Talent in the work The Master and Margarita. What is the essence of the work in the novel? The main gift of fate

On the pages of the novel "The Master and Margarita" the author shows the moral flaws of society in the modern era and in the distant past. From time immemorial, man has asked the questions “what is truth” and “what are the moral criteria.” Great thinkers and philosophers did not come to a definite answer, but Mikhail Bulgakov tried to develop this problem in his work.

The main characters of the novel

The author introduces two storylines: the actions take place in Moscow in the 30s and in Yershalaim two thousand years ago. The book is central: he writes a novel about Pontius Pilate, burns it, and then ends up in a mental hospital. Later, the author of an anti-religious story about Jesus Christ is placed there. The second one assures the doctors that Woland, Satan himself, has appeared in Moscow, but they do not believe him and make a diagnosis. Margarita is waiting for the master, who, in order to save him, signs a contract with dark forces. Woland invites her to become the queen at the ball, to which the woman agrees.

In Yershalaim, the Jewish procurator, obeying the will of Caesar, executes the innocent Yeshua Ha-Nozri. Subsequently, the hegemon regrets his action and suffers for a long time. IN last chapters in the novel "The Master and Margarita" the image of the Master plays important role in the fate of Pontius Pilate: he frees him, and he himself again finds happiness with his beloved.

The black magician Woland visits the Russian capital with the cat Behemoth, the demon Azazello, senior subordinate Koroviev and the witch Gella. The fatal chain of events begins when Woland talks with Mikhail Berlioz and Ivan Bezdomny, who completely deny the existence of Jesus Christ. Satan predicts Berlioz's death - a tram will run over him, and this happens in the evening terrible event. Woland moves into his apartment and begins to prepare for the dark ball, and before that he arranges a session of dark magic for Muscovites. Margarita signs a contract with Satan and agrees to become the queen of the celebration.

In Yershalaim, by order of Caesar, Yeshua Ha-Nozri is executed, and only the Jewish procurator can stop this. Out of cowardice, he does not do this, for which he is doomed to eternal torment: for many thousands of moons he sits with the dog Bunga and reflects on his actions, and only the Master is destined to free him at the end of the novel.

The problem is in the book

For many centuries, people have committed acts against morality or in the name of it. The image of Margarita in the novel "The Master and Margarita" demonstrates the second type of action. This one is ready to give up everything for the sake of truth and love.

Often people obtain benefits for themselves through deception, hypocrisy, violence, betrayal, lies, and then, fearing losing them, they again engage in vile acts. Pontius Pilate did not want to sacrifice his place and status, for which he was doomed to eternal torment.

Mikhail Bulgakov contrasts positive and negative images novel "The Master and Margarita", wanting to show that without moral sense a person cannot be happy. There are no people in the world without sins, but a repentant person can atone for his guilt. For Pontius Pilate, his forgiveness consisted in the freedom that the Master granted him.

Image of Yeshua

The Master and Margarita are positive heroes novel, which is adjacent to the prototype of Jesus Christ. In the Yershalaim chapters, Bulgakov contrasts the image of the hegemon and the beggar preacher Ga-Notsri. Yeshua refuses to renounce the truth, for which he is sentenced to death penalty. Together with the people of Rome, he believed that a time would come when there would be no power and no violence. Is there really a component of a crime in these words for which life should be taken?

Pontius Pilate liked Yeshua, and he wants to save him, but he is afraid to risk his measured life. A dilemma arises before him: to execute, but go against his conscience, or to pardon, but lose power? The hegemon chooses the first: he is only in appearance formidable, like a lion; in fact, a cowardly hare's heart beats inside him.

Image of Pontius Pilate

The fate of the inhabitants of Rome is in the hands of the Jewish procurator. In one historical source it is said that Pilate was responsible for countless executions carried out without trial. Such cruelty was manifested due to fear of losing one's status. His associates behave in a similar way. On the pages of the Yershalaim chapters, Mikhail Bulgakov superbly demonstrates this typical characteristic images

"The Master and Margarita" is a novel of deep philosophical content. The author proves that even the most scary villain can become righteous. Pontius Pilate realizes his a terrible mistake: such fair man, like Yeshua, should not lose his life. The hegemon comes to the conclusion about cowardice: “This is the most terrible vice"The author introduces the image of the Master and Margarita to show that not all people are so cowardly - many are not afraid of punishment and do desperate things in the name of morality. For his mistake, the procurator is doomed to immortality, and this is perhaps the most painful punishment.

The Master and Margarita: the image of the master

The author does not give a name to the main character of his novel, because people like him Soviet Russia there were many. Writers of this era can be compared to living mummies: they write only what the public expects, and do not try to stand out original ideas. They refuse to publish the novel about Pontius Pilate because in anti-religious Russia this topic has lost its relevance. Great idea, for which the Master sacrificed his well-being, remains unlit, and the author burns his brainchild in despair.

Woland decides to return his novel to the writer and says famous phrase: “Manuscripts don’t burn!” In the book "The Master and Margarita" the image of the Master echoes the life of Mikhail Bulgakov himself. A young writer burned a draft of his novel on Christian theme, during his lifetime did not deserve recognition from critics and only several decades later began to interest the public.

Image of Margarita

A moral person does a lot for the sake of his family and friends, without fear of death. Humanity knows women who are braver in their actions than men. She was like that main character. The image of Margarita in the novel “The Master and Margarita” is different from all the others: young, beautiful, she was the wife of a very prominent specialist, but she renounced luxury. She did not know happiness before meeting the Master.

In the name of love, Margarita agrees to cooperate with Satan himself. Woland appears in Moscow to test the main characters of the novel, reward them for loyalty and love, and punish liars and traitors. He visits Moscow several times, and during his absence a lot has changed: architecture, clothing, lifestyle, but not the people themselves. In the novel "The Master and Margarita" the images of the Muscovite heroes are presented as greedy and cruel. It is not surprising that Woland chooses Margarita as the queen of his dark ball - an honest woman with great with a loving heart. For all positive traits He rewards her with Margarita - he reconnects her with the Master. For the sake of love, a woman is ready to undergo the most difficult tests, after enduring which she finds her happiness.

Dark retinue

In the novel "The Master and Margarita" the image of Woland is far from the real Satan, about whom theories have been made for many years. scary legends. He looks like a man who acts with integrity and keeps his promises. Woland reunited Margarita with her beloved Master, punished the immoral Muscovites, suggested how to free Pontius Pilate, and in the end quietly disappeared. Almighty Satan has the best of human qualities, which cannot be said about the Jewish procurator. The author contrasts Woland and the hegemon with the image of the Master and Margarita: the road to heaven is closed to them, but they are the most honest, virtuous in the novel, and most importantly, they remained true friend friend, having passed many moral tests.

Not every work can not only become a classic, but also be remembered for a long time by people who become familiar with it. Particularly worth highlighting is the novel “The Master and Margarita”, in which the image of the Master is especially interesting. The author of the work is Mikhail Bulgakov. Of course, in the novel there are many original characters, for example, the cat Behemoth or Woland. However, the theme of love in the novel “The Master and Margarita” is a special story. Therefore, it is worth talking about the main characters separately. The characteristics of the Master deserve to be described in detail.

Entering into history

The Master's characterization begins with the chapter in which he appeared to the reader for the first time. This happened under the sonorous title “The Appearance of a Hero.” Thus, Bulgakov emphasized the importance of this character.

Who is the Master? First of all, it is the one who creates something. He was named so by Margarita, his beloved and madly adoring woman. Therefore, Margarita’s attitude towards the work of her Master becomes clear.

The hero is not very active. He does not appear often in the novel, although he is the main character. However, he gets lost among the noisy and detailed characters. At least next to the active Margarita. He's lost. The master accepted his fate. Having won a large sum, he turns out to be able to write an epoch-making work. But he is not ready to promote it, to give it to people. The master simply could not withstand the pressure and broke down. However, thanks to Woland and his retinue, he and his beloved were able to find peace. But this is exactly what the Master was looking for. In search of peace, he came to a psychiatric hospital, trying to get rid of persecution and evil people, but most importantly, trying to find yourself.

Hero without a name

An interesting fact is that the Master does not have his own name. Of course, he has it, but the reader remains in the dark. Moreover, the Master’s quotes indicate that he abandoned his original name twice. One happened when Margarita gave him her nickname. And the other is in a psychiatric hospital. Then he simply began to respond to serial number. This is how, without a name, he tried to hide from the others.

Why did this happen? What is the uniqueness of the novel “The Master and Margarita?” The image of the Master speaks volumes. This is also the suffering of a person who is on the path to his work, which lives its own life. And the love that left him, unable to fully understand. Here is the persecution he suffered during his life.

Who is the Master? This is the creator of something. Moreover, only a professional can get such a name. The hero of the book did not consider himself that way, but the eyes of his beloved saw him as a Master, talented, but misunderstood. However, he wrote a great work.

Where is the love?

The theme of love in the novel “The Master and Margarita” is separated from the rest of the plot. But she's quite strange. You could call her sick and tired. Who is Margarita? This is a woman who wants to find simple happiness, who refuses everything that surrounds her. And for whom? For the sake of your Master. She is ready to do anything for him. For most readers, the scene when Margarita attends Woland’s ball remains memorable. Witch, real witch! But for whose sake is a timid and calm woman in principle ready for such changes? Only for the sake of your loved one.

But what about the duet in which the Master and Margarita? The image of the Master remains slightly vague. He responds to a woman’s love somehow timidly and uncertainly. He is ready to accept her feelings, but he is consumed by something else. His creation, which simply occupied his mind, his thoughts. But he does not push his Margarita away. Although sometimes she understands that she can destroy her. Moreover, he cannot give her anything in return.

But maybe it was the Master who became the salvation for this woman? Bulgakov introduces Margarita's line into the narrative late. This was probably done on purpose. The heroine immediately finds herself at the center of the plot, harmoniously combining everything that has already been described in the novel.

Great work

Of course, the novel “The Master and Margarita,” in which the image of the Master is not central at first glance, cannot be imagined without a great work. It brings up topics that are difficult to accept. It's about about Pontius Pilate and Yeshua. These are a kind of dialogues between people and the messenger of God. There are so many semantic clues embedded in them that you can’t immediately understand how they are intertwined with each other.

What's the main thing? The judge's pain when he realizes who he has met? People's non-acceptance of miracles? The cruelty of friends and the devotion of enemies? You can search for an answer to these questions for a long time, in the end everyone will find their own main idea contained in this novel.

What is the essence of the work in the novel?

How was the Master able to create this work? It is after this that he is left alone, abandoned by everyone, but only in order to remain forever with Margarita. He simply followed the lead of existence, of fate. He became the conduit through which the novel was published and revealed to people. That is why he became a Master, the one who created something big, not always understandable to others. He was subjected to pressure for which he was not prepared.

"The Master and Margarita" and other works

The novel “The Master and Margarita” and the image of the Master in it are references to many works. Thus, the Master’s room in a psychiatric hospital is a reference to Zamyatin’s novel “We”. In addition, the heroes of both works are somewhat similar in their fate.

There is also an opinion that when creating the novel “The Master and Margarita”, the author wrote the personality of the Master from himself. Bulgakov was called the prototype of his character. He also burned the first draft of the novel when he realized it was too unorthodox. His work ultimately became a symbol of writers forced to follow society's lead, abandoning their ideas.

Parallels are also drawn with the work “Notes of a Dead Man”. In this novel, the hero is also the author of an unexpected work, which became both happiness and sorrow. However, unlike the Master, he was able to publish it and even bring it to theater stage. He turned out to be stronger mentally.

The novel “The Master and Margarita,” written by Bulgakov, is an extraordinary and capacious work. It captivates readers, introduces them to the world of deception, where a smiling neighbor can turn out to be a thief and a swindler, and the devil and his retinue arrange the fates of lovers.

The novel “The Master and Margarita” is the pinnacle of Bulgakov’s creativity. In the novel, the author touches on many different problems. One of which is a writer's tragedy of a man who lived in the 30s. For a real writer, the worst thing is not to be able to write about what you think about, to freely express your thoughts. This problem also affected one of the main characters of the novel - the Master.

The master differs sharply from other writers in Moscow. All ranks of MASSOLIT, one of the largest Moscow literary associations, write to order. The main thing for them is material wealth. Ivan Bezdomny admits to the Master that his poems are terrible. In order to write something good, you need to put your soul into the work. And the topics that Ivan writes about do not interest him at all. The master writes a novel about Pontius Pilate, while one of characteristic features 30s is the denial of the existence of God.

The master wants to gain recognition, become famous, and arrange his life. But money is not the main thing for the Master. The author of the novel about Pontius Pilate calls himself a Master. His beloved also calls him the same. The name of the Master is not given in the novel, since this person appears in the work as a talented writer, the author of a brilliant creation.

The master lives in a small basement at home, but this does not oppress him at all. Here he can calmly do what he loves. Margarita helps him in everything. The novel about Pontius Pilate is the Master's life's work. He put his whole soul into writing this novel.

The tragedy of the Master is that he tried to find recognition in a society of hypocrites and cowards. They refuse to publish the novel. But it was clear from the manuscript that his novel had been read and reread. Such a work could not go unnoticed. There was an immediate reaction in the literary community. Articles criticizing the novel poured in. Fear and despair settled in the Master's soul. He decided that the novel was the cause of all his misfortunes and therefore burned it. Soon after the publication of Latunsky's article, the Master ends up in a psychiatric hospital. Woland returns the novel to the Master and takes him and Margarita with him, since they have no place among greedy, cowardly, insignificant people.

The Master's fate and his tragedy echo the fate of Bulgakov. Bulgakov, like his hero, writes a novel where he raises questions of Christianity, and also burns the first draft of his novel. The novel “The Master and Margarita” remained unrecognized by critics. Only many years later he became famous and was recognized a brilliant creation Bulgakov. Confirmed famous phrase Wolanda: “Manuscripts don’t burn!” The masterpiece did not disappear without a trace, but received worldwide recognition.

The tragic fate of the Master is typical of many writers who lived in the 30s. Literary censorship did not allow works that differed from the general flow of what needed to be written about. The masterpieces could not find recognition. Writers who dared to freely express their thoughts ended up in psychiatric hospitals and died in poverty without achieving fame. In his novel, Bulgakov reflected the real situation of writers in this difficult time.

One of the main characters in Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” is the Master. The life of this man, like his character, is complex and unusual. Each era in history gives humanity new talented people, whose activities reflect, to one degree or another, the reality surrounding them. Such a person is the Master who creates his own great novel in conditions where they cannot and do not want to evaluate it on its merits, just as they cannot evaluate the novel of Bulgakov himself. In The Master and Margarita, reality and fantasy are inseparable from each other and create an extraordinary picture of Russia in the twenties of our century. Bulgakov master pilate tragedy

The atmosphere in which the Master creates his novel is not in itself conducive to the unusual topic to which he devotes it. But the writer, regardless of her, writes about what excites and interests him, inspires him to be creative. His desire was to create a work that would be admired. He wanted well-deserved fame and recognition. He was not interested in the money that could be made for a book if it was popular. He wrote, sincerely believing in what he was creating, without the goal of obtaining material gain. The only person who admired him was Margarita. When they read the chapters of the novel together, not yet suspecting the disappointment that lay ahead, they were excited and truly happy.

There were several reasons why the novel was not properly appreciated. Firstly, this is the envy that has appeared among mediocre critics and writers. They realized that their works were insignificant in comparison with the Master's novel. They did not need a competitor who would show what true art is. Secondly, this is a taboo topic in the novel. It could influence views in society and change attitudes towards religion. The slightest hint of something new, something beyond the scope of censorship, is subject to destruction.

The sudden collapse of all hopes, of course, could not but affect state of mind Masters. He was shocked by the unexpected neglect and even contempt with which the main work of the writer’s life was treated. This was a tragedy for a man who realized that his goal and dream were impossible to achieve. But Bulgakov cites a simple truth, which is that true art cannot be destroyed. Even after years, it will still find its place in history and its connoisseurs. Time erases only the mediocre and empty, not worthy of attention.


The image of the Master in Bulgakov's novel is largely autobiographical. The Master is a historian by training; before the events described in the novel, he worked in a museum. One day he bought lottery ticket and won a large sum. After this, the Master left work and decided to make his dream come true: to write a novel about Pontius Pilate. It was at this time that the hero met Margarita - his love. This woman becomes the Master's assistant and his faithful companion. It was she who gave the hero the name Master, admiring his work and considering him truly talented. However, representatives of the literary community think differently. When the Master finished his work and took it to the editor, the excerpt was published. As a result, sharp persecution begins against the Master, as well as against Bulgakov himself.

The master could not withstand such pressure and burned the novel in the oven, after which he suffered a nervous attack. This happened in the absence of Margarita, without finding anyone’s support, the Master went to a psychiatric hospital.

