Genre definition of grief from wit. Heroes and the plot of "Woe from Wit" by A.S. Griboyedov. Themes and problems of the play

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The writers of the pen are one of the most unique people on the planet, they know how to create a multifaceted masterpiece based on a short situation. Almost the same fate befell Griboyedov's comedy Woe from Wit.

The history of the creation of the work "Woe from Wit"

Once Griboyedov happened to attend one of the dinner parties in aristocratic circles. There he witnessed an unusual picture: one of the guests was a foreign citizen. The aristocrats highly appreciated everything abroad, they wanted to be as much like them as possible, so any contact with foreign guests, especially those of noble birth, was flattering for representatives of high society. Therefore, the whole time of the dinner was devoted to reverent attitude towards the foreign guest - Griboyedov, who perceived as hostile the attempts of the Russian aristocracy to get everything foreign, including behavior, language and everyday life, could not miss the moment and not speak out on this matter.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the comedy “A. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit".

Naturally, his speech was not heard - the aristocrats considered Griboyedov out of his mind and immediately spread a rumor about his mental illness with joy. The outraged Alexander Sergeevich then decided to write a comedy in which he would denounce all the vices of an aristocratic society. It happened in 1816.

Comedy publication history

However, Griboyedov began to create a work after some time. In 1823, the first fragments of the comedy were ready. Griboyedov from time to time presented them to the society, first in Moscow, then in Tiflis.

There were also difficulties with the publication for a long time - the text was repeatedly censored and, as a result, revised and reworked. Only in 1825 were fragments of the work published.

During Griboyedov's lifetime, his work was never fully published - in the hope that his friend Bulgarin would help in this, Alexander Sergeevich gave him the manuscript of his comedy, which at that time was called Woe of the Wit, but no publication followed.

Four years after the death of Griboyedov (in 1833), "Gore" still saw the light of day. However, the text of the comedy was distorted by the editorial and censorship committee - there were too many moments in the text that were unacceptable for publication. Only in 1875 was the work published uncensored.

Comedy heroes

All the characters in the play can be divided into three categories - major, minor and tertiary.

The central characters of the comedy include Famusov, Chatsky, Molchalin and Sofya Pavlovna

• Pavel Afanasevich Famusov- an aristocrat by birth, manager of a state institution. He is a dishonest and corrupt official; as a representative of society, he is also far from ideal.
• Sofia Pavlovna Famusova- the young daughter of Famusova, despite her young age, she already actively uses the tricks adopted in aristocratic circles - the girl loves to play with the feelings of other people. She likes to be in the spotlight.
• Alexander Chatsky- hereditary aristocrat, orphan. He was taken up by Famusov after the death of his parents. For some time, Alexander was in military service, but became disillusioned with this type of activity.
• Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin- Secretary of Famusov, a man of ignoble birth, who, thanks to the actions of Famusov, acquires the rank of nobility. Molchalin is a vile and hypocritical person who is driven by a desire to break into aristocratic circles at any cost.

The secondary characters include the images of Skalozub, Liza and Repetilov.

• Sergey Sergeevich Skalozub- a nobleman, a young officer who is only interested in promotion.
• Repetilov- an old friend of Pavel Afanasyevich, a hereditary nobleman.
• Lisa- a servant in the Famusovs' house, with whom Molchalin is in love.

The characters of third-rate importance include the images of Anton Antonovich Zagoretsky, Anfisa Nilovna Khlestova, Platon Mikhailovich Gorich, Natalya Dmitrievna Gorich, Prince Pyotr Ilyich Tugoukhovsky, Countesses Khryuminykh and Petrushka - all of them briefly act in the play, but thanks to their social position they help to outline an unsightly picture of reality.

The young landowner Chatsky, after a three-year absence from Russia, returns home. He visits the house of his teacher Famusov in order to marry his daughter, with whom he has long been in love, Sophia.

