Book Club Guide

The Cherry Orchard

by Anton Chekhov · 1904 · Classics

Key themes

The passing of a world — and those who cannot move on from it
Comedy and tragedy as the same thing viewed from different distances
The orchard as what cannot be saved — and what is lost when it goes

About this book

The Ranevskaya family returns to their ancestral estate with its cherry orchard, facing financial ruin and unable to take the practical steps that would save them. Chekhov's final play is simultaneously funny and heartbreaking — a study in the incapacity of people to respond to change, and in the passing of one world and the arrival of another.

Premiered in 1904 at the Moscow Art Theatre, The Cherry Orchard was Chekhov's final play. The premiere coincided with his 44th birthday and he died of tuberculosis six months later. The play was performed at his request as a comedy.

Discussion questions

Chekhov insisted the play was a comedy; Stanislavski and subsequent directors have often played it as tragedy. Which reading do you find more true — and what does the ambiguity say about what Chekhov was doing?
The Ranevskaya family cannot save their orchard because they cannot bring themselves to act. How does Chekhov develop this collective incapacity — and who among the characters sees most clearly?
Lopakhin, the merchant's son who buys the estate, is a complex figure — he loves Ranevskaya but also represents what displaces her. How does Chekhov develop him — and whose side is the play on?
The orchard is never seen — only heard (the sound of axes at the end). What does this offstage quality achieve — and what does the orchard represent?
The Cherry Orchard was Chekhov's last play and he died six months after its premiere. How does knowing this affect your reading — and does the play feel like a final statement?