Griboedov grief from mind is silent. The image of Molchalin in the comedy “Woe from Wit”

In Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" several typical characters were created that are well recognizable regardless of the era. Molchalin belongs to such images, so now it would be appropriate to briefly consider the characteristics of Molchalin, paying attention to the features that Griboedov endowed this character with.

Biography of Molchalin from the comedy “Woe from Wit”

The play says very little about Molchalin’s life before Famusov’s appearance in the house. The reader learns that Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin is of humble origin, a poor young man.

Famusov took Molchalin as his secretary from Tver and was able to “get” him the rank of assessor, which was highly valued and equated to the army rank of major. Meanwhile, the hero is still listed in the Archives of the College of Foreign Affairs and manages to receive three awards. During Griboedov’s time, the “archive youths” were treated with some contempt, since young people who wanted to avoid military service in this way were enrolled there. This information already helps to create a characterization of Molchalin from the comedy “Woe from Wit.”

In the house of his patron, Molchalin lives on the first floor, where there are servants’ rooms and utility rooms. For the sake of his career, Molchalin starts an affair with Sophia, Famusov’s daughter, while simultaneously caring for the maid Lisa.

Molchalin and Sophia

What else is interesting about Molchalin’s characterization? He admits that he is not interested in Sophia. No matter how hard Molchalin tries to awaken his feelings for her, nothing works, the hero still remains cold: “As soon as I meet, I’ll leave the sheet.” He is chasing the boss's daughter, hoping to benefit. Knowing Sophia’s inconstancy (“they loved Chatsky once, they will stop loving me like him”), he is not worried, he is more worried about Famusov’s reaction to their relationship.

Literary scholars have repeatedly asked the question: what attracted Sophia to Molchalin, why did she choose him over the intelligent and noble Chatsky? Probably the answer is in the words of the heroine herself. Talking about Molchalin, she highlights his qualities such as helpfulness, attentiveness, shyness; he is ready to predict Sophia’s every desire and shows her his tender feelings.

Another quality that is important in Molchalin’s characterization is his hypocrisy and duplicity: pretending to love Sophia, he courts Lisa, seducing her with gifts and not hesitating to quite brazenly and obsessively express his feelings. In Famusov’s house, Molchalin wears the mask of a timid man in love until an accidental revelation occurs.

Characteristic qualities of Molchalin from the comedy “Woe from Wit”

Griboyedov uses telling surname. Molchalin is silent, quiet, he does not dare to have his own opinion, fearing not to please important people. His main goal is to gain the trust of those who can provide patronage through helpfulness and subservience to them. Chatsky notes bitterly: “The silent ones are blissful in the world.”

To understand the characterization of Molchalin in the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Griboedov, it is necessary to remember what kind of covenant his father gives to Molchalin. The young man says that his father advised him to “please all people without exception”: the owner of the house where he lives, the boss, the boss’s servant, “the doorman, the janitor to avoid harm, the janitor’s dog to be affectionate.” The hero follows this principle. He tries to please Famusov, the “old men” at the balls. For this reason, he gives up dancing and fun, and spends the entire evening playing cards with elderly but noble gentlemen. With helpfulness and modesty, Molchalin achieved good attitude the influential Tatyana Yurievna and even the grumpy Khlestova.

Molchalin considers his main talents to be “moderation and accuracy.” Griboyedov in his comedy “Woe from Wit” shows: Molchalin is stupid, his mind is aimed only at searching for advantageous behavior, he is low, has no self-esteem, is capable of meanness and lies.

We hope that our article, which briefly presented the characterization of Molchalin from the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Griboedov, helped you get to know this character better. Also read on our literary blog

Molchalin is a young, poor nobleman who does not have a high rank. Taking into account the fact that the characters in the play are divided into two camps - some support the old way of life, the second are supporters of reforms. Molchalin belongs to the first category. Because of his low position, he is forced to serve high ranks. Famusov took him as his secretary, and now he practically lives in his house. Molchalin secretly meets with the daughter of his boss. However, Famusov is not ready to agree to their marriage, because he believes that the son-in-law should be rich and occupy a high position in society. But, despite the fact that Molchalin does not meet these requirements, Famus’s circle values him as a person who is always ready to serve.

