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Literary And Criticism In The Cherry Orchard By Anton Chekhov

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The text that this essay is based on is “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov. It is a play from 1903 about a group of former serfs, a family of Russian aristocrats and their financial downfall after the emancipation declaration. It follows the interactions between those that used to be owners and those who used to be owned as they attempt to save the family from bankruptcy and save their cherry orchard. The play was initially meant to be a comedy but the majority of its performances are viewed as tragedies, which brings me to the focus of this essay, which is to identify the aspects of the play that made Chekhov consider it a comedy. To do this I’m going to look at the literary and contextual factors that, combined, could lead me to Chekhov’s …show more content…

The downfall of the family and the slow degradation of their lifestyle is not something that you would expect to get an audience laughing. Another probable cause for the misinterpretation could be Lyuba Ranevsky, one of the main characters. She is part of the family who is having money troubles and eventually loses their orchard. The fact that the character for whom it all ends badly gets as much stage time, if not more, than the character for whom it ends well means that the audience’s sympathies can be divided . Also, from a more structural point of view the play progresses towards a fixed end point, the loss of the orchard, making it similar to a tragedy . Now, however, we should look at some aspects of Chekhov’s writing like his use of realism and symbolism. Chekhov’s characters in “The Cherry Orchard” are put on display with all of their seemingly insignificant habits, characteristics and dialogues. It is these seemingly insignificant details that give the play a realistic atmosphere while at the same time defining the characters as representatives of their social class. “Yes… It is something… [Feeling the cupboard] Dear, revered cupboard! I salute your existence which for more

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