"Woe from Wit": analysis of the work of Griboyedov, images of heroes. The role of episodic and non-stage characters in the comedy by Alexander Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" The image of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit"

Imprint of the article: Dmitrievskaya L.N. Search for a prototype: Princess Marya Alekseevna in "Woe from Wit" by A.S. Griboyedov and in "Past and Thoughts" by A.I. Herzen // Philological Science and School: Dialogue and Cooperation: a collection of works based on the materials of the VI All-Russian Scientific and Methodological Conference : in 2 hours. Part 1: Theory and practice of the analysis of literary text. Reading and topical problems of literary education at school and university. - M .: MIOO, 2013, p. 48-51.

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Annotation. The article examines the image of MA Khovanskaya from the book of AI Herzen "Past and Thoughts" as a possible prototype for the last non-stage character in the play "Woe from Wit" by AS Griboyedov. The texts of the two works are compared.
Keywords: A. Griboyedov, A. Herzen, "Woe from Wit", "Past and Thoughts", non-stage character, prototype.

In "Woe from Wit" A.S. Griboyedov, there is one mysterious character who unexpectedly appears in the final phrase of the comedy and who has been forcing researchers to look for a prototype for almost 200 years. Famusov's comic remark "Oh my god! / what the princess will say Marya Aleksevna?» sounds in the early autograph of the play and remains unchanged in all the lists, which means that A.S. Griboyedov recognized her as an undoubted comic effect, capable of putting the final point in the play.
Finding a prototype for the latest off-stage character has proven to be a fascinating affair for researchers. Some of the researchers suggested that Princess Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna served as the basis for the image. She became the prototype of the old countess in The Queen of Spades, as Pushkin himself indirectly admitted in his diary entry dated April 7, 1834: “My Queen of Spades is in fashion. - Players ponte on three, seven and ace. At the court they found a similarity between the old countess and the prince. Natalya Petrovna and, it seems, are not angry ... "... Princess N.P. Golitsyna was a domineering lady and enjoyed universal indisputable authority in both capitals. Some researchers are inclined to think that Marya Aleksevna is the only princess in the play, Princess Tugoukhovskaya. But it turns out strangely that Famusov did not care much about her opinion at the ball and suddenly began to worry about it in the finale. A.A. Kunarev in his comments to "Woe from Wit" analyzes the semantics of the patronymic name and does not look for the prototype of Marya Aleksevna. S.A. Fomichev, in his famous comments on "Woe from Wit" (1st edition), refusing to search for a specific prototype, writes: “Commentators of the comedy have tried repeatedly to figure out who Famusov means by this princess, and named various influential Moscow ladies

P.49
Griboyedov time "... Researchers, commentators on the play by A.S. Griboyedov do not name Marya Alekseevna Khovanskaya, Herzen's aunt, as a prototype.
AI Herzen in "Past and Thoughts" devotes a separate chapter to the description of his aunt's house, hinting in a number of details on the connection of Marya Alekseevna Khovanskaya with the image of the princess in "Woe from Wit."
Connoisseurs of Herzen's work speak about this prototype. For example, L.K. Chukovskaya writes in an unfinished documentary and fiction book about Herzen: “From childhood he could not stand the princess and her house, full of pugs and pugs, the arrogant house of the Moscow splendid lady, one of those noble old women whom the Griboyedov whipped so loudly on the cheeks. The list of "Woe from Wit," read dozens of times together with Ogarev, lay under the key in the bureau. It was rumored that "Princess Marya Aleksevna", remembered by Famusov, is not without reason bears the name of his aunt " .
The Herzen Museum keeps the play "Woe from Wit" he rewrote, and on the wall of the museum hangs a portrait of a strict middle-aged lady in lace and a cap - a portrait of MA Khovanskaya. Museum staff also see her as a prototype of the final off-stage character "Woe from Wit".
With this prototype, the ending of the play is read not as Famusov's fear of female gossip, but as fear of the opinion of an influential, tyrannical old woman, on whose word, apparently, the reputation in society depends, especially Famusov, the manager in the official place.
In Woe From Wit, there are many old women / old men: the prince and princess Tugoukhovsky, the old woman Khlestova, the countess grandmother Khryumina. It is not for nothing that the Countess-granddaughter sums up the Famusian reception:

Well, ball! Well, Famusov!
I knew how to name the guests!
Some kind of freaks from the other world!

Chatsky is also outraged:

The fools believed, they pass it on to others,
The old women instantly sound the alarm,
And here is the public opinion!

Marya Alekseevna is apparently the same old woman on whom public opinion depends. (NB: we do not know the dates of birth of Herzen's aunt, M.A. Khovanskaya, but since she was the elder sister of Herzen's father, we can assume that she was about 60 years old in 1824

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(quite an advanced age for the nineteenth century)). Herzen writes of her as an old woman: “Princess Marya Alekseevna Khovanskaya, my father’s own sister, was stern, sullen old woman, fat, important, with a spot on her cheek, with fake bullets under her cap; she spoke with squinting eyes and until the end of her life, that is, until she was eighty years old, she used a little blush and a little whitewash. "
In the way Herzen presented his aunt in Past and Thoughts, one can catch references to almost all female characters in Woe from Wit. Perhaps this was done by him on purpose, or perhaps this proves the accuracy and accuracy of Griboyedov's generalizations.
For example, the characters of the comedy: Natalya Dmitrievna and her meek, obedient husband Platon Mikhailovich, a colleague of Chatsky. Chatsky asks Platon Mikhailovich: “Forgotten the noise of the camp, comrades and brothers? / Calm and lazy? " Platon Mikhailovich replies: “Brother, you marry, then remember me! / Out of boredom you will whistle same"... Let us compare A.I. Herzen's description of M.A. Khovanskaya's husband: “She was a widow, and I still remember her husband; he was small in stature, a gray-haired old man, who secretly drank tinctures and liqueurs from the princess, did nothing worthwhile in the house and accustomed to unconditional obedience to his wife» ... Further, Herzen recalls how, out of boredom, his uncle whistling taught the singing of nightingales, blackbirds and canaries in the house. (NB: The prince, major Khovansky belonged to the ancient princely family of the Khovansky, was a participant in the war of 1812 (rank of major)).
Princess Tugoukhovskaya in a comedy and Princess M.A. Khovanskaya, in addition to the title, are related by one fact of the biography. Marya Alekseevna Khovanskaya married off 2 daughters, both died after the first birth. Princess Tugoukhovskaya came to Famusov's ball with six daughters - perhaps the same fate awaits these girls thanks to the prudent matchmaking of their mother. These two princesses are also similar in their grumpy character: Princess Tugoukhovskaya teaches Chatsky and declares that he is a Jacobin, and about Princess Khovanskaya Herzen recalls that "There was no end to her sermons, grumbles ..."
And one more old woman in a comedy could remind A.I. Herzen is his aunt. He writes that the dead silence in his aunt's house was sometimes broken by the cry of a cockatoo and "The disgusting whimpering of a small monkey, old, haggard, who lived in the hall on a small ledge of a tiled stove"... At Griboyedov's, the old woman Khlestova, appearing at the ball, says: "Out of boredom, I took with me / Arapka-girl and a dog."... One can imagine that her house is full of unhappy living toys.

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Herzen must have recognized the features of his own aunt in every heroine of the comedy, and the final phrase of Famusov, where the name of Marya Aleksevna sounds, probably greatly amused him, turning the strict aunt into a funny image. Herzen's first impression of Woe from Wit should have been very strong - it was not for nothing that he later rewrote this forbidden comedy for himself.
For Marya Alekseevna Khovanskaya, her name and patronymic speaks as a prototype. Griboyedov does not create the image of the heroine, we do not see and do not hear her - the calculation was, apparently, on the fact that everyone already knows who Marya Aleksevna is - and this is the comedy. The beginning and end of the piece are strong positions, especially the final phrase of the piece. If Griboyedov introduces a new name in the last phrase, then he expects that everyone will understand him and, of course, does not doubt the comic effect.
The final phrase of the play became an aphorism, and the off-stage character Marya Aleksevna entered literature and oral speech as a strict public judge. Here are some examples:
- A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky in the story "The Frigate" Nadezhda "" (1832): “Nobody cares about what kind people think of us: they only have on their minds what Princess Marya Aleksevna will say. In all the personality, all the particular, everywhere the calculation ".
- Alexander Blok in the poem "Retribution":

"Family is nonsense, family is whim" -
They loved to say anger here,
And deep down, everything is the same
"Princess Marya Aleksevna" ...

_____________________
1. Kunarev A. Comedy A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit". A comment. Book for teacher and student. - M., 2004 (2011). - 672 s.
2. Pushkin A.S. Diary 1833-1835 // Collected cit .: in 10 volumes.Vol. 7. - M., GIHL, 1959-1962.
3. Fomichev S.A. Comedy by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit": Commentary. A book for a teacher - M., 1983 .-- 208 p.
4. Chukovskaya L. Beginning, from the unfinished book "Herzen" // Almanac "Pro-metey". T.3. - M., 1967. (Quoted from the electronic resource: http://www.chukfamily.ru/Humanitaria/Gertzen/prometei1.htm)
5. Chivilikhin V. A. Memory (Book One) //

The only character conceived and performed in the comedy "Woe from Wit", as close to Chatsky, is Sofya Pavlovna Famusova. Griboyedov wrote about her: “A girl who is not stupid herself prefers a fool to a clever person ...” This character embodies a complex character, the author has left here satire and farce. He presented the feminine character of great strength and depth. Sophia was “unlucky” in criticism for a long time. Even Pushkin considered this image a failure of the author: "Sophia is not clearly drawn." And only Goncharov in “Million of Torments” in 1878 for the first time understood and appreciated this character and his role in the play.

Sophia is a dramatic person, she is a character of everyday drama, not a social comedy. She - just like Chatsky - is a passionate nature, living with a strong and real feeling. And even if the object of her passion is wretched and pathetic, this does not make the situation funny, on the contrary, it deepens her drama. In the best performances, the actress in the role of Sophia is played by love. This is the most important thing in her, it forms the line of her behavior. The world for her is divided in two: Molchalin and all the others. When there is no chosen one - all thoughts are only about a quick meeting. The power of the first feeling was embodied in Sophia, but at the same time her love is joyless and unfree. She is perfectly aware that the chosen one will never be accepted by her father. The thought of this darkens life, Sophia is already internally ready to fight. Feelings overwhelm the soul so much that she confesses her love to seemingly completely random people: first to the servant Lisa, and then to the most inappropriate person - Chatsky. Sophia is so in love and at the same time depressed by the need to constantly hide from her father that her common sense simply changes. The situation itself makes it impossible for her to reason: “But what do I care about whom? Before them? To the whole universe? " You can already sympathize with Sophia from the very beginning. But in her choice there is as much freedom as there is predestination. She chose and fell in love with a comfortable person: soft, quiet and uncomplaining (this is how Molchalin appears in her characteristics). Sophia, as it seems to her, treats him sensibly and critically: "Of course, this mind is not in him, That is a genius for some, but for others a plague, Which is swift, brilliant and will soon oppose ... But will such a mind make the family happy?" It probably seems to her that she acted in a very practical way. But in the finale, when she becomes an unwitting witness to Molchalin's “courtship” of Liza, she is struck in the very heart, she is destroyed - this is one of the most dramatic moments of the play.

How did it happen that an intelligent and deep girl not only preferred the scoundrel, the soulless careerist Molchalin to Chatsky, but also committed betrayal by spreading a rumor about the madness of the man who loved her? Let's digress from Sophia and remember another literary heroine - Marya Bolkonskaya from War and Peace. Let us recall how her father gave her daily geometry lessons, which the poor princess could not figure out. Was this geometry really needed by Maria Bolkonskaya? Of course not. The prince strove to teach his daughter to think: after all, mathematics develops logical thinking. Forcing the princess to study mathematics, the prince was only looking for ways of a new upbringing, for he saw all the perniciousness of the education that the noble girls of his era received. Woe from Wit has an exhaustive definition of such education:

We take tramps both into the house and on tickets,

To teach our daughters everything, everything -

And dancing! And singing! And tenderness! And sighs!

As if we are preparing buffoons for their wives.

How clearly the answers to the basic questions of upbringing are formulated in this angry remark: who teaches, what and why. And the point is not that Sophia and her contemporaries were gray and not educated: they knew not so little. The point is different: the entire system of women's education had the ultimate goal of giving the girl the necessary knowledge for a successful secular career, that is, for a successful marriage. Sophia does not know how to think - that's what her trouble is. Doesn't know how to be responsible for every step. She builds her life according to generally accepted models, not trying to find her own way.

On the one hand, I bring up her books. She is read by sentimental love stories of a poor boy and a rich girl. Admires them for their loyalty, dedication. Molchalin looks so much like a romantic hero! There is nothing wrong with a young girl wanting to feel like the heroine of a novel. Another bad thing is that she does not see the difference between romantic fiction and life, she does not know how to distinguish a true feeling from a fake. She loves something. But her chosen one is only "serving his duty."

On the other hand, Sophia unconsciously builds her life in accordance with generally accepted morality. In the comedy, the system of female images is presented in such a way that we see, as it were, the entire life of a secular lady: from girlhood to ripe old age. From the Tugoukhovsky princesses to the grandmother's countess. Such is the successful, prosperous path of a secular lady, which any young lady - and Sophia too - aspires to accomplish: marriage, the role of a judge in secular drawing rooms, respect for others - and so on until the moment when "from the ball to the grave." And for this path, Chatsky is not suitable, but Molchalin is just an ideal!

And no matter how tragic it may be, having abandoned Molchalin, Sophia will not abandon the “tachalin type”. Let us recall the scene of Sophia's break with Molchalin. Offended, humiliated, Sophia drives away an unworthy lover from herself. And yet she breaks out:

... be glad

That when dating me in the stillness of the night

You held on more to timidity in your disposition,

Than even during the day, and in front of people, and in the open;

You have less insolence than curvature of the soul.

Even this “curvature of the soul,” which brought such suffering to Sophia, frightens her less than insolence, the defining quality of Molchalin. The whole life of the world is built on crookedness - that's why Sophia so easily went to meanness, spreading the rumor about Chatsky's madness. But the light does not accept insolence. Disappointed in Molchalin, Sophia continues to appreciate his timidity: a sure guarantee that her next chosen one will not differ much from Molchalin.

Sophia, of course, is an extraordinary nature: passionate, deep, selfless. But all her best qualities have received a terrible, ugly development - that is why the image of the main character in Woe from Wit is truly dramatic.

The best analysis of the image of Sophia belongs to I. Goncharov. In the article “Million of Torments”, he compared her with Tatyana Larina, showed her strength and weakness. And most importantly, he appreciated all the virtues of a realistic character in her. Two characteristics deserve special attention: “Sofya Pavlovna is not individually immoral: she sins with the sin of ignorance and blindness, in which everyone lived ...” and moral blindness - all this does not have the character of personal vices in her, but appears as general features of her circle ”.

The image of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit"

“The main role, of course, is the role of Chatsky, without

which would not be a comedy, but would be,

perhaps a picture of mores. "

(I.A. Goncharov)

One cannot but agree with Goncharov. Yes, the figure of Chatsky determines the conflict of the comedy, both of its storylines. The play was written in those days (1816-1824), when young people like Chatsky brought new ideas and moods to society. In the monologues and remarks of Chatsky, in all his actions, what was most important for the future Decembrists was expressed: the spirit of freedom, free life, the feeling that "he breathes more freely." Freedom of the individual is the motive of Griboyedov's time and comedy. And freedom from dilapidated ideas about love, marriage, honor, service, the meaning of life. Chatsky and his associates strive for "creative, lofty and beautiful arts", dream of "putting a mind hungry for knowledge into science", longing for "sublime love, before which the whole world ... - dust and vanity." They would like to see all people free and equal.

Chatsky's aspiration is to serve the fatherland, "the cause, not the people." He hates all the past, including slavish admiration for everything foreign, servility, servility.

And what does he see around? A lot of people who are looking only for ranks, crosses, "money to live", not love, but a profitable marriage. Their ideal is "moderation and accuracy", their dream is "to take all the books and burn them."

So, at the center of the comedy is the conflict between “one sane person” (Griboyedov's assessment) and the conservative majority.

As always in a dramatic work, the essence of the character of the protagonist is revealed primarily in the plot. Griboyedov, faithful to the truth of life, showed the plight of a young progressive man in this society. The entourage takes revenge on Chatsky for the truth, which hurts his eyes, for an attempt to disrupt the usual way of life. The beloved girl, turning away from him, hurts the hero most of all, spreading gossip about his madness. Here's the paradox: the only sane person is declared insane!

"So! I have sober up in full! "- exclaims Chatsky at the end of the play. What is this - defeat or epiphany? Yes, the end of this comedy is far from cheerful, but Goncharov was right when he said about the finale as follows: "Chatsky is broken by the amount of old power, inflicting a mortal blow on it with the quality of fresh power." Goncharov believes that the role of all the Chatskys is "passive", but at the same time always victorious. But they do not know about their victory, they only sow, and others reap.

It is surprising that even now it is impossible to read without worrying about the suffering of Alexander Andreevich. But such is the power of genuine art. Of course, Griboyedov, perhaps for the first time in Russian literature, managed to create a truly realistic image of a positive hero. Chatsky is close to us because he is not written as an impeccable, "iron" fighter for truth and good, duty and honor - we meet such heroes in the works of classicists. No, he is a man, and nothing human is alien to him. “Mind and heart are out of tune,” the hero says about himself. The ardor of his nature, which often interferes with maintaining peace of mind and composure, the ability to fall in love recklessly, this does not allow him to see the flaws of his beloved, to believe in her love for another - these are such natural traits! “Oh, it’s not difficult to deceive me, I myself am glad to be deceived,” wrote Pushkin in his poem "Confession." Yes, and Chatsky could say the same about himself. And Chatsky's humor, his wit - how attractive they are. All this gives such vitality, warmth to this image, makes us empathize with the hero.

And more ... Having written about his contemporary, reflecting in comedy, as we have already shown, the problems of his time, Griboyedov created at the same time an image of enduring significance. “Chatsky is a Decembrist,” wrote Herzen. And he is, of course, right. But an even more important thought is expressed by Goncharov: “Chatsky is inevitable with every change of one century to another. Every case requiring renewal evokes the shadow of Chatsky. " This is the secret of the play's eternal relevance and the vitality of its heroes. Yes, the idea of ​​a “free life” truly has lasting value.

Griboyedov's comedy was written in the first quarter of the 19th century, after the war of 1812. At this time, society in Russia was divided into two camps. The first included dignitaries of the 18th century, people professing the old principles of life. The latter strove for changes in the country. This conflict is reflected in the play Woe from Wit. Belonging to any camp has become one of the principles of organizing the system of images, including those of women.
All the guests at the party at Famusov's belong to the “past century”.
First of all, this is a typical Russian lady of Catherine's time of Khlestov. In her remarks, one can find many ideas characteristic of “all Moscow's”. Sister-in-law Famusova "out of boredom took a little girl with her." The old woman speaks of her not as a person, but as a thing received as a gift. He echoes Khlestov Famusov, talking about education:

And you will really go crazy from these, from some,
From boarding houses, schools, lyceums, as you mean them,
Yes from LANCard peer learning.

The words of another representative of the older generation, Princess Tugoukhovskoy, who recalls the professors of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute, who “practice schisms and disbelief,” and her nephew, Prince Fyodor, who studied with them, sound in unison with those quoted.
Another colorful representative of the old Moscow nobility is the Countess Grandmother Khryumin. She is so old that she can no longer be the ideologist of her century. The only sensible remark that we will hear from her: "Someday I will go to the grave from the ball." This is an echo of the philosophy of the owner of the house, whose life consists of dinner, burial and christening: the existence of a countess is a ball ending in death. The rest of Khryumina's remarks serve to enhance the comic of the play.
Natalya Dmitrievna is younger than the three venerable ladies described, but she is preparing to repeat them with her manners and preferences. Just like the princess, whose husband is on the parcels, Gorich is in charge of her husband. Her phrase "My husband is an adorable husband ..." echoes the words of Molchalin, said by Khlestova: "Your Spitz is an adorable Spitz ..." Thus, the once active Platon Mikhailovich is likened to a decorative dog.
Married Natalya Dmitrievna in her interests, however, is close to the young princesses Tugoukhovsky, with whom she gladly discusses outfits. Including about these young ladies, the words of Famusov were said: “They know how to dress themselves up with taffeta, marigold and haze ...” Another girl who, like the princesses, is looking for a groom is the Countess-granddaughter. All Moscow brides are the same "girls" who love the military, are distinguished by their good manners and patriotism, which Famusov speaks of in his monologue about Moscow. But at the same time, it is the princesses who utter the words so outraged by Chatsky: “Ah! France! There is no better edge in the world! " The admiration of all women, except Khlestova, before a foreigner is also manifested in the abundance of gallicisms in their speech.
The ideologist of the “past century” characterizes not only young people; he does not forget the ladies, who are "judges of everything, everywhere, there are no judges above them." This, of course, is about Khlestova, probably about Khryumina. But in his monologue, Pavel Afanasevich mentions others:

Irina Vlasyevna! Lukerya Aleksevna!
Tatyana Yuryevna! Pulcheria Andrevna!

Chatsky and Molchalin will also speak about the last two in the comedy. The first will laugh at the traditional love of everything French by Princess Pulcheria Andrevna, the second will tell us about the extraordinary influence of Tatyana Yuryevna. These are non-individual traits. They are inherent in each of the listed ladies, and probably also in the mysterious Marya Alekseev, whose opinion Famusov is so afraid of.
Of all the heroes of Woe from Wit, belonging to the Famus camp, only Skalozub is still more or less independent of women. Representatives of the “present century” are also free from their influence. Everyone else is afraid of the ladies' court.
The female images found in the work either serve to enhance the comic (this is Sophia's aunt, whose "young Frenchman" ran away from her house, and Princess Lasova, looking for a husband, and Chatsky's mother, Anna Alekseevna, who "went crazy eight times" ), or somehow connected with the characters (Praskovya Fedorovna and the doctor's widow are mentioned in Famusov's calendar. Nastasya Nikolaevna is a relative of Skalozub, the daughter of Baron von Klotz is Re-petilov's wife). All these off-stage characters help to reveal the characters of the characters.
Separately, we must talk about Sophia Pavlovna and the servant Liza. These heroines are involved in a love affair. Therefore, much in them is due to the traditions of the interpretation of comedic images.
But at the same time, both heroines are individuals that do not fit into the classical framework.
According with the Empire system Sophia should be an ideal heroine. But in “Woe from Wit”, this image is ambiguous. On the one hand, Famusov's daughter was raised by her father, Madame Rosier, by cheap teachers - "vagrants", sentimental French novels. The girl's words and behavior show the dream of a “husband-servant”. But on the other hand, Sophia prefers poor Molchalin to rich Skalozub, does not bow before the ranks, is capable of a deep feeling, she can say: “What is the rumor to me? Whoever wants to judge! ” Goncharov IA saw in Famusov's daughter “the makings of a remarkable nature”. Indeed, only she is able to understand Chatsky and answer him on equal terms, take revenge, spreading gossip about his madness; only her speech can be compared with that of Chatsky. Sophia's love for Silent-well is a challenge to the society that raised her.
Does not fit into the framework of the image of the soubrette and Liza. Of course, she is quick-witted and cunning. Thanks to these two qualities of her, Famusov does not find Molchalin in Sophia's room. She is brave and ready to argue with the master. “Allow me, sir ...” she begins when Pavel Afanasevich talks about his “monastic” behavior. The cheerfulness of the servant is celebrated by Molchalin and the owner of the house. Lisa is included in two additional love triangles. She also plays the role of the second (after Chatsky) reasoner, giving a characterization to Famusov, Skalozub, Chatsky, generalizing the ideas of Moscow society (“... Sin doesn’t matter, rumor is not good”), expressing the thoughts of Griboyedov:
... Pass us more than all sorrows And the lordly anger, and the lordly love.
There are unusually many female characters in Griboyedov's comedy. All of them serve to fulfill the author's task, which was to reflect the era as fully as possible with all its contradictions and prospects for the future.

Here is the story of the very successful career of the "rootless" Molchalin:

He warmed the rootless and introduced him to my family,
He gave the rank of assessor and took him to secretaries;
Transferred to Moscow through my assistance;
And if it weren't for me, you would have smoked in Tver.

The rank of the collegiate assessor (VIII class of the Taba-li about the ranks) gave the right to hereditary nobility, that is, as a minimum, he equated Molchalin with Chatsky, and corresponded to the military rank of major The collegiate assessor Kova-lion, the hero of Gogol's Nose, liked to call himself a major: “Kovalev was a Caucasian collegiate assessor. He had only been in this title for two years, and therefore could not for a minute be in his posture; and in order to give himself more wealth and weight, he never called himself a collegiate assessor, but always a major. "... Griboyedov himself, when he wrote Woe from Wit, was a titular advisor (IX grade).

Alexander Yuzhin as Famusov in the play "Woe from Wit". Maly Theater, Moscow, 1915

What is the secret of Molchalin's success? It can be assumed that it is partly in the fact that he was born in Tver, and, for example, not in Tula or Kaluga. Tver is located on the road connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg; the manager in the official place Famusov probably drove through Tver more than once, and, perhaps, some quick-witted local guy (wasn’t the son of the station watchman?) was able to successfully render him some kind of service. And then, using the patronage of Famusov and Tatyana Yurievna, Molchalin quickly and very successfully began to move up the career ladder.

In social terms, Molchalin begins his journey precisely as a "little man" who does not come to terms with his position, but with all his might strives to break out into people. “This is a man who, in swaddling clothes, has cognized the onslaught of fate and is therefore ready to give himself up into slavery to anyone and anywhere, ready to worship both the true God and the empty idol, having neither the ability nor the skill to penetrate the essence of things.<…>Everything in the activities of these people is imprinted by their lack of understanding and a firm determination to keep behind themselves that beggarly piece that fate has thrown out for them, "Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote about Molchalin.

2. The secret of Sophia's dream

Alexander Yuzhin as Famusov and Vera Pashennaya as Sophia in the play "Woe from Wit". Maly Theater, Moscow, 1915 Billy Rose Theater Collection / New York Public Library

Here is Sophia telling Famusov a dream, which she clearly came up with:

Then the doors were thrown open
Some are not people and not animals,
We were apart - and they tortured the one who was sitting with me.
He seems to me dearer than all the treasures,
I want to see him - you drag with you:
We were seen off by the groan, the roar, the laughter, the whistle of monsters!
He shouts after! ..

What does all this mean? Sophia invented her dream for a reason, but with reliance on literature, namely on a romantic ballad: the heroine finds herself in a world on the other side, inhabited by villains and monsters.

The object of the parody for Griboyedov here is, first of all, Zhukovsky and his free translations of the ballad of the German poet Burger “Lenora” - “Lyud-Mila” (1808) and “Svetlana” (1811), in which dead suitors appear to the heroines and are carried away to the afterlife. peace. Famusov hardly read Zhukovsky, but Griboyedov puts into his mouth a caustic maxim, very similar to the ending of the ballad "Svetlana": "Everything is here, if there is no deceit: / And devils and love, and fears and flowers." And here is "Svetlana":

Smile, my beauty,
To my ballad;
There are great miracles in it,
Very little stock.

In Sophia's dream, ballad clichés are condensed: an innocent heroine and her lover are separated by a tormentor - a character from the afterlife (it is no coincidence that Famusov appears in a dream from under the opening floor). In the first edition, Famusov was described as an infernal hero: "Death on the cheeks, and the hair on the hole."

However, not only Sophia's dream, but also her relationship with Molcha-lin resembles a ballad plot. Their love affair is modeled on Zhukovsky's ballad Aeolian Harp (1814). Minwana, the daughter of a noble feudal lord, rejects the claims of eminent knights and gives her heart to the poor singer Arminius:

Young and beautiful
Like a fresh rose - the joy of the valleys,
Sweet-voiced singer ...
But not a noble, not a princely son by birth:
Minwana forgot
About his dignity
And I loved with my heart
Innocent, innocent heart in him.

Griboyedov parodies the picture of ideal love created by Zhukovsky. Poor singer Arminius seems to be replaced by the scoundrel Molchalin; the tragic expulsion of Arminius by Minwana's father - the finale of the comedy, when Sophia overhears the conversation between Molchalin and Lisa and expels the unlucky lover.

This parody is not accidental. In the literary controversy between the archaists and Archaists and innovators- supporters of opposite concepts of the development of Russian literature in the 1810s. The controversy between the two literary societies - "Conversation of lovers of the Russian word" and "Arzama-som" - revolved around the system of genres, language and style of literary behavior. Griboyedov adhered to the position of the younger archaists, who were very skeptical of Zhukovsky, and ridiculed the then fashionable dreaminess: “God be with them, with dreams,” he wrote in the analysis of translations of Burgess’s ballad “Lenora” in 1816, Look in, whatever you read, a song or a message, dreams are everywhere, and nature is not in the hair. " Molchalin is a parody of the sublime and quiet hero of sentimental stories and ballads.

3. The secret of Aunt Sophia and Chatsky's humor

Making fun of Moscow, Chatsky sarcastically asks Sofya:

At conventions, at large, on parish holidays?
The confusion of languages ​​still prevails:
French with Nizhny Novgorod?

Why is the French language mixed with the Nizhny Novgorod dialect? The fact is that during the war of 1812 it became a reality: Moscow nobles were evacuated to Nizhny Novgorod Vasily Lvovich Pushkin (the poet's uncle and the poet himself), addressing the residents of Nizhny Novgorod, wrote: "Take us under your protection, / Pets of the Volga banks."... At the same time, on a patriotic upsurge, the nobles tried to abandon the French speech and speak Russian (Leo Tolstoy described this in War and Peace), which led to a comic effect - mixing the French prononce with the Nizhny Novgorod okan.

Lexical incidents were no less amusing (and not only those from Nizhny Novgorod!). So, the Smolensk landowner Svistunova in one of her letters asked to buy her "English lace in the manner of drum (brabant), "Little clarinetka (lorgnette) since I am close with my eyes " (nearsighted), "Serogi (earrings) pisa gramova (filigree) works, perfumes of fragrant alambre, and for furnishing rooms - paintings of Talyan (Italian) in the manner of Rykhvaleeva (Rafaeleva) work on canvas and a tray with cups, if you can get it with peony flowers. "

In addition, it is possible that Chatsky is simply citing the famous publicistic text of the Napoleonic Wars, written by Ivan Muravyov-Apostle, the father of three future Decembrists. It is called "Letters from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod", and it contains a famous fragment about how the Moscow Noble Assembly ruthlessly treats the French language:

“I stood in the middle of the hall; waves of people rustled around me, but alas! .. Shu-me-whether everything is in French. Rarely, rarely where did the Russian word pop out.<…>Out of a hundred people in our country (and this is the most moderate proportion), one speaks pretty French, and ninety-nine speaks Gascon; no less than that, everyone babbles in some kind of barbaric dialect, which is revered as French just because we call it talk in franzuzski... Ask them: why is it? - because, they will say, it was so introduced. - My God! - But when will it come out?<…>Enter any society; a very funny mixture of languages! Here you will hear Norman, Gascon, Rusillon, Provencal, Geneva dialects; sometimes Russian is half-and-half with the above. - Ears wither! ".

4. Mystery on August 3

Bragging about his successes, Skalozub mentions the battle, for his participation in which he was awarded the order:

For the third of August; we sat down in a trench:
It was given to him with a bow, around my neck The lower orders, that is, the III and IV degrees, were worn in a buttonhole, and the order ribbon was tied with a bow, the orders of the highest degrees were worn around the neck. Skalozub emphasizes that he received awards of a higher level than his cousin, and that by that time he already had a staff officer rank..

The exact date was named for a reason. Griboyedov's contemporaries, who well remembered the Patriotic War of 1812 and the events that followed it, could not help but laugh at this phrase. The fact is that no battle took place that day.

Sergei Golovin as Skalozub in the play "Woe from Wit". Maly Theater, Moscow, 1915 Billy Rose Theater Collection / New York Public Library

On June 4, 1813, the Plesvice Armistice was declared, which lasted until mid-August, and on August 3, in Prague, a meeting of the Russian Emperor Alexander I with Franz II, Emperor of Austria took place. Franz II- Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1792-1806), as the Austrian emperor who ruled under the name of Franz I., which has been marked with many awards. Skalozub did not have any need to "sit in a tren-neck".

The static nature of Skalozub ("Wherever you order, just to sit down") sharply contradicts Chatsky's dynamism ("More than seven hundred versts swept by, the wind, storm; / And he was completely confused, and fell so many times ..."). However, in the conditions of military service in the last years of the reign of Alexander I, it is Skalozub's life strategy that is in demand. The fact is that the production for the next rank was carried out in the presence of vacancies; if Skalozub's more active comrades died in battles or turned out to be "turned off" for political reasons, then he calmly and systematically moved to the rank of general:

I'm pretty happy in my comrades,
The vacancies are just open;
Then the elders will turn off others,
Others, you see, have been killed.

5. The mystery of the broken rib

Scene from the play "Woe from Wit". Maly Theater, Moscow, 1915 Billy Rose Theater Collection / New York Public Library

Here Skalozub tells an anecdote about Countess Lasova:

Let me tell you the message:
There is some kind of princess Lasova here,
Horsewoman, widow, but no examples
So that many gentlemen went with her.
The other day I got hurt in fluff;
Joquet did not support, he believed that the flies were visible. -
And without that, as you can hear, she is clumsy,
Now the rib is missing
So he is looking for a husband for support.

The meaning of this anecdote is in an allusion to the biblical legend about the origin of Eve from the rib of Adam, that is, the secondary nature of a woman in relation to a man. In the Moscow world, everything happens exactly the opposite: here always and in everything women are the leaders. In Griboedov's Moscow, mat-ar-khat reigns, the feminine principle consistently displaces the masculine. Sophia teaches Molchalin to music ("One can hear a flute, then like a piano"); Natalya Dmitrievna surrounds the quite healthy Platon Mikhailovich with petty care; Tugoukhovsky, like a puppet, moves at the commands of his wife: “Prince, prince, here”, “Prince, prince! Back!" The feminine principle also prevails behind the scenes. The high patroness of Molcha-lin is Tatiana Yurievna Her prototype was Praskovya Yuryevna Kologrivova, whose husband, according to the memories of the Decembrist Zavalishin, “asked at the ball by one tall person who he was, was so confused that he said that he was Praskovya Yuryevna’s husband, probably believing that it was the title is more important than all his titles. "... Famusov tries to influence Skalozub through Nastasya Nikolavna and remembers some unknown to the reader, but important for him Irina Vlasyevna, Lukerya Alekse-vnu and Pulkheria Andrevna; the final verdict on what happened in the Famusovs' house should be made by Princess Marya Aleksevna.

“This female regime, to which the characters in Woe from Wit are subordinate, clarifies a lot,” writes Yuri Tynyanov. - The autocracy was for many years female. Even Alexander I still reckoned with the power of his mother. Griboyedov knew, as a diplomat, what influence a woman has at the Persian court. " “Female power” and “male decline” become signs of the times: Griboyedov describes that turning point in Russian life, in which the courageous life of 1812 is a thing of the past, and gossip turns out to be more important than actions. It is in this situation that the slander against Chatsky arises.

6. The mystery of the yellow house

Mikhail Lenin as Chatsky in the play Woe from Wit. Moscow Art Theater, Moscow, 1911 Billy Rose Theater Collection / New York Public Library

Towards the end of the play, almost all the guests at the Famusovs' ball are sure that Chatsky has gone mad:

His uncle the rogue hid him in the mad;
They grabbed me into a yellow house and put me on a chain.

Why is it so scary? The fact is that the gossip about the madness of the hero, acquiring more and more new details Gossip about Chatsky's madness is developing like an avalanche. He himself was the first to pronounce the words about madness ("I can beware of madness ..."), meaning his unhappy love; Sophia picks them up in the same sense (“That’s reluctantly drove me crazy!”), and only on the third loop, driven out of herself by Chatsky’s attacks on Molchalin, Sophia says out of revenge: “He’s out of his mind” - giving the opportunity for Mr. N. to interpret these words in the literal sense. Further, the slander spreads anonymously through Messrs N. and D., then acquires fantastic details in the remarks of Zagoretsky, who in fact does not know Chatsky (“Who is Chatsky here? - A well-known surname. / With some Chatsky I once knew "). Griboyedov was well aware of the practice of spreading gossip and their influence on the fate of people from his diplomatic activities., in fact, turns into a political denunciation. Chatsky is reported to be a "freemason" (that is, a freemason Freemasonry- free masons; members of a secret religious charitable society, from the 18th century spread throughout Europe. In 1822, by your command, all Masonic lodges in Russia were closed, Freemasonry became the synonym of free-thinking.), "The accursed Voltairian", "in the pusurmans", sent to prison, sent to the army, "changed the law."

The accusation of insanity as a way to deal with a rival, objectionable person or political adversary was a well-known trick. So, in January 1817, rumors spread about Byron's madness, and his wife and her family let them in. Slander and noise around the poet's personal life spread almost throughout Europe. Rumors of insanity circulated around Griboyedov himself. According to the testimony of his biographer Mikhail Semevsky, one of Griboyedov's letters to Bulgarin contains a postscript of the latter: "Griboyedov in a moment of madness."

Twelve years after the creation of Woe from Wit, one of the prototypes of Chats-anyone, Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev, will be accused of madness. After the publication of his first "Letter" in the Teleskop magazine, it was closed, and the Moscow police chief announced to Chaadaev that now, by order of the government, he was insane. A doctor came to him every day for examination, Chaadaev was considered under house arrest and could only go out for a walk once a day. A year later, the doctor's supervision over the "patient" was removed - but only on condition that he no longer write anything.

7. The secret of Ippolit Markelych

Vasily Lugsky as Repetilov in the play Woe from Wit. Moscow Art Theater, Moscow, 1906 Billy Rose Theater Collection / New York Public Library

Repetilov tells Chatsky about a secret society, reminiscent of the Decembrist:

But if you order a genius to be called:
Suffocating Ippolit Markelych !!!
You composing it
Have you read anything? At least a trifle?
Read it, brother, but he doesn't write anything;
Such people would be whipped
And condemn: write, write, write;
In magazines you can, however, find
His excerpt, look and something.
What are you talking about something? - about everything;
He knows everything, we herd him for a rainy day.

And how does Chatsky himself relate to the participants in secret societies? common place in school study "Woe from Wit".

In fact, Griboyedov's attitude to the Decembrists was very skeptical, and he ridicules the very mystery of societies. Repetilov immediately tells the first person he meets about the place and time of the meetings ("We have a society, and secret gatherings / On Thursdays. The secret union ..."), and then lists all its members: Prince Grigory, Evdokim Vorkulov, Levon and Borinka ("Wonderful guys! You don't know what to say about them ") - and, finally, their head -" genius "Ippolit Markelych.

The surname Udushiev, given to the leader of the secret gathering, clearly shows that Gri-Boyedov hardly harbored illusions about the Decembrist programs. Among the prototypes of Udushiev were named the head of the Southern Society Pavel Pestel, the Decembrist Alexander Yakubovich and even the poet Pyotr Vyazemsky The hero, bearing the surname Udushev, also appears in the novel by Griboyedov's friend Dmitry Begichev "The Kholmsky Family" (1832). It is interesting that his proto-type there is Fyodor Tolstoy-American, an unnamed non-stage character "Woe from Wit", about whom Repetilov also tells: "Night robber, duelist, / Was exiled to Kamchatka, returned as an Aleut, / And unclean on the hand; / Yes, an intelligent person cannot but be a cheat. "... In a word, the only member of the secret society among the heroes of "Woe from Wit" turns out to be Repetilov - and not Chatsky.

Sources of

• O. A. Levchenko Griboyedov and the Russian ballad of the 1820s ("Woe from Wit" and "Predators on Chegem"). Materials for the biography.
• Markovich V.M. Comedy in verse by A. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit".

  Analysis of a dramatic work. L., 1988.

• Tynyanov Yu. N. The plot of "Woe from Wit".
• Fomichev S. A Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit". A comment. Book for the teacher.
• "The present century and the past century ...".

  Comedy A. S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" in Russian criticism and literary criticism. :: SPb., 2002.

Briefly:

The idea of ​​the comedy "Woe from Wit" dates back to 1816. During the life of the author, despite his efforts, the caesura did not permit the publication of this work. Only small excerpts from the comedy have appeared in print. Despite this, "Woe From Wit" was well known in the society, because it was distributed in the lists. Only in 1831 did the censorship permit the printing of an incomplete text of the comedy. The most "unreliable" parts of it were excluded. In the same year, the play was staged in St. Petersburg, and then in Moscow.

The conflict in comedy is of a public nature; its main character is tormented not only by unrequited love, but also by the inability to live in this crazy society. Comedy carries the features of classicism - the unity of action, place and time, the heroes are endowed with characteristic names - Chatsky - from the word "children", Famusov - from the English word "famous", Molchalin - wordless, Repetilov - retelling the thoughts of others, etc. But behind these outward signs of classicism lies realism, which is expressed in the characters of the characters true to the truth of life, in their ambiguity inherent in living people. The deep realism of comedy is matched by its vivid, figurative language. Here, living people speak a living language. The language of each character characterizes the image; for example, the well-aimed and sharp language of the servant Lisa, the harmonious and logical speech of Chatsky. Repetilov's monologues have no core, he jumps from one topic to another all the time. Many expressions from comedy have become "winged", people still use them today, for example, "and the smoke of the fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us", "happy hours do not watch", etc. (For a detailed analysis of the characters of the comedy characters, see the article "I. And Goncharov ").

This work had a great influence on the further development of Russian literature. Almost fifty years after the comedy was written, I. A. Goncharov dedicated a critical essay to it, entitled "A Million of Torments," written as if the comedy had recently been completed.

Source: A quick reference book of a student. Russian literature / Auth.-comp. I.N. Agekyan. - Minsk: Contemporary writer, 2002

More details:

Woe From Wit (1824) became the first Russian realistic comedy, this work became a landmark for the establishment of realism in Russian drama. However, precisely because it was the first realistic work, it is possible to distinguish in it the influence of the aesthetics of romanticism (even the image of Chatsky, on the whole realistic, is very similar to the images of romantic heroes opposed to circumstances and other heroes), and even the influence of classicism - here is the observance the requirements of the "three unities", and the "speaking" surnames of the heroes. However, we can say that in the comedy "Woe from Wit" Griboyedov creatively reworked all the best that was created in Russian literature before him, having managed to create a qualitatively new work on the basis of this, and this novelty is determined primarily by new principles of creating characters, new an approach to understanding the essence of character images.

Griboyedov's heroes are heroes whose images are socially motivated, they are so because they belong to a certain time and certain strata of society, although this does not mean that they are schematic heroes. It's just that in each of them the main character traits are formed by the environment, each of them expresses this environment, while remaining an individual.

The language of the comedy "Woe from Wit"

The language of the comedy "Woe from Wit" has also become fundamentally new for Russian literature, the language characteristics of the characters are presented to the reader of each of them in such a way that, for example, Sophia's speech cannot be confused with the speech of Princess Tugouhovskaya, and Molchalin and Skalozub differ in both characters and their speech ... The utmost individualization of the characters 'speech characteristics, brilliant command of the Russian language, the aphoristic character of the characters' remarks, the acuteness of polemics in dialogues and monologues - all this makes the language of Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" a unique phenomenon in Russian literature of the 20s of the XIX century, and the fact that many phrases from it became "winged", confirms that not only it belonged to its time.

Comedy Conflicts

Comedy conflicts are very interesting. The external conflict is obvious: this is the confrontation between the progressive man of his time (Chatsky) and the society living in the past and striving to keep this life unchanged. In other words, the conflict between the old and the new is, in general, a banal conflict. However, it is most closely connected with the internal conflict of comedy, with the contradiction of the image of Chatsky. How could he, the smartest person, not understand that Sophia loves another after she herself told him about it and gave the name of this person? Why does he with such fervor prove his point of view to people whose value he knows perfectly well, as well as knows that they will never agree with him, but even cannot understand him? Here it is, the internal conflict of the comedy "Woe from Wit" by Griboyedov. Chatsky deeply and sincerely loves Sophia, and this feeling makes him so incomprehensible and even funny - although can someone who loves be funny, no matter how funny he may seem? .. In some ways, the internal and external conflicts of comedy coincide, although love Sophia to Molchalin and is not socially conditioned in terms of motivation, rather, on the contrary, but the romantic view of Famusov's daughter on the latter is also characteristic of the society in which they live.

Famusov's image

The world of Famusov is the world of the Moscow nobility, which lives according to the norms of the "Times of Ochakov and the conquest of the Crimea" and does not want to change anything in their lives. Famusov, "the manager in the official place," does business carelessly ("Signed, off your shoulders" ...), but he succeeds in organizing his life with all sorts of conveniences, not excluding "monastic behavior" ... He knows for sure that for his daughter "Who is poor is not a match for you," he is well versed in gossip and everything that concerns other people's estates, he can, on occasion, remind Molchalin to whom he owes his current position, and he is openly servile with Skalozub, seeing in him a profitable groom for his daughter ... In a conversation with Chatsky, not understanding even half of what the interlocutor says, he is terrified to death, believing that he is talking with a "carbonari" (that is, a rebel) who "wants to preach freedom" and "He does not recognize the authorities," demands: "I would strictly forbid these gentlemen to drive up to the capitals for a shot." He is not at all that stupid, Famusov, so he is ready by any means to fight for the preservation of his position and his way of life, he defends his right to see life like this and live like that. His danger is that he is ready for exactly what to do, or maybe he is still very much, so far he and those like him are the true masters of life, and only one person opposes them - Chatsky, who is very lonely in this society, that no matter what they talk about "nephews" and others, supposedly professing different ideals, in the house of Famusov Chatsky is truly alone.

The image of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit"

The image of Chatsky was perceived by his contemporaries as the image of an advanced person defending the ideals of a new life, which was to replace the dominance of "famusism". He was seen as a representative of the younger generation, an intelligent, educated, decent person who ardently advocates the need to change life and, it seems, is taking some steps in this direction, although the author speaks about it in passing. The only indisputable thing is that Chatsky is a thinking and gifted person, his judgments about public service, about duty do not in vain scare Famusov so much, they express ideas of state structure that undermine the foundations of the existence of Famusov and those like him: "To serve the cause, and not people ... "," I would be glad to serve, to serve sickeningly "," And for sure, the light began to grow stupid. "

There was a lot of debate about whether the image of Chatsky in Woe from Wit could be considered the image of a Decembrist in literature, but there is no doubt that the hero's ideas are close to the ideas of the Decembrists, to whom the author of the comedy had great sympathy. However, Chatsky is not just a spokesman for the ideas of his time, advanced in the opinion of the author of a comedy. This is a living person, he is sincere and deep in his feelings, his actions are determined by the feeling of great love that he feels for Sophia. He is in love, he remembers Sophia as a young girl who, judging by the fact that she makes excuses to Lisa, showed him unambiguous signs of attention, and now he wants to see the same Sophia in her, not wanting to see that dramatic changes have happened to her. Irritation and even a certain bitterness of Chatsky is caused by the fact that Sophia has changed her attitude towards him, and this prevents the hero from really perceiving the circumstances, seeing them as they are. The hero's mind and feelings are too much occupied with love for him to control himself, for him now the whole world is concentrated in Sophia, therefore everything else and everyone else simply annoys him: annoys Famusov, whom he nevertheless shows a certain respect as Sophia's father; irritates Skalozub, in which he is ready to see Sophia's possible fiancé; annoying Molchalin, who, "with such a soul", cannot (as he believes!) be loved by the same Sophia.

Chatsky's persistent attempts to find out the truth about Sophia's attitude to himself border on pathology, and his stubborn reluctance to accept this truth might seem blind if it were not for love ... However, the scene, which he witnesses in the last act, gives him the final answer to The most important question for him now is that he receives irrefutable evidence that Sophia not only does not love, but also betrays him, so Chatsky's last monologue is the cry and pain of an offended soul and offended feeling, but here the Famus society is precisely described with a murderous accuracy, which took away from the hero the most precious thing in his life - love. Chatsky leaves Moscow, and his departure seems to indicate that he is defeated. True, there is a well-known idea of ​​I.A. Goncharova that "Chatsky is broken by the amount of old power, inflicting a fatal blow on it with the quality of fresh power," but can this undoubted victory of the hero help him when his heart is breaking with pain? .. Therefore, we can say that that the ending of the comedy is close to a tragic one - for him, the "eternal denouncer", whom neither a brilliant mind, nor the ability to "laugh everyone" could help to find ordinary human happiness ...

Molchalin

The system of comedy images is built in such a way that the author gives us the opportunity to see Chatsky's "anti-doubles": these are the images of Molchalin and Repetilov. Molchalin is Chatsky's happy rival in love, in his own way he is a very strong personality who manages to achieve a lot in life. But at what cost? He faithfully observes the behest of his father: "My father bequeathed to me: First, to please all people without exception ...". He pleases, even with "our deplorable klya" (this is what Sophia calls) the nights "respectfully", because she is "the daughter of such a person"! Of course, we can say that for Molchalin such behavior is the only possible one from the point of view of achieving the "degrees of the known", but is it not at the cost of losing one's self-esteem to achieve them?

Repetilov

The image of Repetilov was perceived by contemporaries as a clear parody of the Decembrists, which may seem strange - if we recall the attitude of the comedy author to them and their ideas. However, Repetilov is very similar to ... Chatsky, only Chatsky, deprived of his mind, his self-esteem, his ability to behave as his honor requires. The comic double of the protagonist helps to better understand the image of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit", to see his strengths and appreciate them, while remaining an original and distinctive artistic image, ridiculing those of the supporters of the Decembrists who preferred "words, words, the words..."

Sophia

The image of Sophia in the comedy turned out to be complex and contradictory. She created a romantic image of Molchalin for herself and fell in love with her "creation", ready to defend her beloved from the unfair, as she is convinced, attacks from Chatsky and succeeded a lot in this (remember, it was with her "filing" that gossip from Chatsky's madness went for a walk!), Which became an involuntary witness of how the person she loves taunts her and her love - this is what the heroine of the comedy has to go through, and at the end of the work she cannot but evoke sympathy from the viewer. Sophia is both smart and knows people well - how brilliantly she gives a hint of Chatsky's imaginary madness to the secular gossip G.N., there is nothing to reproach her with on occasion! However, like Chatsky, she was blinded by love, and, bringing suffering to Chatsky, she herself suffers no less from the betrayal of the person whom she believed and for the sake of love for whom she made certain sacrifices.

"Theme of the mind"

The "theme of the mind" occupies a special place in the comedy. The "grief" brought to Chatsky by his undoubted intelligence is aggravated by the fact that in Famusov's world a different idea of ​​"intelligence" dominates: here the one who knows how to achieve ranks and money is valued, therefore Uncle Famusov, endlessly falling before those who "ranks gives ", is revered as a model of wisdom, and the clever Chatsky is declared insane ... To be a thinking person in the circle of those who do not understand the difference between intelligence and cunning is Chatsky's lot.

Author's position

The image of the author, the author's position in the comedy "Woe from Wit" is manifested primarily in the creation of characters and the main conflict of the comedy. Chatsky is depicted with great sympathy, his moral superiority, his victory over the world of Famusov speaks about whose side the author is on. The satirical image of the world of old Moscow, its moral condemnation also indicate the author's position. Finally, the ending of the comedy, when it turns into a tragicomedy (as mentioned above), from the point of view of expressing the author's position, also unambiguously tells the viewer which side the author is on. In the comedy of Griboyedov, the author's beginning is expressed both in the remarks and in the speech characteristics of the characters-images, in everything the unique personality of the author of one of the greatest comedies in Russian literature is visible.

As already noted, the "catch phrases" from "Woe from Wit" have firmly entered both Russian literature and the Russian language. The work itself also took its place in Russian culture, which gives grounds to speak of the folk character of Griboyedov's comedy.