Symbolism and motives of the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. Ostrovsky, artistic preliminaries

The play “The Thunderstorm” is one of Ostrovsky’s brightest works, which expresses a protest against the tyranny and despotism reigning in the “dark kingdom” of the merchant class of the 19th century. “The Thunderstorm” was written by Alexander Nikolaevich during the fundamental changes taking place in Russian society, so it was no coincidence that Ostrovsky chose this title for his drama. The word “thunderstorm” plays a big role in understanding the play; it has many meanings. On the one hand, a thunderstorm is a natural phenomenon, which is one of the actors.

On the other hand, a thunderstorm symbolizes the processes that take place in Russian society itself. Finally, the “thunderstorm” is the internal conflict of the main character of the drama, Katerina.

The thunderstorm occupies an important place in the composition of the drama. In the first act, Katerina’s dialogue with Varvara, in which the heroine admits her feelings for Boris, is accompanied by a picture of an approaching thunderstorm. In the fourth act, one of the residents of the city of Kalinov, looking at the gathering thunderstorm, foreshadows inevitable death: “Remember my word that this thunderstorm will not pass in vain! ... Either he will kill someone, or the house will burn down...” The climax of the play - the scene of Katerina's repentance for cheating on her husband - takes place against the backdrop of thunder. In addition, the writer more than once personifies a thunderstorm in the dialogues of residents of the city of Kalinova: “And so it creeps towards us, and crawls like a living thing.” Thus, Ostrovsky shows that the thunderstorm is one of the direct characters in the play.

But the image of a thunderstorm also has a symbolic meaning. Thus, Tikhon calls the scolding of his mother Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova a “thunderstorm.” Dikoy scolds so much that for his loved ones he is a real “thunderstorm”. And the “dark kingdom” itself can be viewed as a patriarchal society in which ignorance, cruelty, and deception are thunderclouds frightening in their blackness.

The thunderstorm is perceived by the heroes in different ways. So, Dikoy says: “A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment,” and the crazy lady at the first strikes of thunder proclaims: “You will all burn in unquenchable fire!” Thus, the writer creates a picture of a gloomy religious consciousness, which also influences Katerina’s attitude towards the thunderstorm as God’s punishment: “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins...” In At the same time, the play gives an idea of ​​the thunderstorm as a cleansing element. Kuligin says about her: “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Every grass, every flower is happy, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! The passing thunderstorm seems to wash away the lies and hypocrisy that reign in the “dark kingdom”; Katerina’s suicide makes obvious the moral callousness of Kabanikha and those who led the heroine to such a finale, making Tikhon’s rebellion against the foundations of patriarchal society possible.

“Thunderstorm” is also a symbol of Katerina’s spiritual drama. In the heroine, there is an internal conflict between a religious feeling, an understanding of “indelible sin” and the desire for love, for inner freedom. Katerina constantly senses an impending catastrophe. But this, according to Ostrovsky, is the logic of the heroine’s image - Katerina is unable to live according to the laws of the “dark kingdom,” but she is also unable to prevent the tragedy.

The title of Ostrovsky's play takes on many shades and becomes ambiguous. The image of a thunderstorm illuminates all aspects of the tragic conflict of the play. And we, readers, thanks to the genius of the artist of words, can discover for ourselves each time new shades of meaning inherent in the work.

The title of the play alone contains all the main motives for its understanding. The thunderstorm is the ideological symbol of Ostrovsky's work. In the first act, when Catherine made a hint to her mother-in-law about her secret love, a thunderstorm began to approach almost immediately. The approaching thunderstorm - this commemorates the tragedy in the play. But she breaks out only when the main character tells her husband and mother-in-law about her sin.

The image of a thunderstorm-threat is closely related to the feeling of fear. “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some kind of misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's a storm for everyone!" - Kuligin shames his fellow citizens who tremble at the sounds of thunder. Indeed, a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is as necessary as sunny weather. Rain washes away dirt, cleanses the soil, and promotes better plant growth. A person who sees a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon in the cycle of life, and not as a sign of divine wrath, does not experience fear. The attitude towards the thunderstorm in a certain way characterizes the heroes of the play. The fatalistic superstition associated with thunderstorms and widespread among the people is voiced by the tyrant Dikoy and the woman hiding from the thunderstorm: “The thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel...”; “No matter how you hide! If it’s destined for someone, you won’t go anywhere.” But in the perception of Dikiy, Kabanikha and many others, fear of a thunderstorm is something familiar and not a very vivid experience. “That’s it, you have to live in such a way that you are always ready for anything; “For fear this wouldn’t happen,” Kabanikha coolly notes. She has no doubt that the thunderstorm is a sign of God's wrath. But the heroine is so convinced that she is leading the right lifestyle that she does not experience any anxiety.

