was the train? For at least two hours. (Yawns and stretches.)
I’m good, what a fool I’ve been! I came here on purpose to meet him at the station, and suddenly overslept... I fell asleep while sitting. Annoyance... If only you could wake me up.
Dunyasha
.
I thought you left. (Listens.)
It seems they are already on their way.
Lopakhin
(listens)
.
No... Get your luggage, this and that... Pause. Lyubov Andreevna lived abroad for five years, I don’t know what she’s like now... She’s a good person. An easy, simple person. I remember when I was a boy of about fifteen, my late father - he was selling in a shop here in the village back then - hit me in the face with his fist, blood started coming out of my nose... We then came together to the yard for some reason, and he was drunk. Lyubov Andreevna, as I remember now, still young, so thin, led me to the washstand, in this very room, in the nursery. “Don’t cry, he says, little man, he’ll heal before the wedding...” Pause. A peasant... My father, it’s true, was a peasant, but here I am in a white vest and yellow shoes. With a pig's snout in a row... Just now he's rich, there's a lot of money, but if you think about it and figure it out, then he's a man... (He flips through the book.)
I read the book and didn't understand anything.
I read and fell asleep. Pause.
Dunyasha
. And the dogs didn’t sleep all night, they sense that their owners are coming.
Lopakhin
. What are you, Dunyasha, like...
Dunyasha
. Hands are shaking. I'll faint.
Lopakhin
.
You are very gentle, Dunyasha. And you dress like a young lady, and so does your hairstyle. You can not do it this way. We must remember ourselves. Epikhodov
enters with a bouquet; he is wearing a jacket and brightly polished boots that squeak loudly; upon entering, he drops the bouquet.
Epikhodov
(raises the bouquet)
.
So the Gardener sent it, he says, to put it in the dining room. (Gives Dunyasha a bouquet.)
Lopakhin
. And bring me some kvass.
Dunyasha
.
I'm listening. (Leaves.)
Epikhodov
.
It's morning, the frost is three degrees, and the cherry trees are all in bloom. I cannot approve of our climate. (Sighs.)
I can’t. Our climate may not be conducive just right. Here, Ermolai Alekseich, let me add to you, I bought myself boots the day before, and they, I dare to assure you, squeak so much that there is no way. What should I lubricate it with?
Lopakhin
. Leave me alone. Tired of it.
Epikhodov
.
Every day some misfortune happens to me. And I don’t complain, I’m used to it and even smile. Dunyasha
comes in and gives Lopakhin kvass.
I will go. (Bumps into a chair that falls.)
Here...
(As if triumphant.)
You see, excuse the expression, what a circumstance, by the way... This is simply wonderful!
(Leaves.)
Dunyasha
. And to me, Ermolai Alekseich, I must admit, Epikhodov made an offer.
Lopakhin
. A!
Dunyasha
. I don’t know how... He’s a quiet man, but sometimes when he starts talking, you won’t understand anything. It’s both good and sensitive, just incomprehensible. I kind of like him. He loves me madly. He is an unhappy person, something happens every day. They tease him like that: twenty-two misfortunes...
Lopakhin
(listens)
. Looks like they're coming...
Dunyasha
. They're coming! What's wrong with me... I'm completely cold.
Lopakhin
. They really are going. Let's go meet. Will she recognize me? We haven't seen each other for five years.
Dunyasha
(excited)
.
I'm going to fall... Oh, I'm going to fall! You can hear two carriages approaching the house. Lopakhin
and
Dunyasha
quickly leave.
The stage is empty. There is noise in the neighboring rooms. Firs, who
had gone to meet Lyubov Andreevna, hurriedly passes across the stage,
leaning he is in an old livery and a tall hat; He says something to himself, but not a single word can be heard. The noise behind the stage is getting louder and louder. Voice: “Let’s walk here...” Lyubov Andreevna
,
Anya
and
Charlotte Ivanovna
with a dog on a chain, dressed in travel clothes.
Varya
in a coat and scarf,
Gaev
,
Simeonov-Pishchik
,
Lopakhin
,
Dunyasha
with a bundle and an umbrella,
the servants
with things - everyone is walking across the room.
Anya
. Let's go here. Do you, mom, remember which room this is?
Lyubov Andreevna
(joyfully, through tears)
. Children's!
Varya
.
It's so cold, my hands are numb. (To Lyubov Andreevna.)