In Famusov's house, Chatsky notices that during his absence the vices of the aristocracy have only worsened. The young man is surprised by the self-interest and calculation of representatives of high society. Aristocrats, instead of setting an example of humanism and honesty, set an example of bribery and public play - this discourages Chatsky. The ideal of behavior in the highest circles has become servility - for aristocrats it has become unimportant to serve - now it is in vogue to serve. Exposing the opposite position of Chatsky in relation to Famusovsky society becomes the main reason why he cannot claim Sonya's hand.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the comedy "Woe from Wit" A. Griboyedov.

Alexander still does not lose hope. He thinks that the girl's favor will be able to change the situation, but even here Chatsky will be disappointed - Sonya actually loves not him, but her father's secretary.

However, Sonya is in no hurry to refuse Chatsky - she hides the true state of affairs from Chatsky and pretends that Alexander's sympathy is pleasant to her. In addition, the girl spreads rumors that

Chatsky has mental health problems. When Alexander finds out the truth, he realizes that such a girl cannot be his wife. The only thing left for Alexander is to leave Moscow.

Poetic meter and verse features of the play

Griboyedov's play "Woe from Wit" is written in iambic. The number of feet in poetry is not the same (in contrast to the traditional Alexandrian verse, which provided for the use of six-foot iambic) - periodically Alexander Sergeevich changes the number of feet. Their number varies from one to six.

The rhyme system is also not stable. In the play, you can see virtually all the options - steam room, cross, belted. In addition, Griboyedov uses an inner rhyme.

Themes and problems of the play

The main conflict of the play is determined by the framework of the confrontation between the "present century" and the "past century". Such a concept is not limited solely to the attitude towards service and the prosperity of a person - a large array of problems is hidden under these phrases.

First of all, the problem of the type of human activity and their distribution into noble occupations (civil service in government institutions and military service) and shameful (writing, scientific activity) is highlighted.

The second problem of the play was the glorification of podliz - authority and respect in society are earned not by valiant service or roughly performed work, but by the ability to please the higher leadership.

The next problem is bribery and mutual responsibility. All problems in society can be solved with money or connections.

The problem of sincerity and honesty is also raised by Griboyedov - people say what is beneficial. They are ready to dissemble and deceive for the sake of gaining some benefits. Few people are ready to express their true opinion, especially if it does not coincide with the opinion of the majority.

Most people become dependent on the opinions of others, they are ready to build their lives guided not by convenience, but by tradition, even when it greatly complicates their life.

The problem of selfishness has become the reason for the emergence of duplicity on the love front - being monogamous has become out of fashion.

Genre of the work "Woe from Wit"

The peculiarities of the themes and problems of the play became the reason for the emergence of a discussion in literary circles about the genre "Woe from Wit". Researchers are divided on this issue.

Some believe that it is correct to assign the genre of comedy to a work, while others are sure that such a problem is characteristic of dramatic works.

The main reason that allows us to define the play as a drama is the global nature of the problem raised. The play's conflict is built on a deep sense of frustration, which is not typical of comedy. The comic elements that are present when describing the characters' characters are minimal and, according to the researchers, are used to enhance the dramatic function in the text.

Proceeding from this position, along with proposals to define the genre as comedy or drama, proposals for mixing genres began to appear in the course of the discussion. So, for example, N.I. Nadezhdin designated it as a satirical picture.

N.K. Piskanov, analyzing the features of the play, came to the conclusion that it is impossible to determine its genre precisely - literary scholars have every reason to designate it as a social drama, a realistic everyday play, a psychological drama, and even a musical drama (based on the features of the play's verse).

Despite all the discussions, Griboyedov's play "Woe from Wit" continues to be called a comedy. This is primarily due to the fact that Alexander Sergeevich himself designated the genre of his work in this way. Although the elements of the comic are not widely used in the play, and its structure and plot features are far from traditional comic ones, the influence of satire and humor still had a noticeable place in the play.