In the play, only Katerina experiences the most lively trepidation before a thunderstorm. We can say that this fear clearly demonstrates her mental discord. On the one hand, Katerina longs to challenge her hateful existence and meet her love halfway. On the other hand, she is not able to renounce the ideas instilled in the environment in which she grew up and continues to live. Fear, according to Katerina, is an integral element of life, and it is not so much the fear of death as such, but the fear of future punishment, of one’s spiritual failure: “Everyone should be afraid. It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts.”

In the play we also find a different attitude towards the thunderstorm, towards the fear that it supposedly must certainly evoke. “I’m not afraid,” say Varvara and the inventor Kuligin. The attitude towards a thunderstorm also characterizes the interaction of one or another character in the play with time. Dikoy, Kabanikha and those who share their view of the thunderstorm as a manifestation of heavenly displeasure are, of course, inextricably linked with the past. Katerina’s internal conflict stems from the fact that she is unable to either break with ideas that are a thing of the past, or keep the precepts of “Domostroi” in inviolable purity. Thus, she is at the point of the present, in a contradictory, turning point time, when a person must choose what to do. Varvara and Kuligin are looking to the future. In the fate of Varvara, this is emphasized due to the fact that she leaves her home to an unknown destination, almost like heroes of folklore going in search of happiness, and Kuligin is constantly in scientific search.

M.Yu. Lermontov (Hero of our time)

The meaning of the title of A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

The purpose of the lesson :

To trace the implementation of the metaphor of a thunderstorm through its image (the thunderstorm state of society,

thunderstorm in people's souls);

Help students prepare for a miniature essay “The meaning of the title...”;

Cultivate interest in the work of N. Ostrovsky

DURING THE CLASSES

How did you miss the thunderstorm in the poster? After all, she is also a character.

We can't find names - what does that mean? This means that the idea of ​​the play is not clear; that the plot is not properly covered... that the very existence of the play is not justified; Why was it written, what new does the author want to say?

(A.N. Ostrovsky)

I. Organizational moment. Subject message.

– Re-read the topic of the lesson. What are we going to talk about?

II. Working with epigraphs.

What are the key words in the formulation of the lesson topic? (The thunderstorm is a character.) So, we will talk about the thunderstorm as a character in the play. This is not enough. What new does the author want to say? (Thunderstorm - idea - plot).

III. Goal setting.

So, it is necessary to find out what the meaning of the title of the play is; learn to analyze dramatic text; prepare for the essay “The meaning of the title of A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.

– Where should we start the conversation? (From the definition of the word “thunderstorm”.)

IY. « Let's talk about meaning"

1. Personal message

– What is the meaning of the word “thunderstorm” according to V.I. Dahl’s dictionary? (Fear, noise, anxiety, disruption, crush, thunder, natural phenomenon, threat, threaten, tragedy, cleansing.)

– In what meaning does “thunderstorm” appear in the play? (In the first meaning - “threat”, “sarcasm”, “scold”.)

2 . “We draw conclusions.” Work in groups.

1 group

– What images is associated with the metaphor of a thunderstorm in the exhibition? (Almost all the characters.)

– What meaning of “thunderstorm” predominates in the exhibition? (Fear, threat, threaten.)

Conclusion No. 1. All exposition associated with the meaning of the word “thunderstorm”. Ostrovsky universally implements the metaphor of a thunderstorm.

2nd group

– What drama images symbolize the thunderstorm from below? (Dikoy, Kabanova.)

– What is the threat of the Wild? (Money – power – fear.)

– What is Kabanova's threat? (Money is power under the guise of godliness - fear.)

Conclusion No. 2. For Kalinovites, the storm is “from above” and “from below.” Above is God’s punishment, below is the power and money of the possessor.

3 group

– Why do they need fear in society? (Keep power.)

– Are only Dikoy and Kabanova experiencing the intoxication of power? (Analyze the monologue

Kuligin in the 1st act.)

Conclusion No. 3. The goal of the “warrior” Wild is the lawless rapture of power. Kabanova is a more complex version of tyranny: her goal is the legitimate intoxication of power (under the guise of piety).

4 group

– When does a thunderstorm appear as a natural phenomenon? (At the end of the 1st act.)

– Consider the meaning of this scene. Why did Ostrovsky introduce the half-crazy lady? Who is she talking to? What does he prophesy? What is her prophecy based on? (“I’ve sinned all my life from a young age.”)

– What is Varvara’s reaction to her hysteria? (Smiles.)

– What is Katerina's reaction? (“I’m scared to death…”)

Conclusion No. 4. Ostrovsky, in a detailed composition, needed to show that the order of the merchant town, whose roots were Old Believer, rests on fear.

Kabanikha’s siege war, just like the wild attacks of the Wild One, comes from uncertainty and anxiety. The Wild One’s anxiety is vague and unconscious, Kabanikha’s fear is conscious and far-sighted: something is not going well, something is broken in the mechanism of power and subordination.

Thus, the metaphor of a thunderstorm - fear, intoxication with power, threat, threaten - runs through the entire exhibition.

Group 5

– What scares Katerina? (Death will find you with sinful and evil thoughts.)

– How can you confirm that the author defined this scene as the beginning? (Rolls of thunder sound twice. Katerina’s fear intensifies.)

Thus, in beginning The action involves a thunderstorm.

Conclusion No. 5. Varvara has common sense; she ironically accepts centuries-old traditions. This is her protection. Varvara needs calculation and common sense against fear. Katerina has a complete lack of calculation and common sense, increased emotionality.

3. “Troubles, but not from the barrel.”

1 block of questions.

– What a shock Katerina experienced in the scene of Tikhon’s farewell before leaving for

Moscow? (Shocked by the humiliation.)

– Prove it with text. Pay attention to the stage directions. (D.2, appearance 3,4.)

– “ To foretell a bad outcome” is another meaning of the word “thunderstorm”. How is this meaning

played out in this scene?

– “ Tisha, don’t leave...” - “Well, take me with you...” - “Fathers, I’m dying...” - “... take me

oath..." (D. 2, appearance 4.)

– Is Tikhon capable of protecting Katerina? What Domostroy norms does Katerina violate?

(Throws himself on Tikhon’s neck. – Doesn’t howl: “Why make people laugh.”)

2 block of questions.

– How does the metaphor of a thunderstorm break into Katerina’s monologue after the farewell scene?

(“...she crushed me...”) Analyze Katerina’s monologue (D.2, appearance 4).

– How does Kudryash warn Boris about Katerina’s possible death? (“Only women

they are locked up.” - “So you want to ruin her completely.” - “They will eat you, they will hammer you into the coffin.”)

The theme of the coffin, the grave, bursts in, and from that moment on, it sounds stronger.

– Is Boris able to protect Katerina? Who is trying to protect the heroine? (Kuligin.)

– How? (He suggests installing a lightning rod.)

– Why do you think Dikoy was so angry in his conversation with Kuligin about

lightning rod? (“A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment...”)

Lightning rod against the Wild One himself. They feel the fear of God before the Wild One himself, they are afraid of punishment from the Wild One himself. Kabanikha has the same role; Having escaped from her, Tikhon rejoices that “there will be no thunderstorm over him for two weeks.” Tyranny is associated with fear for one’s power, so it requires constant confirmation and testing.

3 block of questions.

– When is the second time a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon breaks into a play? Analyze this

stage. Find frightening, warning phrases of those present (“thunderstorm

it won’t go in vain”, “...crawls, covered with a cap”).

– Why does Katerina hide screaming when the lady appears?

– Who is the crazy lady turning to? Find frightening, key phrases in the lady’s speech (“...I don’t want to die...” - “...Beauty is death after all...” - “...into the pool with beauty...” - “...you can’t escape from God...”).

– Name the combination of circumstances that intensify the tragedy in Katerina’s soul and lead to recognition. (Conversations of those present, a crazy lady with her prophecy, a fiery hyena.)

And Katerina’s confession sounds like a clap of thunder.

For Katerina, a thunderstorm (as for the Kalinovites) is not a stupid fear, but a reminder to a person of responsibility to the higher forces of good and truth. “... the heavenly thunderstorm... only harmonizes with the moral thunderstorm even more terrible. And the mother-in-law is a thunderstorm, and the consciousness of a crime is a thunderstorm.” (M. Pisarev.)

Thus, there is also a thunderstorm in the climax scene.

The thunderstorm brings cleansing. Katerina's death, like a thunderclap, a lightning discharge, brings purification: an awakening sense of personality and a new attitude towards the world.

4 block of questions.

– In which of the heroes does the personality awaken under the influence of Katerina’s death? (Varvara and Kudryash ran away. - Tikhon accuses his mother publicly for the first time: “you ruined her.” - Kuligin: “... the soul is not yours now, it is before a judge who is more merciful than you!”)