Your rooms, white and purple, remain the same, mommy.
Lyubov Andreevna
.
Children's room, my dear, beautiful room... I slept here when I was little... (Crying.)
And now I'm like a little...
(Kisses her brother, Varya, then her brother again.)
And Varya is still the same, she looks like a nun.
And I recognized Dunyasha... (Kisses Dunyasha.)
Gaev
. The train was two hours late. What's it like? What are the procedures?
Charlotte
(to Pishchik)
. My dog also eats nuts.
Pishchik
(surprised)
.
Just think! Everyone leaves except Anya and Dunyasha.
Dunyasha
.
We're tired of waiting... (Takes off Anya's coat and hat.)
Anya
. I didn’t sleep on the road for four nights... now I’m very cold.
Dunyasha
.
You left during Lent, then there was snow, there was frost, but now? My darling! (Laughs, kisses her.)
I’ve been waiting for you, my sweet little light... I’ll tell you now, I can’t stand it for one minute...
Anya
(sluggishly)
. Something again...
Dunyasha
. The clerk Epikhodov proposed to me after the Saint.
Anya
.
You're all about one thing... (Straightens her hair.)
I lost all my hairpins...
(She is very tired, even staggering.)
Dunyasha
. I don't know what to think. He loves me, he loves me so much!
Anya
(looks at her door, tenderly)
. My room, my windows, as if I never left. I'm home! Tomorrow morning I’ll get up and run to the garden... Oh, if only I could sleep! I didn’t sleep the whole way, I was tormented by anxiety.
Dunyasha
. On the third day Pyotr Sergeich arrived.
Anya
(joyfully)
. Peter!
Dunyasha
.
They sleep in the bathhouse and live there. I'm afraid, they say, to embarrass me. (Looking at his pocket watch.)
We should wake them up, but Varvara Mikhailovna didn’t order it.
You, he says, don’t wake him up. Varya
enters , she has a bunch of keys on her belt.
Varya
. Dunyasha, coffee quickly... Mommy asks for coffee.
Dunyasha
.
Just a minute. (Leaves.)
Varya
.
Well, thank God, we've arrived. You're home again. (Caresing.)
My darling has arrived! The beauty has arrived!
Anya
. I've suffered enough.
Varya
. I'm imagining!
Anya
. I left during Holy Week, it was cold then. Charlotte talks the whole way, performing tricks. And why did you force Charlotte on me...
Varya
. You can’t go alone, darling. At seventeen!
Anya
. We arrive in Paris, it’s cold and snowy. I speak French badly. Mom lives on the fifth floor, I come to her, she has some French ladies, an old priest with a book, and it’s smoky, uncomfortable. I suddenly felt sorry for my mother, so sorry, I hugged her head, squeezed her with my hands and couldn’t let go. Mom then kept caressing and crying...
Varya
(through tears)
. Don't talk, don't talk...
Anya
. She had already sold her dacha near Menton, she had nothing left, nothing. I also didn’t have a penny left, we barely got there. And mom doesn't understand! We sit down at the station for lunch, and she demands the most expensive thing and gives the footmen a ruble each as a tip. Charlotte too. Yasha also demands a portion for himself, it’s just terrible. After all, mom has a footman, Yasha, we brought him here...
Varya
. I saw a scoundrel.
Anya
. Well, how? Did you pay interest?
Varya
. Where exactly.
Anya
. My God, my God...
Varya
. The estate will be sold in August...
Anya
. My God…
Lopakhin
(looks into the door and hums)
.
Me-e-e... (Leaves.)
Varya
(through tears)
.
That’s how I would have given it to him... (Shakes her fist.)
Anya
(hugs Varya, quietly)
.
Varya, did he propose? (Varya shakes her head negatively.)
After all, he loves you... Why don’t you explain what you’re waiting for?
Varya
.
I don't think anything will work out for us. He has a lot to do, he has no time for me... and he doesn’t pay attention. God bless him, it’s hard for me to see him... Everyone talks about our wedding, everyone congratulates, but in reality there is nothing, everything is like a dream... (In a different tone.)
Your brooch looks like a bee.
Anya
(sad)
.
Mom bought this. (He goes to his room, speaks cheerfully, like a child.)
And in Paris I flew in a hot air balloon!
Varya
.
My darling has arrived! The beauty has arrived! Dunyasha
has already returned with a coffee pot and is making coffee.
(Stands near the door.)
