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Foreshadowing
Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
First and foremost belonging to the genre of modern drama, The Cherry Orchard draws on similar conventions and explores similar themes to other European plays written at the turn of the 20th century. In particular, Chekhov is frequently compared to Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. Literary historians often name these three playwrights as the founders of modern drama.
Ever since the play's first performance in 1904, people have debated the extent to which it's a comedy or a tragedy. Chekhov himself referred to the play as a comedy, with some elements of farce. Konstantin Stanislavski, the play's first director, treated it as a tragedy, however. Different directors interpret the genre in different ways, which means that the overall tone and mood potentially vary each time it's staged.
A way to reconcile this duality is to accept that the play contains both elements of tragedy and elements of comedy—and thus to see it as a tragicomedy. The play depicts difficulties and sadness, but there are also plenty of comical elements that lighten the mood and prevent the audience from wholeheartedly leaning into tragedy. As in his other plays, Chekhov explores big questions in the banal format of disjointed and humorous everyday conversations. Although he shows compassion for his characters' pain, he also spotlights the absurdity of human emotions and reveals the comedy inherent in misery and self-pity.
Related Themes:
