The Cherry Orchard

Pick any three characters and describe their relationship to the cherry orchard. Analyze what this reveals about their identity.

How is music and sound used throughout the play? How does it affect the plot, and what symbolic meanings does it hold?

Many of the play’s most important moments, like the sale of the orchard, happen offstage. What is the significance of this choice? How would the play be different if these scenes were part of the action?

Analyze Lopakhin and Varya’s relationship. How do they feel about one another? Why does Lopakhin fail to propose?

Many of the secondary characters who function primarily for comic relief, like Charlotta, Epikhodov, and Yasha, are also revealed to have depth and sadness of their own. How do their stories enhance the plot and contribute to the play’s themes of loss and change?

Analyze Lopakhin and Lubov’s relationship. How does it illustrate the changing social structure of society?

How does the play use setting to develop its themes?

What does Trofimov’s character represent, and what role does he play in the plot? How does he represent the changing Russia?