Why The Cherry Orchard is a comedy and not a tragedy. The play The Cherry Orchard is a comedy, drama or tragedy

Disputes about the genre interpretation of the play “The Cherry Orchard”

One of the features of Chekhov's dramaturgy was the problem of determining the genre of his plays. Very often the author's point of view on this issue did not coincide with the opinion of critics. The “undercurrents” characteristic of Chekhov’s plays give a completely original and deep sound to his works. Particularly heated debates took place around his last play, which was staged in 1904, and there is still no clear answer to the question: “The Cherry Orchard” - drama, comedy or tragedy?

Chekhov, just starting to work on his last play, defined its genre as a comedy, which he announced in a letter to his wife O. Knipper, who became the first performer of the role of Ranevskaya. It was very important for Chekhov that on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater, for which “The Cherry Orchard” was written, the actors conveyed the comedy of everything that was happening. Therefore, the author, in correspondence with each actor, gave additional characteristics of the characters so that everyone could fully embody their character; unfortunately, in most cases, he was simply not heard.

However, after the first reading of the new play by Stanislavsky, disputes arose between the director and playwright - is “The Cherry Orchard” a drama or a comedy? The production of the play was under the control of Chekhov; during rehearsals, he changed the play, adapting to the theater actors, and this greatly upset the author. And even despite the success of the play, Chekhov believed that it was a complete failure, since the directors completely inverted and mutilated the concept of the entire action, simply because they did not understand its meaning and did not figure out the characters.

One of the main mistakes of the first production was that Ranevskaya and Gaev became the main characters, although Chekhov repeatedly said that the central character was Lopakhin. But, nevertheless, their feelings about the loss of the estate were brought to the surface. But the author himself constantly tried to explain that in fact their experiences are a consequence of weak characters and lack of will, therefore, they do not deserve sympathy and pity. Anton Pavlovich pointed out that there is tearfulness in the play, but there should be no real tears on the faces.

And some critics generally asked the question “The Cherry Orchard” - a comedy or a tragedy? Of course, the play contains purely comic characters, depicted as extremely ridiculous and it even seems that they are not really needed in the plot. For example, Epikhodov is so clumsy that he received the nickname “twenty-two misfortunes.” The servants Yasha and Dunyash are simple, uneducated peasants who consider themselves almost equal to their masters. Charlotte Ivanovna is a governess, but she has no one to educate her, because there is not a single child in the play. And what can a former circus performer, who entertains guests in the third act with various tricks, teach?

And what about the “eternal student” Petya Trofimov? Chekhov portrayed him as an empty talker, capable only of beautifully talking about a wonderful future and how to live. And it’s simply funny that the young and naive Anya listens carefully to him and becomes his like-minded person. And Gaev? All the characters in the play consider him funny and absurd, and even Yasha allows himself to be ironic about him. But Ranevskaya doesn’t live in the present at all. The tendency to act rashly does not evoke sympathy. Perhaps the author’s tragic notes sound only when Lyubov Andreevna remembers her deceased son.

The problem of genre identification of a play

So what is the problem with determining the genre of the play “The Cherry Orchard”? From the very beginning creative activity Chekhov tended to depict the surrounding reality through the prism of humor. It is no coincidence that his very first stories were published in humorous magazines. Using satire and humor, Anton Pavlovich tried to show the absurdity of many human actions. A " The Cherry Orchard"became the final work of his entire work, incorporating all his thoughts about life and once again showing everyone that it was Chekhov who made a huge contribution to the development of the theater. Perhaps there is still no consensus on what genre “The Cherry Orchard” belongs to. For example, A.I. Revyakin classified this play as a tragicomedy, and even then very conditionally, because it lacks tragicomic situations and characters. M. Gorky called Chekhov's last play a “lyrical comedy.”

For viewers, “The Cherry Orchard” is always presented in the director’s interpretation. Over more than a century of history, this play has been presented to the viewer with tragedy, comedy, and drama. This play is successfully staged in various theaters not only in Russia, but also abroad. And what is quite remarkable is that the topic touched upon in it is still relevant.

No matter what genre “The Cherry Orchard” is staged, it will always remain the pinnacle of the work of the great innovator - playwright Chekhov, who changed not only Russian but also world theater. The arguments in this publication can be used by 10th grade students when preparing a report or essay on the topic of the “Cherry Orchard” genre.