I, darling, spend the whole day doing housework and keep dreaming. I would marry you off to a rich man, and then I would be at peace, I would go to the desert, then to Kyiv... to Moscow, and so on I would go to holy places... I would go and go. Splendor!..
Anya
. Birds sing in the garden. What time is it now?
Varya
.
It must be the third one. It's time for you to sleep, darling. (Entering Anya’s room.)
Splendor!
Yasha
comes in with a blanket and a travel bag.
Yasha
(walks across the stage, delicately)
. Can I go here, sir?
Dunyasha
. And you won’t recognize you, Yasha. What have you become abroad?
Yasha
. Hm...Who are you?
Dunyasha
.
When you left here, I was like this... (Points from the floor.)
Dunyasha, Fedora Kozoedov’s daughter. You do not remember!
Yasha
.
Hm... Cucumber! (Looks around and hugs her; she screams and drops the saucer. Yasha quickly leaves.)
Varya
(at the door, in a dissatisfied voice)
. What else is there?
Dunyasha
(through tears)
. I broke the saucer...
Varya
. This is good.
Anya
(coming out of her room)
. I should warn my mother: Petya is here...
Varya
. I ordered him not to wake him.
Anya
(thoughtfully.)
Six years ago my father died, a month later my brother Grisha, a pretty seven-year-old boy, drowned in the river.
Mom couldn’t bear it, she left, left, without looking back... (Shudders.)
How I understand her, if only she knew!
Pause. And Petya Trofimov was Grisha’s teacher, he can remind you... Firs
enters ; he is wearing a jacket and a white vest.
Firs
(goes to the coffee pot, worried)
.
The lady will eat here... (Puts on white gloves.)
Is the coffee ready?
(Strictly to Dunyasha.)
You! What about cream?
Dunyasha
.
Oh, my God... (Quickly leaves.)
Firs
(busts around the coffee pot)
.
Eh, you klutz... (Mumbling to himself.)
We came from Paris... And the master once went to Paris... on horseback...
(Laughs.)
Varya
. Firs, what are you talking about?
Firs
.
What do you want? (Joyfully.)
My lady has arrived!
Waited for it! Now at least I can die... (Cries with joy.)
Lyubov Andreevna
,
Gaev
,
Lopakhin
and
Simeonov-Pishchik
enter ; Simeonov-Pishchik in a thin cloth undershirt and trousers. Gaev, entering, makes movements with his arms and body, as if playing billiards.
Lyubov Andreevna
. Like this? Let me remember... Yellow in the corner! Doublet in the middle!
Gaev
. I'm cutting into the corner! Once upon a time, you and I, sister, slept in this very room, and now I’m already fifty-one years old, oddly enough...
Lopakhin
. Yes, time is ticking.
Gaev
. Whom?
Lopakhin
. Time, I say, is ticking.
Gaev
. And here it smells like patchouli.
Anya
.
I'll go to bed. Good night, Mom. (Kisses mother.)
Lyubov Andreevna
.
My beloved child. (Kisses her hands.)
Are you glad you're home? I won't come to my senses.
Anya
. Goodbye, uncle.
Gaev
(kisses her face and hands)
.
The Lord is with you. How similar you are to your mother! (To her sister.)
You, Lyuba, were exactly like that at her age.
Anya
shakes hands with Lopakhin and Pishchik, leaves and closes the door behind her.
Lyubov Andreevna
. She was very tired.
Pischik
. The road is probably long.
Varya
(to Lopakhin and Pischika)
. Well, gentlemen? It's the third hour, it's time to know the honor.
Lyubov Andreevna
(laughs)
.
You are still the same, Varya. (Draws her towards him and kisses her.)
I’ll have some coffee, then we’ll all leave.
Firs puts a pillow under her feet. Thank you dear. I'm used to coffee. I drink it day and night. Thank you, my old man. (Kisses Firs.)
Varya
.
To see if all the things were brought... (Leaves.)
Lyubov Andreevna
.
Is it really me sitting? (Laughs.)
I want to jump and wave my arms.
(Covers his face with his hands.)
What if I’m dreaming!
God knows, I love my homeland, I love it dearly, I couldn’t watch from the carriage, I kept crying. (Through tears.)
However, you need to drink coffee. Thank you, Firs, thank you, my old man. I'm so glad you're still alive.
Firs
. Day before yesterday.
Gaev
. He doesn't hear well.
Lopakhin
. Now, at five o'clock in the morning, I have to go to Kharkov. Such a shame! I wanted to look at you, talk... You are still just as gorgeous.
Pishchik
(breathes heavily)
. Even prettier... Dressed like a Parisian... my cart is lost, all four wheels...
Lopakhin
. Your brother, Leonid Andreich, says about me that I’m a boor, I’m a kulak, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Let him talk. I only wish that you would still believe me, that your amazing, touching eyes would look at me as before. Merciful God! My father was a serf to your grandfather and father, but you, in fact, you once did so much for me that I forgot everything and love you like my own... more than my own.
Lyubov Andreevna
.
I can’t sit 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.)
The table is mine.
Gaev
. And without you, the nanny died here.
Lyubov Andreevna
(sits down and drinks coffee)
. Yes, the kingdom of heaven. They wrote to me.
Gaev
.
And Anastasius died. Parsley Kosoy left me and now lives in the city with the bailiff. (Takes a box of lollipops out of his pocket and sucks.)
Pishchik
. My daughter, Dashenka... she bows to you...
Lopakhin
.
I want to tell you something very pleasant and funny. (Looking at his watch.)
I’m leaving now, there’s no time to talk... well, I’ll say it in two or three words. You already know that your cherry orchard is being sold for debts, an auction is scheduled for August twenty-second, but don’t worry, my dear, sleep well, there is a way out... Here is my project. Attention please! Your estate is located only twenty miles from the city, there is a railway nearby, and if the cherry orchard and the land along the river are divided into summer cottages and then rented out as summer cottages, then you will have at least twenty-five thousand a year in income.
Gaev
. Sorry, what nonsense!
Lyubov Andreevna
. I don’t quite understand you, Ermolai Alekseich.
Lopakhin
. You will take the smallest amount from the summer residents, twenty-five rubles a year for a tithe, and if you announce it now, then I guarantee anything, you won’t have a single free scrap left until the fall, everything will be taken away. In a word, congratulations, you are saved. The location is wonderful, the river is deep. Only, of course, we need to clean it up, clean it up... for example, say, demolish all the old buildings, this house, which is no longer good for anything, cut down the old cherry orchard...
Lyubov Andreevna
. Cut it down? My dear, forgive me, you don’t understand anything. If there is anything interesting, even wonderful, in the entire province, it is only our cherry orchard.
Lopakhin
. The only remarkable thing about this garden is that it is very large. Cherries are born once every two years, and there’s nowhere to put them, no one buys them.
Gaev
. And the Encyclopedic Dictionary mentions this garden.
Lopakhin
(looking at his watch)
. If we don’t come up with anything and come to nothing, then on August 22 both the cherry orchard and the entire estate will be sold at auction. Make up your mind! There is no other way, I swear to you. No and no.
Firs
. In the old days, about forty to fifty years ago, cherries were dried, soaked, pickled, jam was made, and it used to be...
Gaev
. Shut up, Firs.
Firs
. And it used to be that dried cherries were sent by cartload to Moscow and Kharkov. There was money! And dried cherries then were soft, juicy, sweet, fragrant... They knew the method then...
Lyubov Andreevna
. Where is this method now?
Firs
. Forgot. Nobody remembers.
Pishchik
(to Lyubov Andreevna)
. What's in Paris? How? Did you eat frogs?
Lyubov Andreevna
. Ate crocodiles.
Pischik
. Just think...
Lopakhin
. Until now, there were only gentlemen and peasants in the village, but now there are also summer residents. All cities, even the smallest ones, are now surrounded by dachas. And we can say that in twenty years the summer resident will multiply to an extraordinary extent. Now he only drinks tea on the balcony, but it may happen that on his one tithe he will start farming, and then your cherry orchard will become happy, rich, luxurious...
Gaev
(indignant)
.
What nonsense! Varya
and
Yasha
enter .
Varya
.
Here, mommy, there are two telegrams for you. (He selects a key and unlocks the antique cabinet with a ringing sound.)
Here they are.
Lyubov Andreevna
.
This is from Paris. (Tears up telegrams without reading.)
It’s over with Paris...
Gaev
. Do you know, Lyuba, how old this cabinet is? A week ago I pulled out the bottom drawer and looked and there were numbers burned into it. The cabinet was made exactly one hundred years ago. What's it like? A? We could celebrate the anniversary. An inanimate object, but still, after all, a bookcase.
Pishchik
(surprised)
. A hundred years... Just think!..
Gaev
.
Yes... This is a thing... (Having felt the closet.)
Dear, respected closet!
I greet your existence, which for more than a hundred years has been directed towards the bright ideals of goodness and justice; your silent call to fruitful work has not weakened for a hundred years, maintaining (through tears)
in generations of our family vigor, faith in a better future and nurturing in us the ideals of goodness and social self-awareness.
Pause.
Lopakhin
. Yes…
Lyubov Andreevna
. You are still the same, Lepya.
Gaev
(a little confused)
. From the ball to the right into the corner! I'm cutting it to medium!
Lopakhin
(looking at his watch)
. Well, I have to go.
Yasha
(gives Lyubov Andreevna medicine)
. Maybe you should take some pills now...
Pischik
.
There is no need to take medications, dear... they do no harm or good... Give it here... dear. (He takes the pills, pours them into his palm, blows on them, puts them in his mouth, and washes them down with kvass.)
Here!
Lyubov Andreevna
(scared)
. You're crazy!
Pischik
. I took all the pills.
Lopakhin
.
What a mess. Everyone laughs.
Firs
.
They were with us on Holy Day, they ate half a bucket of cucumbers... (Mumbling.)
Lyubov Andreevna
. What is he talking about? Varya. He's been mumbling like this for three years now. We're used to it.
Yasha
.
Advanced age. Charlotte Ivanovna
in a white dress, very thin, tight-fitted, with a lorgnette on her belt, walks through the stage.
Lopakhin
.
Sorry, Charlotte Ivanovna, I haven’t had time to say hello to you yet. (Wants to kiss her hand.)
Charlotte
(taking her hand away)
. If I let you kiss my hand, you will then wish on the elbow, then on the shoulder...
Lopakhin
. I'm having no luck today. Everyone laughs. Charlotte Ivanovna, show me the trick!
Lyubov Andreevna
. Charlotte, show me a trick!
Charlotte
.
No need. I want to sleep. (Leaves.)
Lopakhin
.
See you in three weeks. (Kisses Lyubov Andreevna’s hand.)
Goodbye for now.
It's time. (To Gaev.)
Goodbye.
(Kisses Pishchik.)
Goodbye.
(Gives his hand to Varya, then to Firs and Yasha.)
I don’t want to leave.
(To Lyubov Andreevna.)
If you think about dachas and decide, then let me know, I’ll get you a loan of fifty thousand. Seriously think about it.
Varya
(angrily)
. Yes, finally leave!
Lopakhin
.
I’m leaving, I’m leaving... (Leaves.)
Gaev
. Ham. However, sorry... Varya is marrying him, this is Varya’s groom.
Varya
. Don't say too much, uncle.
Lyubov Andreevna
. Well, Varya, I will be very glad. He is a good man.
Pischik
.
Man, we must tell the truth... the most worthy... And my Dashenka... also says that... she says different words. (Snores, but immediately wakes up.)
But still, dear lady, lend me... two hundred and forty rubles... pay interest on the mortgage tomorrow...
Varya
(scared)
. No, no!
Lyubov Andreevna
. I really have nothing.
Pischik
.
There will be some. (Laughs.)
I never lose hope. Now, I think, everything is lost, I’m dead, and lo and behold, the railroad passed through my land, and... they paid me. And then, look, something else will happen not today or tomorrow... Dashenka will win two hundred thousand... she has a ticket.
Lyubov Andreevna
. The coffee is drunk, you can rest.
Firs
(cleans Gaev with a brush, instructively)
. They put on the wrong pants again. And what should I do with you!
Varya
(quietly)
.
Anya is sleeping. (Quietly opens the window.)
The sun has already risen, it’s not cold. Look, mommy: what wonderful trees! My God, the air! The starlings are singing!
Gaev
(opens another window)
. The garden is all white. Have you forgotten, Lyuba? This long alley goes straight, like a stretched belt, it sparkles on moonlit nights. Do you remember? Have you forgotten?
Lyubov Andreevna
(looks out the window at the garden)
.
Oh, my childhood, my purity! I slept in this nursery, looked at the garden from here, happiness woke up with me every morning, and then he was exactly the same, nothing has changed. (Laughs with joy.)
All, all white! Oh my garden! After a dark, stormy autumn and cold winter, you are young again, full of happiness, the heavenly angels have not abandoned you... If only I could take the heavy stone off my chest and shoulders, if only I could forget my past!
Gaev
. Yes, and the garden will be sold for debts, oddly enough...
Lyubov Andreevna
.
Look, the deceased mother is walking through the garden... in a white dress! (Laughs with joy.)
It’s her.
Gaev
. Where?
Varya
. The Lord is with you, mommy.
Lyubov Andreevna
.
There is no one, it seemed to me. To the right, at the turn towards the gazebo, a white tree bent over, looking like a woman... Trofimov
, in a worn student uniform, wearing glasses. What an amazing garden! White masses of flowers, blue sky...
Trofimov
.
Lyubov Andreevna! She looked back at him. I will just bow to you and leave immediately. (He kisses his hand warmly.)
I was ordered to wait until the morning, but I didn’t have enough patience...
Lyubov Andreevna looks in bewilderment.
Varya
(through tears)
.
This is Petya Trofimov... Trofimov. Petya Trofimov, your Grisha’s former teacher... Have I really changed that much? Lyubov Andreevna hugs him and quietly cries.
Gaev
(embarrassed)
. Full, full, Lyuba.
Varya
(crying)
. I told you, Petya, to wait until tomorrow.
Lyubov Andreevna
. Grisha is my... my boy... Grisha... son...
Varya
. What should I do, mommy? God's will.
Trofimov
(softly, through tears)
. It will be, it will be...
Lyubov Andreevna
(crying quietly)
.
The boy died, drowned... Why? For what, my friend? (Quiet.)
Anya is sleeping there, and I’m talking loudly... making noise... What, Petya? Why are you so stupid? Why have you aged?
Trofimov
. One woman in the carriage called me this: shabby gentleman.
Lyubov Andreevna
.
You were just a boy then, a cute student, but now you don’t have thick hair and glasses. Are you still a student? (Goes to the door.)
Trofimov
. I must be a perpetual student.
Lyubov Andreevna
(kisses her brother, then Varya)
. Well, go to sleep... You too have aged, Leonid.
Pishchik
(follows her)
. So, now to sleep... Oh, my gout. I’ll stay with you... I would like, Lyubov Andreevna, my soul, tomorrow morning... two hundred and forty rubles...
Gaev
. And this one is all his own.
Pischik
. Two hundred and forty rubles... to pay interest on the mortgage.
Lyubov Andreevna
. I have no money, my dear.
Pischik
. I'll give it back, honey... The amount is trivial...
Lyubov Andreevna
. Well, okay, Leonid will give... You give it, Leonid.
Gaev
. I'll give it to him, keep your pocket.
Lyubov Andreevna
.
What to do, give it... He needs... He will give it. Lyubov Andreevna
,
Trofimov
,
Pischik
and
Firs
leave. Gaev, Varya and Yasha remain.
Gaev
.
My sister has not yet gotten over the habit of wasting money. (To Yasha.)
Move away, my dear, you smell like chicken.
Yasha
(with a grin)
. And you, Leonid Andreich, are still the same as you were.
Gaev
.
Whom? (Vara.)
What did he say?
Varya
(Yasha)
. Your mother came from the village, has been sitting in the common room since yesterday, wants to see you...
Yasha
. God bless her!
Varya
. Ah, shameless!
Yasha
.
Very necessary. I could come tomorrow. (Leaves.)
Varya
. Mommy is the same as she was, hasn’t changed at all. If she had her way, she would give everything away.
Gaev
. Yes... Pause. If a lot of remedies are offered against a disease, this means that the disease is incurable. I think, I’m racking my brains, I have a lot of money, a lot, and that means, in essence, none. It would be nice to receive an inheritance from someone, it would be nice to marry our Anya to a very rich man, it would be nice to go to Yaroslavl and try his luck with the aunt countess. My aunt is very, very rich.
Varya
(crying)
. If only God would help.
Gaev
.
Do not Cry. My aunt is very rich, but she doesn’t love us. The sister, firstly, married a lawyer, not a nobleman... Anya
appears at the door. She married a non-nobleman and behaved in a manner that cannot be said to be very virtuous. She is good, kind, nice, I love her very much, but no matter how you come up with mitigating circumstances, I still have to admit that she is vicious. This is felt in her slightest movement.
Varya
(whispers)
. Anya is standing at the door.
Gaev
.
