Cherry Orchard short detailed. A.P

Comedy in four acts

CHARACTERS:
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, landowner.
Anya, her daughter, 17 years old.
Varya, her adopted daughter, 24 years old.
Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya.
Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, merchant.
Trofimov Petr Sergeevich, student.
Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, landowner.
Charlotte Ivanovna, governess.
Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk.
Dunyasha, maid.
Firs, footman, old man 87 years old.
Yasha, a young footman.
Passerby.
Station manager.
Postal official.
Guests, servants.

The action takes place in the estate of L. A. Ranevskaya.

STEP ONE

The room, which is still called the nursery. One of the doors leads to Anna's room. Dawn, soon the sun will rise. It's already May, the cherry trees are blooming, but it's cold in the garden, it's a matinee. The windows in the room are closed. Enter Dunyasha with a candle and Lopakhin with a book in his hand.

L o p a x i n. The train arrived, thank God. What time is it now?

D u n i s a. Two soon. (Extinguishes the candle.) It's already light.

L o p a x i n. How late was the train? Two hours at least. (Yawns and stretches.) I'm good, what a fool I've been! I came here on purpose to meet me at the station, and suddenly I overslept... I sat down and fell asleep. Annoyance... If only you would wake me up.

D u n i s a. I thought you left. (Listens.) Here, it seems, they are already on their way.

LOPACHIN (listens). No ... Get luggage, then and there ...
Pause.
Lyubov Andreevna lived abroad for five years, I don’t know what she has become now ... She is a good person. Easy, simple person. I remember when I was a boy of about fifteen, my late father - he then traded here in the village in a shop - hit me in the face with his fist, blood came out of my nose ... Then we came together for some reason to the yard, 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 will heal before the wedding ...”
Pause.
Little man ... My father, however, was a man, but here I am in a white waistcoat, yellow shoes. With a pig's snout in a kalashny row... Just now he's rich, there's a lot of money, but if you think about it and figure it out, then a peasant is a peasant... (He flips through a book.) I read a book and did not understand anything. Read and fell asleep.

D u n i s a. And the dogs did not sleep all night, they can smell that the owners are coming.

L o p a x i n. What are you, Dunyasha, such a ...

D u n i s a. Hands are shaking. I will faint.

L o p a x i n. You are very gentle, Dunyasha. And you dress like a young lady, and your hair too. You can not do it this way. We must remember ourselves.

Epikhodov enters with a bouquet; he is in a jacket and in brightly polished boots that creak strongly; entering, he drops the bouquet.

E p and x about d about in (raises the bouquet). Here the gardener sent, he says, put it in the dining room. (Gives Dunyasha a bouquet.)

L o p a x i n. And bring me kvass.

D u n i s a. I'm listening. (Exits.)

E p and x o d o v. Now it's a matinee, the frost is three degrees, and the cherry is all in bloom. I can't approve of our climate. (Sighs) I can't. Our climate cannot help just right. Here, Ermolai Alekseich, allow me to add, I bought myself boots the third day, and I dare to assure you, they creak so that there is no possibility. What to grease?

L o p a x i n. Leave me alone. Tired.

E p and x o d o v. Every day some misfortune happens to me. And I don’t grumble, I’m used to it and even smile.

Dunyasha enters, serves kvass to Lopakhin.

I will go. (He bumps into a chair, which falls.) Here ... (As if triumphant.) You see, excuse the expression, what a circumstance, by the way ... It's just wonderful! (Exits.)

D u n i s a. And to me, Ermolai Alekseich, I confess, Epikhodov made an offer.

L o p a x i n. BUT!

D u n i s a. I don’t know how ... He is a meek person, but only sometimes, as soon as he starts talking, you won’t understand anything. And good, and sensitive, just incomprehensible. I seem to like him. He loves me madly. He is an unhappy man, every day something. They tease him like that among us: twenty-two misfortunes ...

LOPACHIN (listens). Looks like they're on their way...

D u n i s a. They're coming! What's the matter with me... I've gone cold all over.

L o p a x i n .. They really are coming. Let's go meet. Will she recognize me? Haven't seen each other for five years.

Dunyasha (in agitation). I'm going to fall... Oh, I'm going to fall!

You can hear two carriages pulling up to the house. Lopakhin and Dunyasha leave quickly. The stage is empty. There is noise in the neighboring rooms. Firs, who had come to meet Lyubov Andreevna, hurriedly passes across the stage, leaning on a stick; he is in an ancient livery and a tall hat; something speaks to itself, but not a single word can be made out. The background noise gets louder and louder. Voice: “Let's go here ...” Lyubov Andreevna, Anya and Charlotte Ivanovna with a dog on a chain, dressed in a travel way, Varya in a coat and scarf, Gaev, Semeonov-Pishchik, Lopakhin, Dunyasha with a knot and an umbrella, servants with things Everyone is walking across the room.

And I. Let's go here. Do you remember what room this is?

L ubov Andreevna (joyfully, through tears). Children's!

Varya. How cold, my hands are numb. (To Lyubov Andreevna.) Your rooms, white and purple, have remained the same, mommy.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. A nursery, my dear, beautiful room ... I slept here when I was little ... (Cries.) And now I'm like a little ... (Kisses her brother, Varya, then her brother again.) And Varya is still like that Well, she looks like a nun. And I recognized Dunyasha... (Kisses Dunyasha.)

G a e v. The train was two hours late. What is it? What are the orders?

CHARLOTTE (Pishchik). My dog ​​eats nuts too.

P and u and k (surprised). You think!

Everyone leaves except Anya and Dunyasha.

D u n i s a. We've been waiting... (Takes off Ani's coat and hat.)

And I. I didn't sleep on the road for four nights... now I'm very cold.

