Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy trilogy. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

The personality of the Emperor of France excites the minds of historians and writers of all times. Secret evil genius that killed millions human lives, many scientists and writers tried to reveal.

Leo Tolstoy spoke an objective critic, the image and characterization of Napoleon in the novel “War and Peace” is highlighted comprehensively, without warning.

What does the Emperor of France look like?

Military trained posture allowed Bonaparte to last days look majestic. He was distinguished by his short stature, stocky figure and involuntarily protruding belly; he always wore boots - he lived on horseback. The man became famous for his well-groomed dandy with white beautiful hands, loved perfume, his body was constantly enveloped in the thick aroma of cologne.

Napoleon launched a military campaign against Russia at the age of forty. His dexterity and movements became less agile than in his youth, but his step remained firm and fast. The emperor's voice sounded loud, he tried to clearly pronounce each letter, especially beautifully finishing the last syllable in words.

How do the heroes of the novel “War and Peace” characterize Napoleon?

At the beginning of the novel, Andrei Bolkonsky considers the military leader promising. At the mentioned evening, the young prince recalls noble deeds commander, respectful: visiting hospitals, communicating with plague-infected soldiers.

After the Battle of Borodino, when a Russian officer had to die among many killed soldiers, he heard Napoleon above him. He spoke about the picture of death unfolding before his eyes, admiringly, with delight, with inspiration. Prince Andrei realized that he was hearing the words of a sick man, obsessed with the suffering of others, vile and grounded by unhealthy instincts.

Pierre Bezukhov was similarly disappointed in the image of the French military leader. The young count emphasized the state professionalism of a figure who managed to separate the abuses of the revolution and accepted the equality of citizens as the basis of a new political government. Pierre especially diligently tried to explain to the Russian nobility the positive meaning of freedom of speech, which originated in young France.

In the ashes of Moscow, Bezukhov changed his opinion to the opposite. Under the theatrical greatness of Napoleon's soul, Pierre saw the scale of lawlessness committed single-handedly by the emperor. The consequence of the actions of the person in power was inhuman cruelty. Mass lawlessness was the result of greed and insignificance.

Nikolai Rostov, due to his youth and straightforwardness, considered Napoleon a criminal, and as an emotionally mature representative of youth, he hated the commander of the enemy army with all the strength of his youthful soul.

The Russian statesman Count Rostopchin compares the activities of the evil genius with the pirate traditions that took place on the ships they captured.

Napoleon's Character Traits

The mass murder of peoples is turning into a habit, a passionate addiction. Napoleon himself calls war his craft. Military career became his life goal since my youth. Having reached power, the emperor values ​​luxury, organizes a magnificent court, and demands honor. His orders are carried out unquestioningly; he himself, according to Tolstoy, began to believe in the correctness of his thoughts, as the only correct ones.

The Emperor is under the delusion that his beliefs are infallible, ideal and perfect in their truth. Tolstoy does not deny that Bonaparte has significant experience in warfare, but the character is not educated person, on the contrary, is a limited personality in many respects.

Lev Nikolaevich emphasizes the limitations and self-confidence of this commander, which is manifested in all his words, gestures and actions. The portrait of Napoleon is ironic. He has a “short”, “plump” figure, “fat thighs”, a fussy, swift gait, a “white plump neck”, “a round belly”, “thick shoulders”. This is the image of Napoleon in the novel War and Peace. Describing the morning toilet of the French emperor before the Battle of Borodino, Lev Nikolaevich is revealing portrait characteristics, given initially in the work, enhances. The emperor has a “groomed body”, “overgrown fat breasts”, a “yellow” and “swollen” face. These details show that Napoleon Bonaparte (War and Peace) was a man far from working life and alien folk roots. The leader of the French is shown as a narcissistic egoist who thinks that the entire Universe obeys his will. People are of no interest to him.

Napoleon's behavior, his manner of speaking

The image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace" is revealed not only through a description of his appearance. His manner of speaking and behavior also reveals narcissism and narrow-mindedness. He is convinced of his own genius and greatness. Good is what came into his head, and not what is actually good, as Tolstoy notes. In the novel, every appearance of this character is accompanied by the author's merciless commentary. So, for example, in the third volume (first part, sixth chapter) Lev Nikolaevich writes that it was clear from this man that only what was happening in his soul was of interest to him.

In the work "War and Peace" the characterization of Napoleon is also marked by the following details. With subtle irony, which sometimes turns into sarcasm, the writer exposes Bonaparte's claims to world domination, as well as his acting and constant posing for history. All the time french emperor played, there was nothing natural and simple in his words and behavior. This is shown very expressively by Lev Nikolaevich in the scene when he admired the portrait of his son on the Borodino field. In it, the image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace" acquires some very important details. Let's describe this scene briefly.

Episode with a portrait of Napoleon's son

Napoleon approached the picture, feeling that what he would do and say now “is history.” The portrait depicted the emperor's son, who was playing the globe in bilbock. This expressed the greatness of the leader of the French, but Napoleon wanted to show “fatherly tenderness.” Of course it was clean water acting. Napoleon did not express any sincere feelings, he was only acting, posing for history. This scene shows the arrogance of this man, who believed that all of Russia would be conquered with the conquest of Moscow and thus his plans for domination over the whole world would be realized.

Napoleon - actor and player

And in a number of further episodes, the description of Napoleon (“War and Peace”) indicates that he is an actor and player. He says on the eve of the Battle of Borodino that the chess has already been set, the game will begin tomorrow. On the day of the battle, Lev Nikolaevich remarks after the cannon shots: “The game has begun.” Further, the writer shows that it cost tens of thousands of people their lives. Prince Andrei thinks that war is not a game, but only a cruel necessity. A fundamentally different approach to it was contained in this thought of one of the main characters of the work “War and Peace”. The image of Napoleon is shaded thanks to this remark. Prince Andrei expressed the opinion of a peaceful people who were forced under exceptional circumstances to take up arms, as the threat of enslavement loomed over their homeland.

Comic effect, produced by the French Emperor

It didn’t matter to Napoleon what was outside of himself, since it seemed to him that everything in the world depended only on his will. Tolstoy makes such a remark in the episode of his meeting with Balashev (“War and Peace”). The image of Napoleon in it is complemented by new details. Lev Nikolaevich emphasizes the contrast between the insignificance of the emperor and his inflated self-esteem. The comic conflict that arises is the best proof of the emptiness and powerlessness of this historical figure, who pretends to be majestic and strong.

The spiritual world of Napoleon

In Tolstoy's understanding spiritual world the leader of the French is an “artificial world” inhabited by “ghosts of some kind of greatness” (volume three, part two, chapter 38). In fact, Napoleon is living proof of one old truth that “the king is a slave of history” (volume three, part one, chapter 1). Believing that he is carrying out his own will, this historical figure he was just playing the “difficult”, “sad” and “cruel” “inhuman role” that was intended for him. He would hardly have been able to bear it if this man’s conscience and mind had not been darkened (volume three, part two, chapter 38). The writer sees the darkening of the mind of this commander-in-chief in the fact that he consciously cultivated spiritual callousness in himself, which he mistook for true greatness and courage.

So, for example, in the third volume (part two, chapter 38) it is said that he loved to look at the wounded and killed, thereby testing his mental strength(as Napoleon himself believed). In the episode when a squadron of Polish lancers swam across the Neman River and the adjutant, in front of his eyes, allowed himself to draw the attention of the emperor to the devotion of the Poles, Napoleon called Berthier to him and began to walk with him along the bank, giving him orders and occasionally looking displeasedly at the drowned lancers who were entertaining his attention. For him, death is a boring and familiar sight. Napoleon takes for granted the selfless devotion of his own soldiers.

Napoleon is a deeply unhappy man

Tolstoy emphasizes that this man was deeply unhappy, but did not notice this only due to the absence of at least some moral sense. "The Great" Napoleon, " European hero“morally blind. He cannot understand beauty, goodness, truth, or the meaning of his own actions, which, as Leo Tolstoy notes, were “the opposite of good and truth,” “far from everything human.” Napoleon simply could not understand the meaning of his deeds (volume three, part two, chapter 38). To come to truth and goodness, according to the writer, is possible only by renouncing the imaginary greatness of one’s personality. However, Napoleon is not at all capable of such a “heroic” act.

Napoleon's responsibility for what he did

Despite the fact that he is doomed to play a negative role in history, Tolstoy does not at all diminish the moral responsibility of this man for everything he has done. He writes that Napoleon, destined for the “unfree”, “sad” role of the executioner of many peoples, nevertheless assured himself that their good was the goal of his actions and that he could control and guide the destinies of many people, do things through his power of beneficence. Napoleon imagined that the war with Russia took place according to his will; his soul was not struck by the horror of what had happened (volume three, part two, chapter 38).

Napoleonic qualities of the heroes of the work

In other characters of the work Napoleonic qualities Lev Nikolaevich connects it with the characters’ lack of moral sense (for example, Helen) or with their tragic delusions. Thus, in his youth, Pierre Bezukhov, who was carried away by the ideas of the French emperor, remained in Moscow in order to kill him and thereby become the “savior of mankind.” On early stages spiritual life, Andrei Bolkonsky dreamed of rising above other people, even if this required sacrificing loved ones and family. In the image of Lev Nikolaevich, Napoleonism is a dangerous disease that divides people. It forces them to wander blindly along the spiritual “off-road.”

Introduction

Historical figures have always been of particular interest in Russian literature. Dedicated to some individual works, others are key images in the plots of novels. The image of Napoleon in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” can also be considered as such. We meet the name of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (Tolstoy wrote precisely Bonaparte, and many heroes called him only Buonoparte) already on the first pages of the novel, and part only in the epilogue.

Heroes of the novel about Napoleon

In the living room of Anna Scherer (maid of honor and close associate of the Empress) with great interest discuss Europe's political actions towards Russia. The owner of the salon herself says: “Prussia has already declared that Bonaparte is invincible and that all of Europe can do nothing against him...”. Representatives secular society- Prince Vasily Kuragin, the emigrant Viscount Mortemart, invited by Anna Scherer, Abbot Moriot, Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky, Prince Ippolit Kuragin and other members of the evening were not unanimous in their attitude towards Napoleon. Some did not understand him, others admired him. In War and Peace, Tolstoy showed Napoleon from different sides. We see him as a general-strategist, as an emperor, as a person.

Andrey Bolkonsky

In a conversation with his father, the old Prince Bolkonsky, Andrei says: “... but Bonaparte still great commander! He considered him a “genius” and “could not allow shame for his hero.” At an evening with Anna Pavlovna Sherer, Andrei supported Pierre Bezukhov in his judgments about Napoleon, but still retained and own opinion about him: “Napoleon as a person is great on the Arcole Bridge, in the hospital in Jaffa, where he gives his hand to the plague, but... there are other actions that are difficult to justify.” But after a while, lying on the field of Austerlitz and looking into blue sky, Andrei heard Napoleon’s words about him: “Here beautiful death" Bolkonsky understood: “... it was Napoleon - his hero, but at that moment Napoleon seemed so small to him, an insignificant person..." While examining the prisoners, Andrei thought “about the insignificance of greatness.” Disappointment in his hero came not only to Bolkonsky, but also to Pierre Bezukhov.

Pierre Bezukhov

Having just appeared in the world, young and naive Pierre zealously defended Napoleon from the attacks of the Viscount: “Napoleon is great because he rose above the revolution, suppressed its abuses, retaining everything good - the equality of citizens, and freedom of speech and the press - and only That’s why he acquired power.” Pierre recognized the “greatness of soul” of the French emperor. He did not defend the murders of the French emperor, but the calculation of his actions for the good of the empire, the willingness to take on such a responsible task - to start a revolution - this seemed to Bezukhov a real feat, the strength of a great man. But when he came face to face with his “idol,” Pierre saw all the insignificance of the emperor, cruelty and lawlessness. He cherished the idea of ​​killing Napoleon, but realized that he was not worth it, since he did not even deserve a heroic death.

Nikolay Rostov

This young man called Napoleon a criminal. He believed that all his actions were unlawful and, out of the naivety of his soul, he hated Bonaparte “as best he could.”

Boris Drubetskoy

A promising young officer, a protégé of Vasily Kuragin, spoke of Napoleon with respect: “I would like to see a great man!”

Count Rastopchin

A representative of secular society, a defender of the Russian army, said about Bonaparte: “Napoleon treats Europe like a pirate on a conquered ship.”

Characteristics of Napoleon

The ambiguous characterization of Napoleon in Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is presented to the reader. On the one hand, he is a great commander, a ruler, on the other, an “insignificant Frenchman,” a “servile emperor.” External features They lower Napoleon to the ground, he is not as tall, not as handsome, he is fat and unpleasant as we would like to see him. It was “a plump, short figure with broad, thick shoulders and an involuntarily protruding belly and chest.” Description of Napoleon is present in different parts novel. Here he is before the Battle of Austerlitz: “... thin face he didn't move a single muscle; his shining eyes were motionlessly fixed on one place... He stood motionless... and on his cold face there was that special shade of self-confident, well-deserved happiness that happens on the face of a loving and happy boy.” By the way, this day was especially solemn for him, since it was the anniversary of his coronation. But we see him at a meeting with General Balashev, who arrived with a letter from Emperor Alexander: “...firm, decisive steps,” “round belly... fat thighs of short legs... White plump neck... On a youthful appearance full face... an expression of gracious and majestic imperial greeting." The scene of Napoleon awarding the bravest Russian soldier with the order is also interesting. What did Napoleon want to show? Your greatness, the humiliation of the Russian army and the emperor himself, or admiration for the courage and steadfastness of the soldiers?

Portrait of Napoleon

Bonaparte valued himself very much: “God gave me the crown. Woe to anyone who touches her." These words were spoken by him during the coronation in Milan. Napoleon in War and Peace is an idol for some and an enemy for others. “The trembling of my left calf is a great sign,” Napoleon said about himself. He was proud of himself, he loved himself, he glorified his greatness over the whole world. Russia stood in his way. Having defeated Russia, it was not difficult for him to crush all of Europe under him. Napoleon behaved arrogantly. In the scene of a conversation with the Russian general Balashev, Bonaparte allowed himself to pull his ear, saying that it was a great honor to be pulled by the ear by the emperor. The description of Napoleon contains many words containing a negative connotation; Tolstoy characterizes the emperor’s speech especially vividly: “condescending”, “mockingly”, “viciously”, “angrily”, “dry”, etc. Bonaparte also speaks boldly about the Russian Emperor Alexander: “War is my craft, and his business is to reign, and not to command troops. Why did he take on such responsibility?”

The image of Napoleon in “War and Peace” revealed in this essay allows us to conclude: Bonaparte’s mistake was in overestimating his capabilities and excessive self-confidence. Wanting to become the ruler of the world, Napoleon could not defeat Russia. This defeat broke his spirit and confidence in his strength.

Work test

The epic novel "War and Peace" is replete with characters - both fictional and real historical figures. An important place among them is occupied by the figure of Napoleon - it is no coincidence that his image is present from the first pages of the work to the epilogue.

Why did Tolstoy pay so much attention to Bonaparte? With this figure he connects the most important philosophical and moral issues, first of all, understanding the role outstanding personalities in history.

The writer builds the image of the French emperor in two projections: Napoleon - the commander and Napoleon - the man.

Describing the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Borodino, Tolstoy notes the unconditional experience, talent and military erudition of Napoleon the commander. But at the same time, he focuses much more attention on the socio-psychological portrait of the emperor.

In the first two volumes, Napoleon is shown through the eyes of the heroes - Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. The romantic aura of the hero excited the minds of his contemporaries. This is evidenced by the delight of the French troops who saw their idol, and Pierre’s passionate speech in Anna Scherer’s salon in defense of Napoleon, “a great man who managed to rise above the revolution”.

Even when describing the appearance of a “great man,” the writer repeats the definitions many times "small", "fat thighs", grounding the image of the emperor and emphasizing his ordinariness.

Tolstoy specifically shows the cynicism of Napoleon’s image and negative traits. Moreover, these are not so much the personal qualities of this person as their manner of behavior - "the situation obliges".

Bonaparte himself practically believed that he was a “superman”, deciding the destinies of other people. Everything he does "there is a story", even a trembling of the left calf. Hence the pomposity of manners and speech, a self-confident cold expression on his face, and constant posing. Napoleon is always concerned about how he looks in the eyes of others, whether he corresponds to the image of a hero. Even his gestures are designed to attract attention - he gives the signal for the beginning of the Battle of Austerlitz with a wave of his removed glove. All these character traits of a self-centered person - vanity, narcissism, arrogance, acting - are in no way combined with greatness.

In fact, Tolstoy shows Napoleon as a deeply flawed person, because he is morally poor, he does not know the joys of life, he does not have “love, poetry, tenderness.” Even human feelings the French emperor imitates. Having received a portrait of his son from his wife, he “put on an appearance of thoughtful tenderness.” Tolstoy gives a derogatory characterization of Bonaparte, writing: “...never, until the end of his life, could he understand either goodness, beauty, truth, or the meaning of his actions, which were too opposite to goodness and truth...”.

Napoleon is deeply indifferent to the fate of other people: they are just pawns in big game called “power and might,” and war is like the movement of chess pieces on a board. In life he "looks past people"- and driving around the Austerlitz field strewn with corpses after the battle, and indifferently turning away from the Polish lancers when crossing the Viliya River. Bolkonsky says about Napoleon that he was "happy from the misfortune of others". Even seeing scary picture Borodino field after the battle, Emperor of France “found reasons to rejoice”. Lost lives are the basis of Napoleon's happiness.

Trampling on everything moral laws, professing the principle “Winners are not judged,” Napoleon literally walks over corpses to power, glory and might.

By the will of Napoleon it happens "terrible thing"- war. That is why Tolstoy denies greatness to Napoleon, following Pushkin, believing that “genius and villainy are incompatible.”

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In 1867, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy completed work on the work “War and Peace”. The main theme of the work is the wars of 1805 and 1812 and military figures who took part in the confrontation between two great powers - Russia and France.

The outcome of the War of 1812 was determined, from Tolstoy’s point of view, not mysterious and inaccessible human understanding fate, and “club people's war”, acting with “simplicity” and “expediency”.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, like any peace-loving person, denied armed conflicts and heatedly argued with those who found the “beauty of horror” in military actions. When describing the events of 1805, the author acts as a pacifist writer, but, telling about the war of 1812, he already moves to the position of patriotism.

The novel offers Tolstoy's view of the First Patriotic War and her historical participants: Alexander I, Napoleon and his marshals, Kutuzov, Bagration, Bennigsen, Rastopchin, as well as other events of that era - Speransky’s reforms, the activities of the Freemasons and political secret societies. The view of the war is fundamentally polemical with the approaches of official historians. The basis of Tolstoy’s understanding is a kind of fatalism, that is, the role of individual individuals in history is insignificant, the invisible historical will consists of “billions of wills” and is expressed as the movement of huge human masses.

The novel shows two ideological center: Kutuzov and Napoleon. These two great commanders are pitted against each other as representatives of two superpowers. The idea of ​​​​debunking the legend of Napoleon arose from Tolstoy in connection with the final understanding of the nature of the war of 1812 as fair on the part of the Russians. It is on the personality of Napoleon that I want to dwell in more detail.

The image of Napoleon is revealed by Tolstoy from the position of “popular thought.” For example, S.P. Bychkov wrote: “In the war with Russia, Napoleon acted as an invader who sought to enslave the Russian people, he was an indirect killer of many people, this gloomy activity did not give him, according to the writer, the right to greatness.”

Turning to the lines of the novel in which Napoleon is described ambiguously, I agree with this characterization given to the French emperor.

Already from the first appearance of the emperor in the novel, they reveal deeply negative traits his character. Tolstoy carefully, detail by detail, paints a portrait of Napoleon, a forty-year-old, well-fed and lordly pampered man, arrogant and narcissistic. “Round belly”, “fat thighs of short legs”, “white plump neck”, “fat short figure” with wide, “thick shoulders” - here character traits Napoleon's appearance. When describing Napoleon’s morning toilet on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Tolstoy strengthens the revealing nature of the initial portrait description of the Emperor of France: “Fat back”, “overgrown fat chest”, “groomed body”, “swollen and yellow” face - all these details depict a man far from working life, deeply alien to the basics folk life. Napoleon was an egoist, a narcissistic man who believed that the entire universe obeyed his will. People were of no interest to him.

The writer, with subtle irony, sometimes turning into sarcasm, exposes Napoleon's claims to world domination, his constant posing for history, his acting. The emperor played all the time; there was nothing simple and natural in his behavior and in his words. This is expressively shown by Tolstoy in the scene of Napoleon admiring the portrait of his son on the Borodino field. Napoleon approached the painting, feeling “that what he will say and do now is history.” “His son was playing with a globe in a billbok” - this expressed Napoleon’s greatness, but he wanted to show “the simplest fatherly tenderness.” Of course, this was pure acting; the emperor did not express sincere feelings of “fatherly tenderness” here, but rather he posed for history and acted. This scene clearly reveals the arrogance of Napoleon, who believed that with the conquest of Moscow all of Russia would be conquered and his plans for conquest of world domination would be realized.

As a player and actor, the writer portrays Napoleon in a number of subsequent episodes. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon says: “Chess is set, the game will begin tomorrow.” On the day of the battle, after the first cannon shots, the writer remarks: “The game has begun.” Tolstoy further shows that this “game” cost the lives of tens of thousands of people. This revealed the bloody nature of Napoleon’s wars, which sought to enslave the whole world. War is not a “game”, but a cruel necessity, thinks Prince Andrei. And this was a fundamentally different approach to war, expressing the point of view of a peaceful people forced to take up arms under exceptional circumstances, when the threat of enslavement loomed over their homeland.

Napoleon - French Emperor, real historical figure, depicted in the novel, is a hero with whose image the historical and philosophical concept of L. N. Tolstoy is connected. At the beginning of the work, Napoleon is the idol of Andrei Bolkonsky, a man whose greatness Pierre Bezukhov bows to, a politician whose actions and personality are discussed in the high-society salon of A.P. Scherer. How actor novel, the French emperor appears in Battle of Austerlitz, after which the wounded Prince Andrei sees “a radiance of complacency and happiness” on Napoleon’s face as he admires the view of the battlefield.

Even before the order to cross the borders of Russia, the emperor’s imagination was haunted by Moscow, and during the war he did not foresee its general course. Giving battle of Borodino, Napoleon acts “involuntarily and senselessly”, without being able to somehow influence its course, although he does not do anything harmful to the cause. For the first time during the Battle of Borodino, he experiences bewilderment and hesitation, and after the battle, the sight of the dead and wounded “defeated the spiritual strength in which he believed his merit and greatness.” According to the author, Napoleon was destined for an inhuman role, his mind and conscience were darkened, and his actions were “too opposite to goodness and truth, too far from everything human.”

In conclusion, it should be said that Tolstoy argued throughout the entire novel that Napoleon is a toy in the hands of history, and, moreover, not a simple one, but an evil toy. Napoleon also had defenders who tried to show him in better light, and those who had a negative attitude towards the emperor. Undoubtedly, Napoleon was big historical figure and a great commander, but still in all his actions only pride, selfishness and a vision of himself as a ruler are manifested