Work test

“The Cherry Orchard” - drama or comedy? A. P. Chekhov called “The Cherry Orchard” a comedy. But the play has everything: tragedy, farce, and lyrical comedy. How to determine the genre of such a complex play? How to explain why I. S. Turgenev calls such sad plays as “The Freeloader” and “A Month in the Country” comedies? Why did A. N. Ostrovsky classify such works as “The Forest”, “The Last Victim”, “Guilty Without Guilt” into the comedy genre?

“The Cherry Orchard” is a play of the 20th century. Pushkin's understanding of high comedy, which, according to him, comes close to tragedy, can nowadays be conveyed using another term: tragicomedy. In tragicomedy, the playwright reflects the same phenomena of life in both comic and tragic light. At the same time, the tragic and the comic, interacting, strengthen each other, and an organic unity is obtained, which can no longer be divided into its component parts.

So, “The Cherry Orchard” is most likely a tragicomedy. Let us remember the third action: on the very day when the estate is sold at auction, a holiday is held in the house. Let's read the author's remark. The ballroom dance conductor turns out to be... Simeonov-Pishchik. It is unlikely that he changed into a tailcoat. This means, as always, in a vest and trousers, fat, out of breath, he shouts out the necessary ballroom commands, and does it in French, which he does not know. And then Chekhov mentions Vara, who “cries quietly and, dancing, wipes away her tears!” The situation is tragicomic: while dancing, she cries. It's not just Vara. Lyubov Andreevna, singing a lezginka, anxiously asks about her brother. Anya, who had just excitedly told her mother the rumor that the cherry orchard had already been sold, immediately goes to dance with Trofimov.

All this cannot be sorted into categories: here it is comic, and there it is tragic. This is how a new genre arises, allowing one to simultaneously convey pity for the characters in the play, anger, sympathy for them, and their condemnation - everything that flowed from the author’s ideological and artistic intent.

Chekhov’s judgment is interesting: “No plots are needed. There are no plots in life, everything is mixed in it - the deep with the shallow, the great with the insignificant, the tragic with the funny.” Obviously, Chekhov had reasons not to make a sharp distinction between the funny and the dramatic.

He did not recognize the division of genres into high and low, serious and funny. This does not exist in life, and it should not exist in Art either. In the memoirs of T. L. Shchepkina-Kupernik there is the following conversation with Chekhov:

“- I wish I could write such a vaudeville: two people wait out the rain in an empty barn, joke, laugh, declare their love - then the rain passes, the sun shines - and suddenly he dies of a broken heart!

God with you! - I was amazed. - What kind of vaudeville will this be?

But it is vital. Isn't that what happens? We're joking, laughing - and suddenly - bang! End!"

I think the genre of tragicomedy fully reflects the diversity of life, the mixture of joyful and mournful, farcical and sorrowful in it.

“THE CHERRY ORCHARD” - DRAMA, COMEDY OR TRAGEDY? The play “The Cherry Orchard” was written by A.P. Chekhov in 1903. Not only the socio-political world, but also the world of art felt the need for renewal. A.P. Chekhov, being a talented person who showed his skill in short stories, enters dramaturgy as an innovator.

After the premiere of the play “The Cherry Orchard,” a lot of controversy broke out among critics and spectators, among actors and directors about the genre features of the play. What is “The Cherry Orchard” in terms of genre - drama, tragedy or comedy? While working on the play, A.P. Chekhov spoke in letters about its character as a whole: “What came out of me was not a drama, but a comedy, in some places even a farce...” In letters to Vl.

A.P. Chekhov warned I. Nemirovich-Danchenko that Anya should not have a “crying” tone, so that in general there would not be “a lot of crying” in the play.

The production, despite its resounding success, did not satisfy A.P. Chekhov. Anton Pavlovich expressed dissatisfaction with the general interpretation of the play: “Why is my play so persistently called a drama on posters and in newspaper advertisements? Nemirovich and Alekseev (Stanislavsky) see in my play positively not what I wrote, and I am ready to give any word that both of them have never read my play carefully.” Thus, the author himself insists that The Cherry Orchard is a comedy. This genre did not at all exclude A.

P. Chekhov, serious and sad. Stanislavsky, obviously, violated the Chekhovian measure in the relationship between the dramatic and the comic, the sad and the funny. The result was drama where A.P. Chekhov insisted on lyrical comedy. One of the features of “The Cherry Orchard” is that all the characters are presented in an ambivalent, tragicomic light. The play has purely comic characters: Charlotte Ivanovna, Epikhodov, Yasha, Firs.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov laughs at Gaev, who “lived his fortune on candy,” at the sentimental Ranevskaya, who is beyond her age, and her practical helplessness. Even over Petya Trofimov, who, it would seem, symbolizes the renewal of Russia, A.P. Chekhov sneers, calling him an “eternal student.” Petya Trofimov deserved this attitude from the author with his verbosity, which A.P.