Whom? Pause. Surprisingly, something got into my right eye... I couldn’t see well. And on Thursday, when I was in the district court... Anya
enters .
Varya
. Why aren't you sleeping, Anya?
Anya
. Can't sleep. I can not.
Gaev
.
My baby. (Kisses Anya’s face and hands.)
My child...
(Through tears.)
You are not a niece, you are my angel, you are everything to me. Believe me, believe...
Anya
. I believe you, uncle. Everyone loves and respects you... but, dear uncle, you need to be silent, just silent. What did you just say about my mother, about your sister? Why did you say this?
Gaev
.
Yes, yes... (She covers her face with her hand.)
Indeed, this is terrible! My God! God save me! And today I gave a speech in front of the closet... so stupid! And only when I finished did I realize that it was stupid.
Varya
. Really, uncle, you should be silent. Keep quiet, that's all.
Anya
. If you remain silent, then you yourself will be calmer.
Gaev
.
I'm silent. (Kisses Anya and Varya’s hands.)
I’m silent. Just about the matter. On Thursday I was in the district court, well, the company got together, a conversation began about this and that, fifth and tenth, and it seems that it will be possible to arrange a loan against bills to pay interest to the bank.
Varya
. If only God would help!
Gaev
.
I'll go on Tuesday and talk again. (Vara.)
Don’t cry.
(Not.)
Your mother will talk to Lopakhin;
he, of course, will not refuse her... And when you have rested, you will go to Yaroslavl to see the countess, your grandmother. This is how we will act from three ends - and our job is in the bag. We will pay the interest, I am convinced... (Puts a lollipop in his mouth.)
On my honor, whatever you want, I swear, the estate will not be sold!
(Excitedly.)
I swear on my happiness! Here's my hand to you, then call me a crappy, dishonest person if I allow it to the auction! I swear with all my being!
Anya
(a calm mood has returned to her, she is happy)
.
How good you are, uncle, how smart! (Hugs uncle.)
I'm at peace now!
I'm at peace! I'm happy! Firs
enters .
Firs
(reproachfully)
. Leonid Andreich, you are not afraid of God! When should you sleep?
Gaev
.
Now. You go away, Firs. So be it, I’ll undress myself. Well, kids, bye-bye... Details tomorrow, now go to bed. (Kisses Anya and Varya.)
I am a man of the eighties... They don’t praise this time, but I can still say that I got a lot in my life for my beliefs. No wonder the man loves me. You need to know the guy! You need to know which...
Anya
. You again, uncle!
Varya
. You, uncle, remain silent.
Firs
(angrily)
. Leonid Andreich!
Gaev
.
I'm coming, I'm coming... Lie down. From two sides to the middle! I’m putting some clean... (He leaves, followed by Firs.)
Anya
.
I'm at peace now. I don’t want to go to Yaroslavl, I don’t like my grandmother, but I’m still at peace. Thanks uncle. (Sits down.)
Varya
.
Need sleep. I'll go. And here without you there was displeasure. In the old servants' quarters, as you know, only old servants live: Efimyushka, Polya, Evstigney, and Karp. They began to let some rogues spend the night with them - I remained silent. Only now, I hear, they spread a rumor that I ordered them to be fed only peas. From stinginess, you see... And this is all Evstigney... Okay, I think. If so, I think, then wait. I call Evstigneya... (Yawns.)
He comes... What about you, I say, Evstigneya... you are such a fool...
(Looking at Anya.)
Anya!.. Pause.
She fell asleep!.. (Takes Anya by the arm.)
Let's go to bed... Let's go!..
(He leads her.)
My darling has fallen asleep!
Let's go... They're coming. Far beyond the garden, a shepherd plays the pipe. Trofimov
walks across the stage and, seeing Varya and Anya, stops. Shhh... She's sleeping... sleeping... Let's go, dear.
Anya
(quietly, half asleep)
. I’m so tired... all the bells... Uncle... dear... and mom and uncle...
Varya
.
Let's go, dear, let's go... (They go to Anya's room.)
Trofimov
(in emotion)
. My sun! My spring!
A curtain
Main characters
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna
Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya is the main character of A.P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard,” which the author called a comedy. Ranevskaya is an impoverished landowner, the owner of an estate with a beautiful old cherry orchard. Because of her debts, the garden is in danger of being sold at auction.
The frivolity of this heroine and her penchant for squandering led to the fact that, in the end, her beloved cherry orchard was sold to the merchant Lopakhin.
