Griboyedov, Woe from Wit. Why do you think Griboyedov considered his play a comedy? “Who will figure you out!” (The riddle of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit.”)

“Who will figure you out!” (The riddle of Sophia in A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit.”)

One of the characters in the comedy, which to this day causes controversy among writers and critics, is, of course, Sofya Pavlovna Famusova.

The nineteenth century, the spirit of which permeates all the actions and phenomena of comedy, divided critics into two camps. The most irreconcilable condemned the heroine in the most decisive manner. In particular, A.S. Pushkin spoke very sharply about Sophia: “Sophia is not sharply outlined - either a harlot, or a Moscow cousin.”

So what is Sofya Pavlovna Famusova really like? At the beginning of the comedy, she appears to us as a spoiled Moscow young lady. She subjugates the submissive and timid Molchalin to her desires and whims, dexterously deceives her own naive parent, and when he nevertheless catches her in an inappropriate form, she invents a “prophetic” dream with marvelous ease. f"The love of Sophia and Molchalin is introduced by Griboyedov into the narrative much earlier than Chatsky's appearance and long before Molchalin's self-exposure. The reader does not yet know that Chatsky and Sophia grew up and matured together, that Chatsky had hopes for Sophia’s loyalty to adolescent love. In the very first conversation of the heroine with the maid Liza, the author in very sensual tones describes Sophia’s attitude towards her silent and devoted chosen one:

He will take your hand and press it to your heart.
He will sigh from the depths of his soul.
Not a free word, and so the whole night passes,
Hand in hand, and does not take his eyes off me...

However, the first impression of a romantic female image is quite deceptive. As this work progresses, the reader begins to understand that Sophia does not fit into this concept. Already upon meeting Chatsky, there is no trace of that sentimental girl brought up on French romance novels. A cold Moscow girl, accustomed to high-society manners of communication, which excludes any kind of frankness and even human warmth, talks to the main character. Very little time passes from the tortured “Oh, Chatsky, I’m glad to see you” to the angry, steely-tinged “Not a man, a snake!” The reader is confused. What is the true essence of the heroine?

It seems that Griboyedov deliberately forces him to tirelessly peer into Sophia’s face, covered with a veil of mystery, and try to answer a question that has no answer.

The scene of Sophia fainting due to Molchalin's stupid fall from a horse again misleads the reader. Now it is no longer possible to say with certainty what is behind this. Either the love for Molchalin is really so great, and the words “Ah! My God! fell, killed himself! there is a cry of the soul, beating as a wounded bird in a cage of despair, or Sophia simply decided to annoy the annoying Chatsky, who completely unreasonably imagined himself to be the ruler of her thoughts and feelings.

Why did Sophia choose Molchalin? Yes, it is more convenient to deal with him, he can be tamed, he is obedient and uncomplaining, “a husband is a boy, a husband is a servant.” But such a person is not a match for the daughter of a respected Moscow gentleman. And Sophia realizes this. Therefore, this is precisely why she chooses Molchalin, challenging the prejudices and ridiculous beliefs of the ossified Moscow society. “What do I need rumors? Who. wants, so he judges,” the remark thrown by Sophia, as if by an invisible thread, connected her contradictory nature with the image of Chatsky, who consciously put himself in opposition to everyone surrounding and lying in wait for him on the sidelines of Griboyedov’s comedy.

But what if Sophia skillfully plays a more insidious role? After all, it was she who started the clockwork of the climax of the entire comedy, accidentally dropping the phrase: “He’s out of his mind,” characterizing Chatsky. Like a snowball, inexorably growing in size like an avalanche, descending from the mountainside, the rumor began to spread among members of the “Famus” society, leading to a denouement.

I. A. Goncharov compared Griboyedov’s Sofya Famusova with Pushkin’s Tatyana Larina: “...She, in her love, is just as ready to give herself away as Tatyana: both, as if sleepwalking, wander in infatuation with childish simplicity.” Sophia and Tatyana are strong representatives of the weaker sex, and while “The Silents are blissful in the world,” turning the world into a kingdom of darkness, they are the ones who make life brighter, becoming the only “ray of light in the dark kingdom.”

In numerous critical articles and notes about A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” written and published over the past one hundred and seventy-eight years, the only idea can be seen most clearly and clearly: this work is extremely ambiguous. Despite the apparent certainty of the posed problem of the relationship between a “man of a new formation” and the rotten through and through “Famus society”, in no case should one lose sight of the mystery and sometimes contradictory nature of the images, supposedly relegated to the background and introduced into the narrative only for greater brightness works. One of these comedy characters, who to this day causes controversy among writers and critics, is, of course, Sofya Pavlovna Famusova.
The nineteenth century, the spirit of which permeates all the actions and phenomena of comedy, divided critics into two camps. The most irreconcilable condemned the heroine in the most decisive manner. In particular, A.S. Pushkin spoke very sharply about Sophia: “Sophia is not sharply outlined - either a harlot, or a Moscow cousin.” V. G. Belinsky adhered to the same point of view: “The measure of a woman’s dignity can be the man she loves.” Struck by the originality of the heroines, they expressed a completely opposite point of view. Thus, I. A. Goncharov in the article “A Million Torments” wrote: “In her own, personal physiognomy, something of her own is hidden, hot, tender, even dreamy. She has some energy of character.” The words of B. Goller were even more decisive: “This is the only character whose actions are absolutely independent and independent.”
So what is Sofya Pavlovna Famusova really like? At the beginning of the comedy, she appears before us as a spoiled Moscow young lady who, according to her father Pavel Afanasyevich, “cannot sleep from French books.” She subjugates the submissive and timid Taciturn to her desires and whims, dexterously deceives her own naive parent, and when he nevertheless catches her in an inappropriate form, she with marvelous ease invents a “prophetic” dream:

Let me... see... first
Flowery meadow and I was looking for
Grass
Some, I don’t remember in reality.
Suddenly a nice person, one of those we
We'll see, as if we've known each other for centuries,
He appeared here with me; and insinuating and smart,
But timid... you know, who is born in poverty...

I want to go to him - you bring with you:
We are accompanied by moans, roars, laughter, and whistling monsters!
He shouts after him!..
Awoke. - Someone says:
Your voice was...

Sophia's love for Molchalin is introduced by Griboedov into the narrative much earlier than Chatsky's appearance and long before Molchalin's self-exposure. The reader does not yet know that Chatsky and Sophia grew up and matured together, that Chatsky had hopes for Sophia’s loyalty to adolescent love. In the very first conversation of the heroine with the maid Liza, the author in very sensual tones describes Sophia’s attitude towards her silent and devoted chosen one:

He takes your hand and presses it to your heart,
He will sigh from the depths of his soul,
Not a free word, and so the whole night passes,
Hand in hand, and doesn’t take his eyes off me...

However, the first impression of a romantic female image is quite deceptive. The young heroine in the traditional comedy of classicism, as a rule, plays a simple and completely unambiguous role. As this work progresses, the reader begins to understand that Sophia does not fit into this concept. Already upon meeting Chatsky, there is no trace of that sentimental girl brought up on French romance novels. A cold Moscow girl, accustomed to high-society manners of communication, which excludes any frankness and even human warmth, talks to the main character. Very little time passes from the tortured: “Oh, Chatsky, I’m glad to see you” to the angry, steely-tinged: “Not a man, a snake!” The reader is confused. What is the true essence of the heroine? It seems that Griboyedov deliberately forces him to tirelessly peer into Sophia’s face, covered with a veil of mystery, and try to answer a question that has no answer.
The scene of Sophia fainting due to Molchalin's stupid fall from a horse again misleads the reader. Now it is no longer possible to say with certainty what is behind this. Either the love for Molchalin is really so great and the words: “Ah! My God! fell, killed himself!” there is a cry of the soul, beating as a wounded bird in a cage of despair, or Sophia simply decided to annoy the annoying Chatsky, who completely unreasonably imagined himself to be the ruler of her thoughts and feelings.
Even if Griboyedov assigned Sophia the role of a romantic, loving nature, then here too there is no complete clarity. Why did Sophia choose Molchalin? Yes, it is more convenient to deal with him, he can be tamed, he is obedient and uncomplaining, “a husband-boy, a husband-servant.” But this is definitely a negative character. Moreover, despite his obvious belonging to the “Famus society”, even there he does not deserve due respect: “... on tiptoe and not rich in words,” he has only two talents - moderation and accuracy. He is rootless and is listed in the archives. Such a person is not a match for the daughter of a respected Moscow gentleman. And Sophia realizes this. Therefore, this is precisely why she chooses Molchalin, challenging the prejudices and ridiculous beliefs of the ossified Moscow society. “What do I need rumors? Whoever wants to, judges it,” the remark thrown by Sophia seemed to connect her contradictory nature with the image of Chatsky, who consciously put himself in opposition to everyone around him and lying in wait for him on the sidelines of Griboyedov’s comedy.
But what if Sophia skillfully plays a more insidious role? After all, it was she who started the clockwork of the climax of the entire comedy, accidentally dropping the phrase: “He’s out of his mind,” characterizing Chatsky. Like a snowball, inexorably growing in size, descending like an avalanche from the mountainside, the rumor began to spread among members of the “Famus society,” leading to a denouement. Did Sophia take revenge on Chatsky for his departure and many years of wandering? Or did she become an innocent victim of the conflict between “old” and “new”, as well as betrayal on the part of Molchalin? Probably, more than a dozen years will pass, and the controversy surrounding the true face of the heroine of Griboedov’s comedy will not subside.
I. A. Goncharov compared Griboyedov’s Sofya Famusova with Pushkin’s Tatyana Larina: “...She, in her love, is just as ready to give herself away as Tatyana: both, as if sleepwalking, wander in fascination with childish simplicity.” Probably, they are also united by a unique position in their works: clearly belonging to a certain environment, they still stand above everything that happens and contemplate everything that happens. They are strong representatives of the weaker sex, and while the “Silent Ones are blissful in the world,” turning the world into a kingdom of darkness, they are the ones who make life brighter, becoming the only “ray of light in the dark kingdom.”

Essay text:

In numerous critical articles and notes about A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy Woe from Wit, written and published over the past one hundred and seventy-eight years, the only idea can be seen most clearly and clearly: this work is extremely ambiguous. Despite the apparent certainty of the posed problem of the relationship between a person of a new formation and Famus’s society, which is rotten through and through, in no case should one lose sight of the mystery and sometimes contradictory nature of the images, supposedly relegated to the background and introduced into the narrative only for greater brightness of the work. One of these comedy characters, who to this day causes controversy among writers and critics, is, of course, Sofya Pavlovna Famusova. The nineteenth century, the spirit of which permeates all the actions and phenomena of comedy, divided the critics into two camps. The most irreconcilable condemned the heroine in the most decisive manner. In particular, A.S. Pushkin spoke very sharply about Sophia: Sophia is not sharply delineated as either a harlot or a Moscow cousin. V. G. Belinsky adhered to the same point of view: The measure of a woman’s dignity can be the man she loves. Struck by the originality of the heroines, they expressed a completely opposite point of view. Thus, I. A. Goncharov wrote in his article Million of Torments: In her own, personal physiognomy, something of her own is hidden, hot, tender, even dreamy. She has some kind of character energy. The words of B. Goller were even more decisive: This is the only character whose actions are absolutely independent and independent. So what is Sofya Pavlovna Famusova really like? At the beginning of the comedy, she appears before us as a spoiled Moscow young lady who, according to her father Pavel Afanasyevich, cannot sleep from French books. She subjugates the submissive and timid Taciturn to her desires and whims, deftly tricking her naive parent around her finger, and when he nevertheless catches her in an inappropriate form, she with marvelous ease invents a prophetic dream: Let me... see... first the Flowery Meadow, and I was looking for some kind of Grass, I don’t remember in reality. Suddenly, a dear man, one of those whom we would see as if we had known each other forever, appeared with me; and insinuating and smart, But timid... you know, who was born in poverty... I want to see him you drag with you: We are seen off by the groans, roars, laughter, whistles of monsters! He shouts after him!.. I woke up. Someone says: Your voice was... Sophia's love for Molchalin is introduced by Griboyedov into the narrative much earlier than Chatsky's appearance and long before Molchalin's self-exposure. The reader does not yet know that Chatsky and Sophia grew up and matured together, that Chatsky had hopes for Sophia’s loyalty to adolescent love. In the very first conversation of the heroine with the maid Liza, the author in very sensual tones describes Sophia’s attitude towards her silent and devoted chosen one: He takes your hand and presses it to your heart, He sighs from the depths of your soul, Not a free word, and so the whole night goes by, Hand in hand, and never takes your eyes off me... However, the first impression of the romantic female image is quite deceptive. The young heroine in the traditional comedy of classicism, as a rule, plays a simple and completely unambiguous role. As this work progresses, the reader begins to understand that Sophia does not fit into this concept. Already upon meeting Chatsky, there is no trace of that sentimental girl brought up on French romance novels. A cold Moscow girl, accustomed to high-society manners of communication, which excludes any frankness and even human warmth, talks to the main character. Very little time passes from the tortured: Oh, Chatsky, I’m glad to see you, to the angry, with a steely tint: Not a man, a snake! The reader is confused. What is the true essence of the heroine? It seems that Griboyedov deliberately forces him to tirelessly peer into Sophia’s face, covered with a veil of mystery, and try to answer a question that has no answer. The scene of Sophia fainting due to Molchalin’s stupid fall from a horse again misleads the reader. Now it is no longer possible to say with certainty what is behind it. Either the love for Molchalin is really so great and the words: Ah! My God! fell, killed himself! there is a cry of the soul, beating like a wounded bird in a cage of despair, or Sophia simply decided to annoy the annoying Chatsky, who completely unreasonably imagined himself to be the ruler of her thoughts and feelings. Even if Griboyedov assigned Sophia the role of a romantic, loving nature, then here too there is no complete clarity. Why the choice of Sofia Molchalin? Yes, it is more convenient to deal with him, he can be tamed, he is obedient and uncomplaining, a husband-boy, a husband-servant. But this is definitely a negative character. Moreover, despite his obvious belonging to Famusov’s society, even there he does not deserve due respect: ... on tiptoe and not rich in words, he has only two talents: moderation and accuracy. He is rootless and is listed in the archives. Such a person is not a match for the daughter of a respected Moscow gentleman. And Sophia realizes this. Therefore, she chooses Molchalin’s lyric music, challenging the prejudices and absurd beliefs of the ossified Moscow society. What do I need rumors? Whoever wants to judge, Sophia’s remark, as if with an invisible thread, connected her contradictory nature with the image of Chatsky, who consciously put himself in opposition to everyone around him and lying in wait for him on the sidelines of Griboyedov’s comedy. But what if Sophia skillfully plays a more insidious role? After all, it was she who started the clockwork of the climax of the entire comedy, accidentally dropping the phrase: He is out of his mind, characterizing Chatsky. Like a snowball, inexorably growing in size, descending like an avalanche from the mountainside, the rumor began to spread among members of the Famus society, leading to a denouement. Did Sophia take revenge on Chatsky for his departure and many years of wandering? Or did she become an innocent victim of the conflict between old and new, as well as betrayal on the part of Molchalin? Probably, more than a dozen years will pass, and the controversy surrounding the true face of the heroine of Griboedov’s comedy will not subside. I. A. Goncharov compared Griboyedov's Sofya Famusova with Pushkin's Tatyana Larina: ... She, in her love, is just as ready to give herself away as Tatyana: both, as if sleepwalking, wander in infatuation with childish simplicity. Probably, they are also united by a unique position in their works: clearly belonging to a certain environment, they still stand above everything that happens and contemplate everything that happens. They are strong representatives of the weaker sex, and while the Molchalins are blissful in the world, turning the world into a kingdom of darkness, they are the ones who make life brighter, becoming the only ray of light in the dark kingdom.

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“Who will figure you out!”(The riddle of Sophia in the comedy “Woe from Wit.”)

One of the characters in the comedy, which to this day causes controversy among writers and critics, is, of course, Sofya Pavlovna Famusova.

He will take your hand and press it to your heart.
He will sigh from the depths of his soul.
Not a free word, and so the whole night passes,
Hand in hand, and does not take his eyes off me...

It seems that Griboyedov deliberately forces him to tirelessly peer into Sophia’s face, covered with a veil of mystery, and try to answer a question that has no answer.

One of the characters in the comedy, which still causes controversy among writers and critics, is, of course, Sofya Pavlovna Famusova. The nineteenth century, the spirit of which permeates all the actions and phenomena of comedy, divided critics into two camps. The most irreconcilable condemned the heroine in the most decisive manner. In particular, A.S. Pushkin spoke very sharply about Sophia: “Sophia is not sharply outlined - either a harlot, a Moscow cousin of the crowd.”

The love between Sophia and Molchalin is introduced by Griboyedov into the narrative much earlier than Chatsky’s appearance and long before Molchalin’s self-exposure. The reader does not yet know that Chatsky and Sophia grew up and matured together, that Chatsky had hopes for Sophia’s loyalty to adolescent love. In the very first conversation of the heroine with the maid Liza, the author in very sensual tones describes Sophia’s attitude towards her silent and devoted chosen one:

He will take your hand and press it to your heart,

He will sigh from the depths of his soul,

Not a free word, and so the whole night passes,

Hand in hand, and doesn’t take his eyes off me...

However, the first impression of a romantic female image is quite deceptive. As this work progresses, the reader begins to understand that Sophia does not fit into this concept. Already upon meeting Chatsky, there is no trace of that sentimental girl brought up on French romance novels. A cold Moscow girl, accustomed to high-society manners of communication, which excludes any frankness and even human warmth, talks to the main character. Very little time passes from the tortured “Oh, Chatsky, I’m glad to see you” to the angry, steely-tinged “Not a man, a snake!” The reader is confused. What is the true essence of the heroine?

It seems that Griboyedov deliberately forces him to tirelessly peer into Sophia’s face, covered with a veil of mystery, and try to answer a question that has no answer. The scene of Sophia fainting due to Molchalin's stupid fall from a horse again misleads the reader. Now it is no longer possible to say with certainty what is behind this. Perhaps the love for Molchalin is really so great. and the words “Ah! My God! fell, killed himself! there is a cry of the soul, beating as a wounded bird in a cage of despair, or Sophia simply decided to annoy the annoying Chatsky, who completely unreasonably imagined himself to be the ruler of her thoughts and feelings.