The Cherry Orchard (Comedy, 1903)
by Anton Chekhov
Kristen Brannon
Josie Follick
Tommy Knight
Family Relationships
(Drawing credit to Josie Follick)
Plot- Act 1
Madame Ranevsky arrives from her five-year visit to Paris back to
her Orchard home in Russia along with Anya, her biological daughter,
Anya’s governess Charlotte, and Yasha, her manservant. She is
discovered to be very poor as opposed to before she departed to Paris.
The three arrive at their orchard home to find Yermolai Lopakhin, a
used-to-be-peasant, Ranevsky’s brother, Leonid Gayev, a co-owner of
the orchard, Ranevsky’s adopted daughter, Varya, Firs, a very old
servant, and two other servants, Yephikodov, and Dunyasha.
Varya then says that because the family can no longer afford the
Cherry Orchard, it is going to be sold on the 22nd of August. This
creates mixed opinions in all of the characters. Lopakhin then suggests
Ranevsky rent out parcels of the land to build villas upon. She is taken
aback. Peter Trofimov, Grisha’s former tutor (Ranevsky’s deceased son)
arrives and brings up bad memories.
Plot- Act 2
At the beginning of the second act, the three
servants Dunyasha, Yasha, and Yephikodov reveal
their affections for one another. Yephikodov loves
Dunyasha and Dunyasha loves Yasha. Yasha,
unfortunately has no affinity for anyone but himself.
After that is revealed, Lopakhin and the rest of the
crew come back and argue over the orchard more.
This leaves Ranevsky saddened by the thought of
her orchard being gone and upset at Lopakhin.
Plot- Act 3
In the Third Act, Ranevsky hosts a party for
the sale of the orchard. People from all walks of
life are invited from lower middle to upper class.
During the party, Lopakhin is absent and this
fact worries Ranevsky to the point where she
fights with her brother. Gayev and Ranevsky are
fuming as Lopakhin arrives stating he has
bought the orchard and intends to “ruin” it in
Ranevsky’s eyes. She is devastated.
Plot- Act 4
The fourth act is essentially the resolution
and falling action. Everyone goes their own
separate ways and finds new things to involve
themselves with. In the hustle and bustle, Firs,
the old manservant, is left behind, locked out of
the little orchard home. He has taken ill and the
the play implies that he dies there.
Inciting Incident
Varya: “The property will be sold in August,”
Climax
Ranevsky: “Was the Cherry Orchard sold?”
Lopakhin: “Yes.”
Ranevsky: “Who bought it?”
Lopakhin: “I did.”
Major Issues
• Money is important yet futile.
• All things beloved eventually pass.
• Memory is the cornerstone of emotion.
Theme
Social class does not define how one acts or
responds to situations, nor does it define one’s
life-worth.
Two most important characters
The protagonist, Madame Lyuba Andreyevna Ranevsky and
the antagonist, Yermolai Alexeyitch Lopakhin are the two
most important characters in the play because without them,
the plot could not progress. Lopakhin once was a peasant and
through the kindness of others rose his way through the social
hierarchy and is now a wealthy businessman. Madame
Ranevsky once reveled in the wealth of the cherry orchard but
has worked her way down to a lower middle class social status
due to her frivolous ways in Paris. Because of their respective
ages, Lopakhin lives in the now and does all he can to be as
successful as he can. Ranevsky lives life with a finger on the
past; appreciating all the past has given her and is all together
a very nostalgic character.
Protagonist
Madame Ranevsky is the protagonist. She
represents the will of the masses; not selling the
cherry orchard. She has too much emotional
attachment to let it go and we as readers or
viewers sympathize with her.
Antagonist
The antagonist is Yermolai Lopakhin. He is the
stereotypical cold-hearted, yet light-hearted
businessman. We as readers or viewers don’t
like him because he has no regard for any
emotional attachment the other characters
might have to the orchard. He is only seeking
self-interest.
