When first reading The Cherry Orchard, the reader, as a rule, rarely pays attention to Charlotte. At first it seems that this character is simply complementary big picture comedy and misunderstanding. But meanwhile, it was Charlotte, with her special interesting statements, Chekhov considered one of the key figures in the drama, and insisted that only a very talented actress could play her, noting that “there must be an actress with humor.”
Such famous literary scholars as A.P. Skaftmov and Z.S. Paperny wrote about the functions of Charlotte. In particular, they noted that Charlotte is far from being a one-sided comic character, but a truly deep psychological image. However, on In my opinion, the original findings of literary scholars did not fully address the question of the role of the character in the work, as well as the question of how comedy and tragedy coexist in the image of Charlotte.
Taking into account the observations and conclusions of famous Czech scholars, I will conduct my own research to clarify the role of Charlotte in the play " The Cherry Orchard».
What does the reader know about Charlotte? Charlotte is the governess of the Ranevskys, an orphan who did not know her parents, raised by “a German woman.”
For the first time we meet the name of Charlotte in the playbill of the drama, and even then it strikes us with its absurdity. Charlotte Ivanovna is a very strange combination French name and Russian patronymic. And in the reader’s imagination an image is immediately created comic character. But is Charlotte really like this? Let's try to figure this out.
Charlotte first appears in Act I:

Enter... Anya and Charlotte with a dog on a chain, dressed for travel.
Gaev: The train was two hours late. What's it like? What are the procedures?
Charlotte (to Pishchik). My dog ​​also eats nuts.
Pishchik (Surprised). Just think!

It seems that Charlotte does not participate in the characters’ dialogue and says her line “by the way,” as it might seem at first glance. Perhaps, throughout the previous dialogue, Charlotte has been talking with Pishchik, and it is this phrase, divorced from context, that the audience hears. But this is probably the answer to Gaev’s remark, allegorical and not addressed to him at all. “My dog ​​even eats nuts,” says Charlotte. “My dog ​​tolerates it, even eats nuts, and doesn’t complain, but you complain about the rules. You need to be patient,” this, it seems to me, is the subtext of this phrase. But her statement is addressed to Pishchik, most likely as a person who will pay attention to her, who will listen to her, and not ignore her, as Gaev most likely would have done.
The next scene of the first act, in which we again meet Charlotte Ivanovna, largely clarifies the attitude of the rest of the inhabitants of the Ranevsky house towards her.

Charlotte Ivanovna in a white dress, very thin, tight-fitting, with a lorgnette on her belt, walks across the stage.
Lopakhin: (wants to kiss her) ...
Charlotte: If I let you kiss my hand, then you will then wish on the elbow, then on the shoulder...
Lopakhin: I'm unlucky today. ... Charlotte Ivanovna, show me your magic trick!
………
Charlotte: No need. I want to sleep.

It’s strange, but this episode is not mentioned, even in passing, in the works of A.P. Skaftymov and Z.S. Paperny, but it is precisely this episode that makes it possible to understand exactly how the household treat Charlotte, that Charlotte is perceived as nothing other than a buffoon, ready to make your owners laugh whenever they want. And Charlotte absolutely disagrees with this position. She clearly considers herself “superior”, and when asked to amuse Lopakhin and Anna Andreevna, she responds quite sharply (“no need, I want to sleep”) - after that, the requests immediately subside, and Charlotte calmly leaves.
Almost no one notices Charlotte in the house, but they still respect her opinion and desire. She herself personifies a protest against the indifferent treatment of her as a person. She puts herself on an equal footing with the owners, and demands good service and expensive food, as Anya says at the beginning of the first act.
Outwardly, Charlotte is indeed comical, because this is what those around her expect from her, but in the soul of a person completely different feelings reign. And even her phrase “If I allow you to kiss my hand, then you will wish on the elbow, then on the shoulder...” can be understood in two ways. Firstly, she, as it may seem, emphasizes the comicality of Charlotte, and secondly, she explains how Charlotte herself perceives this treatment of her: “As soon as I allowed you to see me as a buffoon, you tried me more and more persistently.” them to do, forgetting that I am first of all a human being, just like you,” she seems to be saying.
The next scene in which Charlotte appears is key to understanding this character. It is in this scene that Charlotte Ivanovna’s past is revealed to the viewer, and her loneliness is especially clearly emphasized.

