The Cherry Orchard Chekhov Analysis

`How does Chekhov attempt to develop the play as a tragedy in spite of having comic characters and dialogues?

The play “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov most of the time viewed as a tragedy, although Chekhov himself stated that it was meant as a comedy. The play was written during Chekhov’s last years, when he was fatally ill. He was continuously thinking of Russia and how it was changing in a negative way. The overtaking of bourgeoisie and inequalities between the rich and the poor affected Chekhov greatly and it caused him to include these points in his play. The author referred to the play as “A comedy in four acts,” showing that none of the parts of the play was ever meant to be a tragedy. However, the play is interpreted as a tragedy due to the unfortunate events that occur, such as the Grisha’s death, the loss of the family’s home and the beloved cherry orchard.

This can be seen within the characters such as Lubov Ranevskaya and Lopakhin. Lubov was rich before the Russian Revolution that occurred around the time when the play was written, after the revolution, she was in debt. In contrast, Lopakhin was the son of peasants who became a rich, successful businessman when he grew up. Although the rise and fall of the classes is a tragedy, the characters involved in the situation are quite comedic and take the events linked to finances lightly. In regards to money and freedom in the play, the Russian Revolution was also the time, in which serfs were freed from their owners, therefore creating an opposite feeling to the