Ranevskaya has a contradictory character. She loves her daughters, but leaves them without resources. Lyubov Andreevna is affectionate, kind, but at the same time selfish.
A detailed description of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya is here.
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich
Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin came from serfdom. His father, after the abolition of serfdom, opened a shop in the village. Ermolai Lopakhin took over his father's ability to trade and became a wealthy merchant. He is businesslike, practical, very hardworking, modest, loves his homeland, admires its nature. Lopakhin is not greedy, he lends money to Ranevskaya and Simeonov-Pishchik.
He combines the ability to admire nature and the rational mind of a businessman. Having bought an old cherry orchard, he orders it to be cut down, probably intending to build dachas there and rent them out.
A detailed description of Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin is here.
Anya
Anya is Ranevskaya’s 17-year-old daughter. This kind girl feels sorry for her mother, who, with her squandering, deprived not only herself, but also her daughters of her estate. She loves her mother very much. The girl wants to finish her studies at the gymnasium and, when Lyubov Andreevna returns to Russia, set her on the right path and read books with her. Anya dreams of a new, happy life, she wants to work and be useful to people.
A detailed description of Anya is here.
Varya
Varya (Varvara Mikhailovna) is Ranevskaya’s adopted daughter. She's 24. She is very economical and cannot sit idle. Varya is upset when Ranevskaya gives a gold ruble to a tipsy passerby who asked for 30 kopecks, although the old servants at home have nothing to eat.
She is perplexed that Lyubov Andreevna hired musicians for the evening, although she has nothing to pay with.
Varya treats Anya and Ranevskaya affectionately, calls Lyubov Andreevna mommy, Anya - darling, beauty.
Gaev Leonid Andreevich
Leonid Andreevich Gaev is the brother of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. He is 51 years old. This is an arrogant, completely impractical person. He is very selfish and does not want to be responsible for anything. Gaev is sentimental and so talkative that his nieces often advise him to keep quiet. Idle talk and playing billiards are his range of interests.
A detailed description of Leonid Andreevich Gaev is here.
Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich
Petya Trofimov is a student, former teacher of Ranevskaya’s little son Grisha, who drowned 6 years ago. No one except the maid Dasha calls Trofimov by his first name and patronymic. He is 26 or 27 years old. He talks a lot. In life, Petya notices only vulgarity, backwardness, savagery; he is indifferent to the beauty of the cherry orchard. Trofimov dreams of a bright future and does not notice the beauty in the present. He also captivates young Anya with dreams of a future active life. Both of them do not feel sorry for the cherry orchard, which has already begun to be cut down by order of the new owner of the estate, Lopakhin. “Hello, new life!..” exclaims Trofimov, leaving the now former Ranevsky estate forever.
A detailed description of Petya Trofimov is here.
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A.P. Chekhov loved his heroes, but he could not trust any of them with the future of Russia, not even Petya Trofimov and Anya, the progressive youth of that time.
The heroes of the play, sympathetic to the author, do not know how to defend their rights in life, they suffer or are silent. Ranevskaya and Gaev suffer because they understand that they cannot change anything about themselves. Their social status fades into oblivion, and they are forced to eke out a miserable existence on the last proceeds. Lopakhin suffers because he realizes that he cannot help them. He himself is not happy about buying a cherry orchard. No matter how hard he tries, he still will not become its full owner. That is why he decides to cut down the garden and sell the land, so that he can later forget about it as a bad dream. What about Petya and Anya? Isn't it the author's hope in them? Perhaps, but these hopes are very vague. Trofimov, due to his character, is not capable of taking any radical actions. And without this the situation cannot be changed. He is limited to talking about a wonderful future and that’s all. And Anya? This girl has a slightly stronger core than Petra. But due to her young age and the uncertainty of life, changes should not be expected from her. Perhaps in the distant future, when she has set all her life priorities, some action can be expected from her. In the meantime, she limits herself to faith in the best and a sincere desire to plant a new garden.
Whose side is Chekhov on? He supports each side, but in his own way. In Ranevskaya, he appreciates genuine female kindness and naivety, albeit seasoned with spiritual emptiness. In Lopakhin, he appreciates the desire for compromise and poetic beauty, although he is not able to appreciate the real charm of the cherry orchard. The Cherry Orchard is a member of the family, but everyone unanimously forgets about this, while Lopakhin is not able to understand this at all.