Molchalin also has the talent to find the right people who could assist him in his career advancement. Surprisingly, the young nobleman is ready to curry favor to such an extent that he begins to praise the smooth fur of Khlestova’s dog. He is sure that he must depend on others until he receives a high rank.

Molchalin is proud of his career achievements, and brags about it every time. He is excellent at establishing useful connections, so he did not fail to meet the influential Princess Tatyana Yuryevna. In addition, Molchalin also offers a similar manner of behavior to the main character of the play, Chatsky.

And yet, despite all these highly valued Famusov society qualities, Molchalin is dangerous for him. He deceives Famusov's daughter, as he only pretends to be in love for his own benefit. The reader sees true face this hero when talking with a maid in whom he shows special interest. At this moment it turns out that Molchalin is in fact an insidious hypocrite and a dangerous person. He has neither love nor respect for Sophia. He is literally torn between pleasing Famusov by acting out his love for his daughter, and not under any circumstances revealing his connection with Sophia. The latter can greatly undermine his reputation in society. It turns out that with his duplicity, Molchalin harms the environment of which he himself is a part. This hero absolutely corresponds to the values and ideals that are characteristic of the “past century.” He had the main skill in life - to adapt. That is why “Silent people are blissful in the world.”

Option 2

Griboedov loved surnames, which partially revealed the characters. Molchalin is one of those names that speaks for itself.

Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin is Famusov’s secretary, who lives at his home. This man is extremely silent, modest, submissive and complaisant. Helpfulness can describe his whole life. He explains the tactic of admiration for everyone who belongs to high ranks by the fact that until he has risen to a respectful position, he is obliged please.

Molchalin's only purpose in life is career. To achieve success, he goes to literally anything: from courting the boss’s daughter to praising dogs. high ranks. Sofya Pavlovna is Famusov’s daughter, who admires how meek, kind and compliant Molchalin is. It seems to her that out of a broad soul and kindness, he speaks compliantly and kindly to everyone. She is also delighted that Alexey Stepanovich plays the flute and loves poems about love. But she doesn’t even realize that behind the mask of a kind and quiet person is a real careerist, a hypocrite and a deceiver, who needs her attention and good disposition in order to succeed with Famusov. He does not even hide from Lisa that he is courting Sophia only because it is his duty to achieve high ranks, that he simply cannot do otherwise.

He doesn't just admire those above him in status, he admires their servants, doormen and even dogs. He praises everything that can help in his favor. tall gentlemen, but does it gracefully, unobtrusively and unobtrusively. He tries to please Khlestova, who has a lot of influence, by playing cards with her and saying that her Spitz is a lovely dog, that his fur is like silk. These words have a good effect on her relationship with Khlestova; she considers him a friend and calls him her dear.

When Sophia finds him in an embrace with Lisa, he begins to crawl on his knees in front of her, but not because his conscience is gnawing, but because Sophia’s disfavor makes his dream of promotion almost impossible, along with Sophia’s location he would lose everything, that he had been building for so long, so it seemed to him. Sophia suffers in agony from disappointment in such a bright person, as it seemed to her. Molchalin runs because, in addition to all his pettiness, he is also a coward.

Essay about Alexey Molchalin

In A.S. Griboyedov’s play “Woe from Wit” two types of nobles of the first half of the 19th century century. In society, we can observe a split that arose between the nobility, accustomed to the old way of life and not wanting to change anything, and those who accepted the Decembrist trend. There are quite a lot of supporters on the side of the conservatives: these are large landowners, such as Famusov and Skolozub, representatives of the younger nobility without high titles and ranks. They unwittingly got used to “serving” people in authority in order to walk along career ladder. Molchalin belongs to the latter type of nobility.

