The image of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit" (A. S. Griboyedov)

/A.A. Grigoriev. Regarding the new edition of an old thing. "Woe from Wit." St. Petersburg 1862/

So I now turn to my second position - to the fact that Chatsky is still the only heroic the face of our literature.<...>

Chatsky first of all - honest And active nature, and also the nature of a fighter, that is, an extremely passionate nature.

They usually say that a secular person in a secular society, firstly, will not allow himself to say what Chatsky says, and secondly, he will not fight windmills, preach to the Famusovs, the Silents and others.<...>

In Chatsky there is only a truthful nature, which will not allow any lies - that’s all; and he will allow himself everything that his truthful nature allows himself. And that there are and were truthful natures in life, here is the evidence: old man Grinev 1, old Bagrov 2, old Dubrovsky 3. Alexander Andreevich Chatsky must have inherited the same nature, if not from his father, then from his grandfather or great-grandfather.

Another question is whether Chatsky would talk to people he despises.

And you forget with this question that Famusov, on whom he pours out “all the bile and all the annoyance,” for him is not just such and such a person, but a living memory of childhood, when he was taken “to bow” to his master, which

He drove away on many trucks from the mothers and fathers of rejected children.<...>

<...>Chatsky believes in the benefit of his sermon less than you yourself, but bile has boiled in him, his sense of truth is offended. And besides, he's in love...

Do you know how such people love?

Not this love, not worthy of a man, which absorbs the entire existence into the thought of a beloved object and sacrifices everything to this thought, even the idea of ​​moral improvement: Chatsky loves passionately, madly and tells the truth to Sophia that

I breathed you, lived, was busy continuously...

But this only means that the thought of her merged for him with every noble thought or deed of honor and goodness. He speaks the truth when asking her about Molchalin:

But does he have that passion, that feeling, that ardor, so that, except for you, the whole world seems like dust and vanity to him?

But underneath this truth lies the dream of his Sophia, as capable of understanding that “the whole world” is “dust and vanity” before the idea of ​​truth and goodness, or, at least, capable of appreciating this belief in the person she loves, capable of loving for it person. He loves only such an ideal Sophia; he doesn’t need another: he will reject the other and go with a broken heart

Search the world, Where there is a corner for the offended feeling.

Look with what deep psychological fidelity the entire conversation between Chatsky and Sophia in Act III is visible. Chatsky keeps asking why he is silent higher And better; he even enters into conversation with him, trying to find in him

A quick mind, a mature genius, -

and yet she cannot, is unable to understand that Sophia loves Molchalin precisely for properties that are opposite to the properties of him, Chatsky, for petty and vulgar properties (she does not yet see Molchalin’s vile traits). Only after being convinced of this, he leaves his dream, but leaves as a husband - irrevocably, he already sees the truth clearly and fearlessly. Then he tells her:

You will make peace with him after mature reflection.

Destroy yourself!.. and for what? You can scold him, and swaddle him, and send him to work. Meanwhile, there is a reason why Chatsky passionately loved this apparently so insignificant and petty nature. What was it about him? Not just childhood memories, but more important reasons, at least physiological. Moreover, this fact is not at all the only one in that strange, ironic cycle that is called life. People like Chatsky often love such petty and insignificant women as Sophia. You could even say that for the most part they like it that way. This is not a paradox. They sometimes meet women who are completely honest, who are quite capable of understanding them, sharing their aspirations, and are not satisfied with them. Sophia is something fatal, inevitable in their life, so fatal and inevitable that for the sake of

<...>this<...>This shows Chatsky’s last faith in Sophia’s nature...; here for Chatsky the question is about the life or death of an entire half of his moral existence. That this personal question merged with a public question is again true to the nature of the hero, who is the only type of moral and manly struggle in the sphere of life that the poet has chosen.<...>

Yes, Chatsky is - I repeat again - our only hero, that is, the only one who is positively fighting in the environment where fate and passion have thrown him.<...>

Chatsky, in addition to his general heroic significance, also has significance historical. He is a product of the first quarter of the Russian 19th century, the direct son and heir of the Novikovs 7 and Radishchevs 8, a comrade of people

Eternal memory of the twelfth year,

powerful, still deeply believing in itself and therefore a stubborn force, ready to die in a collision with the environment, to die if only because it would leave behind a “page in history”... He does not care that the environment with which he is struggling, positively unable not only to understand him, but even to take him seriously.

