ECHOES OF THE PAST, SILENCE OF THE FUTURE: A STUDY OF CHEKHOV’S FINAL TRAGI-COMEDY THROUGH LINGUISTIC AND LITERARY LENS

Abstract

The Cherry Orchard employs a sophisticated blend of naturalism and symbolism to depict the decline of the Russian aristocracy and the rise of a new capitalist class. Linguistically, Chekhov utilizes a scattered dialogue style, where characters frequently talk past one another, reflecting their internal isolation and inability to communicate across shifting class lines. Literarily, the play is anchored by the titular Cherry Orchard, a polysemic symbol representing nostalgia for the elite, the trauma of serfdom for the working class, and the inevitable transience of beauty. The present research aims to analyze the literary and linguistic devices, the study utilized a descriptive-qualitative approach, interpreting the text to find meaning rather than measuring frequencies. In-depth analysis of specific plays, treating the dialogues, stage directions, and silences as a case to understand the broader genre of Chekhovian tragicomedy. The research combines linguistic analysis (the study of speech patterns, syntactic structures, and dialogue) and literary analysis (the study of thematic elements, structure, and characterization) to understand the dual nature of Chekhov's work. The results reveled that there are different types of literary and linguistic devices used by the Anton Chekhov in the play, which makes this research work a masterpiece work in the realm of English Literature and linguistics