The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard: Critical Analysis

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov is about a Russian family that is unable to prevent its beloved estate from being sold in an auction due to financial problems. The play has been dubbed a tragedy by many of its latter producers. However, Chekhov labeled his play a farce, or more of a comedy. Although this play has a very tragic backdrop of Russia's casualty-ridden involvement in both World Wars and the Communist Revolution, the characters and their situations suggest a light-hearted tone, even though they struggle against the upcoming loss of the orchard. Apathy and passivity plague the characters and contribute often to the comic side of things. Sometimes, however, the passivity erupts the tragic flaws of the characters as they fail to save the estate. Another theme of The Cherry Orchard is the thin line between reality and outer appearance between which the characters cannot distinguish. Although indirect, this confusion provides the play yet again with comedy. On the contrary, the confusion is also seen as another tragic flaw of the characters contributing to the downfall of the estate and its orchard. Another theme Chekhov portrays is the effect of choice and free will. In some surcumstances this is the ultimate form of tragedy, depending on the outcome. With this, Chekhov succeeds in confusing tragedy and comedy in his final play The Cherry Orchard.

Chekhov's characters in The Cherry Orchard contribute greatly to the comedy. The action takes place on a Russian estate belonging to Mrs. Ranevsky. There is a debate over finances and a wealthy businessman named Lopakhin, whose father was a serf on the estate, thinks of a way to solve the financial problems. The family, however, seems to ignore the problem of losing the estate. This is the first instance of comedy in that the family chooses to ignore the problems while a wealthy businessman pleads with them to take action. The family continues to ignore the future for the estate as personalities are developed in each of the characters. A very comical character is the clerk Yepikhodov, also known as 'Twenty-two Calamities.'; In his entrance he stumbles over a chair while babbling at whatever comes to his mind. Firs, a senile manservant, is the next to add comic elements as he hobbles across the stage also ...

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...and dulled in its tragic mournings. The perception of whether this is a comedy or a tragedy is a battle uselessly fought. The play clearly exhibits both a comic perception as well as a tragic one. The comedy, although more directly comes from the characters themselves, would be half as noticeable without the tragic occurrences of the family and those surrounding them. Just as with comedy, the tragic moments would not seem as tragic without the comic outbursts of the characters and their repeated failing actions. Chekhov intended The Cherry Orchard to be a comedy or farce; almost all of the producers that chose to interpret The Cherry Orchard did so as a tragedy. Clearly it is neither. It incorporates both.

Works Cited

Chekhov, Anton. 'The Cherry Orchard.'; Best Plays by Chekhov.

New York: Young, 1956. 226-296.

Corbin, John. 'Russian High Comedy.'; Galens 38-39.

Fiero, John. Galens 33-37.

Galens, David and Spampinato, Lynn. Drama For Students.

Detroit: Gale, 1998. 21-39.

Pritchett, V.S. 'Chekhov: A Spirit Set Free.'; Galens 37-38.