Comedy and Tragedy in The Cherry Orchard
Anton Chekov's The Cherry Orchard serves as a glimpse into the lives of upper middle-class Russians at the turn of the century. The play at times seems to be a regretful account of past mistakes, but at other times it seems very comedic. The final outcome tends to classify it primarily as a tragedy with no shortage of lighthearted moments. It invokes many feelings within the reader: joy, regret, pity, and anger are all expressed among the interactions of several characters with rich and complicated personalities. The reader finds some parts of the characters appealing and some parts disgraceful. This complexity enhances the authenticity of the roles and in turn augments the reader's emotional involvement.
The play centers on the life and estate of Lubov Ranevskya, a middle-aged woman of land-owning lineage. She is extremely emotional and allows her feelings to guide her decisions. As a result, she is generous and even frivolous with her money, giving her an incredible debt. Mme. Ranevskaya's brother Gayev is just as emotional as his sister is; however, he possesses a certain intellectual prowess that Lubov lacks. Both characters exhibit Lubov's tragic flaw: they must continually re-strain themselves from over-expression of their feelings. Another significant character is Lopahin, a local merchant who was raised a peasant but has since acquired much wealth. While the reader enjoys his optimism and respects his business ways, it is tragic that Lopahin sees only the monetary value rather than the sentimental. Lopahin's character is the opposite of Mme. R., and the reader is just as ambivalent toward both. It is also regrettable that almost every character finds his satisfaction fro...
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...y amiable. Yepihodov's poor luck, Gayev's over-expressed emotions, Pishchik's disregard of wealth, and Charlotta's magic all tend to classify this play as a comedy, but it definitely has more somber overtones. The loss of the family property is always a sobering subject for the family; they avoid discussing it at every turn. Lopahin, an old family friend, takes on the responsibility of buying and developing the land and therefore causes some friction in the home. It is tragic that the family whose home this is has to leave, and it is tragic that Lopahin never sees this wealth disappearing. Moreover, it is tragic that only Trofimov tries to see the real wealth in life; he breaks ties with economic gain and devotes himself to be a student of life.
Works Cited:
Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard. Four Plays. Trans. David Magarshack. New York: Hill & Wang, 1969.
Anderson, D. (2002). The Columbia guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.
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crawled our spines, changing from day to night: green to gold, gold to black. But we waited till the moon touched metal.
Dorian Gray shows how much he gave up to pursue his obsession when he said that his fiancé’s suicide was melodramatic and unnecessary (Wide 88-89). Obsession causes Dorian to indulge all forms of self-pleasure, whether moral or immoral, and to disregard the value of his own soul to preserve his transient beauty. The portrait that Basil Hallward painted acted as a mirror to his soul’s state and grows revolting each time he indulges in immoral acts, which inhibit him from focusing on what is truly important. It was only until the end when he kills himself does his soul reverts back to his inner beauty as shown in his portrait (Wilde 197). Wilde shows us how conformity can push us to obsess something that we don’t truly believe and ignore all other aspects that actually lead to our good lives. Through Dorian Gray, we are taught that we need to stand by our beliefs and not lose ourselves in other people’s beliefs. Wilde teaches the audience that we need to hold onto some core beliefs and elements that we hold near and dear to
What is the significance of Piggy in the novel The Lord of the Flies? The author William Golding uses the character of Piggy to relates to certain themes in the novel. He is linked closely with civilisation, time and the conch which itself represents order. As savagery becomes more intense in the novel, Piggy begins to suffer more injustices and eventually loses his life speaking out against it. Piggy is described by Golding as 'short' and very 'fat'.
It can be assumed an actor would come to love Chekov because his plays turned away from the traditional plot concepts of good vs. evil to produce more natural, complex, relatable stories. After examining the life of Mr. Anton Chekov and reading The Cherry Orchard, it becomes apparent how easy it is to become attached to, as well as understand the point-of-views from all his characters. Chekov mastered the usage of mood, inaction as well as current national headlining-news to reveal his characters’ internal psychology. His plays did not seek to offend or impose moral judgment on attending audience members, rather he used his plays to demonstrate the present-day struggles existing within social, political and personal contexts which must be overcome to successfully move forward to a better and more positive future.