Setting
The play is set in Imperial Russia in the very late 19th
Century. The action takes place entirely on the estate of
Lyuba Ranevsky. The plot begins in May and continues to
early September. During this time in history, Russia is still
ruled by Tsars. Serfdom was only just abolished in 1861.
The aristocratic life that was once found on the estate is
changing. The aristocrats, the former serfs, and the new
generations that are taking their places are all witnessing
this transformation.
(Some suggest the Ukraine as a more specific setting
for this drama. Chekhov lived there for much of his life.)
Possible monologues and scenes for
competition and audition purposes
• Act I (scene) from Anya’s exit to Gaev’s line ”What
gibberish” pg. 7-9
• Act I (scene) from Anya’s reentering to the end of the
act. Pg. 14-16
• Act I (monologue, m.) Lopakhin “I want to say
something very pleasant…” pg. 16
• Act I (monologue, f.) Varya “It’s time to go to sleep…”
pg. 15
• Act I (monologue, m.) Gaev “Yes…It’s the real thing.”
(cupboard) pg. 16
• Act I (monologue, f.) Lyuba “Oh, my childhood…” pg.
11
(cont’d…)
• Act II (monologue, f.) Charlotta “I haven’t a
real passport…” pg. 17
• Act II (monologue, f.) Lyubov “Oh, the sins…”
pg. 21
• Act II (monologue, m.) Trofimov “Mankind
marches forward…” pg. 24
• Act II (scene) Trofimov and Anya at the end of
the Act. Pg. 26-27
(cont’d…)
• Act III (scene) Lyubov and Trofimov from
“don’t tease her, Peter…” to “Peter, wait…” pg.
31-33
• Act III (monologue, m.) Lopakhin “I bought
it…” pg. 38
• Act III (monologue, f.) Anya “Mother…” pg. 39
• Act IV (monologue, m.) Firs - Last lines of play.
pg. 49
Vocabulary
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Kvass – homemade beer
Villa – summer vacation home
Mentone – City on the French Mediterranean
Billiards – A game involving hitting balls on a felted table-top with cue
sticks
Patchouli – a perfume
Dessiatin – area equivalent to 2.7 acres
Shrine – a chapel
Passport – referring specifically to the identification papers needed to
travel within Russia.
Creches – public nurseries
Serf – servant or slave that’s bound to the land by the aristocracy to work
it
Freeholders – small farmers
Ruble – the basic unit of currency in Russia; equal to 100 kopeks
References- Act 1
• “Little man” – Lopakhin says this several times in
quoting how Lyuba addresses him; with inferiority as
though still a serf.
• “Encyclopaedic Dictionary” – Gaev claims that the
Orchard is so well known that it is in this book. Possibly
Chekov alludes to the 86-volume publication by
Brockhaus and Efron.
• “I’m a man of the eighties” – Gaev says this about
himself, implying that he witnessed the anti-reform
and anti-liberal actions of then Tsar Alexander III, and
that he’s enlightened and knows how to treat serfs
well.
References- Act 2
• Epikhdov asks Dunyasha if she is familiar with the
materialist and freethinker Henry Buckle. He demonstrates
his education.
• “My brother, my suffering brother…” by Nadson, and
“Come out on the Volga” by Nekrason are both quoted by
the tramp. Both of these poets were born of wealth and
wrote about the slaves and laborers. The tramp is wretched
and represents a by-product of the “good life”.
• “Oh, feel me, get thee to a nunnery,” and “Oh, nymph,
remember me in thine orisons” are both allusions to
Hamlet. Hamlet says both of these lines to Ophelia. In this
play, Lopakhin says them to Lyuba and Gaev. As Hamlet
accuses Ophelia of immodesty, so too does Lopakhin
towards the aristocrats.
Would we recommend this to a friend?
• The Cherry Orchard is a very complex drama with
innumerable themes. Its uniqueness was quite
fascinating. The action is written with no stops
during acts and it moves very quickly. The
characters’ names being Russian as well as there
being many variations of the names complicates
the play and makes it even harder to read.
However, the difficulty of the play, though
discouraging, makes the play more appealing to
some. We would recommend this play to a
friend.