Thus, the play by A.S. Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit" is a multifaceted and extensive work.

The variety of themes and problems of the play, as well as the ways of depicting the essence of the conflict, have become the reason for the discussion in the genre of the play.

The problems and topics raised by Griboyedov can be classified as “eternal” topics that never lose their relevance.

The main idea of ​​the work "Woe from Wit" is an illustration of meanness, ignorance and servility before the ranks and traditions, which were opposed by new ideas, genuine culture, freedom and reason. The main character Chatsky appeared in the play as a representative of the very democratic society of young people who threw down an open challenge to conservatives and serf-owners. All these subtleties that raged in social and political life, Griboyedov managed to reflect on the example of the classic comedic love triangle. It is noteworthy that the main part of the work described by the creator takes place within just one day, and the characters themselves by Griboyedov are displayed very vividly.

Many of the writer's contemporaries honored his manuscript with sincere praise and stood up to the tsar for permission to publish the comedy.

The history of writing the comedy "Woe from Wit"

The idea of ​​writing the comedy "Woe from Wit" came to Griboyedov during his stay in St. Petersburg. In 1816, he returned to the city from abroad and found himself at one of the secular receptions. He was deeply indignant at the attraction of the Russian people to the foreign, after he noticed that the nobility of the city bows before one of the foreign guests. The writer could not restrain himself and showed his negative attitude. Meanwhile, one of the invitees, who did not share his convictions, retorted that Griboyedov was crazy.

The events of that evening formed the basis of the comedy, and Griboyedov himself became the prototype of the main character Chatsky. The writer began work on the work in 1821. He worked on comedy in Tiflis, where he served under General Ermolov, and in Moscow.

In 1823, work on the play was completed, and the writer began to read it in Moscow literary circles, receiving rave reviews along the way. The comedy was successfully sold in the form of lists among the reading population, but it was first published only in 1833, after the petition of Minister Uvarov to the tsar. The writer himself was no longer alive by that time.

Analysis of the work

The main plot of the comedy

The events described in the comedy take place at the beginning of the 19th century, in the house of the capital's official Famusov. His young daughter Sophia is in love with Famusov's secretary, Molchalin. He is a calculating person, not rich, occupying a small rank.

Knowing about Sophia's passions, he meets with her of convenience. One day, a young nobleman Chatsky, a family friend who has not been to Russia for three years, comes to the Famusovs' house. The purpose of his return is to marry Sophia, for whom he has feelings. Sophia herself hides her love for Molchalin from the main character of the comedy.

Sophia's father is a man of the old way and views. He subservience to the ranks and believes that the young should please the authorities in everything, not express their opinion and serve their superiors selflessly. Chatsky, in contrast, is a witty young man with a sense of pride and a good education. He condemns such views, considers them stupid, hypocritical and empty. Heated disputes arise between Famusov and Chatsky.

On the day of Chatsky's arrival, the invited guests gather in Famusov's house. During the evening, Sophia spreads the rumor that Chatsky has gone mad. Guests, who also do not share his views, actively embrace this idea and unanimously recognize the hero as crazy.

Finding himself a black sheep at the evening, Chatsky is going to leave the Famusovs' house. While waiting for the carriage, he hears the secretary of Famusov confess his feelings to the servant of the masters. Sophia hears this and immediately drives Molchalin out of the house.

The denouement of the love scene ends with Chatsky's disappointment in Sophia and high society. The hero leaves Moscow forever.

Heroes of the comedy "Woe from Wit"

This is the main character of Griboyedov's comedy. He is a hereditary nobleman, who owns 300 - 400 souls. Chatsky was left an orphan early, and since his father was a close friend of Famusov, from childhood he was brought up with Sophia in the Famusovs' house. Later he became bored with them, and at first he settled separately, and after that he left to wander around the world altogether.

Since childhood, Chatsky and Sophia were friends, but he had not only friendly feelings for her.

The main character in Griboyedov's comedy is not stupid, witty, eloquent. A lover of ridicule of the stupid, Chatsky was a liberal who did not want to bow before the authorities and serve the higher ranks. That is why he did not serve in the army and was not an official, which is a rarity for the era of that time and his genealogy.

Famusov is an aged man with gray hair at the temples, a nobleman. For his age, he is very cheerful and fresh. Pavel Afanasyevich is a widower, of the children he has the only Sophia, 17 years old.

The official is in the civil service, he is rich, but at the same time windy. Famusov does not hesitate to stick to his own maids. His character is explosive, restless. Pavel Afanasevich is grumpy, but with the right people, he knows how to show due politeness. An example of this is his communication with the colonel, to whom Famusov wants to marry his daughter. For the sake of his goal, he is ready for anything. Submission, subservience to the ranks and servility are characteristic of him. He also values ​​the opinion of society about himself and his family. The official does not like reading and does not consider education to be something very important.

Sophia is the daughter of a wealthy official. Nice and educated in the best rules of the Moscow nobility. Left early without a mother, but under the care of Madame Rosier's governess, she reads French books, dances and plays the piano. Sophia is a fickle girl, windy and easily carried away by young men. At the same time, she is gullible and very naive.

In the course of the play, it is clear that she does not notice that Molchalin does not love her and is with her because of her own benefits. Her father calls her a shameless woman, while Sophia herself considers herself an intelligent and not a cowardly young lady.

Famusov's secretary, who lives in their house, is a single young man from a very poor family. Molchalin received his title of nobility only during the service, which was considered acceptable at that time. For this, Famusov periodically calls him rootless.

The hero's surname, as well as possible, corresponds to his character and temperament. He doesn't like to talk. Molchalin is a narrow-minded and very stupid person. He behaves modestly and quietly, honors ranks and tries to please everyone who is around him. It does it solely for profit.

Alexey Stepanovich never expresses his opinion, due to which those around him consider him to be quite a handsome young man. In fact, he is sneaky, unprincipled and cowardly. At the end of the comedy, it becomes clear that Molchalin is in love with the servant Lisa. Admitting this to her, he receives a portion of righteous anger from Sophia, but his characteristic sycophancy allows him to remain in the service of her father further.

Skalozub is a minor character in the comedy, he is an inactive colonel who wants to become a general.

Pavel Afanasevich refers Skalozub to the category of enviable Moscow suitors. According to Famusov, a wealthy officer who has weight and status in society is a good game for his daughter. Sophia herself did not like him. In the work, the image of Skalozub is collected in separate phrases. Sergei Sergeevich joins Chatsky's speech with absurd reasoning. They betray his ignorance and ignorance.

The maid Lisa

Lizanka is an ordinary servant in the Famus house, but at the same time she occupies a rather high place among other literary characters, and she has been assigned a lot of different episodes and descriptions. The author describes in detail what Lisa does and what and how she speaks. She makes the other heroes of the play confess their feelings, provokes them to certain actions, pushes them to various decisions that are important for their lives.

Mr. Repetilov appears in the fourth act of the piece. This is a minor, but vivid character of the comedy, invited to the ball to Famusov on the occasion of the birthday of his daughter Sophia. His image characterizes a person who chooses an easy path in life.

Zagoretsky

Anton Antonovich Zagoretsky is a secular revelry without ranks and honors, but who knows how, and loves to be invited to all receptions. At the expense of his gift - to be pleasing to the court.

Hurrying to visit the center of events, "as if" from the outside, the secondary hero A.S. Griboyedov, Anton Antonovich, his own person, is invited to an evening at the Faustuvs' house. From the very first seconds of the action, it becomes clear with his persona - Zagoretsky is still a "shot".

Madame Khlestova is also one of the minor characters in the comedy, but her role is still very colorful. This is a woman of advanced years. She is 65 years old. She has a Pomeranian dog and a dark-skinned maid - arap. Khlestova is aware of the latest gossip of the court and willingly shares her own stories from life, in which she easily talks about other characters in the work.