D u n i s a. You left in Lent, then there was snow, there was frost, and now? My darling! (Laughs, kisses her.) I've been waiting for you, my joy, my little light... I'll tell you now, I can't stand one minute...

And I (weakly). Something again...

D u n i s a. The clerk Epikhodov proposed to me after the Saint.

And I. You're all about the same thing... (Straightening her hair.) I've lost all the hairpins... (She's very tired, she even staggers.)

D u n i s a. I don't know what to think. He loves me, he loves me so!

ANYA (looks at her door, tenderly). My room, my windows, like I never left. I'm home! Tomorrow morning I will get up and run to the garden... Oh, if only I could sleep! I did not sleep all the way, anxiety tormented me.

And I. I left for Holy Week then it was cold. Charlotte talks all the way, doing tricks. And why did you force Charlotte on me...

Varya. You can't go alone, my dear. At seventeen!

And I. We arrive in Paris, it's cold there, it's snowing. I speak French terribly. 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 hands and could not let go. Mom then caressed everything, cried ...

In a r I (through tears). Don't talk, don't talk...

And I. She had already sold her dacha near Menton, she had nothing left, nothing. I didn't even have a penny left, we barely got there. And my mom doesn't understand! She sits down at the station to dine, and she demands the most expensive thing and gives the lackeys a ruble for tea. Charlotte too. Yasha also demands a portion, it's just awful. After all, my mother has a footman Yasha, we brought him here ...

Varya. I saw a scoundrel.

And I. Well, how? Did you pay interest?

Varya. Where exactly.

And I. My God, my God...

Varya. The estate will be sold in August...

And I. My God...

LOPACHIN (looks in the door and hums). Me-ee... (Exit.)

In a r I (through tears). That's how I would give him ... (Threatens with his fist.)

And I (hugs Varya, quietly). Varya, did he propose? (Varya shakes her head negatively.) After all, he loves you... Why don't you explain yourself, what are you waiting for?

Varya. I don't think we can do anything. He has a lot to do, he is not up to me ... and does not pay attention. God be with him at all, 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.

And I (sadly). Mom bought this. (Goes to his room, speaks gaily, childishly.) And in Paris I hot-air balloon flew!

Varya. My darling has arrived! Beauty has arrived!

Dunyasha has already returned with a coffee pot and is making coffee.

(Stands near the door.) I go, my dear, the whole day doing housework and dreaming all the time. If I were to marry you off as a rich man, then I would be dead, I would go to the desert, then to Kyiv ... to Moscow, and so I would go to holy places ... I would go and go. Blessing!..

And I. The birds are singing in the garden. What time is it now?

Varya. Must be the third. It's time for you to sleep, darling. (Entering Anna's room.) Splendor!

Yasha enters with a blanket, a travel bag.

I sha (walks across the stage, delicately). Can you go through here?

D u n i s a. And you don't recognize you, Yasha. What have you become abroad.

I'm a. Um... And who are you?

D u n i s a. When you left here, I was like this... (Points from the floor.) Dunyasha, Fyodor Kozoedov's daughter. You do not remember!

I'm a. Hm... Cucumber! (He looks around and hugs her; she screams and drops her saucer.)

Yasha leaves quickly.

Dunyasha (through tears). Broke the saucer...

Varya. This is good.

And I (leaving my room). You should warn your mother: Petya is here.

Varya. I ordered him not to wake up.

And I (thoughtfully). Six years ago my father died, and 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 ... (Starts.) How I understand her, if only she knew!

And Petya Trofimov was Grisha's teacher, he can remind ...

Fiers enters, wearing a jacket and white waistcoat.

F and rs (goes to the coffee pot, anxiously). The lady will eat here... (Puts on white gloves.) Is the coffee ready? (Strictly, Dunyasha.) You! What about cream?

D u n i s a. Oh, my God... (Quickly leaves.)

F and r s (busy around the coffee pot). Oh, you fool... (Mutters to himself.) They came from Paris... And the master once went to Paris... on horseback... (Laughs.)

Varya. Firs, what are you talking about?

F i r s. What would you like? (Joyfully.) My mistress has arrived! Waited! Now, at least to die ... (Crying with joy.)

Enter LYUBOV ANDREYEVNA, GAYEV and Simeonov-Pishchik; Simeonov-Pishchik in a fine cloth coat and trousers. Gaev, entering, makes a movement with his arms and torso, as if playing billiards.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Like this? Let me remember... Yellow in the corner! Doublet in the middle!

G a e v. I cut into the corner! Once upon a time, you and I, sister, slept in this very room, and now I am already fifty-one years old, oddly enough ...

L o p a x i n. Yes, time is ticking.

G a e v. Whom?

L o p a x i n. Time, I say, is running out.

I wish to disturb you, Avdotya Fyodorovna, for a few words.

D u n i s a. Speak up.

E p and x o d o v. I would like to be alone with you... (Sighs.)

Dunyasha (embarrassed). All right... but first bring me my talmochka... It's near the cupboard... It's a little damp in here...

E p and x o d o v. All right, sir... I'll bring it... Now I know what to do with my revolver... (Takes the guitar and leaves playing.)

I'm a. Twenty-two misfortunes! Silly man, between us. (Yawns.)

D u n i s a. God forbid, shoot yourself.

I became anxious, all worried. I was taken to the masters as a girl, now I have lost the habit of a simple life, and now my hands are white, white, like a young lady's. She became tender, so delicate, noble, I'm afraid of everything ... It's so scary. And if you, Yasha, deceive me, then I don't know what will happen to my nerves.

I am (kisses her). Cucumber! Of course, every girl should remember herself, and I don’t like it more than anything if a girl has bad behavior.

D u n i s a. I passionately fell in love with you, you are educated, you can talk about everything.

Pause.

I am (yawns). Yes, sir ... In my opinion, this is how: if a girl loves someone, then she, therefore, is immoral.