Chekhov could not stand it. Petya pronounces monologues about workers who “eat disgustingly, sleep without pillows,” about the rich who “live in debt, at someone else’s expense,” about “a proud man.” At the same time, he warns everyone that he is “afraid of serious conversations.” Petya Trofimov, having done nothing for five months, keeps telling others that “they have to work.” And this is with the hardworking Vara and the businesslike Lopakhin! Trofimov does not study because he cannot both study and support himself.

Petya Ranevskaya gives a very sharp but accurate description regarding Trofimova’s “spirituality” and “tact”: “... You have no purity, and you are just a neat person.” A.P. Chekhov speaks ironically about his behavior in his remarks. Trofimov either screams “with horror”, then, choking with indignation, cannot utter a word, then threatens to leave and cannot do this. A. has certain sympathetic notes.

P. Chekhov in the image of Lopakhin. He does everything possible to help Ranevskaya keep the estate. Lopakhin is sensitive and kind. But in double lighting he is far from ideal: there is a businesslike winglessness in him, Lopakhin is not capable of getting carried away and loving. In his relationship with Varya, he is comical and awkward. The short-term celebration associated with the purchase of a cherry orchard is quickly replaced by a feeling of despondency and sadness. Lopakhin utters a significant phrase with tears: “Oh, if only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change.”

Here Lopakhin directly touches on the main source of drama: it lies not in the struggle for the cherry orchard, but in dissatisfaction with life, experienced differently by all the heroes of the forest. Life goes on awkwardly and awkwardly, bringing no joy or happiness to anyone. This life is unhappy not only for the main characters, but also for Charlotte, lonely and useless, and for Epikhodov with his constant failures. When determining the essence of a comic conflict, literary scholars argue that it rests on the discrepancy between appearance and essence (comedy of situations, comedy of characters, etc.). In the “new comedy by A.P.

Chekhov's words, deeds and actions of the heroes are in precisely this inconsistency. Everyone’s internal drama turns out to be more important than external events (the so-called “undercurrents”). Hence the “tearfulness” of the characters, which does not have a tragic connotation at all. Monologues and remarks “through tears” most likely indicate excessive sentimentality, nervousness, and sometimes even irritability of the characters. Hence the all-pervasive Chekhovian irony. It seems that the author seems to be asking questions to the audience, the readers, and himself: why do people waste their lives so mediocrely? Why do they treat loved ones so frivolously? Why do they waste words and vitality so irresponsibly, naively believing that they will live forever and that there will be an opportunity to live their lives completely, anew? The heroes of the play deserve both pity and merciless “laughter through tears invisible to the world.”

Traditionally, in Soviet literary criticism, it was customary to “group” the characters of the play, calling Gaev and Ranevskaya representatives of Russia’s “past”, its “present” - Lopakhin, and its “future” - Petya and Anya. It seems to me that this is not entirely true. In one of the stage versions of the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the future of Russia lies with people like the lackey Yasha, who looks to where the power and money are. A.P. Chekhov, in my opinion, cannot do without irony here either. After all, a little more than ten years will pass, and where will the Lopakhins, Gaevs, Ranevskys and Trofimovs end up when the Yakovs judge them? With bitterness and regret A.

P. Chekhov is looking for Man in his play and, it seems to me, he does not find it. Of course, the play “The Cherry Orchard” is a complex and ambiguous play. That is why it attracted the attention of directors from many countries, and four productions were presented at the penultimate theater festival in Moscow. Disputes about the genre have not subsided to this day. But we should not forget that A.P. Chekhov himself called the work a comedy, and in my essay I tried to prove, as far as possible, why this is so

High comedy is not based

only for laughter... and often

comes close to tragedy.

A. S. Pushkin

Why did A.P. Chekhov call “The Cherry Orchard” a comedy? It is very difficult to answer this question. In the 19th century there was a certain mixture of genres and their interaction. Such plays appear as tragic comedy, drama-comedy, drama-tragic-comedy, lyrical comedy, comic drama.

The difficulty is that the play “The Cherry Orchard” has everything: tragedy, farce, and lyrical comedy. How to determine the genre of such a complex play?

