Katerina's age in the play is thunderstorm. The image and characteristics of Katerina in the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky: a description of the character, life and death of Katerina Kabanova

Disregarded in her rights and married off early. Most marriages of that time were designed for benefits. If the chosen one was from a wealthy family, this could help to obtain a high rank. Marrying, although not a beloved young man, but a wealthy and wealthy man, was in the order of things. There was no such thing as divorce. Apparently, from such calculations, Katerina was married to a rich young man, a merchant’s son. Married life brought her neither happiness nor love, but, on the contrary, became the embodiment of hell, filled with the despotism of her mother-in-law and the lies of the people around her.

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This image in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is the main and at the same time the most controversial. She differs from the residents of Kalinov in her strength of character and self-esteem.

Katerina's life in her parents' house

The formation of her personality was greatly influenced by her childhood, which Katya loves to remember. Her father was a wealthy merchant, she did not feel any need, maternal love and care surrounded her from birth. Her childhood was fun and carefree.

The main features of Katerina can be called:

• kindness;
• sincerity;
• openness.

Her parents took her to church with them, and then she walked and devoted her days to her favorite job. My passion for the church began in childhood with attending church services. Later, it was in the church that Boris would pay attention to her.

When Katerina turned nineteen, she was married off. And although everything is the same in her husband’s house: walks and work, this no longer gives Katya the same pleasure as in childhood.

The former ease is no longer there, only responsibilities remain. The feeling of her mother's support and love helped her believe in the existence of higher powers. Marriage, which separated her from her mother, deprived Katya of the main thing: love and freedom.

Essay on the topic “the image of Katerina in “The Thunderstorm” will be incomplete without getting to know her surroundings. This:

• husband Tikhon;
• mother-in-law Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova;
• husband's sister Varvara.

The person who causes her suffering in her family life is her mother-in-law Marfa Ignatievna. Her cruelty, control over her household and subjugation of them to her will also applies to her daughter-in-law. The long-awaited wedding of her son did not make her happy. But Katya manages to resist her influence thanks to the strength of her character. This scares Kabanikha. Possessing all the power in the house, she cannot allow Katerina to influence her husband. And he reproaches his son for loving his wife more than his mother.

In conversations between Katerina Tikhon and Marfa Ignatievna, when the latter openly provokes her daughter-in-law, Katya behaves extremely dignified and friendly, not allowing the conversation to develop into a skirmish, she answers briefly and to the point. When Katya says that she loves her like her own mother, her mother-in-law does not believe her, calling it a pretense in front of others. Nevertheless, Katya’s spirit cannot be broken. Even when communicating with her mother-in-law, she addresses her as “You,” showing that they are on the same level, while Tikhon addresses his mother exclusively as “You.”

Katerina’s husband cannot be classified as either a positive or negative character. Essentially, he is a child tired of his parent's control. However, his behavior and actions are not aimed at changing the situation; all his words end in complaints about his existence. Sister Varvara reproaches him for not being able to stand up for his wife.
When communicating with Varvara, Katya is sincere. Varvara warns her that life in this house is impossible without lies, and helps her organize a meeting with her lover.

The connection with Boris fully reveals the characterization of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm”. Their relationship is developing rapidly. Having arrived from Moscow, he fell in love with Katya, and the girl reciprocates his feelings. Although the status of a married woman worries him, he is unable to refuse dates with her. Katya struggles with her feelings, does not want to break the laws of Christianity, but during her husband’s departure, she goes on secret dates.

After Tikhon's arrival, on Boris's initiative, the meetings stop; he hopes to keep them a secret. But this contradicts Katerina’s principles; she cannot lie to others or herself. The beginning of a thunderstorm pushes her to talk about the betrayal; she sees this as a sign from above. Boris wants to go to Siberia, but he refuses her request to take her with him. He probably doesn’t need her, there was no love on his part.

And for Katya he was a breath of fresh air. Having come to Kalinov from an alien world, he brought with him a feeling of freedom that she so lacked. The girl’s rich imagination gave him traits that Boris never had. And she fell in love, but not with a person, but with her idea of ​​him.

The break with Boris and the inability to unite with Tikhon end tragically for Katerina. The realization of the impossibility of living in this world prompts her to throw herself into the river. In order to break one of the strictest Christian prohibitions, Katerina needs to have enormous willpower, but the current circumstances leave her no choice.

The literary heritage that he left to his descendants forms the basis of the classical theater repertoire today. “The Thunderstorm” is a play that, like other works by the playwright, poses important moral questions to the audience. The action develops around the main character, Katerina, whose loyalty and betrayal become a stumbling block in family life.

History of creation

A drama called “The Thunderstorm” came from the pen of Ostrovsky in 1859. He presented the work to the public after returning from a trip along the Volga. According to literary scholars, Alexandra Klykova became the prototype of the main character. An unknown girl committed suicide, prompting the playwright to think about the possible plot of the play. Her biography and the conflict between generations of “fathers and sons” are captured by Ostrovsky in all its poignancy. The latter became a link in the story of the real heroine and the fictional character.

The catchphrase “a ray of light in a dark kingdom,” which characterizes Katerina, belongs to Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov. In a similar way, the poet described Russian reality - the life of a merchant, into which the main character of the play had to immerse herself. Ostrovsky contrasts the bright beginning in the person of Katerina with the “dark kingdom.” The title of the work describes the range of feelings faced by the heroine, who is in confusion, under the yoke of fear, tragic love and accumulated feelings that change her attitude towards life.

The heroine finds herself in the musty atmosphere of a provincial town, dominated by a generation of “fathers” with conservative morals and principles. The place in the house where Katerina ended up after the wedding implied humility, respectful attitude, silence and patience. Reason and common sense, which Kulibin promoted, and Katerina’s spiritual purity in this world were alien and rejected. The death of the heroine became her liberation.

The fate of the heroine is tragic. Loneliness and lack of human interest pushed her towards Boris. The man’s appearance creates the impression that his personality has nothing in common with the residents of the morally wretched Kalinov. The illusion that the chosen one’s character traits may coincide with her ideals pushes the heroine to actions for which life before marriage did not prepare her.

An obstinate girl, not ready to put up with the usual foundations of the Kabanov family, quickly gains a bad reputation. The characteristics of the proud, impetuous and depressed heroine are similar to the description of the heroine, who rushed into the pool of feelings and found herself rejected. The strength of character, which the heroine did not change even in difficult life circumstances, led her to a fatal decision. Katerina’s death became for her a deliverance from the hated world.

Plot

The play takes place in the city of Kalinov, located on the Volga coast. It's the 19th century, and at the center of events is a girl with a sensitive heart and positive character - Katerina Kabanova. Having married an unloved man, Tikhon, Katerina languishes in his house, which is run by an elderly woman of outdated concepts and morals. The narrow-minded and obedient Tikhon never stands up for his wife, while the mother-in-law does not give her daughter-in-law a quiet life.

Fresh breath was brought into the girl’s life by a young man who came to visit his uncle, the merchant Dikiy, from the capital. Katerina develops a warm feeling for him and understands how hopeless her situation is. One day Tikhon leaves Kalinov for a couple of weeks, and his sister, who sympathizes with Katerina, seizes this moment. She organizes a meeting between the girl and Boris to sort things out. The lovers manage to spend 10 nights alone until Tikhon returns ahead of schedule.

Katerina suffers from longing for her lover and remorse that has washed over her in connection with the betrayal that has occurred. She comes to confess to her husband and mother-in-law. Tikhon wants to make concessions, but Kabanikha rebels against it. Boris leaves for Siberia for three years, exiled by his uncle under threat of disinheritance. He does not want to take Katerina with him, fearing his uncle's wrath. Katerina, in a fit of despair, throws herself off a cliff into the river and drowns. Tikhon, who tried to save her, is left to watch the death of his wife due to the orders of the stern Kabanikha, whom he will later blame for the tragedy.

Whether Katerina is a victim or a winner in this story is something everyone decides for themselves. But her sincerity, willpower and dignity with which the girl endured life’s trials are worth respecting. Her attitude towards love, honor and decency allows us to have no doubt about the purity of her soul. The unbearable existence that pushed the heroine to betrayal and suicide is her main justification. The girl, being an Orthodox Christian, deliberately committed suicide, taking sin on her soul before God and not fearing his punishment for it. She challenged society and accepted traditions.

Film adaptations

Dramatic works are rarely used for visualization on large screens. They are relevant for the theatrical stage, since the laws of theatrical and cinematic interpretation differ. At the beginning of the 20th century, when cinema did not have enough authentic material for film adaptation, directors gave preference to the works of great writers and playwrights.

The Thunderstorm was first filmed in 1912 at the Pathé film studio. Vera Pashennaya embodied Katerina Kabanova in the frame. At the age of 25, the performer starred in two films based on Ostrovsky’s plays: “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry.”

In 1933, Soviet audiences saw a film by Vladimir Petrov. Alla Tarasova played the main female role in it. In 1934, the film won a prize at the Venice Film Festival. Due to many historical vicissitudes, the tape was almost lost, but experts managed to restore it in 1965.

In 1977, Felix Glyamshin and Boris Babochkin presented to the public the television play “The Thunderstorm,” which became a classic of Soviet cinema, based on dramatic works. The role of Katerina Kabanova was played by Lyudmila Shcherbinina.

Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" was written a year before the abolition of serfdom, in 1859. This work stands out among the playwright's other plays due to the character of the main character. In “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina is the main character through whom the conflict of the play is shown. Katerina is not like other residents of Kalinov; she is distinguished by a special perception of life, strength of character and self-esteem. The image of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm” is formed due to a combination of many factors. For example, words, thoughts, environment, actions.

Childhood

Katya is about 19 years old, she was married off early. From Katerina's monologue in the first act, we learn about Katya's childhood. Mama “doted on her.” Together with her parents, the girl went to church, walked, and then did some work. Katerina Kabanova remembers all this with bright sadness. Varvara’s phrase that “we have the same thing” is interesting. But now Katya doesn’t have a feeling of ease, now “everything is done under duress.” In fact, life before marriage was practically no different from life after: the same actions, the same events. But now Katya treats everything differently. Then she felt supported, felt alive, and had amazing dreams about flying. “And now they dream,” but only much less often. Before her marriage, Katerina felt the movement of life, the presence of certain higher forces in this world, she was devout: “she loved going to church with such passion!

Environment

Katerina lives in the same house with her husband, her husband's sister and mother-in-law. This circumstance alone is no longer conducive to a happy family life. However, the situation is worsened by the fact that Kabanikha, Katya’s mother-in-law, is a cruel and greedy person. Greed here should be understood as a passionate desire for something, bordering on madness. Kabanikha wants to subjugate everyone and everything to her will. One experience with Tikhon was successful, the next victim is Katerina. Despite the fact that Marfa Ignatievna was looking forward to her son’s wedding, she is unhappy with her daughter-in-law. Kabanikha did not expect that Katerina would be so strong in character that she could silently resist her influence. The old woman understands that Katya can turn Tikhon against her mother, she is afraid of this, so she tries in every possible way to break Katya in order to avoid such a development of events. Kabanikha says that his wife has long become dearer to Tikhon than his mother.

“Kabanikha: Or maybe your wife is taking you away from me, I don’t know.
Kabanov: No, mama! What are you saying, have mercy!
Katerina: For me, Mama, everything is the same as my own mother, as you, and Tikhon loves you too.
Kabanova: It seems like you could have kept quiet if they didn’t ask you. Why did you jump out in front of your eyes to make jokes! So that they can see how much you love your husband?

So we know, we know, in your eyes you prove it to everyone.
Katerina: You are in vain saying this about me, Mama. Whether in front of people or without people, I’m still alone, I don’t prove anything of myself.”

Katerina's answer is quite interesting for several reasons. She, unlike Tikhon, addresses Marfa Ignatievna on a personal level, as if putting herself on an equal footing with her. Katya draws Kabanikha’s attention to the fact that she is not pretending or trying to seem like someone she is not. Despite the fact that Katya fulfills the humiliating request to kneel before Tikhon, this does not indicate her humility. Katerina is insulted by false words: “Who likes to endure falsehoods?” - with this answer Katya not only defends herself, but also reproaches Kabanikha for lying and slander.

Katerina’s husband in “The Thunderstorm” appears to be a gray man. Tikhon looks like an over-aged child who is tired of his mother’s care, but at the same time does not try to change the situation, but only complains about life. Even his sister, Varvara, reproaches Tikhon for the fact that he cannot protect Katya from the attacks of Marfa Ignatievna. Varvara is the only person who is at least a little interested in Katya, but still she persuades the girl that she will have to lie and squirm in order to survive in this family.

Relationship with Boris

In “The Thunderstorm,” the image of Katerina is also revealed through a love line. Boris came from Moscow on business related to receiving an inheritance. Feelings for Katya flare up suddenly, as do the girl’s reciprocal feelings. This is love at first sight. Boris is worried that Katya is married, but he continues to look for meetings with her. Katya, realizing her feelings, tries to abandon them. Treason is contrary to the laws of Christian morality and society. Varvara helps the lovers meet. For ten whole days, Katya secretly meets with Boris (while Tikhon was away). Having learned about Tikhon's arrival, Boris refuses to meet with Katya; he asks Varvara to persuade Katya to remain silent about their secret meetings. But Katerina is not that kind of person: she needs to be honest with others and herself. She is afraid of God's punishment for her sin, so she regards the raging thunderstorm as a sign from above and talks about betrayal. After this, Katya decides to talk to Boris. It turns out that he is going to leave for Siberia for a few days, but cannot take the girl with him. It is obvious that Boris does not really need Katya, that he did not love her. But Katya didn’t love Boris either. More precisely, she loved, but not Boris. In “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky’s image of Katerina endowed her with the ability to see the good in everything, and endowed the girl with a surprisingly strong imagination. Katya came up with the image of Boris, she saw in him one of his features - non-acceptance of Kalinov's reality - and made it the main one, refusing to see other sides. After all, Boris came to ask Dikiy for money, just like other Kalinovites did. Boris was for Katya a man from another world, from the world of freedom, the one that the girl dreamed of. Therefore, Boris himself becomes a kind of embodiment of freedom for Katya. She falls in love not with him, but with her ideas about him.

The drama "The Thunderstorm" ends tragically. Katya rushes into the Volga, realizing that she cannot live in such a world. And there is no other world. The girl, despite her religiosity, commits one of the most terrible sins of the Christian paradigm. To decide to do such an act requires enormous willpower. Unfortunately, the girl had no other choice in those circumstances. Surprisingly, Katya maintains inner purity even after committing suicide.

A detailed disclosure of the image of the main character and a description of her relationships with other characters in the play will be useful for 10th graders when preparing for an essay on the topic “The Image of Katerina in the play “The Thunderstorm”.”

Work test

The play “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky was published in 1860. A revolutionary situation was brewing in Russia; the times were quite difficult. In the summer of 1856, the writer traveled along the Volga. In the play, he conveyed his impressions of this trip, but did not describe specific cities and people, but depicted generalized, but deeply typical pictures of life in Rus'.

In general, Ostrovsky is considered a real “singer of merchant life.” He is the author of numerous plays, the central theme of which was the depiction of the merchant world of the second half of the 19th century.

The drama is characterized by the fact that it is based on an insoluble conflict that leads to the death of the main character. A conflict arises between Katerina Kabanova and the “dark kingdom” of the merchant world, which is represented by Kabanikha and her entourage. Katerina commits suicide - an act that is considered to be a manifestation of cowardice and weakness of character. I would like to understand this issue in more detail.

So, Katerina Kabanova is the main character of the play “The Thunderstorm”, Tikhon’s wife and Kabanikha’s daughter-in-law.

The image of Katerina is endowed with a strong character and represents a personality awakening in patriarchal conditions. The origins of Katerina's character are hidden in the conditions of her life before marriage. Talking about the heroine's girlhood, the author depicts the patriarchal world in its ideal manifestation. The main thing in this world is a huge and mutual feeling of love.

In Katerina’s parental home, the same rules reigned as in Kabanikha’s house. But there Katerina occupied the position of a beloved daughter, and in Kabanikha’s house she occupied the position of a subordinate daughter-in-law. Therefore, as a girl, Katerina did not know the coercion and violence that she encountered after marriage. For her, patriarchal harmony of family life is a moral ideal, but in her husband’s house she does not find this harmony. Katerina was married off at a very young age, that’s what her parents decided, and she obediently submitted to their will, because that’s the custom. But it was submission with love and respect, and when she got to her mother-in-law’s house, Katerina was surprised to discover that there was no one to respect here. After some time, a new outlook on life begins to form in her soul, a different attitude towards people and towards herself. This is manifested in her first independent choice - passionate love for Boris. Katerina is religious and the awakened strong feeling frightens her. She perceives this love as a terrible sin, resisting it in every possible way. But the heroine lacks support and inner strength. A terrible storm is growing in Katerina’s soul. “Sinful” love flared up in her with incredible strength, the desire for freedom grew every day, but religious fear also became stronger. Katerina could no longer resist passion and cheated on her husband, and then publicly confessed to her sin, not hoping for forgiveness. It was the lack of hope that pushed the heroine to an even greater sin - suicide. She could not reconcile her love for Boris with the demands of her conscience, and the thought of returning to the home prison where Kabanikha imprisoned her caused physical disgust. The hopelessness of this situation led Katerina to death.

The image of Katerina personifies the spiritual beauty and moral purity of a Russian woman. In one of his articles, A. N. Dobrolyubov wrote about this heroine, calling her “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” Katerina is amazingly natural, simple and sincere. The play repeatedly mentions the image of a free bird. Indeed, the heroine resembles a bird locked in an iron cage. She strives for freedom, because living in captivity has become simply unbearable. In my opinion, her suicide is more of a protest against the “dark kingdom” and a selfless desire for freedom than a weakness of character, although there are other points of view.

Updated: 2012-08-09

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"is rich in various images of heroes. One of the main characters were Katerina and Marfa Kabanova. These women were the absolute opposite of each other. They belonged to different worlds that reigned in Kalinov.

Kabanova headed the “dark kingdom”. She was cruel and callous, domineering and aggressive. Katerina, on the other hand, was a soft and gentle person. Her soul was pure. She did not support the gentlemen from the “dark kingdom”, so she opposed the hypocrisy and disorder that reigned around.

Both women live in the same estate and conflicts constantly flare up between them. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law could not find a common language. She constantly oppressed and dishonored her daughter-in-law, and Katerina’s husband, that is, Kabanikha’s son, could not do anything about it. But Katerina was so defenseless only at first glance. In fact, she turned out to be the strongest character among all the characters in the play.

The woman follows the dictates of her heart and falls in love with Boris. It is in him that she sees liberation and salvation. She loves him more than life itself.

Unfortunately, Boris differed from the rest of the “dark kingdom” only in appearance. Inside he turned out to be a coward and a traitor. Katerina’s lover could not protect the offended woman at her most difficult moment. Without support and support, Katerina decides to commit suicide. This was the only way out.

Kabanikha was happy with this outcome, because she constantly irritated her with her independence and determination. Kabanikha disliked Katerina for her free and free spirit.

There was an established law in the Kabanov estate - everyone obeys Kabanikha, and no one can say a word against her orders. And then Katerina appears, who violates the social order of the Kabanov estate. The boar constantly scolds and oppresses the young woman.

Katerina’s confession about betrayal infuriates Kabanikha, and she, with all her vile nature, begins to mock her victim. Therefore, suicide turned out to be the surest way out in Katerina’s situation.

If we compare the images of the two women further, we can notice that they have completely different attitudes towards the Almighty. Kabanikha only pretends to be a pious lady, going to church only in order to impress those around her. Katerina, on the other hand, believes in God with bright thoughts and feelings. The Almighty is holiness for a young woman.

The images of Katerina and Kabanikha can be compared with light and darkness. They are completely opposite. A light image carries goodness and purity, while a dark image gives rise to anger, callousness and cruelty.