Another tragic element is the effect of choice and free will. In some instances this is the ultimate form of tragedy, depending on the outcome. With this, Chekhov succeeds in confusing tragedy and comedy in The Cherry Orchard.
The characters in The Cherry Orchard contribute greatly to the comedy. The action takes place on a Russian estate belonging to Mrs. Lubov Ranevsky. Conflict begins over finances and a wealthy merchant named Lopahin, whose father was a serf on the estate. He thinks of a way to solve the financial problems, the family, however, seems to ignore the problem of losing the estate. This first instance of comedy emerges from the fact that the family chooses to ignore the problems while a wealthy businessman pleads with them to take action. The family continues to ignore the future of the estate as personalities are developed in each of the characters. A very comical character is the clerk Yepihodov, also known as "Twenty-two Calamities." In his entrance he stumbles over a chair while babbling at whatever comes to his mind. Firs, a senile manservant, is the next to add comic elements as he hobbles across the stage also talking to himself. As if the characters themselves weren't funny enough, their interaction and dialogue between each other is just as comical. Gayev, Mrs. Ranevsky's brother, continues to spit out billiard shots as the conversation continues, after which he weeps over the nursery's bookcase. Pishchik, a neighbor who is also in financial struggle, grabs Mrs. Ranevsky's pills out of her hand and swallows them all for no apparent reason. Again in this scene Firs mutters to himself as he trails off of the conversation taking place. The characters and their unusual situations and dialogue are by far the most humorous elements of the play.
Yet through this dialogue, unpleasant truths spring forth. The mortgage has not been paid for some time due to Mrs.