Composition and storylines of the comedy "Woe from Wit"

When writing the comedy "Woe from Wit" Griboyedov used a technique characteristic of this genre. Here we can see a classic storyline where two men compete for the hand of one girl at once. Their images are also classic: one is modest and respectful, the second is educated, proud and confident in his own superiority. True, in the play, Griboyedov placed the accents in the character of the heroes a little differently, making it attractive for that society, namely Molchalin, and not Chatsky.

For several chapters of the play, there is a background description of life in the Famusovs' house, and only in the seventh phenomenon does the plot of a love story begin. A rather detailed long description in the course of the play tells only about one day. Long-term development of events is not described here. There are two plot lines in the comedy. These are conflicts: love and social.

Each of the images described by Griboyedov is multifaceted. Even Molchalin is interesting, to whom the reader already has an unpleasant attitude, but he does not cause obvious disgust. It is interesting to watch him in various episodes.

In the play, despite taking the fundamental constructions, there are certain deviations for building the plot, and it can be clearly seen that the comedy was written at the junction of three literary eras at once: flourishing romanticism, nascent realism and dying classicism.

Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" gained its popularity not only for the use of classical plotting techniques in a non-standard framework for them, it reflected the obvious changes in society, which were then just emerging and sprouting.

The work is also interesting in that it is strikingly different from all other works written by Griboyedov.

Essay plan

1. Introduction. Genre definition of Griboyedov's play "Woe from Wit" by Russian criticism.

2. The main part. Features of various genres in the play.

The linguistic element of the comic in the play.

? "Woe from Wit" as a comedy of characters.

? "Woe from Wit" as a sitcom. The motive of the fall and its comic meaning.

? "Woe from Wit" as a sitcom. The motive of deafness and its comic meaning.

Parody effects of the play.

? "Woe from Wit" as a satire and political comedy.

The features of the drama in the comedy of Griboyedov.

3. Conclusion. Synthesis of genres presented in the play.

Comedy "Woe from Wit" by A.S. Griboyedova destroyed traditional genre principles. In sharp contrast to classic comedy, the play was not, however, based on a love affair. It could not be attributed to the genre of everyday comedy or comedy of characters in its purest form, although the features of these genres were also present in the work. The play was, as contemporaries said, "high comedy", the genre that the Decembrist literary circles dreamed of. Woe From Wit combined social satire and psychological drama; comic scenes were replaced in it by high, pathetic scenes. Let's try to consider the genre features of the play in more detail.

First of all, let's note the elements of the comic in the work. It is known that Griboyedov himself called "Woe from Wit" a comedy. And here, of course, it is worth noting the presence in the play of both explicit comic techniques and latent authorial irony. The linguistic comic techniques of the playwright are hyperbole, illogism, ambiguity, the technique of bringing to the point of absurdity, distortion of foreign words, the use of foreign words in the Russian speech of characters. So, we notice hyperbole in the remarks of Molchalin, who seeks to please “the janitor’s dog, so that it is affectionate”. This technique has something in common with the technique of bringing to the point of absurdity. So, discussing with the guests Chatsky's madness, Famusov notes the “hereditary factor”: “I went after my mother, after Anna Aleksevna; The deceased went mad eight times. " In the speech of the old woman Khlestova there is illogism: "There was a sharp man, he had three hundred souls." She determines Chatsky's personality traits by his condition. Ambiguities are heard in the speech of Zagoretsky, who condemns the fabulists for “… eternal mockery of lions! over the eagles! " At the end of his speech, he declares: "Whoever say anything: Although animals, they are still kings." It is this line that equates “kings” and “animals” that sounds ambiguous in the play. The comic effect is also created due to the distortion of foreign words by the author (“Yes, it’s not in Madame’s strength,” “Yes, from mutual learning Lancart”).

