Editors Reads Verdict
Chekhov's final play — he called it a comedy; Stanislavski staged it as a tragedy. Both were right. The inability of the Ranevskaya family to act, their nostalgia for a world already gone, and Lopakhin's triumph over the class that once owned his people — these elements coexist without resolution, as they do in life.
What We Loved
- The ambiguity between comedy and tragedy is not a failure but a formal achievement — Chekhov refused to resolve what life doesn't resolve
- The social dimension — the estate of a class whose servants' grandchildren now own it — is handled without polemic
- The offstage sound — the breaking string, the axe — is Chekhov's most famous theatrical device, perfectly placed
Minor Drawbacks
- The characters' inability to act can frustrate audiences expecting dramatic climax
- The comedy Chekhov intended is difficult to stage without straying into pathos — directors consistently find it harder than he claimed
Key Takeaways
- → Lopakhin, son of serfs who owned the estate, is the play's central irony — the most competent person in the play, he feels his triumph as a form of humiliation
- → The cherry orchard is not practical — it produces nothing, costs much, and Lopakhin's plan to cut it down is economically rational; it is only the family's attachment to it that makes it tragic
- → Chekhov's characters do not have plans — they drift, they talk, they fail to act; the drama arises not from events but from the texture of people not quite reaching each other
| Author | Anton Chekhov |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Penguin Classics |
| Pages | 192 |
| Published | January 1, 1904 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Classic, Drama |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Best For | Readers and theatre-goers interested in modern drama — the foundational text of twentieth-century theatre and the indirect action play. |
The Return
The Ranevskaya family returns to their country estate from Paris. The estate is beautiful. The cherry orchard is in full bloom. The estate must be sold to pay debts. Lopakhin — a merchant whose father was a serf on this estate — offers a solution: cut down the orchard, divide the land into lots, and rent the lots for summer dachas. The money would save the estate.
The family cannot do it. The orchard is not just land; it is their history, their identity, their past. They talk about other solutions. They avoid thinking about the auction. The auction comes. Lopakhin buys it.
The Ambiguity
Chekhov called The Cherry Orchard a comedy. His letters to Stanislavski, who was staging it as a tragedy, are insistent: it is not a drama, it is a comedy, there are even moments of farce. Stanislavski staged it as an elegy. The argument has never been settled, because both Chekhov and Stanislavski were right about different aspects of the same material.
The final image — the old house empty, the elderly servant Firs locked in by accident, the sound of the axes beginning in the orchard — is simultaneously the end of a world and the beginning of another.
Our rating: 4.4/5 — Chekhov’s final masterpiece — comedy, elegy, and the sound of axes.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Cherry Orchard" about?
An aristocratic Russian family returns to their estate, which must be sold to pay debts. The merchant Lopakhin offers a solution — cut down the cherry orchard and build summer cottages. They cannot bring themselves to act. The orchard is sold at auction. They leave. The sound of the axe begins.
Who should read "The Cherry Orchard"?
Readers and theatre-goers interested in modern drama — the foundational text of twentieth-century theatre and the indirect action play.
What are the key takeaways from "The Cherry Orchard"?
Lopakhin, son of serfs who owned the estate, is the play's central irony — the most competent person in the play, he feels his triumph as a form of humiliation The cherry orchard is not practical — it produces nothing, costs much, and Lopakhin's plan to cut it down is economically rational; it is only the family's attachment to it that makes it tragic Chekhov's characters do not have plans — they drift, they talk, they fail to act; the drama arises not from events but from the texture of people not quite reaching each other
Is "The Cherry Orchard" worth reading?
Chekhov's final play — he called it a comedy; Stanislavski staged it as a tragedy. Both were right. The inability of the Ranevskaya family to act, their nostalgia for a world already gone, and Lopakhin's triumph over the class that once owned his people — these elements coexist without resolution, as they do in life.
Ready to Read The Cherry Orchard?
Check the current price on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Prices and availability are subject to change. See Amazon for current price.
Review last updated: