Essay by Bulgakov M.A. Essay “The Master and Margarita” Bulgakov - The Devil and his literary predecessors The connection between the image of Woland and his literary predecessors

M. A. Bulgakov is an outstanding writer of Russian and world literature. His largest work is the novel "The Master and Margarita". This is a special work in which the writer managed to fuse together myth and reality, satirical everyday life and a romantic plot, truthful depiction and irony, sarcasm.

The writer worked on his novel for about 12 years, from 1928 to 1940. In the process of work, the concept of the novel, its plot, composition, system of images, and title changed. All this testifies to the enormous work done by the writer.

Bulgakov showed four different worlds in his work: earth, darkness, light and peace. Yershalaim in the twenties of the 1st century and Moscow in the twenties of the 20th century - this is the earthly world. The characters and times described in them seem to be different, but the essence is the same. Enmity, distrust of dissident people, and envy reign both in ancient times and in Bulgakov’s contemporary Moscow. The vices of society are exposed by Woland, in which the author artistically reinterpreted the image of Satan.

Woland occupies a significant place in Bulgakov's novel, but no one except the Master and Margarita recognizes Satan in him. Why? The fact is that ordinary people do not allow the existence of something inexplicable in the world. In Bulgakov's portrayal, Woland absorbed many of the features of various spirits of evil: Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer and others. But most of all Woland is associated with Goethe's Mephistopheles. Both of them are “part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” But if Mephistopheles is a cheerful and malicious tempter, then Bulgakov’s Woland is much more majestic. Sarcasm, not irony, is his main feature. Unlike Mephistopheles, Woland gives the sophisticated the opportunity to choose between good and evil, gives them a chance to use their good will. He sees everything, the world is open to him without rouge or makeup. With the help of his retinue, he ridicules and destroys everything that has deviated from goodness, lied, become corrupted, become morally impoverished, and lost its high ideal. With contemptuous irony, Woland looks at the representatives of the Moscow philistinism, at all these businessmen, envious people, thieves and bribe-takers, at these petty crooks and gray philistines who are tenacious at any time.

While reading the novel, I paid attention to the scene in the variety show hall, where the role of Woland is perfectly revealed. Bulgakov's Woland turned this hall into a laboratory for the study of human weaknesses. Here the greed of the public and its petty-bourgeois vulgarity are exposed, which are especially evident at the moment when “money rain” fell on the astonished spectators. This is what the scene looks like: “Some were already crawling in the aisle, groping under the chairs. Many were standing on the seats, catching fidgety, capricious pieces of paper.” Because of money, people were already ready to attack each other. And here each of us involuntarily recalls the words of the famous aria of Mephistopheles: “People die for metal. Satan rules the roost there.” Thus, once again a parallel can be drawn between Mephistopheles and Woland.

The climax in Bulgakov's novel, of course, are those episodes where Satan's ball is described, to which poisoners, informers, traitors, madmen, and libertines of all stripes came. These dark forces, if given free rein, will destroy the world.

Woland appears in Moscow with his retinue for just three days, but the routine of life disappears, the veil falls from gray everyday life. The world appears before us in its nakedness. Playing the role of the god of vengeance on earth, Woland punishes real evil and occasionally grants freedom to those who have suffered enough.

The novel "The Master and Margarita" is a unique masterpiece of Russian and world literature. By rereading this work, each of us will be able to understand it more deeply and rethink a lot. You can have different attitudes towards the novel, but one thing is certain: it will not leave the reader indifferent.

Essay text:

... So who are you, finally? I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good. Goethe. Faust M. A. Bulgakov is an outstanding writer of Russian and world literature. His largest work is the novel "The Master and Margarita". This is a special work in which the writer managed to fuse together myth and reality, satirical everyday life and a romantic plot, truthful depiction and irony, sarcasm. The writer worked on his novel for about 12 years, from 1928 to 1940. In the process of work, the concept of the novel, its plot, composition, system of images, and title changed. All this testifies to the enormous work done by the writer. Bulgakov showed four different worlds in his work: earth, darkness, light and peace. Yershalaim in the twenties of the 1st century and Moscow in the twenties of the 20th century are the earthly world. The characters and times described in them seem to be different, but the essence is the same. Enmity, distrust of dissident people, envy reign both in ancient times and in Bulgakov’s contemporary Moscow. The vices of society are exposed by Woland, in which the author artistically reinterpreted the image of Satan. Woland occupies a significant place in Bulgakov's novel, but no one except the Master and Margariya recognizes Satan in him. Why? The fact is that ordinary people do not admit the existence of something inexplicable in the world. In Bulgakov's portrayal, Woland absorbed many of the traits of various spirits of evil: Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer and others. But most of all Woland is associated with Goethe's Mephistopheles. Both of them are “part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” But if Mephistopheles is a cheerful and malicious tempter, then Bulgakov’s Woland is much more majestic. Sarcasm, not irony, is its main feature. Unlike Mephistopheles, Woland gives the sophisticated the opportunity to choose between good and evil, gives them a chance to use their good will. He sees everything, the world opens up to him without blush or makeup. With the help of his swine, he ridicules and destroys everything that has deviated from goodness, lied, become corrupted, become morally impoverished, and lost its high ideal. With contemptuous irony, Woland looks at the representatives of the Moscow philistinism, at all these businessmen, envious people, thieves and bribe-takers, at these petty crooks and gray philistines who are tenacious at any time. While reading the novel, I paid attention to the scene in the variety show hall, where the role of Woland is perfectly revealed. Bulgakov's Woland turned this hall into a laboratory for the study of human weaknesses. Here the greed of the public and its petty-bourgeois vulgarity are exposed, which are especially evident at the moment when “money rain” fell on the astonished spectators. This is what the scene looks like: “Someone was already crawling in the aisle, groping under the chairs. Many stood on the seats, catching fidgety, capricious pieces of paper." Because of money, people were already ready to attack each other. And involuntarily, each of us recalls the words of the famous aria of Mephistopheles: "People die for metal. Satan ruled there." Thus, once again a parallel can be drawn between Mephistopheles and Woland. The climax in Bulgakov’s novel, of course, are those episodes where Satan’s ball is described, to which poisoners, informers, traitors, madmen, debauchees of all stripes came. These dark forces, if given free rein, will destroy the world. For just three days, Woland appears in Moscow with his retinue, but the ruin of life disappears, the cover falls from the gray of everyday life, the world appears before us in its nakedness, playing the role of the god of revenge on earth. Woland punishes real evil and occasionally gives freedom to those who have suffered enough. The novel “The Master and Margarita” is a unique masterpiece of Russian and world literature. By rereading this work, each of us will be able to understand it more deeply and rethink a lot. but one thing is certain: it will not leave the reader indifferent.

Rights to the essay “How is Bulgakov’s devil similar and different from his literary predecessors?” belong to its author. When quoting material, it is necessary to indicate a hyperlink to

... So who are you, finally? -

I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.

Goethe. Faust

M. A. Bulgakov is an outstanding writer of Russian and world literature. His largest work is the novel “The Master and Margarita”. This is a special work in which the writer managed to fuse together myth and reality, satirical everyday life and a romantic plot, truthful depiction and irony, sarcasm. The writer worked on his novel for about 12 years, from 1928 to 1940. In the process of work, the concept of the novel, its plot, composition, system of images, and title changed. All this testifies to the enormous work done by the writer.

Bulgakov showed four different worlds in his work: earth, darkness, light and peace. Yershalaim in the twenties of the 1st century and Moscow in the twenties of the 20th century - this is the earthly world. The characters and times described in them seem to be different, but the essence is the same. Enmity, distrust of dissident people, and envy reign both in ancient times and in Bulgakov’s contemporary Moscow. The vices of society are exposed by Woland, in which the author artistically reinterpreted the image of Satan. Woland occupies a significant place in Bulgakov's novel, but no one except the Master and Margarita recognizes Satan in him. Why? The fact is that ordinary people do not allow the existence of something inexplicable in the world. In Bulgakov's portrayal, Woland absorbed many of the features of various spirits of evil: Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer and others. But most of all Woland is associated with Goethe's Mephistopheles. Both of them are “part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” But if Mephistopheles is a cheerful and malicious tempter, then Bulgakov’s Woland is much more majestic. Sarcasm, not irony, is his main feature.

Unlike Mephistopheles, Woland gives the sophisticated the opportunity to choose between good and evil, gives them a chance to use their good will. He sees everything, the world is open to him without rouge or makeup. With the help of his retinue, he ridicules and destroys everything that has deviated from goodness, has lied, become corrupted, become morally impoverished, and lost its high ideal. With contemptuous irony, Woland looks at the representatives of the Moscow philistinism, at all these businessmen, envious people, thieves and bribe-takers, at these petty crooks and gray philistines who are tenacious at any time. While reading the novel, I paid attention to the scene in the variety show hall, where the role of Woland is perfectly revealed. Bulgakov's Woland turned this hall into a laboratory for the study of human weaknesses. Here the greed of the public and its petty-bourgeois vulgarity are exposed, which are especially evident at the moment when “money rain” fell on the astonished spectators. This is what the scene looks like: “Someone was already crawling in the aisle, groping under the chairs. Many stood on the seats, catching fidgety, capricious pieces of paper.” Because of money, people were already ready to attack each other. And here each of us involuntarily recalls the words of the famous aria of Mephistopheles: “People die for metal. Satan rules the roost there." Thus, once again a parallel can be drawn between Mephistopheles and Woland.