It's nice to smoke a cigar in the fresh air... (Listens.) They're coming... These are the gentlemen...

Dunyasha embraces him impetuously.

Go home, as if you went to the river to swim, go along this path, otherwise they will meet and think about me, as if I were on a date with you. I can't stand it.

Dunyasha (coughs softly). The cigar gave me a headache... (Exits.)

Yasha stays, sits near the chapel. Enter LYUBOV ANDREYEVNA, GAYEV and LOPAKHIN.

L o p a x i n. We must finally decide - time does not wait. The question is completely empty. Do you agree to give the land for dachas or not? Answer in one word: yes or no? Only one word!

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Who's smoking disgusting cigars here... (Sits down.)

G a e v. Here the railway was built, and it became convenient. (Sits down.) We went to the city and had breakfast ... yellow in the middle! I'd like to go to the house first, play one game...

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. You will succeed.

L o p a x i n. Only one word! (Pleading.) Give me an answer!

GAEV (yawning). Whom?

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. (looks in his purse). Yesterday there was a lot of money, and today there is very little. My poor Varya, out of economy, feeds everyone with milk soup, in the kitchen they give the old people one pea, and I somehow waste it senselessly. (She dropped her purse, scattered the gold ones.) Well, they fell down ... (She is annoyed.)

I'm a. Let me pick it up now. (Picks up coins.)

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Please, Yasha. And why did I go to have breakfast... Your trashy restaurant with music, the tablecloths smell of soap... Why drink so much, Lenya? Why eat so much? Why talk so much? Today in the restaurant you again spoke a lot and everything was inopportune. About the seventies, about the decadents. And to whom? Sex talk about decadents!

L o p a x i n. Yes.

GAEV (waving his hand). I'm incorrigible, that's obvious... (Irritably, to Yasha.) What's wrong, you're constantly spinning before your eyes...

I am (laughs). I couldn't hear your voice without laughing.

G a e in (sister). Either me or he...

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Go away, Yasha, go...

I s a (gives Lyubov Andreevna a purse). I'll leave now. (He can barely stop himself from laughing.) Right now... (He leaves.)

L o p a x i n. Your estate is going to be bought by the rich Deriganov. At the auction, they say, he will come personally.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Where did you hear from?

L o p a x i n. They talk in the city.

G a e v. The Yaroslavl aunt promised to send, but when and how much she will send, it is not known ...

L o p a x i n. How much will she send? Thousand one hundred? Two hundred?

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Well ... Ten or fifteen thousand, and thanks for that.

L o p a x i n. Forgive me, such frivolous people as you, gentlemen, such unbusinesslike, strange, I have not yet met. They speak Russian to you, your estate is for sale, but you definitely do not understand.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. What do we do? Teach what?

L o p a x i n. I teach you every day. Every day I say the same thing. Both the cherry orchard and the land must be leased out for summer cottages, do it now, as soon as possible - the auction is on the nose! Understand! Once you finally decide that there will be dachas, they will give you as much money as you like, and then you will be saved.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Dachas and summer residents - it's so vulgar, sorry.

G a e v. Completely agree with you.

L o p a x i n. I will either sob, or scream, or faint. I can not! You tortured me! (to Gaev.) Baba you!

G a e v. Whom?

L o p a x i n. Woman! (Wants to leave.)

L ubov Andreevna (frightened). No, don't go, stay, my dear. I ask you to. Maybe we can think of something!

L o p a x i n. What is there to think about!

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Don't leave, please. It's more fun with you.

I'm still waiting for something, as if a house should collapse above us.

GAEV (in deep thought). Doublet in the corner. Croise in the middle...

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. We've been wrong a lot...

L o p a x i n. What are your sins...

GAEV (puts a lollipop in his mouth). They say that I ate my entire fortune on candy ... (Laughs.)

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Oh, my sins... I've always been throwing money around like crazy, and married a man who made nothing but debt. My husband died from champagne - he drank terribly - and, unfortunately, I fell in love with another, got together, and just at that time - it was the first punishment, a blow right in the head - right here on the river ... drowned my boy, and I went abroad, left completely, never to return, not to see this river ... I closed my eyes, ran, not remembering myself, and he followed me ... ruthlessly, rudely. I bought a cottage near Menton, because he fell ill there, and for three years I did not know rest, day or night; the patient has tormented me, my soul has dried up. And last year, when the dacha was sold for debts, I went to Paris, and there he robbed me, left me, got together with another, I tried to poison myself ... So stupid, so ashamed ... And suddenly I was drawn to Russia, to my homeland , to my girl ... (Wipes away tears.) Lord, Lord, be merciful, forgive me my sins! Don't punish me anymore! (Takes a telegram out of his pocket.) Received today from Paris... Asks for forgiveness, begs to come back... (Tears the telegram.) It's like music somewhere. (Listens.)

G a e v. This is our famous Jewish orchestra. Remember, four violins, a flute and a double bass.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Does he still exist? He should be invited to us somehow, arrange an evening.

LOPACHIN (listening). Do not hear ... (Sings softly.) "And for the money the Germans Frenchize the hare." (Laughs.) What play I saw yesterday at the theater is very funny.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. And probably nothing funny. You don’t have to watch plays, but you should watch yourself more often. How gray you all live, how much you say unnecessary things.

L o p a x i n. This is true. We must say frankly, our life is stupid ...

My dad was a peasant, an idiot, he didn’t understand anything, he didn’t teach me, but only beat me while drunk, and all with a stick. In fact, I'm the same blockhead and idiot. I didn’t learn anything, my handwriting is bad, I write in such a way that people are ashamed of me, like a pig.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. You need to get married, my friend.

L o p a x i n. Yes it's true.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. On our Varya. She's a good girl.

L o p a x i n. Yes.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. I have one of the simple ones, she works all day, and most importantly, she loves you. And yes, you like it too.

L o p a x i n. What? I don't mind... She's a good girl.

Pause.

G a e v. They offered me a job at a bank. Six thousand a year... Did you hear?

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Where are you! Sit already...

Firs enters; he brought a coat.

F i r s (to Gaev). If you please, sir, put it on, otherwise it's damp.

GAVE (puts on coat). You're tired, brother.

F i r s. There is nothing there ... In the morning they left without saying anything. (Looks at him.)

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. How old you are, Firs!

F i r s. What would you like?

L o p a x i n. They say you've aged a lot!

F and r s (not hearing). And still. The peasants are with the gentlemen, the gentlemen are with the peasants, and now everything is scattered, you won’t understand anything.

G a e v. Shut up, Firs. Tomorrow I need to go to the city. They promised to introduce me to one general who could give a bill.

L o p a x i n. You won't get anything. And you will not pay interest, be calm.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. He is delirious. There are no generals.

Enter Trofimov, Anya and Varya.

G a e v. And here comes ours.

And I. Mom is sitting.

L u b o v A Andreevna (gently). Go, go... My relatives... (Embracing Anya and Varya.) If only you both knew how much I love you. Sit next to me, like this.

Everyone sits down.

L o p a x i n. Our eternal student always walks with young ladies.

T r about f and m about in. None of your business.

L o p a x i n. He is fifty years old soon, and he is still a student.

T r about f and m about in. Stop your stupid jokes.

L o p a x i n. What are you, eccentric, angry?

T r about f and m about in. And you don't come.

L o p a k h i n (laughs). Let me ask you, how do you understand me?

T r about f and m about in. I, Yermolai Alekseevich, so understand: you are a rich man, you will soon be a millionaire. That's how in the sense of metabolism you need predatory beast, which eats everything that comes in its way, so you are needed.

Everyone laughs.

Varya. You, Petya, tell us better about the planets.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. No, let's continue yesterday's conversation.

T r about f and m about in. What is it about?

T r about f and m about in. We talked for a long time yesterday, but came to nothing. In a proud person, in your sense, there is something mystical. Perhaps you are right in your own way, but if you talk simply, without fantasies, then what kind of pride is there, is there any sense in it, if a person is physiologically unimportant, if in his vast majority he is rude, unintelligent, deeply unhappy. We need to stop admiring ourselves. We just need to work.

G a e v. You will still die.

T r about f and m about in. Who knows? And what does it mean to die? Perhaps a person has a hundred senses, and only five known to us perish with death, while the remaining ninety-five remain alive.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. How smart you are, Petya! ..

L o p a k h i n (ironically). Passion!

T r about f and m about in. Mankind is moving forward, improving its forces. Everything that is inaccessible to him now will someday become close, understandable, but now you have to work, help with all your might to those who are looking for the truth. We, in Russia, still have very few people working. The vast majority of the intelligentsia that I know are looking for nothing, doing nothing, and are not yet capable of work. They call themselves intelligentsia, but they say “you” to the servants, they treat the peasants like animals, they study poorly, they don’t read anything seriously, they do absolutely nothing, they only talk about the sciences, they understand little in art. Everyone is serious, everyone has a stern face, everyone talks only about important things, they philosophize, but meanwhile, before everyone’s eyes, the workers eat disgustingly, sleep without pillows, thirty or forty in one room, bedbugs everywhere, stench, dampness, moral impurity. .. And, obviously, all the good talk we have is only to avert the eyes of ourselves and others. Show me where we have a nursery, about which they talk so much and often, where are the reading rooms? They are written about only in novels, but in reality they do not exist at all. There is only dirt, vulgarity, Asiaticism... I am afraid and do not like very serious physiognomies, I am afraid of serious conversations. Better shut up!

L o p a x i n. You know, I get up at five o'clock in the morning, work from morning to evening, well, I always have my own money and other people's money, and I see what kind of people are around. You just have to start doing something to understand how few honest, decent people there are. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I think: “Lord, you gave us vast forests, vast fields, the deepest horizons, and living here, we ourselves should really be giants ...”

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. You needed giants... They are only good in fairy tales, but they are so frightening.

Epikhodov walks in the back of the stage and plays the guitar.

(Thoughtfully.) Epikhodov is coming...

And I (thoughtfully). Epikhodov is coming...

G a e v. The sun has set, gentlemen.

T r about f and m about in. Yes.

GAEV (quietly, as if reciting). Oh nature, marvelous, you shine with eternal radiance, beautiful and indifferent, you, whom we call mother, combine life and death, you live and destroy ...

V a r I (pleasantly). Uncle!

And I. Uncle, you again!

T r about f and m about in. You better yellow in the middle of a doublet.

G a e v. I am silent, I am silent.

Everyone is sitting and thinking. Silence. All you can hear is Firs mumbling softly. Suddenly there is a distant sound, as if from the sky, the sound of a broken string, fading, sad.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. What's this?

L o p a x i n. Don't know. Somewhere far away in the mines, a bucket broke. But somewhere very far away.

G a e v. Or maybe some kind of bird ... like a heron.

T r about f and m about in. Or an owl...

L ubov Andreevna (shudders). For some reason it's unpleasant.

Pause.

F i r s. Before the misfortune, it was the same: the owl screamed, and the samovar hummed endlessly.

G a e v. Before what misfortune?

F i r s. Before will.

Pause.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. You know, friends, let's go, it's already evening. (To Anya.) You have tears in your eyes... What are you, girl? (Hugs her.)

And I. That's right, mom. Nothing.

T r about f and m about in. Someone is coming.

A passer-by appears in a tattered white cap and overcoat; he is slightly drunk.

P r o h o g and y. May I ask you, can I go straight to the station here?

G a e v. You can. Follow this road.

P r o h o g and y. Thank you very much. (Coughing.) The weather is excellent... (Reciting.) My brother, suffering brother... go out to the Volga: whose groan... (to Varya.) Mademoiselle, allow the hungry Russian thirty kopecks...

Varya was frightened and screamed.

LOPACHIN (angrily). Every ugliness has its decency!

L ubov Andreevna (stunned). Take ... here you are ... (Looks in a purse.) There is no silver ... It doesn't matter, here's a gold one ...

P r o h o g and y. Thank you very much! (Exits.)

V a r I (frightened). I'll leave... I'll leave... Oh, Mommy, people have nothing to eat at home, and you gave him the golden one.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. What to do with me, stupid! I will give you everything I have at home. Yermolai Alekseich, give me another loan!...

L o p a x i n. I'm listening.

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Come on, gentlemen, it's time. And then, Varya, we completely wooed you, congratulations.

In a r I (through tears). This, Mom, is not a joke.

L o p a x i n. Ohmelia, go to the monastery...

G a e v. And my hands are trembling: I haven't played billiards for a long time.

L o p a x i n. Ohmelia, O nymph, remember me in your prayers!

L ub o v A n d r e e v n a. Come on, gentlemen. Dinner soon.

Varya. He scared me. The heart beats like that.

L o p a x i n. I remind you, gentlemen: on August 22, the cherry orchard will be on sale. Think about it!.. Think!..

Everyone leaves except Trofimov and Anya.

And me (laughing). Thanks to a passerby, I scared Varya, now we are alone.

T r about f and m about in. Varya is afraid, what if we fall in love with each other, and does not leave us for whole days. She, with her narrow head, cannot understand that we are above love. To get around that petty and illusory thing that prevents us from being free and happy, this is the goal and meaning of our life. Forward! We march irresistibly towards the bright star that burns far away! Forward! Keep up, friends!

And I (clasping my hands). How well you speak!

It's amazing here today!

T r about f and m about in. Yes, the weather is amazing.

And I. What have you done to me, Petya, why I no longer love the cherry orchard as before. I loved him so tenderly, it seemed to me that there was no better places like our garden.

T r about f and m about in. All Russia is our garden. The earth is great and beautiful, there are many wonderful places on it.

Think, Anya: your grandfather, great-grandfather and all your ancestors were feudal lords who owned living souls, and really, from every cherry in the garden, from every leaf, from every trunk, do they not look at you human beings, don't you really hear voices ... To own living souls - after all, it has reborn all of you who lived before and now live, so that your mother, you, uncle, no longer notice that you live in debt, at someone else's expense, at the expense of those people whom you do not let in further than the front ... We are at least two hundred years behind, and we still have absolutely nothing, we have no definite relationship to the past, we only philosophize, complain of longing or drink vodka. After all, it is so clear that in order to begin to live in the present, we must first redeem our past, put an end to it, and it can only be redeemed by suffering, only by extraordinary, uninterrupted labor. Get it, Anya.

And I. The house in which we live is no longer our home, and I will leave, I give you my word.

T r about f and m about in. If you have the keys to the household, then throw them into the well and leave. Be free as the wind.

And I (delighted). How well you said!

T r about f and m about in. Believe me, Anya, believe me! I am not yet thirty, I am young, I am still a student, but I have already endured so much! Like winter, so I am hungry, sick, anxious, poor, like a beggar, and - wherever fate has not driven me, wherever I have been! And yet my soul was always, at every moment, day and night, full of inexplicable forebodings. I foresee happiness, Anya, I already see it...

And I (thoughtfully). The moon is rising.

One can hear Epikhodov playing the same sad song on the guitar. The moon is rising. Somewhere near the poplars, Varya is looking for Anya and calls: “Anya! Where are you?"

T r about f and m about in. Yes, the moon is rising.

Here it is, happiness, here it comes, coming closer and closer, I can already hear his steps. And if we don't see it, don't recognize it, then what's the trouble? Others will see it!

Again this Varya! (Angry.) Outrageous!

And I. Well? Let's go to the river. It's good there.

Speaking about the work of A.P. Chekhov, his small humorous stories immediately pop up in my memory, filled with deep meaning and often tragedy, and for theatergoers, he is, first of all, one of the most prominent playwrights of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard"was the last in his work. Written in 1903, it was staged on the stage of his beloved Moscow Art Theater in 1904 and became the result of reflections on the fate of Russia. For those who do not have time to read A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard" summary step by step will help to get acquainted with this work.

Critics called the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov Anton Pavlovich a drama, and the writer himself believed that there was nothing dramatic in it, and, first of all, it was a comedy.

main characters

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna- a landowner who left her estate after tragic death son. A lonely middle-aged woman, prone to rash and frivolous actions, living in an ideal world, unwilling to accept reality that could hurt her.

Anya- the seventeen-year-old daughter of Ranevskaya. A young, sane girl who understands that reality has changed, and one must adapt to a new life that cannot be started without breaking with the past.

Gaev Leonid Andreevich- brother of Ranevskaya. Likes to talk about everything in the world. Very often he speaks out of place, which is why he is perceived as a jester and asked to be silent. The outlook on life is the same as that of my sister.

Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich- a merchant, a very wealthy person, a typical representative of bourgeois Russia. The son of a village shopkeeper with the business acumen and flair with which he made his fortune. At the same time, he cannot boast of education.

Varya- the adopted daughter of Ranevskaya, who dreams of making a pilgrimage to holy places. During her mother's absence, she acted as the mistress of the house.

Trofimov Petr Sergeevich- a student, a former teacher of Grisha (Ranevskaya's son), who died in childhood. An eternal student who loves to think about the fate of Russia, about what is right and wrong. Very progressive ideas, but no action is taken to implement them.