Molchalin is a poor nobleman who came to the capital from Tver. Famusov appointed him as his secretary. Soon Molchalin becomes Sophia's secret lover. But Famusov wanted him to be the husband of his daughter, believing that it was necessary to have a son-in-law of a higher rank. However, Molchalin’s desire to “help” is very much appreciated by the people of Famus society.

In the work, the image of Molchalin is entirely consistent with the idea of how a young nobleman should behave in public circles. He seeks to curry favor with visitors to Famusov's house, believing that they can help him advance in his career. Molchalin does not disdain anything: he praises the fur of the dog Khlestova. His principle is that while he is in a small rank, he should submit to others. “At my age, a person should not have his own opinion,” he says.

Like many people in Famus society, Molchalin is proud of his career achievements. He knows how to make profitable contacts and is proud of it. Despite the fact that in many ways Molchalin corresponds to the principles and norms of the environment in which he lives. He is capable of harming people around him. It is Molchalin who will deceive Sophia, because there is no love for her in his heart, and he is dating the girl only for profit.

Molchalin's personality can be understood from his communication with Sophia's maid, Lisa. With the young lady he behaves modestly, while with Lisa he is cheeky and unceremonious. This attitude reveals a lot to the reader. Molchalin is an ambivalent, unreliable type of person. He is not so much cunning, but rather very smart.

Molchalin does not experience any true love for Sophia, not even respect. He is so afraid of ruining his relationship with her that he pretends to be in love. Molchalin is also afraid of spoiling the opinion of himself in the world; evil tongues are more dangerous for him than pistols. Even Sophia is capable of going against the “light” in the name of love, because of this Molchalin does not see anything good in their marriage.

The hero fully fits the established foundations of the conservative past century, although, it would seem, he belongs to to the younger generation. He learned to pretend well, to play the role of a “helpful” person. Like many conservative nobles, he values only ranks, titles and regalia. For there is no such thing as real feelings, this is why he is dangerous to society. Molchalin will do anything to achieve his goals.

Essay Characteristics and image of Molchalin

After the release of Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” the name of the hero Molchalin became a household word, and Chatsky’s phrase “The silent ones are blissfully born” became a catchphrase; this phrase reflects the entire image of Molchalin. Let’s try to prove this.

First of all, you need to figure out who Molchalin is. This is the hero of the comedy "Woe from Wit", presented in at its best, namely in the person of a sycophant. His phrase proves this to us - “Other people’s opinions are only sacred.” He is ready to forget his Self in order to achieve his goal. Molchalin also has prudence, for example, an incident that occurred at the beginning of the play. Molchalin, being in Sophia’s bedroom, took the papers with him first so that he would have an excuse to Famusov why he was there.

According to Chatsky, Molchalin will achieve great heights in life, as “he has moderation and accuracy.” The proof is the same incident with the papers, as well as the fact that he fell in love with the daughter of his boss, Sophia, reciprocated her feelings, but told the maid that he was doing this only because of his official position, since he depended on others for to his service. He must be aware of all the affairs in the house, and this is not possible if he does not make friends with all its residents. Molchalin, it should be noted, plays his role very well, because according to Sophia, “he gained the friendship of everyone in the house.”

Reading the comedy “Woe from Wit” we can find out that such a Life was bequeathed to Molchalin by his father - “My father bequeathed to me: First, to please all people without exception - the Master, where I happen to live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, his servant, who cleans dresses, to the doorman, to the janitor, to avoid evil, to the janitor’s dog, to be affectionate.” Even in his final scene When Sophia found out that Molchalin doesn’t really love her, he tries to justify himself and asks for forgiveness in every possible way.

Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov wrote his comedy to show the problems of society living in Russia in the first half of the 19th century. It divides people into two generations - the “present century” and the “past century”. The present century is characterized by equality, and peace without sycophancy; the representative of this century is Chatsky. But the complete opposite of Chatsky is Molchalin - a representative of the past century - ready to bend his knees for a better life.

