Is Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" a comedy or a tragedy?

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov has generated much discussion especially with regards to its genre. The author considered the play a comedy while the famous director, Stanislavski considered the plot a tragedy, both with compelling reasons to support their arguments. Stanislavski premiered the play as a tragedy and even delayed the conclusion of the fourth act in order to sustain the suspense. This was done much to the disapproval of the author, who believed this was a poor representation of the play and its plot. Stanislavski asserted the play was a tragedy despite Anton’s attempt at creating a smooth landing for the protagonist in the last act.

The play began with the orchard being in danger of being sold, this situation progressed to it being sold and the situation after it was sold. This simplistic description of the play made it undeniably sad and confirmed there was nothing humorous about an individual losing their property. However, if one looks at how this trail of events occurred and the role of the characters, then the author’s assertions that the play was a comedy would be confirmed. The owner held on to the orchard until it was auctioned, with some of the characters supporting her based on trivial reasons, for instance, the reason given by Gaev, that the orchard appeared in the “Encyclopaedic Dictionary” and thus should be left as is.

Anton offered the audience an opportunity to see the buffoonery and infantilism displayed by the characters, based on the conflict they faced because of the changing times. On one hand, the land owner failed to appreciate the falling aristocracy, while on the other hand, the buyer did not fully recognize the rising social status of former serfs in the new Russia. In this regard, the play should be classified as a comedy based on the depth of reasons presented by the author.

Is The Cherry Orchard a comedy or even a farce, as Chekhov claimed?

You have asked a much debated question that has been discussed since the first showing of this excellent play. It is interesting that Chekov himself referred to this play as a "farce," whereas many other critics argue that the element of tragedy in this play far outweigh the comical elements. Certainly, the characters in the play are shown to be unable to act to help themselves and are unable to embrace or accept the immense social changes experienced by Russia in the time of the play. Although the play doesn't fit the traditional definition of a "tragedy," there is definitely a tragic element to it, and the way in which the characters are depicted and their utter helplessness leads some to argue that this is not a farce.

On the other hand, there are undoubtedly farcical elements to the play. Characters such as Leonid Gayev, and his constat reference to imaginary billiard shots, and Simon Yepikhodov, with his many calamities and the love triangle of which he is a part, undoubtedly bring a comic element to the play. And yet, interestingly, in spite of these comic elements, it is still possible to regard each of the characters and their situations as having elements of both comedy and tragedy. Thus it is clear that it seems problematic to classify this play overall as either a tragedy or a comedy. There are definite elements of both, and Chekov seems to have delibeately robbed us of the ability to easily classify his work into a discrete category. Perhaps this play represents his belief that it is possible to find humour even in bleak and hopeless situations.

Does Chekov's The Cherry Orchard inherently lean towards comedy or tragedy, considering its dual portrayal in various productions?

First, you have been asked to formulate a thesis statement for your essay on The Cherry Orchard. If you believe that the play inherently leans towards comedy or tragedy, then you will probably be able to do this fairly easily. If not, then your thesis statement should emphasize the role of performance in the decision. The first production of The Cherry Orchard was directed by Konstantin Stanislavsky, one of the most celebrated theater directors of all time, and it was he who decided that the play was a tragedy. The issue has been debated for more than a century, and it seems unlikely that a simple choice of comedy or tragedy will ever be a universally acceptable solution. Therefore, the most interesting thesis statement will be something like this:

The Cherry Orchard can be performed either as a comedy or as a tragedy, according to how the director and actors interpret the text.

To find citations from which to argue this, look for ambiguous passages which seem to allow a comic or a tragic reading. For instance:

We went to Paris; it’s cold there and snowing. I talk French perfectly horribly. My mother lives on the fifth floor. I go to her, and find her there with various Frenchmen, women, an old abbé with a book, and everything in tobacco smoke and with no comfort at all. I suddenly became very sorry for mother—so sorry that I took her head in my arms and hugged her and wouldn’t let her go. Then mother started hugging me and crying.

If you imagine these lines being delivered simply and sincerely, they could be tragic. However, exaggerated pathos and violent hand gestures on the part of the actress playing Anya immediately render them comical and absurd. The same might be said of Fiers and his reminiscences. He could be played as an eccentric comic character when he says things like the following:

And then we’d send the dried cherries off in carts to Moscow and Kharkov. And money! And the dried cherries were soft, juicy, sweet, and nicely scented. ... They knew the way.

Alternatively, he might present a melancholy picture of an old man losing his grip on reality. Yepikhodov's clumsiness and his complaints of spiders on his chest and beetles in his kvass are another instance of the thin line between tragedy and comedy.

Is Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard a comedy or a tragedy?

It is often referred to as a comedy, no doubt due to the subtitle and Chekhov's insistence on calling it a farce, but to me the tragic elements overwhelm the comic. This family, though terribly flawed, falls victim to its illusions. Although the cherry orchard in prior years was made possible by slave labor, it still seems unfortunate that it must be cut down, and tragic that the family members can't get out of fantasyland long enough to make decisions that might help them to save themselves.

It is sad and ironic that in trying to cling to the past, represented by the cherry orchard, they lose both the estate and the orchard itself, which is cut down anyway. They lose their status, they lose their home, and they go out into the world ill-equipped to adapt to new realities. If this is comedy, it is dark comedy; if it is farce, it is tragic farce.

Is The Cherry Orchard a tragedy or a comedy?

Anton Chekhov conceived of this play, which turned out to be his last, as a comedy,designating it “A Comedy in Four Acts” and even emphasizing to the Moscow Art Theatre that the last act should be “merry and frivolous.”  He suggested that some portions were even farcical.  Nevertheless, most interpretations and theatrical productions have emphasized its tragic aspects. It is understandable why the playwright’s intentions have been largely disregarded; the subject is a serious and depressing one including the family’s loss of their ancestral home and removal from it and other sad developments as well.  The destruction of the orchard also represents the destruction of illusions—sad, to be sure, but perhaps hopeful.

Thus, as the inevitable change in society with the dawning of the 20th Century comes, the play represents this time period and portrays an end of an aristocratic era with both tragic and comic elements.  The play is best characterized as a tragicomedy.