The climax in Bulgakov's novel, of course, are those episodes where Satan's ball is described, to which poisoners, informers, traitors, madmen, and libertines of all stripes came. These dark forces, if given free rein, will destroy the world. Woland appears in Moscow with his retinue for just three days, but the routine of life disappears, the veil falls from gray everyday life. The world appears before us in its nakedness. Playing the role of the god of vengeance on earth, Woland punishes real evil and occasionally grants freedom to those who have suffered enough. The novel “The Master and Margarita” is a unique masterpiece of Russian and world literature. By rereading this work, each of us will be able to understand it more deeply and rethink a lot. You can have different attitudes towards the novel, but one thing is certain: it will not leave the reader indifferent.

M. A. Bulgakov is an outstanding writer of Russian and world literature. His largest work is the novel "The Master and Margarita". This is a special work in which the writer managed to fuse together myth and reality, satirical everyday life and a romantic plot, truthful depiction and irony, sarcasm.
The writer worked on his novel for about 12 years, from 1928 to 1940. In the process of work, the concept of the novel, its plot, composition, system of images, and title changed. All this testifies to the enormous work done by the writer.

Bulgakov showed four different worlds in his work: earth, darkness, light and peace. Yershalaim in the twenties of the 1st century and Moscow in the twenties of the 20th century—this is the earthly world. The characters and times described in them seem to be different, but the essence is the same. Enmity, distrust of dissident people, and envy reign both in ancient times and in Bulgakov’s contemporary Moscow. The vices of society are exposed by Woland, in which the author artistically reinterpreted the image of Satan.

Woland occupies a significant place in Bulgakov's novel, but no one except the Master and Margarita recognizes Satan in him. Why? The fact is that ordinary people do not allow the existence of something inexplicable in the world. In Bulgakov's portrayal, Woland absorbed many of the features of various spirits of evil: Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer and others. But most of all Woland is associated with Goethe's Mephistopheles. Both of them are “part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” But if Mephistopheles is a cheerful and malicious tempter, then Bulgakov’s Woland is much more majestic. Sarcasm, not irony, is his main feature. Unlike Mephistopheles, Woland gives the sophisticated the opportunity to choose between good and evil, gives them a chance to use their good will. He sees everything, the world is open to him without rouge or makeup. With the help of his retinue, he ridicules and destroys everything that has deviated from goodness, has lied, become corrupted, become morally impoverished, and lost its high ideal. With contemptuous irony, Woland looks at the representatives of the Moscow philistinism, at all these businessmen, envious people, thieves and bribe-takers, at these petty crooks and gray philistines who are tenacious at any time.
While reading the novel, I paid attention to the scene in the variety show hall, where the role of Woland is perfectly revealed. Bulgakov's Woland turned this hall into a laboratory for the study of human weaknesses. Here the greed of the public and its petty-bourgeois vulgarity are exposed, which are especially evident at the moment when “money rain” fell on the astonished spectators. This is what the scene looks like: “Some were already crawling in the aisle, groping under the chairs. Many were standing on the seats, catching fidgety, capricious pieces of paper.” Because of money, people were already ready to attack each other. And here each of us involuntarily recalls the words of the famous aria of Mephistopheles: “People die for metal. Satan rules the roost there.” Thus, once again a parallel can be drawn between Mephistopheles and Woland.

The climax in Bulgakov's novel, of course, are those episodes where Satan's ball is described, to which poisoners, informers, traitors, madmen, and libertines of all stripes came. These dark forces, if given free rein, will destroy the world.
Woland appears in Moscow with his retinue for just three days, but the routine of life disappears, the veil falls from gray everyday life. The world appears before us in its nakedness. Playing the role of the god of vengeance on earth, Woland punishes real evil and occasionally grants freedom to those who have suffered enough.
The novel "The Master and Margarita" is a unique masterpiece of Russian and world literature. By rereading this work, each of us will be able to understand it more deeply and rethink a lot. You can have different attitudes towards the novel, but one thing is certain: it will not leave the reader indifferent.

Mikhail Bulgakov is a writer with an unusual fate: the bulk of his works became known to the world only a quarter of a century after the artist’s death. And the main work of his life - the novel “The Master and Margarita” - brought the writer world fame.
In the novel “The Master and Margarita” Bulgakov touches on many problems of everyday life and existence, reminding people of them. The so-called “Jerusalem” chapters occupy an important place in the novel. This is a free interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew. These chapters explore many religious and moral issues. Bulgakov paints the image of Yeshua - a righteous man who believes that “all people are good”, that in every person there is a spark of God, a desire for light and truth. But at the same time, he does not forget about human vices: cowardice, pride, indifference.