Other characters

Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich- the landowner, a neighbor of Ranevskaya, like her, is all in debt.

Charlotte Ivanovna- a governess, she spent her childhood in the circus, where her parents worked. He knows many tricks and tricks, loves to demonstrate them, does not understand why he lives and constantly complains about the lack of a soul mate.

Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich- a clerk, very clumsy, "22 misfortunes", as those around him call him, in love with Dunyasha.

Dunyasha- housemaid. A young girl, longing for love, tries to behave like a young lady, "a gentle creature, accustomed to a gallant attitude."

Firs- lackey, an old man of 87 years old, who served the family of Ranevskaya and Gaev all his life, refused to create his own hearth and acquire freedom.

Yasha- a young lackey who imagines himself a very important person after a trip abroad. An impudent, dissolute young man.

The play consists of 4 acts that take place in the estate of L.A. Ranevskaya.

Action 1

The first action of The Cherry Orchard takes place in "the room that is still called the nursery."

Early May dawn. It is still cold, but the cherry orchard has already blossomed, filling everything around with aroma. Lopakhin (who overslept the exit to the railway station) and Dunyasha are waiting for the arrival of Ranevskaya, who has spent the last 5 years abroad with her daughter Anya, a governess, and footman Yasha. Lopakhin recalls Lyubov Andreevna as human lung and simple. He immediately tells about his fate, saying that his father was a simple peasant, and he was already "in a white vest, yellow shoes." Without embarrassment, he mentions that, despite his wealth, he did not receive an education. But at the same time, she reproaches Dunyasha with the fact that she dresses like a young lady and behaves inappropriately as a maid. Dunyasha is very excited about the arrival of the hosts. Epikhodov suddenly enters with a bouquet. Dunyasha tells Lopakhin that earlier Epikhodov proposed to her.

Finally, the crews arrive. In addition to those who arrived, other heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard" appear on the stage, who met them at the station - Gaev, Varya, Semeonov-Pishchik and Firs.

Anya and Lyubov Andreevna are happy to return. We are glad that nothing has changed around, the situation is so unchanged that there is a feeling that they did not leave. A lively bustle begins in the house. Dunyasha happily tries to tell Anya what happened in their absence, but Anya shows no interest in the maid's chatter. The only thing that interested her was the news that Petya Trofimov was visiting them.

From the conversations in the first act, it becomes clear that Ranevskaya is now in an extremely distress. She has already been forced to sell foreign property, and in August her estate with a cherry orchard is to be sold for debts. Anya and Varya discuss this and understand how deplorable their situation is, while Lyubov Andreevna, not used to saving, only sighs and listens to Firs' memories of how they used to sell cherries and what they cooked from them. Lopakhin proposes to cut down the cherry orchard, and divide the territory into plots and rent it out to the townspeople as dachas. Lopakhin promises "at least twenty-five thousand a year income." However, Lyubov Andreevna and her brother are categorically against such a decision, they value their garden: “If there is anything interesting, even wonderful, in the whole province, it is only our cherry orchard.” And yet Lopakhin invites them to think and leaves. Gaev hopes that there will be an opportunity to borrow money to pay off debts, and during this time it will be possible to establish relations with the rich aunt countess and, with her help, finally resolve financial problems.

In the same action, Petya Trofimov appears, ardently in love with Anya.

Action 2

The second action of The Cherry Orchard takes place in nature, near the old church, from where a view of the cherry orchard and the city visible on the horizon opens up. A lot of time has passed since the arrival of Ranevskaya, and only a few days remain before the auction for the sale of the garden. During this time, Dunyasha's heart was conquered by Yasha, who is in no hurry to advertise the relationship and is even shy about them.

Epikhodov, Charlotte Ivanovna, Dunyasha and Yasha are walking. Charlotte talks about her loneliness, that there is no person with whom she could talk heart to heart. Epikhodov feels that Dunyasha prefers Yasha and is very upset by this. It hints that he is ready to commit suicide. Dunyasha is passionately in love with Yasha, but his behavior shows that for him this is just a passing hobby.

Ranevskaya, Gaev, Lopakhin appear near the church. Gaev talks about the benefits railway which allowed them to easily get to the city and have breakfast. Lopakhin asks Lyubov Andreevna to give an answer about the lease of the estate's lands, but she does not seem to hear him, talking about the lack of money, and scolding herself for their unreasonable spending. At the same time, a little later, after these arguments, he gives the golden ruble to a random passerby.

Ranevskaya and Gaev are waiting for a money transfer from the countess's aunt, but the amount is not enough to pay off their debts, and it is not acceptable for them to rent land to summer residents, it’s even vulgar. Lopakhin is surprised at the frivolity and shortsightedness of their behavior, it even angers him, because the estate is for sale, and if you start leasing it, then this will be the best guarantee for any bank. But the landlords do not hear and do not understand what Lopakhin is trying to convey to them. Lyubov Andreevna reproaches the merchant for his lack of education and earthly judgments. And then he tries to woo Varya to him. Gaev, as always at the wrong time, reports that he was offered a job in a bank, but his sister besieges him, saying that he has nothing to do there. Old Firs comes, recalls his youth and how well life was under serfdom, everything was clear and understandable: who was the master and who was the servant.

Then Varya, Anya and Petya join the walkers. And yesterday's conversation continues about pride, about intellectuals, who, despite external education, are in fact small and uninteresting creatures. It becomes clear how different people gathered together.

When everyone went home, Anya and Petya were left alone, and then Anya admitted that the cherry orchard was not so important to her, and that she was ready for a new life.

Action 3

The third act of The Cherry Orchard takes place in the living room in the evening.

An orchestra is playing in the house, couples are dancing around. All characters here, except for Lopakhin and Gaev. August 22 - the day on which the auction for the sale of the estate was scheduled.