Charlotte, Yasha and Dunyasha are sitting on a bench. Charlotte in an old cap; she took the gun off her shoulders and adjusted her belt buckle.

A comical image that does not match the words. Charlotte always looks quite comical, but she is comical only in the eyes of her owners, who perceive her as a “circus performer” and a “magician.” In such a strange outfit you can also see Charlotte’s pro-test “Did you want me to be a jester? Here, I’m a jester, in clown clothes...” - she seems to be saying with her appearance.
But as a person she is unhappy. And this “vice versa”* (as Z. S. Paperny very wittily noted) is emphasized by the comedy that arises when the text of the play correlates the description of her appearance, costume and deep thoughts about own destiny.

Charlotte (thoughtfully) I don’t have a real passport, I don’t know how old I am, and it still seems to me that I’m young. When I was a little girl, my father and mother went to fairs and gave performances, very good ones. And I jumped salto mortale and various things. And when my father and mother died, a German lady took me in and began to teach me. Fine. I grew up, then became a governess. But where I am from and who I am, I don’t know... Who are my parents, maybe they didn’t get married... I don’t know. (Takes a cucumber out of his pocket and eats it.) I don’t know anything. I really want to talk, but not with anyone... I don’t have anyone.

And the reaction from the listeners, or rather, the lack thereof, immediately attracts attention. Charlotte doesn't seem to be noticed at all. She suffers from loneliness and pours out her soul in this “confession,” but her words go unnoticed. Epikhodov continues to sing and Dunyasha begins an argument with him. And even Charlotte’s contemptuous remark does not attract the attention of others.

Epikhodov (plays guitar and sings). “What do I care about the noisy light, what are my friends and enemies...” How pleasant it is to play the mandolin!
Charlotte. These people sing terribly... ugh! Like jackals……………
Epikhodov... Abroad, everything has long been in full swing.
Yasha. By itself.
Epikhodov. I am a developed person, I read different wonderful books, but I just can’t understand the direction of what I actually want, should I live or shoot myself, strictly speaking, but, nevertheless, I always carry a revolver with me. Here it is... (Shows the revolver.)
Charlotte. I finished. Now I'll go. (Puts on a gun.) You, Epikhodov, are very clever man and very scary; Women should love you madly. Brrr! (Walks.) These smart guys are all so stupid, I have no one to talk to... All alone, alone, I have no one and... and who I am, why I am, it is unknown... (Leaves slowly.)

It seems that Charlotte is already accustomed to the fact that they do not pay attention to her, and calmly, without trying to attract anyone’s attention, accepts the fact that she is not noticed.
Charlotte is depicted at a turning point in her life, when a person wants to find his place in the world, to find loved ones, relatives and like-minded people, but Charlotte doesn’t have them, which causes the heroine’s deep emotional experiences. She is trying to find friends, or just people who could understand and support her. And not outstanding self-taught philosophers who are trying to impress a girl with their statements. This scene echoes the very first one, where Charlotte appears with the dog. No one else has an animal in the house, only Charlotte has a dog, perhaps her only friend. This fact only emphasizes the loneliness of the heroine.
What follows is the ball scene, the only action, where the image of Charlotte acquires liveliness and gaiety, primarily in the scene of the demonstration of tricks entertaining the guests. Here Charlotte forgets about her problems for a while, she finds herself in the “element” of her role, imposed on her by the world order, and does what she likes, what she knows how to do perfectly.

They go out into the living room: the first couple is Pishchik and Charlotte Ivanovna...

(I think it’s worth paying attention to the fact that Charlotte enters the room with Squeaky. Without this character in the play, Charlotte would have been left alone, and most likely would have appeared in the hall when all the guests had gathered, as a circus performer, who was invited for entertainment)

Charlotte (hands Pishchik a deck of cards). Here is a deck of cards, think of one card.
Pishchik. I thought about it.
Charlotte. Now shuffle the deck. Very good. Give it here, oh my dear Mr. Pishchik. Ein, zwei, drei! Now look, it's in your side pocket...
Pishchik (takes out a card from his side pocket). Eight of spades, absolutely right! (Surprised.) Just think!
Charlotte (holds a deck of cards in her palm, Trofimova). Tell me quickly, which card is on top?
Trofimov. Well? Well, queen of spades.
Charlotte. Eat! (To the squeaker.) Well? Which card is on top?
Pishchik. Ace of hearts.
Charlotte. Yes!.. (He hits his palm, the deck of cards disappears.) And what good weather today!
The mysterious one answers her female voice, as if from under the floor: “Oh yes, the weather is magnificent, madam.”
You are so good, my ideal...
Voice: “I also really liked you, madam.”
Station Manager (applauds). Madam Ventriloquist, bravo!

IN this episode Charlotte fulfills the role assigned to her in this family - entertaining those around her. In an effort to entertain the guests, she parodies the accent in her speech, ?(STYLE!!!)? although in his notes for the actors, Chekhov notes: “Charlotte speaks not broken, but pure Russian.”

Pishchik (surprised). Just think! The most charming Charlotte Ivanovna... I'm just in love...
Charlotte. In love? (Shrugs shoulders.) Can you love? Guter Mensch, aber schlechter Musikant.

For the first time, excitement and gaiety appear in her speech, perhaps feigned, but one still feels the excitement. And during this revival, she “accidentally” rejects Pishchik’s confession, not taking him seriously. (Neither recognition, nor person) She is not interested in him as a person, but still he is the only one who sees Charlotte as a person behind the constant jokes. He is almost the only one in the whole house who ignores her.

Charlotte. Please pay attention, one more trick. (Takes a blanket from the chair.) Here is a very good blanket, I want to sell... (Shakes it.) Does anyone want to buy?
Pishchik (surprised). Just think!
Charlotte. Ein, zwei, drei! (Quickly picks up the lowered blanket.)
Anya is standing behind the blanket; she curtsies, runs to her mother, hugs her and runs back into the hall with general delight.
Lyubov Andreevna (applauds). Bravo, bravo!..
Charlotte. Now more! Ein, zwei, drei!
Raises the blanket; Varya stands behind the blanket and bows.
Pishchik (surprised). Just think!
Charlotte. End! (Throws the blanket on Pishchik, curtsies and runs into the hall.)
Pishchik (hurries after her). The villain... what? What? (Leaves.)

This is perhaps the first scene in the play where Charlotte comes to life. Playfulness and gaiety appear in her words and movements. And even the remark “he curtsies and runs into the hall” can be contrasted with another: “He goes... He leaves slowly.”...
And finally, the departure scene, which received a lot of attention in the studies of Paperny² and Skaftymov."
Lopakhin enters. Charlotte hums a song quietly. Gaev. Happy Charlotte: Singing! Charlotte (takes a knot that looks like a rolled up baby). My baby, bye, bye...
A child is heard crying: “Wa, wa!..” Shut up, my good, my dear boy.
“Wah!.. wa!..” I feel so sorry for you! (Throws the bundle into place.) So, please, find me a place. I can't do this.
Lopakhin. We'll find you, Charlotte Ivanovna, don't worry.
Gaev. Everyone leaves us, Varya leaves... suddenly we are no longer needed.
Charlotte. I have nowhere to live in the city. We have to leave... (Humming.) Anyway...

Here is what Paperny writes about this scene:

The sale of the cherry orchard is a disaster for her, she has lost her place, a corner in the house, fate has dealt her another salto-mortale. And the fact that she “quietly hums” in the fourth act, of course, cannot in any way mean that she is feeling good. And this whole scene is built on the transition of words and phenomena into their opposite. One of the knots moving away turns into a “baby”, you can even hear him shouting: “Waah!.. Wah!..”, and then the baby becomes a knot again, and Charlotte throws him back to his original place. So is Charlotte herself: either she sang, seemed “happy,” or she asks to find a “place” for her.

And Skaftymov:

In Act IV, the picture unfolds of the last farewell minutes before leaving the sold estate. Charlotte's homeless, lonely life is now burdened by a new and already complete homelessness. Nobody needs her now. At the moment of the lyrical farewell conversation between Anya and Lyubov Andreevna, Charlotte appears, “quietly humming a song.” Gaev remarks to this: “Happy Charlotte: she sings!” Charlotte, indeed, does not violate the tone of her usual playful fun, takes a knot that looks like a rolled up child, and gives a scene of “ventriloquism”: “my baby, bye, bye ... (the child’s cry is heard: wa, wa!), etc. . Then he throws the bundle and says: “So, please, find me a place. I can’t do this..." And this remark immediately makes her state of lonely, silent anxiety transparent to the viewer.

As you can see, both literary scholars pay great attention to this passage, considering it key in understanding the character of the hero. They both notice that Charlotte is singing. But is it because she’s just trying to seem cheerful? If so, then the question arises: Why? She will no longer remain the governess of the Ranevskys, no matter how she behaves. Moreover, against the backdrop of general sadness and despondency, her “gaiety” can only irritate. In my opinion, Charlotte is immersed in her thoughts and is not aware of what she is singing.
A. Skaftymov notes “Charlotte, indeed, does not violate the tone of her usual playful fun, takes a knot that looks like a curled up child, and gives a scene of “ghosting”.” I'll try to disagree with him, and since I've already started looking hidden meaning in all Charlotte’s statements, then, perhaps, I will continue this tradition.
As mentioned earlier, Charlotte is depicted at a turning point in her life, when the world around her is collapsing, and when she wants to find loved ones and family, to have her own family. Perhaps Charlotte imagines the bundle as a baby precisely because her previous thoughts were connected with the house, with the family, with children...
Charlotte in this scene is a deeply unhappy person. Nothing holds her back in this family... she is not valued here, she is disgusted by the tone in which they communicate with her, but still, at the expense of this family she has existed for a long time, and now she has nowhere to go. That’s why she asks to “find a place for her.”
The image is created of a lonely woman going through a difficult period in her life, a little tired, smart, talented and proud.
Stanislavsky, telling the actors about the role of Charlotte, asked them not to limit themselves to words, he wanted the actors to first of all understand the heroine herself, and then they would already play her. I think that Stanislavsky wanted the actress to understand that behind Charlotte’s outward comic appearance there was hidden a completely different, far from comical image.

First of all, live the image without touching or trivializing the words of the role. Sit down and play whatever comes to mind. Imagine this scene: Pishchik proposes to Charlotte, and she is the bride... How will she behave. Or Charlotte was driven away, and she again joined a circus or a café. How she does gymnastics, or how she sings a chansonette. Hair yourself in different styles and look for something in yourself that will remind you of Charlotte... Don't forget to play Charlotte at a dramatic moment in her life. Get her to sincerely cry over herself.

So, as I tried to tell in this work, Charlotte is far from a minor character in the play, who serves only to create the background of the comedy and introduce additional comic episodes into the play. Charlotte is an independent character, living her own life. Charlotte adds to the drama new conflict, a conflict between external comedy and deep emotional experiences, which complements the already multifaceted general conflict in the soul of each of the characters.
In the person of Charlotte, Chekhov creates a deep image of a person, reveals his character, shows his problems and introduces him to the story of his life. (But Charlotte is almost the only character whose past is told in the drama).

"Skaftymov A. On the unity of form and content in “The Cherry Orchard” by A.P. Chekhov // Skaftymov A. Moral quest Russian writers. M.: Ho-dozhestven. Literat., 1972. P. 366.

² Paperny Z. “Contrary to all the rules...”. Plays and vaudevilles of Chekhov. M.: Art, 1982. P.221-222.
* Therefore, Gaev’s remark: “Happy Charlotte: sings!” - hits the heart with its “opposite” nature. Gaev’s phrase means one thing, but evokes in the viewer something completely different, a different, directly opposite reaction. (full quote)

On October 5, 1903, N.K. Garin-Mikhailovsky wrote to one of his correspondents: “I met and fell in love with Chekhov. He's bad. And it burns out like the most wonderful day of autumn. Delicate, subtle, subtle tones. It’s a beautiful day, kindness, peace, and the sea and mountains are dozing in it, and this moment with a wonderful pattern in the distance seems eternal. And tomorrow... He knows his tomorrow and is glad and satisfied that he has finished his drama “The Cherry Orchard.” Chekhov wrote his last play about home, about life, about the homeland, about love, about loss, about the inexorably slipping time. The piercingly sad comedy “The Cherry Orchard” became a testament to readers, the theater, and the 20th century. It is now a textbook statement that Chekhov laid the foundations of a new drama and created a “theater of philosophical mood.” However, at the beginning of the century this position did not seem indisputable. Each new play Chekhov evoked conflicting assessments. The comedy “The Cherry Orchard” was no exception in this series. The nature of the conflict, the characters, the poetics of Chekhov's drama - everything in this play was unexpected and new. So, Gorky, Chekhov’s “brother” on stage Art Theater, saw in “The Cherry Orchard” rehashes of old motifs: “I listened to Chekhov’s play - when reading it, it does not give the impression of a major thing. Not a word of anything new. Everything - moods, ideas - if we can talk about them - faces - all this was already in his plays. Of course - it’s beautiful and - of course - it will waft green melancholy onto the audience from the stage. I don’t know what the melancholy is about.” Contrary to such forecasts, Chekhov's play has become a classic national theater. Artistic discoveries Chekhov in drama, his special vision of life was clearly manifested in this work. Chekhov was perhaps the first to realize the ineffectiveness of the old techniques of traditional drama. “Other paths for drama” were outlined in “The Seagull” (1896), and it was there that Treplev delivers the famous monologue about modern theater with his moralistic tasks, claiming that this is a “routine”, a “prejudice”. Realizing the power of the unsaid, Chekhov built his theater - a theater of allusions, hints, halftones, moods, exploding traditional forms from within. In pre-Chekhov drama, the action unfolding on stage was supposed to be dynamic and structured as a clash of characters. The intrigue of the drama developed within the framework of a given and clearly developed conflict, affecting mainly the area of ​​social ethics. The conflict in Chekhov's drama is of a fundamentally different nature. Its originality was deeply and accurately defined by A.P. Skaftymov: “Chekhov’s dramatic conflict situations do not consist in the opposition of the volitional orientation of different parties, but in objectively caused contradictions, before which the individual will is powerless... And every play says: it’s not the fault individuals, but the entire existing structure of life as a whole.” The special nature of the conflict makes it possible to detect internal and external action, internal and external plots in Chekhov’s works. Moreover, the main thing is not the external plot, developed quite traditionally, but the internal one, which Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko called it “the background”, or “undercurrent”. The external plot of “The Cherry Orchard” is a change of owners of the house and garden, the sale of the family estate for debts. (Chekhov already addressed this topic in the youth drama “Fatherlessness,” however, there it was secondary, the main thing being the love affair.) This plot can be considered in terms of social issues and commented accordingly. A businesslike and practical merchant is opposed to educated, mentally sensitive, but not adapted to life, nobles. The plot of the play is the destruction of the poetry of estate life, which indicates the onset of a new historical era. Such an unambiguous and straightforward interpretation of the conflict was very far from Chekhov’s plan. As for the construction of the plot of the play “The Cherry Orchard,” there is no conflict in it, because there is no outwardly expressed confrontation between the parties and a clash of characters. Lopakhin's social role is not limited to the traditional one. idea of ​​the merchant-acquirer. This character is no stranger to sentimentality. The meeting with Ranevskaya is a long-awaited and exciting event for him: “... I just wish that you would still believe me, that your amazing, touching eyes would look at me as before. Merciful God! My father was a serf to your grandfather and father, but you, in fact, you once did so much for me that I forgot everything and love you like my own... more than my own.” However, at the same time, Lopakhin is a pragmatist, a man of action. Already in the first act, he joyfully announces: “There is a way out... Here is my project. Attention please! Your estate is located only twenty miles from the city, there is a railroad nearby, and if the cherry orchard and the land along the river are divided into dacha plots and then rented out as dachas, then you will have at least twenty-five thousand a year in income.” True, this “exit” into a different, material plane - the plane of benefit and benefit, but not beauty, therefore it seems “vulgar” to the owners of the garden. In essence, there is no confrontation. There is a plea for help, on the one hand: “What should we do? Teach what? (Ranevskaya) and willingness to help - on the other: “I teach you every day. Every day I say the same thing” (Lopakhin). The characters do not understand each other, as if they were speaking in different languages. In this sense, the dialogue in the second act is indicative: * “Lopakhin. We must finally decide - time does not wait. The question is completely empty. Do you agree to give up the land for dachas or not? Answer in one word: yes or no? Just one word! * Lyubov Andreevna. Who is it here smoking disgusting cigars... (Sits down.) * Gaev. Here railway built, and it became convenient. (Sits down.) We went into town and had breakfast... yellow in the middle! I should first go into the house and play one game... * Lyubov Andreevna. You'll have time. * Lopakhin. Just one word! (Pleadingly.) Give me the answer! * Gaev (yawning). Whom? * Lyubov Andreevna (looks at her wallet). Yesterday there was a lot of money, but today there is very little. My poor Varya, to save money, feeds everyone milk soup, in the kitchen the old people are given one pea, and I spend it somehow senselessly... (Dropped my purse, scattered gold.) Well, they fell... (She is annoyed.) "Chekhov shows the confrontation between various life positions, but not a battle of characters. Lopakhin begs, asks, but they don’t hear him, or rather, they don’t want to hear him. In the first and second acts, the viewer retains the illusion that it is this hero who will play the role of patron and friend and save the cherry orchard. The climax of the external plot - the auction of the cherry orchard on August 22 - coincides with the denouement. The hope that everything would somehow work itself out disappeared like smoke. The Cherry Orchard and the estate have been sold, but are in disarray characters and nothing has changed in their destinies. Moreover, the outcome of the external plot is even optimistic: * “Gaev (cheerfully). In fact, everything is fine now. Before the sale of the cherry orchard, we were all worried, suffering, and then, when the issue was finally, irrevocably resolved, everyone calmed down, even cheered up... I’m a bank employee, now I’m a financier... yellow in the middle, and you, Lyuba, after all, look better , that's for sure." So, in organizing external action, Chekhov deviated from the canons classical drama. The main event of the play was moved to the “periphery”, behind the stage. It, according to the playwright’s logic, is a special episode in the eternal cycle of life.

The position of the governess in society is described in more detail in literature than in historical sources. Governesses are a difficult status. This is a person with education and a special culture. The image and characterization of Charlotte Ivanovna in the play “The Cherry Orchard” prove how a profession can change a person’s lifestyle and habits.

Appearance

Charlotte is a "very thin" figure woman. The author chose such an epithet to emphasize not the stateliness of the woman, her slimness and grace, but rather her thinness, comparable to soreness. Charlotte's figure is also wrapped in clothes and accessories. For what? Unclear. Here we can assume that the classic wants to emphasize the circus roots: an acrobat. Another option is poor nutrition. Owners with limited funds are unlikely to think about food for their servants.

Interesting selection of clothes for the heroine:

• Lornet on the belt;
• Old cap;
• Belt with buckle;
• Gray cylinder;
• Checkered trousers.

A woman should always make the viewer smile. There is no indication of age here. It is difficult to logically build her fate and determine how old she is. The author does not describe the heroine's face. Such a collective appearance of a dry old acrobat without age, relatives, friends. There is one more epithet in the text: “most charming.” This is what Simeonov-Pishchik calls the lady. It remains unclear what is its charm? Does the man really have this attitude towards Charlotte?

The social status of the woman is not clear, there is no precise statement about her nationality. Maybe that's why the author leaves her faceless. An actress with a sense of humor can play a character on stage - this is the main instruction of the classic.

Character

Comedy the character takes place against the backdrop of a deep tragedy of the image. Only an attentive reader can understand the meaning of the character. Charlotte is single and free. She did not experience love either in childhood, or in adolescence, or in adulthood. This is how the “weed flower” grew. Freedom does not bring happiness to the character. She does not obey her owners, lives by some of her own norms and rules, but there is no sparkle in her eyes, no peace in her soul. Freedom within did not change her life: she remained a servant, a person who amused those around her.

Lonely and unhappy the woman is always calm. Humor allows her to survive and not lose faith in the future. There is no end to her life, and there is no resolution to the situation with the garden, around which so many destinies revolve.

The woman seems like an extra character, but once you exclude her from the play, you understand that without her the whole meaning is lost. The governess constantly observes and analyzes, her judgments help to understand the essence of the problem, its roots and causes.

Biography

The name Charlotte distinguishes the woman from other characters in the play. In origin it may have come from German, English or Catholic. In The Cherry Orchard, Charlotte does not know her exact origins, but her knowledge of German suggests that she is German. The woman knows nothing about herself. Time has erased the exact data in memory. Charlotte remembers that there were parents, but does not know whether it was a family or two single people. She remembers going to magic fairs with her parents. Charlotte enjoys performing magic tricks, but sometimes she simply goes away from the audience to sleep. The girl knew how to do somersaults and other acrobatic tricks. After the death of her parents, the governess ended up in the family of a German lady. The woman does not know what and how happened in her life. The whole point of the heroine is that no one taught her to live, and she herself could not find herself. You cannot live in society and be outside of it.

The governess has no home, no homeland. She lives with Ranevskaya no longer as a governess, but as a hanger-on.

A.P. Chekhov said that Charlotte is “an important role.” Collective image shows the problem of a changed Rus'. A rootless servant who has lost touch with loved ones is a whole class. Impoverished parents placed their children with rich ones, hoping that they had provided them with a comfortable existence and relieved themselves of responsibility for their future. Morality, connection between generations, value are lost family traditions. The essence of family, the importance of love, and the obligation to procreate are going nowhere. An example of Charlotte's life is another cherry orchard, cut down and put on sale.

Chekhov's work “The Cherry Orchard” presents many interesting characters, which in one way or another create in the work the atmosphere that was intended by the author of this work, that is, Chekhov. Among these characters, Charlotte Ivanovna should be highlighted.

Charlotte Ivanovna is a middle-aged woman of rather pleasant appearance, whom the author presents as a rather pleasant image. She looks neat enough to be described as a noble woman from rich family, which is what she is.

In her image, the author tried to clarify the subtleties that he would like to convey in order to describe with completeness and clarity. That feminine arrogance and noble appearance make her image even more sophisticated than it already is.

In character, the woman is very extraordinary, which contrasts with her seemingly light and easy-to-perceive image. This woman is a mystery that not everyone can solve. There is that mysterious mystery in her character that makes people follow her and treat her with warmth and love.

Also, the author added a feature to her image that has always attracted and will continue to attract people to such a person. She is very independent and very free-thinking, regardless of anyone or anything outside. Nothing can change her mind, and no one can convince her of anything, which makes her a very interesting person, with her own unique opinion on everything that surrounds her. It is in this way that Chekhov draws attention to her uniqueness throughout the work, while all the others are simply the same type and not very interesting personalities For your reference, Charlotte Ivanovna creates a unique contrast in which she stands out very much from the crowd.

But even with such a seemingly arrogant and arrogant character, she is not alien to kindness and mercy, which she shows throughout the entire work. Thus, we see that the author made it this way in order to make the reader understand that even people who at first glance seem very aloof and uninterested in the lives of others, in fact have very strong empathy, which allows them to effectively help others. Charlotte Ivanovna perfectly understands the feelings of her interlocutor, which allows him to win over her.

Image 2

One of the strangest and initially incomprehensible heroes " Cherry Orchard» Chekhov is served by Charlotte Ivanovna, governess of the Ranevsky family. I like some roles in the play, some disgust me, but the role of Charlotte has always been neutral in my mind and has little influence on anything. For me, this is just the most mysterious character in the entire play.

Its mystery lies in several aspects: firstly, it is difficult for the reader to understand why this image is needed, what it brings to the play, what its tasks are and what the reader should see in it. Secondly, Charlotte has no passport, no parents, no family, no husband, she does not know her origins and simply lives to live. And thirdly, Charlotte Ivanovna has no contact with the main event of the play - the sale of the estate.

What is known is that Charlotte can perform magic tricks and speaks German and sometimes spews out phrases that are illogical and inappropriate at first glance. And even greater mystery arises when you find out that for Chekhov it was best role throughout the play. The role is secondary, not possessing any character traits, why could Chekhov like it so much? It was this question that began to torment me when I learned about Anton Pavlovich’s words. After all, if the author himself singles out a certain role, especially since it is not the main role plays, then I always want to understand: what did he see in it, why can’t I see what he saw and put into it?

This answer is hidden on the surface: if you judge, then all the characters in the play depend on their status, origin and fashion, then dominant in society. Charlotte Ivanovna is, as it were, an observer of everything that happens, she is not in a close relationship with anyone, she does not want to be a follower of fashion, like the lackey Yashka was, she has absolutely detached thoughts and remarks. I think that Chekhov wanted to put into this role the image of a person who rises above all the local problems in the play, Charlotte is above all these problems and worries, in her, at first glance, thoughtless remarks, there is the whole essence, the whole truth, because truth is born in the judgments of someone who is not dependent on or interested in any side of the discussion. Charlotte Ivanovna, in my humble opinion, is the image of a seed that sprouts in Ranevskaya’s house, a seed whose name is truth.

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“This is the best role, I don’t like the rest” - this is how the author described Charlotte in Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard” in his letter. Why was this episodic heroine so important for Chekhov? It's not hard to say.

According to the text of the play, Charlotte does not have any social markers: neither her age, nor her nationality, nor her origin are known either to the viewer or to herself: “I don’t have a real passport, I don’t know how old I am...”; “Who are my parents, maybe they didn’t get married... I don’t know.” It is practically not included in the system of social connections, as well as in the situation that determines main conflict- sale of the estate. In the same way, she is not included in any speculative chronotope of the play - the past in the estate, the present in the dachas, the future in the “beautiful new garden.” She is outside the space of the play and at the same time parallel to it. The position of an outsider determines two fundamental important features Charlotte Ivanovna in The Cherry Orchard. - firstly, absolute loneliness (“I really want to talk, but there’s no one to talk to... I don’t have anyone”), and secondly, absolute freedom. Taking a closer look, you can see that Charlotte’s actions are not subject to any external conditions, but only to her own internal impulses:

“Lopakhin. Charlotte Ivanovna, show me the trick!
Lyubov Andreevna. Charlotte, show me a trick!
Charlotte. No need. I want to sleep. (Leaves).”

The importance of the image of Charlotte in the play “The Cherry Orchard” lies, firstly, in her role as a free outside observer with the right to impartial judgment (sudden and illogical at first glance, Charlotte’s remarks, not related to the immediate context) and disobedience to conventions. Secondly, in the depiction of a person whose behavior is not determined by the environment - the “essence” of human essence. And from this point of view, we cannot underestimate this, at first glance, episodic image in the play.