A.P. Chekhov was not alone in this regard. How to explain why I. S. Turgenev calls such sad plays as comedies such as “The Freeloader” and “A Month in the Village”? Why did A. N. Ostrovsky classify such works as “The Forest”, “The Last Victim”, “Guilty Without Guilt” into the comedy genre?

This is probably due to the then still living traditions of serious, high comedy, as A.S. Pushkin called it.

In Russian literature, starting with A. S. Griboyedov, a special genre form is developing, which is called: high comedy. In this genre, a universal human ideal usually comes into conflict with some comically illuminated phenomenon. We see something similar in Chekhov’s play: a clash of a high ideal, embodied in the symbolic image of a cherry orchard, with the world of people who are unable to preserve it.

But “The Cherry Orchard” is a play of the 20th century. Pushkin's understanding of high comedy, which, according to him, comes close to tragedy, can now be conveyed using another term: tragicomedy.

In tragicomedy, the playwright reflects the same phenomena of life in both comic and tragic light. At the same time, the tragic and the comic, interacting, strengthen each other, and an organic unity is obtained, which can no longer be divided into its component parts.

So, “The Cherry Orchard” is most likely a tragicomedy. Let us remember the third action: on the very day when the estate is sold at auction, a holiday is held in the house. Let's read the author's remark. The ballroom dance conductor turns out to be... Simeonov-Pishchik. It is unlikely that he changed into a tailcoat. This means, as always, in a hoodie and bloomers, fat, out of breath, he shouts out the necessary ballroom commands, and does it in French, which he does not know. And then Chekhov mentions Vara, who “cries quietly and, dancing, wipes away her tears!” The situation is tragicomic: while dancing, she cries. It's not just Vara. Lyubov Andreevna, singing a lezginka, anxiously asks about her brother. Anya, who had just excitedly told her mother the rumor that the cherry orchard had already been sold, immediately goes to dance with Trofimov.

All this cannot be sorted into categories: here it is comic, and there it is tragic. This is how a new genre arises, which allows one to simultaneously convey pity towards the characters of the play, and anger, and sympathy for them, and their condemnation - everything that flowed from the ideological and artistic concept of the author.

Chekhov’s judgment is interesting: “No plots are needed. There are no plots in life, everything is mixed in it - the deep with the shallow, the great with the insignificant, the tragic with the funny.” Obviously, Chekhov had reasons not to make a sharp distinction between the funny and the dramatic. Material from the site

He did not recognize the division of genres into high and low, serious and funny. This does not exist in life, and it should not exist in art either. In the memoirs of T. L. Shchepkina-Kupernik there is the following conversation with Chekhov: “— I wish I could write such a vaudeville: two people wait out the rain in an empty barn, joke, laugh, declare their love — then the rain passes, the sun — and suddenly he dying of a broken heart!

- God with you! - I was amazed. - What kind of vaudeville will this be?

- But it’s vital. Isn't that what happens? We're joking, laughing - and suddenly - bang! End!"

I think the genre of tragicomedy fully reflects the diversity of life, the mixture of joyful and mournful, farcical and sorrowful in it.

Maybe in the future this genre will be given a different name. That's not the point. It would be a good play!

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A.P. Chekhov wrote a wonderful play “The Cherry Orchard” in 1903. The art world, as well as the socio-political world, felt the need for renewal. A.P. Chekhov, already a gifted writer who showed his skill in short stories, entered dramaturgy as a discoverer of new ideas. The premiere of the play “The Cherry Orchard” gave rise to a lot of discussion among critics and spectators, among actors and directors about the genre characteristics of the play. Let's look at what “The Cherry Orchard” is in terms of genre -