But Griboyedov, as a great poet, cares about this. No wonder he called his drama a comedy.

Read also other articles by critics about the comedy "Woe from Wit":

A.A. Grigoriev. Regarding the new edition of an old thing. "Woe from Wit"

• Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" - a representation of secular life
• Characteristics of Chatsky

I.A. Goncharov

V. Belinsky. "Woe from Wit." Comedy in 4 acts, in verse. Essay by A.S. Griboyedova

Alexander Andreevich Chatsky is the main male character of the comedy. He was left an orphan quite early, and was brought up in the house of his father’s friend, Famusov. Together with his patron's daughter, he received an excellent education. Over time, his friendship with Sophia grew into love. He sincerely admired her and wanted to marry her.

Chatsky is a very honest and active person. He got bored and went to travel and see the world. Famusov was unable to instill his worldview in Chatsky. Upon his return, Chatsky realized that society remained the same. Chatsky lives

future, has a negative attitude towards the cruelty of landowners and serfdom. Chatsky is a fighter for a fair society and dreams of benefiting the people. He criticizes people who are engaged in careerism, believes that “you need to serve the cause, not the person.” And although Chatsky is very smart, as Famusov noted: “he’s a smart guy, and writes and translates well,” he went to serve in the army.

Chatsky is a proud, direct and noble person who always expresses his opinion. It is difficult for him to live in an immoral society. He greatly experiences disappointment in his beloved and her betrayal, and understands that he has no place among people who live in lies and meanness.

Other works on this topic:

1. The characters of Chatsky and Molchalin are opposed to each other. Chatsky is undoubtedly the main character of the comedy, because it was with his appearance that events in Famusov’s house begin to develop. Chatsky...
2. Chatsky - winner or loser? Having read the tragedy “Woe from Wit” by Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov, it is difficult to say who the main character Chatsky turned out to be: the winner or the defeated. In that...
3. Chatsky and the Famus Society The satirical comedy of Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov describes the noble society of the 10-20s of the 19th century. The main character of the work, Alexander Andreevich Chatsky, is a young...
4. “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboedov became one of the mysterious works of Russian literature for his contemporaries. Staged in 1825, the play attracted a lot of reviews. A....
5. Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov is one of the main characters of the comedy. If you translate the surname Famusov from Latin, it will mean “famous, enjoying fame.” Famusov lives in...
6. Chatsky comes to Moscow, hoping for big changes in society, and for Sophia to remain the same. But he finds himself in a completely different situation. Sophia reversed the past...
7. Parsley Parsley is one of the minor characters in Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”; servant and bartender in the house of Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. He's almost invisible and...
8. The main theme of the play “Woe from Wit” is the conflict of a strong personality with the philistine views of the surrounding society. This is most clearly shown in the example of Famusov’s house. Into silence...

Chatsky's description briefly with examples from the text

Plan

1. Introduction

2. Chatsky's mind

3.Honesty and justice of Chatsky

4. Woe from mind

5.Conclusion

1. Introduction. Chatsky is a real positive hero of the comedy "Woe from Wit". The author embodied all the best human qualities in this character. The most important of these are honesty and integrity. In Chatsky, Griboyedov portrays the ideal to which every decent and self-respecting person should strive. Chatsky's positive qualities are very clearly expressed through his speech and behavior. They are immediately noticeable compared to the rest of the characters in the comedy.

2. Chatsky's mind. The title of the work contains the main tragedy of the main character. Chatsky is very smart and educated. Having visited abroad, he further expanded his horizons. The main character does not want to offend or humiliate anyone, but he rises too much above society in Famusov’s house. In his conversation, mockery of the stupidity reigning around him involuntarily breaks through.

In the era of Griboyedov, it was customary to hire teachers for children mainly from foreigners. The education of such mentors was not even checked, since the prevailing belief was that a Frenchman or a German was naturally smarter than a Russian teacher. Chatsky is ironic about this: “... there are regiments of teachers: more in number, cheaper in price.” Another problem of that era was the dominance of the French language to the detriment of the native language. Moreover, few could boast of actual knowledge, but simply distorted foreign words and used them inappropriately and inappropriately.

Chatsky speaks about it this way: “... a mixture of languages: French with Nizhny Novgorod.” In one of his eloquent monologues, Chatsky expresses his views on what a contemporary young man should strive for: “he will focus his mind on science.” The main character himself did just that, and now he is forced to suffer because he hears in response: “robbery! fire!”

3. Chatsky’s honesty and justice. The main character physically cannot stand any lies and deception. He is confident that a person should always speak only the truth and openly express his views. If a person is silenced, this is a crime, and if he himself hides his true face, this is meanness and baseness. In his first conversation with Sophia, Chatsky, with open mockery, lists all his “old acquaintances” (“the little black one,” “our sunshine,” “that consumptive one”), directly pointing out their obvious shortcomings.

It was not customary in the world to talk about this openly. An offended person could refuse patronage or interfere with career advancement. Chatsky is not shackled by these slave chains, he is not afraid to say everything he thinks. Chatsky talks even more mercilessly with Famusov about the servility reigning in Russia: “the world has begun to grow stupid,” “there are hunters to be mean everywhere,” “patrons are yawning at the ceiling.” Chatsky's open and bold judgments cause horror in Famusov. When Skalozub joins them, Chatsky bursts out into a long-suffering monologue (“Who are the judges?”), which has become textbook.

With justified anger, he lists the authorities recognized by society, who in essence were stupid and merciless despots for their serfs (“Nestor of the noble scoundrels”). Chatsky becomes truly sorry when he openly admits to Sophia his old love. Unable to use secular cunning techniques, he speaks passionately about his feelings (“I have to get into a noose”). The main character realizes too late that his beloved also accepted all the rules of high society, among which there is no place for honesty.

4. Woe from mind. In the finale, during the ball, a tragic denouement occurs. Each of the assembled society secretly hates each other, but all this is hidden behind a mask of social courtesy. Chatsky’s honest soul is infinitely disgusted by this constant deception. Several times he bursts out with caustic remarks (“You won’t get well from such praise,” “famous servant”).

For his directness, Chatsky receives a “blow” from his beloved. Sophia spreads the rumor: “He’s out of his mind.” This idea instantly spreads among all those gathered. Against the backdrop of all the stated reasons for Chatsky’s madness, the words of Famusov are most characteristic: “Learning is a plague.” This phrase perfectly demonstrates the sharp contrast between Chatsky and the stupid high society.

5. Conclusion. Chatsky is not only smart, but also simply a very good person. Such people are not needed in the society of the Famusovs and Molchalins. In a broad sense, Chatsky can be called a prophet who has no place in his fatherland.

Perhaps one of the most popular works by Alexander Griboedov is the comedy “Woe from Wit.” One of the main characters of the comedy is Chatsky, and in this article we want to briefly consider the characterization of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit". It is known that it was after composing this work that Griboyedov immediately took an honorable place among the leading poets of the era and gained popularity. Literary circles also reacted violently; many critics rushed to speak out about the images of the comedy and make their own analysis of the work. Just one of these images that aroused particular interest is the image of Chatsky.

Who became the prototype of Chatsky?

For example, Alexander Pushkin wrote a letter to Vyazemsky in 1823, in which he mentioned the comedy “Woe from Wit.” There, Pushkin noted that Chaadaev became the prototype for Chatsky’s image. There is other confirmation of this statement, because it is known that the main character’s surname was originally Chadsky.

But there is another version. Some literary scholars convincingly say that none other than Kuchelbecker acted as the prototype of the image of Chatsky. If you look at Kuchelbecker’s biography, you can easily believe this - passionate and lost success abroad, but returned to his native land, the young man is very similar in character and mode of action to our comedy hero.

These considerations already help to clarify something in the characterization of Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov.

What the author himself said about Chatsky

Once, Griboedov’s good friend Katenin said that Chatsky’s character was “confused,” that is, there was no consistency in his actions, to which the author responded quite directly. The essence of Griboyedov's answer: comedy is full of stupid people, and they all come from one smart person with common sense.