In other words, Bulgakov shows the eternal struggle between good and evil, purity and vice. The significance of this novel within a novel is that the writer expands the time frame of the action and thereby once again shows that this struggle is eternal, time has no power over it and this problem is always relevant. Bulgakov also says that the forces of good and evil are inextricably linked, none of them can exist without the other. Therefore, an unusual mystical hero is introduced into the novel - Professor Woland - simply put, Satan. Through his actions and the actions of his retinue, which puts people in unusual, non-standard situations, Bulgakov ridicules human vices, and in some places the Soviet system. It was precisely because of its accusatory caustic satire that the novel “The Master and Margarita” was inaccessible to the reader for many years.

The novel also reflects the theme of love, and Bulgakov writes about “real,” “faithful, eternal love.” “Follow me, my reader, and only me, and I will show you such love!” - the author tells us. In the person of Margarita, he shows that no force, even the most powerful, can resist true love. Margarita's love paves the way to happiness and eternal peace with her loved one.

The fate of the master is in many ways similar to the fate of M. Bulgakov himself. The Master appears before us as a powerless, broken person, unable to fight against the surrounding reality. The novel shows the real tragedy of a man who put all his strength into his work, but this creation was not accepted and, moreover, was also ridiculed. And the Master broke down, he fell ill with mental illness, and only eternal peace, granted from above to him and his beloved, could save him.

This story of the new Faust and Margaret reminded me of the eternal values ​​that exist in the world and convinced me that I should not forget about them and be guided by them in my life. And if everyone does this, it is possible that society will change at least a little for the better.

How is Bulgakov's devil similar and different from his literary predecessors?

So who are you, finally? -

I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.

Goethe. Faust

M. A. Bulgakov is an outstanding writer of Russian and world literature. His largest work is the novel "The Master and Margarita". This is a special work in which the writer managed to fuse together myth and reality, satirical everyday life and a romantic plot, truthful depiction and irony, sarcasm. The writer worked on his novel for about 12 years, from 1928 to 1940. In the process of work, the concept of the novel, its plot, composition, system of images, and title changed. All this testifies to the enormous work done by the writer.

Bulgakov showed four different worlds in his work: earth, darkness, light and peace. Yershalaim in the twenties of the 1st century and Moscow in the twenties of the 20th century - this is the earthly world. The characters and times described in them seem to be different, but the essence is the same. Enmity, distrust of dissident people, and envy reign both in ancient times and in Bulgakov’s contemporary Moscow. The vices of society are exposed by Woland, in which the author artistically reinterpreted the image of Satan. Woland occupies a significant place in Bulgakov's novel, but no one except the Master and Margarita recognizes Satan in him. Why? The fact is that ordinary people do not allow the existence of something inexplicable in the world. In Bulgakov's portrayal, Woland absorbed many of the features of various spirits of evil: Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer and others. But most of all Woland is associated with Goethe's Mephistopheles. Both of them are “part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” But if Mephistopheles is a cheerful and malicious tempter, then Bulgakov’s Woland is much more majestic. Sarcasm, not irony, is his main feature.

Unlike Mephistopheles, Woland gives the sophisticated the opportunity to choose between good and evil, gives them a chance to use their good will. He sees everything, the world is open to him without rouge or makeup. With the help of his retinue, he ridicules and destroys everything that has deviated from goodness, has lied, become corrupted, become morally impoverished, and lost its high ideal. With contemptuous irony, Woland looks at the representatives of the Moscow philistinism, at all these businessmen, envious people, thieves and bribe-takers, at these petty crooks and gray philistines who are tenacious at any time. While reading the novel, I paid attention to the scene in the variety show hall, where the role of Woland is perfectly revealed. Bulgakov's Woland turned this hall into a laboratory for the study of human weaknesses. Here the greed of the public and its petty-bourgeois vulgarity are exposed, which are especially evident at the moment when “money rain” fell on the astonished spectators. This is what the scene looks like: “Some were already crawling in the aisle, groping under the chairs. Many were standing on the seats, catching fidgety, capricious pieces of paper.” Because of money, people were already ready to attack each other. And here each of us involuntarily recalls the words of the famous aria of Mephistopheles: “People die for metal. Satan rules the roost there.” Thus, once again a parallel can be drawn between Mephistopheles and Woland.

The climax in Bulgakov's novel, of course, are those episodes where Satan's ball is described, to which poisoners, informers, traitors, madmen, and libertines of all stripes came. These dark forces, if given free rein, will destroy the world. Woland appears in Moscow with his retinue for just three days, but the routine of life disappears, the veil falls from gray everyday life. The world appears before us in its nakedness. Playing the role of the god of vengeance on earth, Woland punishes real evil and occasionally grants freedom to those who have suffered enough. The novel "The Master and Margarita" is a unique masterpiece of Russian and world literature. By rereading this work, each of us will be able to understand it more deeply and rethink a lot. You can have different attitudes towards the novel, but one thing is certain: it will not leave the reader indifferent.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials from the site http://ilib.ru/ were used