The hero does not get out of there soon, with the help of Margarita, who is helped by Woland and his retinue. For love, patience and devotion, the Master and Margarita are rewarded with peace. Their bodies die in Moscow, but their souls remain alive - they are transported to another time, where the Master can create.

We meet the hero only a few times. We meet him in the chapter “The Appearance of the Hero” and understand that it is he who will central figure novel.

However, he is present in the work “in absentia”. His image runs like a shadow throughout the entire plot of the novel, but the character himself rarely appears on stage. The hero himself tells a little about himself: about the novel he wrote and burned, about his arrest and imprisonment in a clinic for the mentally ill. All other events in the Master’s life are illuminated for us by other heroes.

Woland frees the Master from the hospital room and allows Margarita to meet her lover. Azazello frees the hero from mortal life by poisoning the Master and Margarita. The heroes find eternal peace. The fate of the Master and Margarita lies at the heart of the plot of Bulgakov’s novel, connecting the disparate parts of the narrative plot-wise, symbolically and event-wise.

It is significant that the Master is rewarded with peace, but he does not deserve light. At first glance, it seems that the reason for this is his interaction with Woland. But that's not true. He created a novel about Pontius Pilate and the prototype of Christ - Yeshua Ha-Nozri. Yeshua defended his beliefs, he went to his death, but did not abandon them, while the Master gave up, he renounced his creation, did not resist the difficulties that the novel brought him. Therefore, he is unworthy of light, like Yeshua Ha-Nozri.

Updated: 2012-08-31

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Master- unnamed main character novel. In Stravinsky’s clinic, after M.’s disappearance, only his “dead nickname” remains: “Number one hundred eighteen from the first building.” The nickname “master” was given to the hero Margarita and is similar to the traditional names “master”, “maestro”; it relates the character to a medieval literary tradition, and with the Masonic ritual. Associations with Goethe's Faust (by analogy with Woland - "Mephistopheles" and Margarita - "Gretchen") are insignificant. At the same time, the peculiar “duplicity” of M. and Woland is important (the symmetry of the letters and “M”, the authenticity of Woland’s narrative and M.’s novel, etc.). The hero is given portrait likeness with Gogol, they are also related by the motif of the burnt manuscript. At the same time, M. is clearly an autobiographical hero; he is 38 years old - the same age as Bulgakov himself was in the year he began working on the novel and meeting E. S. Shilovskaya (then Bulgakova). Apparently, it is no coincidence that the hero appears for the first time in the 13th chapter. At Stravinsky’s clinic, having made his way into Ivan Bezdomny’s room, he says that once, being a historian by training, he worked in one of the Moscow museums and was married. Having won one hundred thousand rubles in the lottery, he quits his job at the museum, rents a two-room apartment in an Arbat basement and begins to write a novel about Pontius Pilate. During this period, M. meets Margarita. However, attempts to publish the novel cause a campaign of harassment from literary critics, which leads M. to a severe nervous breakdown. “Friend” M. Aloisy Mogarych, wanting to occupy his rooms, writes a denunciation against him, and M. is arrested. Having left prison a few weeks later, he realizes that he is a complete outcast and comes to the Stravinsky clinic, and considers himself incurable. The hero is intimidated, exhausted and morally broken, ready to give up everything past life, including from Margarita. Having been “extracted” from the clinic by Woland at her request, M. says that he is “bored” and wants to “go to the basement,” expresses the hope that Margarita will “come to her senses” and leave him, because he does not want to ruin her life along with your own. The heroes are returned to the Arbat basement. After Azazello poisons them, M. and Margarita join Woland’s retinue. Saying goodbye to Ivan Bezdomny, M. calls him “student” and asks him to write a continuation of the novel for him. Having visited the place in the mountains where Pilate is languishing, M. releases his hero to freedom. During the last flight, M. takes on the appearance of an 18th-century man. (cf. Woland’s appeal: “thrice romantic master”). According to Levi Matthew, M. “did not deserve light, he deserved peace”; therefore, the “eternal shelter”, “eternal home” given to the hero looks like an ambivalent “reward/punishment”: M. finds peace, forgets about everything and is himself consigned to oblivion. He remains only in the memory of Ivan, to whom he appears annually in a dream on the night of the spring full moon.