So, A.N. Ostrovsky universally implemented the metaphor of a thunderstorm in the play. The title of the play is an image that symbolizes not only the elemental power of nature, but also the stormy state of society, the storm in the souls of people. The thunderstorm passes through all the elements of the composition (all important plot points are connected with the image of the thunderstorm). Ostrovsky used all the meanings of the word “thunderstorm” indicated in V. Dahl’s dictionary.

- Why were we looking for the meaning of the title of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm?”

Y. Making a plan.

Joint formulation of the introduction, thesis, conclusion, and the children work on the main part at home.

Rough plan.

I. The meaning of the word “thunderstorm” according to V. Dahl’s dictionary.

II. Ostrovsky universally implements the metaphor of a thunderstorm in his drama.

1. Dikoy and Kabanikha are a “thunderstorm” for the Kalinovites, an example of tyranny.

2. Katerina’s premonition of misfortune and fear after the first thunderclap.

3. Katerina is shocked by the humiliation in the scene of Tikhon’s farewell before leaving for Moscow.

4. Kuligin suggests installing a lightning rod.

5. Against the background of a thunderstorm, Katerina admits to treason.

6. Katerina is a victim of an “internal thunderstorm,” a “thunderstorm of conscience.”

III. Katerina's death, like a thunderstorm, brings purification.

VI. Homework: learn by heart an excerpt of your choice (Kuligin “We have cruel morals, sir...” Act 1, scene 3,

Katerina “I say: why don’t people fly...” 1 act., yavl. 7).

