bye chekhov.  i gave this play a 3.

there wasn’t much to this play.  Chekhov usually writes play of indirect action- meaning that the society has action, society is dynamic, but the characters involved are static, and do not take action.

This play is a great example of indirect action mainly because the setting takes place in Russia, when the society is changing and economy is beginning to struggle.  The play is about an affluent family who refuses to adapt to these changes and ultimately have to abandon their beloved cherry orchard (an orchard that dates back to even the times when generations prior to them were still servants to the owners.  Lopahin, a shrewd business man suggests to madame ravenskaya to sell the property to erect summer homes for rent, but she and her family complain over its sentimentally and therefore loses the property.

This is a critique made by Chekhov, that people must change for the better, for themselves and society, and for one to foster change, he/she must change themselves.  He wanted his plays to affect his audiences to administer change and not follow the examples of his characters in his plays.

If you want a lot of action, i wouldn’t suggest this play because you’ll die in all the dialogue, but if you want to read an old Russian classic, this one is a good start.