Griboyedov saw Chatsky’s characteristics in such qualities as education and intelligence, which manifested themselves in a difficult situation. Yes, Chatsky opposes society, he understands that he is superior to others and does not hide it. But why? Chatsky suspects that he has a rival in relation to his beloved, whose attention cannot be achieved in any way, although before she herself was not indifferent to him. In addition, he is one of the last to hear about his “madness”, which was attributed to him. Chatsky is indeed very hot, but the author believes that this is due to severe disappointment in love. That's why he seems so disgraced, confused and with inconsistent actions.

Chatsky's worldview

The image of Chatsky reflects the portrait of someone who already has an established system of values ​​and principles, who has his own worldview and accepted morality. And this is important in the characterization of Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” The main character evaluates the personality of himself and others by how much a person strives for knowledge and the high, eternal. He believes that it is worth working for the good of the fatherland, but there is a huge difference between service and servitude - this point is fundamental in comedy.

What else distinguishes Chatsky from society? He is not afraid of what others think, he has no authority, he is independent. All this becomes a reason for fear among the aristocratic circle in Moscow, because for them Chatsky is a dangerous rebel who will not be afraid to encroach on everything sacred. Somehow Famusov invites Chatsky to live “like everyone else,” but such a position is far from Alexander Andreevich, and he contemptuously refuses Famusov.

Let's summarize briefly, talking about the characterization of Chatsky in the comedy "Woe from Wit" by Griboedov. The author largely agrees with his main character. In the image of Chatsky, one can clearly see an enlightened person who is not afraid to openly express his opinion, but it is important: he does not betray a revolutionary and radical attitude. But in fact, in Famusov’s society, everyone who deviates from accepted norms seems crazy and dangerous to others. It is not surprising that in the end Alexander Andreevich Chatsky was declared crazy.

You read in this article about the characteristics of Chatsky and his image, you can also read the biography of Alexander Griboyedov and read a summary of “Woe from Wit”. Also, read.

Characteristics of the hero

Chatsky Alexander Andreich is a young nobleman. Representative of the “present century”. A progressive person, well educated, with broad, free views; true patriot.

After a 3-year absence, Ch. comes to Moscow again and immediately appears at Famusov’s house. He wants to see Sophia, whom he loved before leaving and with whom he is still in love.

But Sophia greets Chatsky very coldly. He is perplexed and wants to find the reason for her coldness.

Remaining in Famusov's house, the hero is forced to enter into a fight with many representatives of "Famusov's" society (Famusov, Molchalin, guests at the ball). His passionate accusatory monologues are directed against the order of the century of “obedience and fear,” when “he was the one whose neck was most often bent.”

When Famusov offers Molchalin as an example of a worthy person, Ch. pronounces the famous monologue “Who are the judges?” In it, he denounces the moral examples of the “past century”, mired in hypocrisy, moral slavery, etc. Ch. examines many areas in the life of the country: civil service, serfdom, education of a citizen, education, patriotism. Everywhere the hero sees the prosperity of the principles of the “past century.” Realizing this, Ch. experiences moral suffering, experiences “woe from the mind.” But to no lesser extent the hero experiences “grief from love.” Ch. finds out the reason for Sophia’s coldness towards him - she is in love with the insignificant Molchalin. The hero is offended that Sophia chose him over this “most pitiful creature.” He exclaims: “The silent ones dominate the world!” Very upset, Ch. ends up at a ball in Famusov’s house, where the cream of Moscow society gathered. All these people are a burden to Ch. And they cannot stand the “stranger.” Sophia, offended by Molchalin, spreads a rumor about the hero’s madness. The whole society happily picks it up, putting forward the hero’s free-thinking as the main accusation against Ch. At the ball, Ch. pronounces a monologue about the “Frenchwoman from Bordeaux,” in which he exposes the slavish admiration for everything foreign and the contempt for Russian traditions. At the end of Ch.'s comedy, Sophia's true face is revealed. He is disappointed in her just as in the rest of “Famus” society. The hero has no choice but to leave Moscow.