Dostoyevsky portrays Luzhin as his most disliked character and makes him a symbol of everything Dostoyevsky hates in human kind – self-importance and extreme insincerity. Luzhin’s ideas are disliked by all, but especially Raskolnikov. Luzhin speaks in a businesslike t...
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov draws in a universal audience, as the play’s themes and characters are relatable to any time period. The characters face challenges and anxieties that were felt by people thousands of years ago and will continue to be felt by people far into the future. The Cherry Orchard encompasses and embodies characters and themes that are relevant to modern times such as social change, mid-life regrets, and hope that the next generation will go out into the world, make a difference, and create a better and more prosperous life for themselves.
Keefe, Robert. "Artist and Model in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'" Studies in the Novel 5.1 (1973): 63-70. JSTOR. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Wilde shows Lord Henry grasping onto Dorian and his moral beliefs, “There is no such thing as good influence Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral-immoral from the scientific point of view.” Dorian quickly transforms from an innocent young man, to a wicked deceitful man. Lord Henry knowingly influences Dorian, “People say sometimes that beauty is only superficial. That may be so, but at least it is not so superficial as thought is.” The craving for eternal beauty acts alongside with Lord Henry in the demise of Dorian. “As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain st...
...Russian society and social norms. The greatest reminder of this is found in the fact that Lopahkin, the man who Ranevsky once spoke to condescendingly, is now the family’s last hope for survival. Ironically enough, Lopahkin is often glancing at his watch, a reminder that time is changing, and a message that he, himself, is a testament to.
Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard projects the cultural conflict of the turn of the twentieth century of Russia. With a historical allusion, Chekhov exhibited the changing Russia with "slice of life" in his play. The Cherry Orchard is not only a depiction of Russian life but also an understatement of changing traditional value. Cultural conflict itself is an abstraction. To explain it, it is the traditional culture that is unable to resist the invading one. In the play, each character has his or her own personality, which symbolizes their individual social levels of Russian society. But these characters distinguish themselves into two sides, which are conservators and investors; therefore, they conflict each other in opinion. The following developments will begin with an outlook of The Cherry Orchard to acknowledge the basic concept of the play. The second part is culture in change that explains historical background of modern Russia. Third by a contrasting method, the main idea of this part is an illustration of conflict. And, in the fourth section, explaining symbolic meaning of The Cherry Orchard is an approach to highlight the conflict. Finally, the prospective development of different groups of characters is another contrast that echoes their attitudes in the beginning.
The Cherry Orchard has been acclaimed as one of the greatest theatrical experiences of all time. It is clearly seen through the use of the more subtle, submerged, and persuasive techniques that he uses in writing this, his most famous play. The Cherry Orchard is important for three reasons: First, for its intrinsic textual richness, linguistic power and subtlety as a piece of dramatic prose; second, because of its crucial position in Russian cultural history as the culmination of all ?realist? nineteenth-century fiction and as the first classic of a new, arguably ?symbolist? or ?absurd? literature; third, because of its seminal role in the evolution of Twentieth-Century theater.
not always have to be so. The sympathy and compassion the main character's in The Cherry Orchard bring out in the reader should not blind them to the fact that they are virtually comic characters. For example what character could be more ludicrous then a "typical" patrician like Gayev ,whose main characteristics according to Chekhov were "suavity and elegance," turning to his sister and demanding that she should choose between him and a footman like Yasha? And is not the fact that Gayev became a "bank official" ludicrous, particularly since it is made quite clear to the reader that he would not be able to hold a job for even a month? Not to mention the love aff...
In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray it is unequivocal that a large part of Dorian’s corruption is attributed to Lord Henry Wotton and his cynical, paradoxical teachings. However, it is evident, upon closer inspection, that Dorian’s own nature and the portrait of Dorian himself – although inanimate – plays a much larger part in the deterioration and ultimate demise of Dorian Gray. Throughout the novel it is easy to get caught up in Dorian’s ever-prominent obsession with Lord Henry and his book and forget that Dorian’s own disposition and actions play the most dominant role in his demise.