If we analyze all of the above, we can conclude that Molchalin reflects the essence of all sycophants, he disgusts me. Chatsky’s phrase “Silent people are blissful in the world” can also be applied to modern people.

Woe from mind - famous comedy A. S. Griboyedov, which features nobles living at the beginning of the 19th century. During this period, the ideas of Decembrism and conservative views began to provoke disagreements. The basis of the theme is the confrontation between modern times and a bygone century; ideals were replaced by new ones, which had a deplorable effect on people. Wherein most of Representatives of comedy belong to the supporters of the bygone century; this category includes both individuals with weight in society and those who try to serve. And Molchanov is one of those who serve not of their own free will.

Characteristics of the hero

Molchalin Alexey Stepanovich is a man, he is young and works as Famusov’s secretary. Among his main traits are stupidity, meanness combined with cunning, his goal is to gain advantages for himself. To do this, he adapts to the opinions of others and meets not with the woman he loves, but with Sofia Famusova.

Among positive qualities can be distinguished:

modesty. As can be seen from his reaction to drunken behavior, humiliation and affectation, the hero can withstand any quirks;
tact. Alexey hides his emotions and does not show inappropriate actions towards the owner’s daughter;
ability to remain silent;
politeness. Knows how to correctly formulate phrases and present himself correctly;
ability to make friends;
calm perception. Even in the most unpleasant situations he does not show his emotions.

There are also negative qualities:

shyness is only a mask, in fact the hero is two-faced, he behaves depending on his environment;
pleases and ingratiates for profit. Novels are also built for the purpose of profit; even the smart enough Sofia is ready to be with him, but Molchalin is only pretending;
He doesn’t have his own opinion, he’s silent more.

Mochalin’s psychological mindset defines a whole category of people; they are ready to do anything for a promotion and forget about their opinion for the sake of this. Alexey gradually lost the ability to judge logically and simply agreed with the public, reaching the maximum in his flattery.

The image of the hero in the work

Alexey is not rich and is a nobleman from Tver, lives in the owner’s house and secretly has love relationship with his daughter. Molchalin cannot reach the status of a son-in-law, because he has no ranks and stars; society likes him because he is professionally helpful. image young nobleman he answers completely, because he tries to please everyone who can somehow influence his career. He himself believes that small ranks do not provide the opportunity to have one’s own judgment.

Role in society

In public, Molchalin’s true face is hidden, but when communicating with Liza, he shows himself, because the bright contrast of a modest and quiet man with a rake is simply impossible not to notice. This person is dangerous because he is two-faced. He has no love or even respect for Sophia, he is afraid to open a relationship, while at the same time he is building a real performance. He believes that evil tongues scarier than a pistol, and Sophia, on the contrary, does not worry about the opinions of others. Molchalin lives as his father advised him - he pleases everyone.

Alexey is proud of his success, the presence important connections, and even gives advice to behave similarly to Chatsky, because he believes that his behavior is correct. Although the views of the hero and the conservative nobles are the same, he is harmful to society. Having deceived Famusov's daughter and being her lover more as a job than out of feelings, he ruins the girl's life. Molchalin has an exact correspondence to the ideals of the bygone century; he easily adapts to the situation and values only wealth and titles.

What does Molchalin show?

The basis of the character's character is duplicity and cunning, such people can be blissful, and reach known degrees, since people like such silence. The relevance of the affected feature of the hero remains, his image has been preserved to this day; promotions and enrichment for many are much more important than such eternal concepts as dignity, honesty or love for the homeland. Molchalin clearly divides people by status and treats them accordingly.

In the comedy, Molchalin is not very important for the development of the storyline; he personifies the general spirit of the people of that time, showing their humiliation before the higher ranks. The image also allows you to show Chatsky more clearly, because he is opposite in character, and stands out for his strong soul, pride and confidence.

