Character Profile: Ranyevskaya

WHO AM I?

My name is Lyuba Ranyevskaya. I am 5.4 feet and weigh 7 and a half stone.

I am very generous as I give money away to anyone who is in need. I am governed by my emotions, because of this I find my judgements are clouded by my heart. This has not only led to giving my money away, but also making mistakes in love. I have a lust for love and seek acceptance wherever I go. I make very strong emotional connections and because of this I cannot give up the orchard, I am very sentimental. I run from my problems. I ran from my dead husband and son, ran from my Parisian lover and ran to my past to escape my problems. I am very proud and am very attached to my traditions. I have a slight patronizing and snobbish nature which was typical of upper class Russians.

I am very ashamed of my life. I have “thrown money about like a lunatic” and “married a man who made nothing of his life but debts”. I lost my son in a tragic accident and ran away to France, where my situation worsened and ended with my new partner robbing me and leaving for another woman. This resulted in a failed suicide attempt which only left me more ashamed. I returned to Russia which I associate with my idyllic childhood; (however it changes little as at the end of the speech she cries for God’s forgiveness). At the end of the play, the orchard is taken away from me, which is symbolic of my past so I have now been stripped of who I was.

I had a very happy childhood as I was born into an upper class family meaning there was always money spare (so she never learnt its importance). I grew up in a magnificent estate with a huge and beautiful cherry orchard which I love greatly. I carry my parents’ traditional views of the class system and this is also why I was so upset when I had to leave the estate because my traditions were being stripped away from me.

I listen to the great operas from the Golden age of Russian operatic history. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckxEZu-rtog – Eugene Onegin is my favourite opera and I love the final scene. I relate greatly to Tatiana especially when she sings about Eugene; “His fiery gaze torments my soul!” Although, I think that at the end she should have left her husband for Eugene, their love was far stronger than that of Tatiana and her husband’s.

WHERE AM I?

In this scene I am inside the estate. All my belongings have been packed but a few pieces of ornate furniture remains stacked in the corner, ready to be sold. The sun is shining but the air is still. Everything feels empty now. My footsteps echo as the sound bounces off of the bare walls.

WHEN IS IT?

It is October in 1904. It is just past midday. 

WHERE HAVE I COME FROM?

I was just outside the estate saying goodbye to the peasants and giving money to them. I came inside with my brother Gayev and I am not carrying anything. After we leave the estate I am going to catch a train into town to stay for a night then  go to Paris. 

WHAT DO I NEED? WHY DO I NEED IT? WHY DO I NEED IT NOW?

I need to find something to ground me. I want to be able to cling to something from my past because everything I hold close is being taken from me. I want to stay in the estate as long as possible and find some way to stay there. This is part of the reason I want Lopakhin to marry Varya to stay connected to the estate. I came back to the estate because it was the last place where I thought I would be happy because it was where I grew up. I want to win it back now because it is my last chance. We are just about to leave for the train and I have to say goodbye to the house. 

WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE?

I drew inspiration from the character Miranda Priestly from the film 'The Devil Wears Prada'. I think Ranyevskaya would dress in a skirt suit with some sort of fur coat or wrap. I chose the character Miranda Priestly because she is a materialistic woman and that is part of Ranyevskaya's personality. She looks superior and from a higher class which fits with Ranyevskaya.