The Cherry Orchard (1903)
ACT Three (1)
GROUP REPORT Blues Grace Claire Rachel Sophia
Designed and Complied by BUCK LEE
¡]by Grace Huang¡^
In the party:
1. Landowner (PIS) & Governess (CHA)
2. Student (TRO) & Madame Ranevsky (M.R.)
3. Anya & Post-office clerk
4. Varya & Station Master
5. Maid (DUN)
6. Old valet (FIRS)
7. Counting-house clerk (EPI)
8. Young valet (YAS)
9. Other guests
Appear later:
1. Merchant (Lopahin)
2. Brother of M.R. (Gaev)
Detailed structure
PIS vs. TRO: a conversation about horse and money
TRO vs. Varya: quarrelling
M.R. worried about the sale of the Cherry Orchard
CHA showed her cards tricks & ventriloquism in the party
PIS was attracted by CHA (because of these tricks)
M.R. worried about the sale again
TRO vs. Varya: quarrelling
M.R. vs. Varya: a conversation about Lopahin
EPI broke a billiard cue.
TRO told MR. that he teased Varya because she liked to worry about what's not her business.
M.R. worried again: wanted to scream, and do something stupid, etc.
M.R. told TRO that she could not live without the Cherry Orchard.
M.R. told TRO that she would let Anya marry him: take degree & make his beard grow.
M.R. thought she should go back to Paris. aAn argument between M.R. and TRO about love.
TRO was angry. When he left, he fell downstairs .
Firs said that:
In old days-generals and nobles came
Now- post-office clerk and station master
Someone in the kitchen said that the Cherry Orchard had been sold.
M.R. worried again. She would like to know to whom it had been sold.
If the house was sold:
Firs-anywhere
Yasha-liked to go with M.R. to Paris.
PIS borrowed 180 roubles from M.R.
DUN was in love with the post-office clerk
Varya vs. EPI: blame him (broke the cue, did not work, and entered like a guest)
EPI quarreled with Varya, and Varya tried to beat him with a stick.
Lopahin came back with Gaev.
Gaev cried, and Lopahin said that he had bought the house with 90,000 roubles.
Lopahin acted like a new owner.
M.R. cried and Anya comforted her by telling her that they would build another new one.
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Setting
Sound Effect
1. P.1357
the Jewish orchestra is heard playing
Blues will talk about it in details later
2. P.1358
There is the sound of billiard being played in an adjoining room
People are still unware that the cherry orchard has been sold and and have fun
3. P.1359
A mysterious feminine voice which seems coming out of the floor
Charlotta is a ventriloguist
4. P.1362
The old stranger man in the kitchen was gossiping that the cherry orchard's been sold today
It is a presage ; a hint
5. P.1365
There is heard a knocking of balls and the voice of YASHA saying "Eighty-seven"
People are still unware that the cherry orchard has been sold and and have fun
6. P.1359
Charlotta claps her hands and people say "Bravo !"
Applauding for her tricks
7. P.1365
LAPAHIN jingles the keys
When noticing that the cherry orchard has been sold, VARIA flings the keys on the floor and goes out, which Shows that she is not the house wife anymore LAPAHIN picked the keys up, which means that he is the owner
8. P.1366
Music begins to play
It is a celebration for LAPAHIN that he is the new owner of Cherry orchard, which is ironic and sorrowful for LYUBOV That she has sunk into a chair and is weeping in bitterly
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TROFIMOV
¡]by Claire¡^
1. He is a flighty and frivolous person and not solemn. In two respects, first (p.1358, Trofimov says that there really is something horsy about your appearance because Pishtchik says that his family derived from something about horse.) In fact, a real gentleman will not say that oh! Your appearance is like a horse! Ex: Prince Charles. Second (p.1358, 1360 Trofimov keeps teasing Varya "Madam Lopahin" because originally people think that Varya and Lopahin should be a couple. And even his words make Varya angry, he does not care. ) 2. He is not a thoughtful person. (p.1360 When Lyubow worries that whether the estate is sold or not, Trofimov does not comfort her patiently but just ask her to face the music cruelly. ) 3. On the other hand, you can say that he is a frank guy and always says what he wants to say.
Lopahin:
¡]by Joyce¡^
Lopahin appeared in the end of Act¢». When he came back to Lyubov's house with Gaev, he felt embarrassed but not for he had bought the cherry orchard. He felt embarrassed just because he was afraid of betraying his joy. When the outcome was made known-he himself bought the cherry, he started to be pleased with himself. He laughed, chuckled, stamped with his feet, smiled fondly, and all these movements showed how proud was Lopahin.
Our group members think that Lopahin had had an intention to buy the cherry orchard in the first beginning. However, he pretended to be kind to them and even tried to find a way (by selling out the cherry orchard to build villas instead) to pay their arrears. He urged Lyubov to sell it out, but surprisingly, he bought it for himself in the end. We also make a guess that Lopahin might do this to revenge on the Lyubov's family. He mentioned that his farther was a serf of Lyubov's father and grandfather. In the past, Lopahin's father had to work hard for them, he knew nothing and taught Lopahin nothing, only beat Lopahin with his stick when he was drunk. But Lopahin finally became the owner of the cherry orchard! Lopahin changed a lot from Act¢¹to Act ¢». He revealed his true character in the end of Act ¢».
Anya
(by Rachel¡^
From the dialogue in this play, we could see that Anya is a girl who has a kind heart and often shows her concern to others. Though she is a young girl, she has a quite mature thought. She knows that no matter how bad situation one has encountered one has to fact the music. With this thought, she always has a great hope to the future. Because she understands that is life and it is no use living in one's own old memory. Therefore, she is not afraid of challenge and has a great confidence in the better future. Accepting the reality (whether bad or good), doing something useful for the future is her true believe. In addition, she is also a filial daughter who loves her mother very much and wants to take good care of her mother.
Varya
In this play we may find Varya is a girl who gets into a temper easily and it seems that she likes to blame at others. Though she is easily out of temper, she still has a kind heart. As a direct girl of her own opinion, she seems like to pretend to be a doughty girl also. Besides her doughty outward, however, she is very sensitive inner, which makes her easily being hurt and being moved to tears.
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5. Issue: Reality in Act 3 of Cherry Orchard
¡]by Blues¡^
What is the Reality in this play¡HWhen people worry about losing their homeland, will they party¡HWhat is the party represent for¡HIf I didn't know how to protect my property, will I be in the mood for party? Will I talk about Nietzsche¡H Will I play card tricks¡HI have too many questions in mind and I don't know what the answers are. But I will try my best to analyze the Act for you.
First, at Chekhov's time, the leading philosophers are Karl Marx, Nietzsche and Freud. Karl Marx's social revolution and Nietzsche's Nihilism are key influence in the socialism Russia. So when they gossip about Nietzsche, doesn't surprise me and I don't feel unreal. The card tricks and the Romance between two lovers seem not so practical for changing the fate of the cherry orchard, but the event well represent for the new generation's statues, the political change isn't my business, but my parents problem. And I don't have to respond for it.
Second, the play processing until two thirds, Trofimov told Madame Ranevsky "for once in your life you must face the truth! ". And Madame Ranevsky tried to face the crisis for the first time. Personally, I tend to interpret that Ranevsky is the symbol of Russia landlord class who doesn't want to change into the socialism society, they love the old days. So the following what Ranevsky said seems like a speech for the noble class against what Marx represent for.
Some people don't care about who is the owner¡]the governor), just like the working class people. And some people think love is more important than land¡]the ruler or the power¡^. So, in the play, at least three kinds of people exists and present three kinds of reality: nostalgia¡]unreal old lady¡^, romantic Nihilism¡]surreal young lovers¡^, and realism¡]realistic lower class¡^.
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New York Times Theater Review on Cherry Orchard / Performance Review
http://www.nytimes.com/library/theater/103197cherry-theater-review.html
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