Pishchik and Trofimov are talking, they are interrupted by Lyubov Andreevna, she is extremely excited, waiting for her brother to return from the auction, he is delayed. Ranevskaya wonders if the auction took place, and what is their result.

Was there enough money sent by her aunt to buy the estate, although she understands that 15 thousand is not enough, which is not even enough to pay off interest on debts. Charlotte Ivanovna entertains those present with her tricks. Yasha asks her hostess to go to Paris, as he is burdened by the surrounding rudeness and lack of education. The atmosphere in the room is tense. Ranevskaya, anticipating her imminent departure to France and meeting with her lover, is trying to sort out the lives of her daughters. She also prophesies Lopakhin to Varya, and she would not mind marrying Anya to Petya, but she fears his incomprehensible position of an “eternal student”.

At this moment, a dispute arises that for the sake of love you can lose your head. Lyubov Andreevna reproaches Petya for being “above love,” and Petya reminds her that she is striving for an unworthy person who has already robbed and abandoned her once. Although there is still no exact news about the sale of the house and garden, it seems that everyone present has decided what they will do if the garden is sold.

Epikhodov tries to talk to Dunyasha, who has completely lost interest in him; Varya, who is as much agitated as foster mother, drives him away, reproaching that he behaves too freely for a servant. Firs bustles around serving treats to the guests, everyone notices that he is not feeling well.

Enter Lopakhin, barely hiding his joy. He arrived with Gaev, who was supposed to bring news from the auction. Leonid Andreevich is crying. The news about the sale is reported by Ermolai Alekseevich. New owner he! And after that, he gives vent to his feelings. He is delighted that the most beautiful estate, in which his grandfather and father were slaves, now belongs to him, and he can allow himself to do whatever he wants in it, the owner of not only the estate, but also life: “I can pay for everything !" He can't wait to start cutting down the garden in order to build dachas in its place, and this is the new life he sees.

Varya throws the keys and leaves, Lyubov Andreevna sobs, Anya tries to console her, saying that there is still a lot of good ahead, and life goes on.

Action 4

Act four begins in the nursery, but it is empty, only in the corner there is luggage and things prepared for removal. From the street comes the sound of trees being cut down. Lopakhin and Yasha are waiting for the former owners to appear, with whom their former peasants have come to say goodbye. Lopakhin escorts the Ranevskaya family with champagne, but no one wants to drink it. Every character's mood is different. Lyubov Andreevna and Gaev are sad, Anya and Petya are in anticipation of the beginning of a new stage in their lives, Yasha is glad that he is leaving his homeland and mother that bothered him, Lopakhin can not wait to close the house as soon as possible and start the project that he conceived. The former owner holds back her tears, but when Anya says that after the sale of the estate, it only became easier for everyone, since they all were able to understand where to move on, everyone agrees with her. Now everyone is going to Kharkov together, and there the paths of the heroes will diverge. Raevskaya and Yasha leave for Paris, Anya to study, Petya to Moscow, Gaev agreed to serve in a bank, Varya found a job as a housekeeper in a nearby town. Only Charlotte Ivanovna is not attached, but Lopakhin promises to help her settle down. He also took Epikhodov to him to help in resolving issues with the estate. Of the former inhabitants of this house, only the ill Firs does not fuss, who was supposed to be taken to the hospital in the morning, but because of the turmoil they cannot figure out whether he was taken there or not.

Pishchik runs in for a minute, to the surprise of everyone, he repays the debt to Lopakhin and Ranevskaya, and says that he leased his land to the British for the extraction of rare white clay. And he admits that handing over the land of the estate for him was like jumping from the roof, but after handing over, nothing terrible happened.

Lyubov Andreevna makes one last attempt to arrange the marriage of Lopakhin and Varya, but left alone, Lopakhin does not propose, and Varya is very upset. The carriages arrived and the loading began. Everyone leaves, only the brother and sister are left to say goodbye to the house in which childhood and youth passed, they sob, hugging, saying goodbye to the past, dreams and memories, with each other, realizing that their life has changed irrevocably.

The house is closed. And then Firs appears, who was simply forgotten in this turmoil. He sees that the house is closed and forgotten, but he has no anger at the owners. He just lays down on the couch and soon dies.
The sound of a broken string and the blows of an ax on wood. Curtain.

Conclusion

Such is the retelling of the content of the play "The Cherry Orchard". Having read The Cherry Orchard in abbreviated form, you will, of course, save time, but for a better acquaintance with the characters, to understand the idea and problems of this work, it is desirable to read it in full.

Test on the play "The Cherry Orchard"

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Retelling rating

Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 9130.

The Cherry Orchard was created by Chekhov in 1903. This is a play about the decline of noble life on the estates, about the imaginary and real owners of the Russian land, about the inevitable renewal of Russia. Chekhov presented the obsolete past of Russia with the play The Cherry Orchard. A summary follows below.

First, let's introduce the main characters:

Landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya. Her own daughter Anna is 17 years old. Stepdaughter Varya is 24 years old. Brother Ranevskaya - Gaev Leonid Andreevich. Student Trofimov Petr Sergeevich. Governess Charlotte Ivanovna. Merchant Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich. Landowner Semionov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich. Maid Dunyasha. Young footman Yasha. Old footman Firs. Clerk Semyon Panteleevich Epikhodov.

"The Cherry Orchard": a summary of the first act

Dawn. Outside the window is spring, blossoming cherry trees can be seen. Only it is still cold in the garden, so all the windows are closed. Lopakhin and Dunyasha enter the room. They talk about the train that was late. And Lopakhin is upset that he could not meet Lyubov Andreevna, who recently lived abroad, at the station.

Then Epikhodov enters, he recently proposed to Dunyasha. Everyone hears two carriages drive up. The turmoil begins. The footman Firs enters, dressed in an ancient livery. And behind him comes Ranevskaya, Gaev, Anya, Simionov-Pishchik and Charlotte Ivanovna. Anya and Ranevskaya reminisce about the past.

Then Anya talks with Varya. She talks about her experience of finding her mother there without money, among strangers. But Ranevskaya did not seem to understand her position. She gives the lackeys a ruble for tea, and they order the most exquisite and expensive dishes. But in fact, the money was barely enough to get home. And now the estate must be sold, the auction is scheduled for August.

"The Cherry Orchard": a summary of the second act

Evening. Sunset. The action takes place at an abandoned chapel. Lopakhin is interested in plots for dachas. He believes that the land should be divided into plots and leased out. Only for this you have to cut down the cherry orchard. But Ranevskaya and Gaev are against it, they call it vulgarity. Gaev dreams of some kind of inheritance, of the Yaroslavl aunt, who promised to give money, but how much and when it will be is unknown. Merchant Lopakhin once again recalls the auction.

"The Cherry Orchard": a summary of the third and fourth acts

The Jewish orchestra is playing. Dancing couples all around. Varya is worried that the musicians were invited, but they have nothing to pay. Ranevskaya cannot wait for her brother to arrive from the auction. Everyone hopes that he bought the estate for the money sent by the Yaroslavl aunt. Only she sent only fifteen thousand, and they are not even enough for interest. Gaev and Lopakhin are returning from the auction. Guy is crying. Ranevskaya learns that the garden has been sold, new owner- Lopakhin. She almost faints.

There is little furniture in the rooms, no curtains or paintings. Worth the luggage. Lopakhin warns that in a few minutes you need to go. Gaev went to work in a bank. Ranevskaya travels to Paris with her aunt's money sent from Yaroslavl. Yasha goes with her. Gaev and Ranevskaya are depressed, they say goodbye to the house. Anya thinks that her mother will return to her soon. And she will study at the gymnasium, go to work and begin to help her mother. Everyone gets out noisily and leaves for the station. And only the forgotten Firs remained in the closed house. Silence. The sound of an ax is heard.

"The Cherry Orchard": analysis. Basic moments

The summary tells us that Gaev and Ranevskaya are an obsolete past. The Cherry Orchard is dear to them as a memory of childhood days, of well-being, of youth, of an easy and graceful life. And Lopakhin understands this. He tries to help Ranevskaya by offering to rent land. There is simply no other way out. Only the lady, as always, is careless, she thinks that everything will somehow resolve itself. And when the garden was sold, she did not grieve for long. The heroine is not capable of serious experiences, she easily moves from anxiety to cheerful animation. And Lopakhin is proud of the purchase and dreams of his new life. Yes, he bought the estate, but still remained a peasant. And the owners of the cherry orchard, although ruined, are, as before, gentlemen.

The central line of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" lies in the conflict between the nobility and the bourgeoisie, and the first must give way to the second. In parallel, another conflict develops - a socio-romantic one. The author is trying to say that Russia is a beautiful garden that should be preserved for posterity.

The landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who owns an estate and a cherry orchard, has long been bankrupt, but she is used to leading an idle, wasteful lifestyle and therefore cannot change her habits. She is not able to understand that in modern times it is necessary to make efforts in order to survive and not die of hunger, this is how our summary describes her. "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov, only in full reading is able to reveal all the experiences of Ranevskaya.

Ranevskaya constantly thinks about the past, her confusion and resignation to fate are combined with expressiveness. A woman prefers not to think about the present, because she is mortally afraid of it. However, she can be understood, since she was seriously spoiled by the habit of going through life without thinking about anything. Its complete opposite is Gaev, brother, which eclipsed his eyes, and he is not capable of committing any meaningful actions. To understand that Gaev is a typical freeloader, it is enough to read the summary of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.

The conflict between the old owners and the new ones is resolved in favor of Lopakhin, who in the work is complete opposite old masters is purposeful and knows perfectly well what he wants from life. He is a descendant of several generations who worked for the Ranevsky landowners. Detailed description Lopakhin's family, for objective reasons, cannot enter Chekhov in full, reveals the conflict that arose between the characters.

The author, using the example of Lopakhin, demonstrates the true nature of capital. The ability to acquire anything can cripple any person and become his second "I". Despite the fact that Lopakhin has a subtle and sensitive soul, it will become coarser over time, as the merchant in him will win. It is impossible to combine finances and emotions into a single whole, and The Cherry Orchard repeatedly emphasizes this.

Despite the fact that Ranevskaya's tears hurt Lopakhin, and he knows perfectly well that not everything is bought and sold, practicality prevails. However, is it possible to build a completely new life on the remains of the cherry orchard? Land plot given for the construction of dachas, destroyed. Gone is the beauty and life that once burned in the cherry orchard with a bright flame, to understand this, it is enough to read it is a vivid exponent of the spirit of a bygone era, this is what the play is interesting for.

The author managed to show the total degeneration of the nobility in all its layers, and then its destruction as a social class. At the same time, Chekhov shows that capitalism is not eternal either, since it inevitably leads to destruction. Petya believes that Lopakhin should not hope too much that summer residents can become excellent hosts.

The heroes of the work look into the future in completely different ways. According to Ranevskaya, her life has come to an end, and Anya and Trofimov, on the contrary, are to some extent glad that the garden will be sold, since now they can start living in a new way. The cherry orchard in the work acts as a symbol of the past era, and he must leave along with Ranevskaya and Firs. "The Cherry Orchard" shows Russia at the crossroads of time, which cannot decide where to move on, this can be understood by reading its summary. "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov allows the reader not only to get acquainted with the reality of the past years, but also to find a reflection of those principles of life in the modern world.