Works of the realistic direction are characterized by endowing objects or phenomena with symbolic meaning. A. S. Griboyedov was the first to use this technique in the comedy “Woe from Wit,” and this became another principle of realism. A. N. Ostrovsky continues the tradition of Griboedov and gives meaning to natural phenomena, the words of other characters, and the landscape that are important for the heroes. But Ostrovsky’s plays also have their own peculiarity: cross-cutting images - symbols are given in the titles of the works, and therefore, only by understanding the role of the symbol embedded in the title, we can understand the whole pathos of the work. Analysis of this topic will help us see the entire set of symbols in the drama “The Thunderstorm” "and determine their meaning and role in the play. One of the important symbols is the Volga River and the rural view on the other bank. The river is like the border between the dependent, unbearable for many life on the bank on which the patriarchal Kalinov stands, and the free, cheerful life there, on the other bank. Katerina, the main character of the play, associates the opposite bank of the Volga with childhood, with life before marriage: “How playful I was! I’ve completely withered away from you.” Katerina wants to be free from her weak-willed husband and despotic mother-in-law, to “fly away” from the family with Domostroev principles. “I say: why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on the torus, you feel the urge to fly,” says Katerina Varvara. Katerina remembers birds as a symbol of freedom before throwing herself off a cliff into the Volga: “It’s better in a grave... There’s a grave under a tree... how nice!... The sun warms it, wets it with rain... it’s spring on it the grass grows, it’s so soft... the birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, they will bring out the children...” The river also symbolizes an escape towards freedom, but it turns out that this is an escape towards death. And in the words of the lady, a half-crazy old woman, the Volga is a whirlpool that draws beauty into itself: “This is where beauty leads. Here, here, right into the pool!” For the first time, the lady appears before the first thunderstorm and frightens Katerina with her words about disastrous beauty. These words and thunder in Katerina’s consciousness become prophetic. Katerina wants to run away into the house from the thunderstorm, because she sees God’s punishment in it, but at the same time she is not afraid of death, but is afraid to appear before God after talking with Varvara about Boris, considering these thoughts to be sinful. Katerina is very religious, but this perception of the thunderstorm is more pagan than Christian. The heroes perceive the thunderstorm differently. For example, Dikoy believes that a thunderstorm is sent by God as punishment so that people remember about God, that is, he perceives a thunderstorm in a pagan way. Ku-ligin says that a thunderstorm is electricity, but this is a very simplified understanding of the symbol. But then, calling the thunderstorm grace, Kuligin thereby reveals the highest pathos of Christianity. Some motives in the monologues of the heroes also have a symbolic meaning. In act 3, Kuligin says that the home life of rich people in the city is very different from the public life. Locks and closed gates, behind which “households eat and tyrannize the family,” are a symbol of secrecy and hypocrisy. In this monologue, Kuligin denounces the “dark kingdom” of tyrants and tyrants, the symbol of which is a lock on a closed gate so that no one can see and judge them for bullying family members. In the monologues of Kuligin and Feklusha, the motive of the trial sounds. Feklusha talks about a trial that is unfair, even though it is Orthodox. Kuligin speaks of a trial between merchants in Kalinov, but this trial cannot be considered fair, since the main reason for the occurrence of court cases is envy, and because of the bureaucracy in the judiciary, cases are delayed, and every merchant is only happy that “ Yes, it’ll be a penny for him too.” The motif of the trial in the play symbolizes the injustice that reigns in the “dark kingdom.” The paintings on the walls of the gallery, where everyone runs during a thunderstorm, also have a certain meaning. The paintings symbolize obedience in society, and “fiery Gehenna” is hell, which Katerina, who was looking for happiness and independence, is afraid of, and Kabanikha is not afraid, since outside the house she is a respectable Christian and she is not afraid of God’s judgment. Tikhon’s last words also carry another meaning : “Good for you, Katya! Why did I stay in the world and suffer!” The point is that through death Katerina gained freedom in a world unknown to us, and Tikhon will never have enough fortitude and strength of character to either fight his mother or commit suicide, so how weak-willed and weak-willed he is. To sum up what has been said, we can say that the role of symbolism is very important in the play. By endowing phenomena, objects, landscape, and the words of the characters with another, deeper meaning, Ostrovsky wanted to show how serious the conflict existed at that time not only between, but also within each of them. A. Ostrovsky’s plays are full of various symbolism. First of all, these are symbols associated with the natural world: forest, thunderstorm, river, bird, flight. The names of the characters also play a very important role in the plays, most often names of ancient origin: ancient Greek and Roman. The motifs of ancient theater in Ostrovsky’s works have not yet been sufficiently studied, so it is difficult to take into account all the semantic overtones of Greek and Roman names. It is clear, however, that these names were not at all chosen by chance by the author; their sound composition, imagery and their meaning in the Russian language are very important. There is no need to comment on the surnames of Dikaya and Kabanov. But let’s not forget that Dikoy is not only the all-powerful Savel Prokofievich, but also his nephew, Boris. After all, Boris’s mother “couldn’t get along with her relatives,” “it seemed very wild to her.” This means that Boris is Dikoy on his father’s side. What follows from this? Yes, it follows that he was unable to defend his love and protect Katerina. After all, he is the flesh of his ancestors and knows that he is entirely in the power of the “dark kingdom.” And Tikhon is Kabanov, no matter how “quiet” he is. So Katerina rushes about in this dark forest among animal-like creatures. She chose Boris almost unconsciously, the only difference between him and Tikhon is his name (Boris is “fighter” in Bulgarian). Wild, headstrong characters, except for Wild, are represented in the play by Varvara (she is a pagan, “barbarian”, not a Christian and behaves accordingly) and Kudryash, on whom the corresponding Shapkin is located, reasoning with him. Kuligin, in addition to the well-known associations with Kulibin, also evokes the impression of something small, defenseless: in this terrible swamp he is a sandpiper, a bird - and nothing more. He praises Kalinov as a sandpiper praises his swamp. Women's names in Ostrovsky's plays are very bizarre, but the name of the main character almost always extremely accurately characterizes her role in the plot and fate. Larisa means “seagull” in Greek, Katerina means “pure”. Larisa is a victim of Paratov's trade pirate deals: he sells “birds” - “Swallow” (steamboat) and then Larisa - a seagull. Katerina is a victim of her purity, her religiosity, she could not bear the splitting of her soul, because she loved not her husband, and cruelly punished herself for it. It is interesting that Kharita and Martha (in “The Dowry” and in “The Thunderstorm,” respectively) are both Ignatievnas, that is, “ignorant” or, scientifically speaking, “ignoring.” They stand as if apart from the tragedy of Larisa and Katerina, although both of them are certainly to blame (not directly, but indirectly) for the death of their daughter and daughter-in-law. Larisa in “Dowry” is not surrounded by “animals”. But these are people with huge ambitions, playing with it like a thing. Mokiy is “blasphemous”, Vasily is “king”, Julius is, of course, Julius Caesar, and also Kapitonich, that is, living with his head (kaput - head), and perhaps striving to be in charge. And everyone looks at Larisa as a stylish, fashionable, luxurious thing, as an unprecedentedly high-speed ship, as a luxurious villa. And what Larisa thinks or feels is the tenth matter, not of interest to them at all. And Larisa’s chosen one, Paratov Sergei Sergeevich - “highly revered”, from a family of arrogant Roman patricians - evokes associations with such a famous tyrant in history as Lucius Sergius Catilina. And finally, Charita - the mother of three daughters - is associated with the Charites, goddesses of youth and beauty, of which there were three, but she also destroys them (let us remember the terrible fate of the other two sisters - one married a sharper, the other was stabbed to death by her Caucasian husband). In the play “The Forest” Aksyusha is completely alien to this world of evil spirits. The forest can be understood as a new “dark kingdom”. Only it’s not merchants who live here, but kikimors like Gurmyzhskaya and Ulita. Aksyusha is a stranger because her name means “foreigner” or “foreigner” in Greek. In light of this, the questions that Aksyusha and Peter ask each other are noteworthy: “Are you one of our own or someone else’s?” - “Whose are you? Is it yours?” But the name Gurmyzhskaya (Raisa - in Greek “careless”, “frivolous”) is very suitable for her, but it seems like an overly delicate characteristic for this witch. Julitta (Julia) is again related to the Julian family, famous in Rome, but this name may hint more directly at her depraved nature. After all, in the ancient Russian story “On the Beginning of Moscow,” the criminal wife of Prince Daniel, a traitor and a deceiver, is called Ulita. The names of the actors Schastlivtsev and Neschastlivtsev (Arkady and Gennady) justify their pseudonyms and behavior. Arkady means “happy”, and Gennady means “noble”. Milonov, of course, has something in common with Manilov and Molchalin, and Bodaev, both in surname and in manners, is Sobakevich’s heir. So, revealing the meaning of names and surnames in Ostrovsky’s plays helps to comprehend both the plots and the main images. Although surnames and names cannot be called “speaking” in this case, since this is a feature of the plays of classicism, they are speaking in the broad - symbolic - sense of the word.

44. OSTROVSKY AS A MASTER PLAYWRIGHT

Ostrovsky performed his plays at the turning point from the 40s to the 50s. This was a critical playwright period in the history of the Russian stage, when it found itself filled either with bombastic tragedies, or with vaudeville and sensitive melodramas, partly borrowed from the West. Actually, there was no Russian folk theater that would broadly reflect the life of Russia. Ostrovsky acted in his plays primarily as a first-class realist artist. Having an excellent knowledge of Russian life, especially the life of the merchants, Ostrovsky brought Russian life to the stage in all its originality and naturalness. The family life of merchants with its despotism and tyranny, rudeness and ignorance in public and domestic life, the powerless position of women, the ritual side of life, prejudices and superstitions, folk speech - all this was reflected in Ostrovsky’s everyday plays so truthfully and vividly that the theater viewer seemed to felt the very atmosphere of Russian life on stage. Having finally broken with the templates of classicism and romanticism and making his numerous works “plays of life,” OstroEsky completed the work of Fonvizin, Griboyedov, Pushkin and Gogol in dramaturgy and forever established the triumph of realistic drama in Russia. We should not forget that Ostrovsky described the life of not only merchants. We see in his plays officials, and clerks, and matchmakers, and actors, and businessmen of the new formation, and nobles, and poor working intellectuals, and generals, and peasants, etc. This is a whole encyclopedia of the life and customs of the era with all their positive and negative sides. A return to stilted tragedy and sensitive methodrama after Ostrovsky’s realistic plays has become impossible. The skill of the realist is reflected in Ostrovsky and in the language of his plays, which characterizes the depicted environment. Remember what techniques are used to characterize Manilov, Sobakevich, Plyushkin and Chichikov in the poem Gogol’s “Dead Souls” or Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”. The speech of each character serves as one of the important typification techniques in works of the epic genre. But in novels, the author has a variety of means of characterizing the characters, up to and including direct authorial characterization. There is no author's speech in the play. Therefore, the language of the characters in it is the main means of their typification. The characters in the play, as Gorky explains, “are created exclusively and only by their speeches.” The hero of the play must speak as a person of his character, way of thinking, mood, cultural level and social position or profession would speak. Consequently, the image of a hero in a play can only turn out to be typical and expressive when his speech is typical for this image. In Ostrovsky’s plays there are more than a thousand characters, and each of them speaks in a language corresponding to their spiritual appearance and profession. Thus, Katerina’s lyrically colored language in the play “The Thunderstorm” has nothing in common with the rough, abrupt speech of the Wild. And Dikiy’s speech, in turn, differs significantly from the speech of another tyrant - Gordey Tortsov (“Poverty is not a vice”), who is carried away by the external, ostentatious side of culture and uses such “foreign” words as nebel, champagne, ficants, etc. Skillful individualization The speeches of the characters characterize Ostrovsky as a wonderful master of dialogue. It is enough to read or listen to the conversation between Kabanova, Tikhon and Katerina in the third scene of the second act or the conversation between Dikiy and Kuligin in the second scene of the fourth act to be convinced of this. The difference in the speech of the characters in these dialogues is given so expressively and clearly that the character of each character becomes understandable without any explanation. It is necessary to note in Ostrovsky’s plays the skillful use of the linguistic riches of folk poetry: songs, proverbs, sayings, etc. Let us recall, for example, Kudryash's songs in the third act of the drama "The Thunderstorm". Ostrovsky even uses proverbs in the titles of his plays: “Don’t live the way you want”, “Don’t sit in your own sleigh”, “We will count our own people”, “Poverty is not a vice”, “Truth is good, but happiness is better”, “Old a friend is better than two new ones,” etc. The fidelity and accuracy of Ostrovsky’s folk language were already noted by Dobrolyubov. Assessing Ostrozsky’s remarkable linguistic mastery, Gorky called him “a sorcerer of the word.” The composition of Ostrovsky’s plays also serves the task of a realistic depiction of reality. The action of his plays usually unfolds slowly, calmly, in accordance with the stable, sedentary life that is depicted in them. Ostrovsky avoids dramatic effects in the form of shots, suicides, disguises, etc. Katerina’s suicide in the drama “The Thunderstorm” should be considered not as a stage device that enhances the impression of the play, but as a dramatic finale prepared by the entire course of events. A very important property of Ostrovsky’s plays is the element of the comic, skillfully used by the playwright. It manifests itself in Ostrovsky in different forms: either as humor, warmed by warmth and sympathy, when depicting small, downtrodden, honest people, unwitting victims of social inequality, or as an accusatory, satirical laughter directed against the despotism of tyrants, the shamelessness and ruthlessness of predators, depravity nobility, etc. n. The satirical orientation of Ostrovsky’s plays was deeply revealed by Dobrolyubov. In his articles dedicated to Ostrovsky, the great critic explained how much this was possible within the framework of tsarist censorship, what important ideological significance Ostrovsky’s laughter had, aimed at exposing various aspects of the “dark kingdom.” Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy - a complex phenomenon that absorbed the experience of a number of Russian and Western European playwrights, whose work Ostrovsky carefully studied. The most important advantage of Ostrovsky’s work is deep realism, expressed in a broad, truthful coverage of Russian life, in the creation of many typical images from various social classes, in a remarkable characteristics of the depicted environment and the naturalness of the construction of plays.

46. The artistic originality of N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” occupies a central place in the work of N. A. Nekrasov. It became a kind of artistic result of more than thirty years of literary work of the author. All the motives of his early lyrics were, as it were, collected together and developed in the poem, all the problems that worried him were rethought, and the highest artistic achievements were used. N. A. Nekrasov not only created a special genre of socio-philosophical poem. He subordinated it to his ultimate task: to show Russia in its past, present and future. Having begun to write “hot on the heels,” that is, immediately after the reform of 1861, an epic poem about a liberating, reborn people, N. A. Nekrasov endlessly expanded his original plan. The search for “lucky people” in Rus' took him from modernity to ancient origins: the poet strives to understand not only the results of the abolition of serfdom, but also the very philosophical nature of such concepts as “happiness”, “freedom”, “sin”, because beyond this philosophical understanding It is impossible to understand the essence of the present moment and foresee the future of the people. The fundamental novelty of the genre explains the fragmentation of the poem, built from individual unfinished chapters. United by the image - the symbol of the road, the poem breaks down into someone's stories, as well as into the fates of dozens of people. Each episode in itself could become the plot of a song or a story, a legend or a novel. All together, in their unity, they constitute the fate of the Russian people, highlighting their historical path from slavery to freedom. That is why only in the last chapter does the image of the “people's defender” Grisha Dobrosklonov appear - the one who will help people find freedom. Each of the characters in the poem has their own voice. N. A. Nekrasov combines fairy tale, everyday and poetic speech and introduces an evaluative element into it, forcing readers to perceive the character’s speech the way the author wants. We do not get the impression that the poem is stylistically inconsistent, because all the techniques used here are subordinated to a common task: to create a poem that would be close and understandable to the peasant. The author's task determined not only genre innovation, but also the entire originality of the poetics of the work. N. A. Nekrasov repeatedly turned to folklore motifs and images in his lyrics. He builds a poem about folk life entirely on a folklore basis. All the main genres of folklore are involved in the work to one degree or another: fairy tale, song, epic, legend, ditty. What is the place and significance of folklore in the poem? Firstly, folklore elements allow N. A. Nekrasov to recreate the picture of the peasant’s idea of ​​the world, to express the people’s view on many important issues. Secondly, the poet skillfully uses special folklore techniques, style, figurative system, laws and artistic means. The images of Kudeyar and Savely are taken from folklore. Folk art suggested N. A. Nekrasov many comparisons; some of them are even based on riddles. The poet uses repetitions characteristic of folk speech, negative parallelism, picking up the end of a line at the beginning of the next, and the use of song interjections. But the most basic difference between folklore and fiction, which we find in N. A. Nekrasov, is the lack of authorship. Folklore is distinguished by the fact that the people together compose a work, the people tell it, and the people listen to it. In folklore, the author's position is replaced by national morality. The individual author's point of view is alien to the very nature of oral folk art. Author's literature turns to folklore when it is necessary to penetrate deeper into the essence of national morality; when the work itself is addressed not only to the intelligentsia (the bulk of readers of the 19th century), but also to the people. Both of these tasks were set by N. A. Nekrasov in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” And one more important aspect distinguishes original literature from folklore. Oral creativity does not know the concept of “canonical text”: each listener becomes a co-author of the work, retelling it in his own way. N. A. Nekrasov strove for such active co-creation between the author and the reader. That is why his poem was written “in a free language, as close as possible to common speech.” Researchers call the verse of the poem “a brilliant find” by N. A. Nekrasov. Free and flexible poetic meter, independence from rhyme, opened up the opportunity to generously convey the originality of the folk language, preserving all its accuracy, aphorism and special proverbial phrases; organically weave into the fabric of the poem village songs, sayings, lamentations, elements of a folk tale (a magic self-assembled tablecloth treats wanderers) and skillfully reproduce the perky speeches of tipsy men at the fair, and the expressive monologues of peasant speakers, and the absurdly self-righteous reasoning of the tyrant landowner. Colorful folk scenes, full of life and movement, round dances of characteristic expressive faces and figures - all this creates a unique polyphony in Nekrasov's poem.

A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" shows us life in the city of Kalinov, now and then disrupted by various manifestations of a thunderstorm. The image of this natural phenomenon in drama is very multifaceted: it is both the character of the play and its idea.

One of the most striking manifestations of the image of a thunderstorm is the characterization of the characters in the drama. For example, we can say with confidence that Kabanikha’s character is quite similar to the sound of thunder: she also frightens the people around her, and can even destroy her. Let us remember Tikhon’s words before leaving: “As I know now that there won’t be any thunderstorms over me for two weeks, there are no shackles on my legs, so what do I care about my wife?” The native son, speaking of a thunderstorm, means tyranny in the house. A similar situation reigned in Dikiy’s house. He got angry, swore, and sometimes even assaulted him over all sorts of little things. Curly said about him: “A shrill man!” - and for sure, the character of the Wild can pierce anyone, like an electric shock.

But the thunderstorm in the work characterizes not only the “cruel morals” in Kalinov. It is noticeable that the most striking moments of the bad weather coincide with Katerina’s mental torment. Let us remember when Katerina admitted to Varvara that she loved someone else, a thunderstorm began. But Katerina’s soul was also restless; her impulsiveness made itself felt: even without having done anything wrong, but only thinking not about her husband, Katerina began talking about imminent death, running away from home and terrible sins. Upon Kabanov’s return, hurricanes raged in Katerina’s soul, and at the same time, peals of thunder were heard on the streets, frightening the townspeople.

Also, the image of a thunderstorm appears before readers as punishment for sins committed. Katerina said about the thunderstorm: “Everyone should be afraid. It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts.” We can understand that a thunderstorm for the townspeople is only suffering. This same idea is confirmed by the words of Dikiy: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some kind of rods.” This fear of a thunderstorm-punishment characterizes the Wild as an adherent of old mores, if we consider the thunderstorm in its following image: a symbol of change.

The thunderstorm as a symbol of the new is clearly shown in Kuligin’s monologue: “This is not a thunderstorm, but grace!” Kuligin, being a hero-reasoner, reveals to readers the point of view of Ostrovsky himself: change is always for the better, one cannot be afraid of it.

Thus, it becomes obvious that A. N. Ostrovsky, skillfully using the image of a thunderstorm in its various manifestations, showed all aspects of life in a typical Russian provincial town, starting with the tragedy of “cruel morals” and ending with the personal tragedy of everyone.