A character in the comedy “Woe from Wit” (1824) by A. S. Griboyedov (1795 1829). Type of careerist, pleaser, conformist: (Act. 4, Rev. 12): “My father bequeathed to me: first of all, to please all people without exception,” etc. A common noun for flatterers, sycophants,... ... Dictionary winged words and expressions

The central character of the comedy "Woe from Wit" (1824). The significance of this image was realized over the course of historical time. N.V. Gogol was the first to notice something important in the appearance of the modest secretary Famusov: “this face, silent, low, is aptly captured... ... Literary heroes

Wed. ...My father bequeathed to me, Firstly, to please all people without exception: the Master, where I happen to live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, his Servant, who cleans dresses; To the doorman, to the janitor to avoid harm, to the janitor’s dog, so that it is affectionate... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Molchalin. Wed. ...My father bequeathed to me, First of all, to please all people without exception: the Master, where I happen to live, the Chief, with whom I will serve, his servant, who cleans the dresses; To the doorman, to the janitor to avoid evil, to the janitor’s dog, so that... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

M. 1. Literary character. 2. Used as a symbol of a person who hides his own opinion and wants to please all superiors or influential persons with his silence. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern Dictionary Russian language Efremova

Molchalin- Silently Alin, and... Russian spelling dictionary

Molchalin- (2 m) (lit. character; also about a careerist and a sycophant) ... orthographic dictionary Russian language

Molchalin- a character in A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy Woe from Wit (1824) a hypocritical, obsequious careerist who declared Ch. Its virtues are moderation and accuracy. His name became popular. meaning, and for the first time this happened in the text itself. (formula... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic Dictionary

- ... Wikipedia

Books

Woe from Wit, Alexander Griboyedov. The play takes place in Russia, in the twenties of the 19th century. To the house of the old Moscow master Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, a government manager, a convinced serf owner and a fierce... audiobook
Poems for children from younger to older age, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov. “...In the bibliography of our magazine, it was already mentioned last year about “congratulatory poems” by Mr. Fedorov. All sections are what you would expect from the author of “congratulations.” Despite…

Among the heroes of “Woe from Wit” (see summary, analysis and full text), Famusov stands at the top steps of the official and social ladder. Molchalin, being on the lower steps of the same ladder, tries to climb it, following the principles and life rules your boss. Adulation and servility, common in Famus society, were instilled in him from childhood:

“My father bequeathed to me

says Molchalin,

Firstly, to please all people without exception;
The owner, where he will live,
The boss with whom I will serve,
To his servant, who cleans the dress,
Doorman, janitor, to avoid evil,
To the janitor’s dog, to be more affectionate.”

We can say that Molchalin really fulfills his father’s wills! We see how he tries to please the noble old woman Khlestova, how he praises and caresses her dog; and although Khlestova treats him very condescendingly (“Molchalin, here’s your little closet!”), however, she allows him to lead her by the arm, plays cards with him, calls him “my friend,” “dear,” and probably won’t refuse he has protection when he needs it. Molchalin is sure that he is coming the right way and advises Chatsky to go “to Tatyana Yuryevna,” since, according to him, “we often find patronage there where we don’t aim.”

Woe from the mind. Maly Theater performance, 1977

Molchalin himself recognizes two “talents” in himself: “moderation” and “accuracy,” and there is no doubt that with such properties “he will reach the known levels,” as Chatsky notes, adding: “after all, nowadays they love the dumb.” Molchalin is truly speechless, since he not only does not express, but does not even have own opinion,” No wonder Griboedov called him “Molchalin”:

"At my age one should not dare
Have your own opinion,”

he says. Why risk “having your own judgment” when it is so much easier and safer to think, speak and act as the elders do, as Princess Marya Alekseevna does, as “everyone” does? And can Molchalin have his own opinion? He is undoubtedly stupid, limited, although cunning. This - petty soul. We see the baseness and meanness of his behavior with Sophia. He pretends to love her because he thinks it can be beneficial for him, and at the same time flirts with Lisa; he sneakily crawls on his knees in front of Sophia, begging for her forgiveness, and immediately after that he rushes to hide from Famusov’s anger, like a real coward. The pathetic type of Molchalin is depicted by Griboyedov with merciless realism.