Drama, tragedy or comedy.
While working on the play, A.P. Chekhov spoke in letters about its character as a whole: “What came out of me was not a drama, but a comedy, in some places even a farce...” In letters to Vl. A.P. Chekhov warned I. Nemirovich-Danchenko that Anya should not have a “crying” tone, so that in general there would not be “a lot of crying” in the play. The production, despite its resounding success, did not satisfy A.P. Chekhov. Anton Pavlovich expressed dissatisfaction with the general interpretation of the play: “Why is my play so persistently called a drama on posters and in newspaper advertisements? Nemirovich and Alekseev (Stanislavsky) see in my play positively not what I wrote, and I am ready to give any word that both of them have never read my play carefully.” Thus, the author himself insists that “The Cherry Orchard” is a comedy. This genre did not at all exclude the serious and sad in A.P. Chekhov. Stanislavsky, obviously, violated the Chekhovian measure in the relationship between the dramatic and the comic, the sad and the funny. The result was drama where A.P. Chekhov insisted on lyrical comedy.
One of the features of “The Cherry Orchard” is that all the characters are presented in an ambivalent, tragicomic light. The play has purely comic characters: Charlotte Ivanovna, Epikhodov, Yasha, Firs. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov makes fun of Gaev, who “lived his fortune on lollipops,” and of the sentimental Ranevskaya beyond her age and her practical helplessness. Even over Petya Trofimov, who, it would seem, symbolizes the renewal of Russia, A.P. Chekhov sneers, calling him an “eternal student.” Petya Trofimov deserved this attitude from the author with his verbosity, which A.P. Chekhov did not tolerate. Petya pronounces monologues about workers who “eat disgustingly and sleep without pillows,” about the rich who “live in debt, at someone else’s expense,” about “a proud man.” At the same time, he warns everyone that he is “afraid of serious conversations.” Petya Trofimov, having done nothing for five months, keeps telling others that “they have to work.” And this is with the hardworking Vara and the businesslike Lopakhin! Trofimov does not study because he cannot both study and support himself. Petya Ranevskaya gives a very sharp but accurate description regarding Trofimova’s “spirituality” and “tact”: “... You have no purity, and you are just a neat person.” A.P. Chekhov speaks ironically about his behavior in his remarks. Trofimov either screams “with horror,” or, choking with indignation, cannot utter a word, or threatens to leave and cannot do this.
A.P. Chekhov has certain sympathetic notes in his portrayal of Lopakhin. He does everything possible to help Ranevskaya keep the estate. Lopakhin is sensitive and kind. But in double lighting he is far from ideal: there is a businesslike winglessness in him, Lopakhin is not capable of getting carried away and loving. In his relationship with Varya, he is comical and awkward. The short-term celebration associated with the purchase of a cherry orchard is quickly replaced by a feeling of despondency and sadness. Lopakhin utters a significant phrase with tears: “Oh, if only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change.” Here Lopakhin directly touches on the main source of drama: it lies not in the struggle for the cherry orchard, but in dissatisfaction with life, experienced differently by all the characters in the play. Life goes on awkwardly and awkwardly, bringing no joy or happiness to anyone. This life is unhappy not only for the main characters, but also for Charlotte, lonely and useless, and for Epikhodov with his constant failures.
When determining the essence of a comic conflict, literary scholars argue that it rests on the discrepancy between appearance and essence (comedy of situations, comedy of characters, etc.). In “the new comedy of A.P. Chekhov, the words, deeds and actions of the heroes are in precisely such a discrepancy. Everyone’s internal drama turns out to be more important than external events (the so-called “undercurrents”). Hence the “tearfulness” of the characters, which does not have a tragic connotation at all. Monologues and remarks “through tears” most likely indicate excessive sentimentality, nervousness, and sometimes even irritability of the characters. Hence the all-pervasive Chekhovian irony. It seems that the author seems to be asking questions to the audience, the readers, and himself: why do people waste their lives so mediocrely? Why do they treat loved ones so frivolously? Why do they waste words and vitality so irresponsibly, naively believing that they will live forever and that there will be an opportunity to live their lives completely, anew? The heroes of the play deserve both pity and merciless “laughter through tears invisible to the world.”
In Soviet literary criticism, it was traditional to “group” the characters of the play, calling the representatives of Russia’s “past” Gaev and Ranevskaya, its “present” - Lopakhin, and its “future” - Petya and Anya. I think this is not entirely true. According to one of the theatrical versions of the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the future of Russia turns out to be people like the lackey Yasha, who looks to where the power and finances are. In my opinion, A.P. Chekhov cannot do without sarcasm here either, since he does not see the place where the Lopakhins, Gaevs, Ranevskys and Trofimovs will find themselves after a little more than ten years, when such Yakovs will carry out their trial? A.P. Chekhov, with bitterness and regret, searches for Man in his play and, it seems to me, does not find him.
Undoubtedly, the play “The Cherry Orchard” is characterized by complexity and ambiguity. That is precisely why today the interest of directors from many countries around the world is riveted to it; “The Cherry Orchard” does not leave the theater stage. The debate about the genre of the work continues. However, we should not forget that A.P. Chekhov himself called his creation a comedy.