Woe from Wit is also a comedy of characters. The image of Prince Tugoukhovsky, who, suffering from deafness, misunderstands those around him and distorts their remarks, is comedic. Interesting is the image of Repetilov, who is both a parody of Chatsky and, at the same time, the antipode of the main character. There is also a character in the play with a “speaking” surname - Skalozub. However, all his jokes are rude and primitive, this is a real "army humor":

I am Prince Gregory and you
Feldwebel to Ladies Voltaire,
He will build you in three lines,
And make a sound, so it will calm you down in an instant.

Skalozub is not witty, but, on the contrary, is dumb. A certain element of the comic is also present in the character of Chatsky, whose "mind and heart are out of tune."

The play has features of a sitcom, parody effects. Thus, the author repeatedly plays up two motives: the motive of falling and the motive of deafness. The comic effect in the play is created by the fall of Repetilov (he falls at the very entrance, running into Famusov's house from the porch). Chatsky fell several times on his way to Moscow ("More than seven hundred versts swept by - wind, storm; And he was completely confused, and fell how many times ..."). Famusov tells about the fall of Maxim Petrovich at a social event. Molchalin's fall from his horse also causes a violent reaction from those around him. So, Skalozub declares: "Look how he cracked - chest or side?" The fall of Molchalin reminds him of the fall of Princess Lasova, who "recently got hurt" and is now "looking for a husband for support."

The motive of deafness sounds already in the first appearance of the play. Already at the first appearance, Liza, unable to get through to Sofya Pavlovna, asks her: “Are you deaf? - Alexey Stepanych! Madame! .. - And fear does not take them! " Famusov plugs his ears, not wanting to listen to Chatsky's "lying ideas", that is, he becomes deaf of his own free will. At the ball to the countess-grandmother, "ears were clogged", she also notes that "deafness is a great vice." At the ball, Prince Tugoukhovsky is present, who "hears nothing." Finally, Repetilov plugs his ears, unable to endure the choral recitation of the princesses Tugoukhovsky about Chatsky's madness. The deafness of the characters here has a deep inner connotation. Famusovskoe society is "deaf" to the speeches of Chatsky, does not understand him, does not want to listen. This motive intensifies the contradictions between the main character and the world around him.

It is worth noting the presence of parody situations in the play. Thus, Sophia's “ideal romance” with Molchalin is parodically reduced by the author by comparing Liza, who recalls Sophia's aunt, from whom a young Frenchman fled. However, in Woe from Wit there is also a comedy of a different kind, which is a mockery of the vulgar sides of life, the exposure of the contemporary playwright of society. And in this regard, we can already talk about satire.

Griboyedov in Woe from Wit denounces social vices - bureaucracy, respect for rank, bribery, serving “persons” and not “business,” hatred of enlightenment, ignorance, careerism. Through Chatsky's lips, the author reminds his contemporaries that there is no social ideal in his homeland:

Where? show us, fatherland fathers,
Which ones should we take for samples?
Aren't they rich in robbery?
They found protection from the court in friends, in kinship,
Building magnificent chambers,
Where they are poured in feasts and prodigality,
And where foreign clients won't resurrect
The most vile traits of the past.

The hero of Griboyedov criticizes the rigidness of the views of Moscow society, its mental immobility. He also speaks out against serfdom, recalling the landowner who exchanged his servants for three greyhounds. Chatsky sees "weakness" and "misery" behind the magnificent, handsome uniforms of the military. Nor does he recognize the "slavish, blind imitation" of everything foreign, manifested in the dominance of the French language. In Woe From Wit, we find references to Voltaire, the Carbonari, the Jacobins, and we find discussions about the problems of the social order. Thus, Griboyedov's play touches upon all the burning issues of our time, which allows critics to consider the work a "high", political comedy.

And finally, the last aspect in considering this topic. What is the drama of the play? First of all, in the emotional drama of the protagonist. As I.A. Goncharov, Chatsky “got to drink a bitter cup to the bottom - not finding any“ living sympathy ”in anyone, and leave, taking with him only“ a million torments ”. Chatsky rushed to Sophia, hoping to find understanding and support from her, hoping that she would reciprocate his feelings. However, what does he find in the heart of his beloved woman? Coldness, acrimony. Chatsky is stunned, he is jealous of Sophia, trying to guess his opponent. And he cannot believe that his beloved girl preferred Molchalin. Sophia is annoyed by Chatsky's barbs, his manners, behavior.

However, Chatsky does not give up and in the evening comes back to Famusov's house. At the ball, Sophia spreads gossip about Chatsky's madness, and all those present readily pick it up. Chatsky enters into a skirmish with them, makes a hot, pretentious speech, denouncing the meanness of the "past life." In the finale of the play, the truth is revealed to Chatsky, he finds out who his rival is and who spread rumors about his madness. In addition, the whole drama of the situation is aggravated by Chatsky's alienation from the people in whose house he grew up, from the whole society. Returning "from distant wanderings", he does not find understanding in his homeland.

Dramatic notes are also heard by Griboyedov in the depiction of the image of Sofia Famusova, who gets her “million torments”. She bitterly regrets, having discovered the true nature of her chosen one and his real feelings for her.

Thus, Griboyedov's play Woe from Wit, traditionally considered a comedy, is a certain genre synthesis, organically combining features of a comedy of characters and a sitcom, features of political comedy, topical satire, and finally, psychological drama.

The problem of the genre. The main techniques of the comic (A. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit")

In the comedy "Woe from Wit" there are two storylines: love and socio-political, they are absolutely equal, and the central character of both is Chatsky.

In the drama of classicism, the action developed due to external reasons: major turning events. In Woe From Wit, such an event is Chatsky's return to Moscow. This event gives impetus to action, becomes the outset of a comedy, but does not determine its course. Thus, all the author's attention is focused on the inner life of the heroes. It is the spiritual world of the characters, their thoughts and feelings that create the system of relationships between the heroes of the comedy and determine the course of action.

Griboyedov's refusal from the traditional plot denouement and a prosperous ending, where virtue triumphs and vice is punished, is the most important property of his comedy. Realism does not recognize unambiguous endings: after all, everything in life is too complicated, every situation can have an unpredictable ending or continuation. Therefore, "Woe from Wit" is not logically finished, the comedy seems to end at the most dramatic moment: when the whole truth was revealed, "the veil fell," and all the main characters are faced with a difficult choice of a new path.

The critic defined the genre of the play in different ways (political comedy, comedy of morals, satirical comedy), but something else is more important to us: Griboyedovsky Chatsky is not a classic character, but "one of the first romantic heroes in Russian drama, and as a romantic hero he is, on the one hand , categorically rejects the inert environment, familiar to him from childhood, the ideas that this environment generates and promotes; on the other hand, the circumstances associated with his love for Sophia “live deeply and emotionally” (Encyclopedia of Literary Heroes. M., 1998) ...

Griboyedov created a comedy with a wide range of problems. It touches not only topical social problems, but also contemporary moral issues in any era. The writer comprehends those social and moral-psychological conflicts that make the play a true work of art. And yet he addressed "Woe from Wit" primarily to his contemporaries. A.S. Griboyedov considered the theater in the traditions of classicism: not as an entertainment institution, but as a pulpit, a platform from which he could utter the most important thoughts so that Russia would hear them, so that modern society would see its vices - pettiness, vulgarity - and was horrified by it, and laughed at them. Therefore, Griboyedov tried to show Moscow, first of all, funny.

According to the rules of decency, let us first turn to the owner of the house - Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. He cannot forget for a minute that he is the father of his daughter-bride. She must be married off. But, of course, it is not easy to get away with it. A worthy son-in-law is the main problem that torments him. "What a commission, creator, to be a father to a grown daughter!" he sighs. His hopes for a good game are connected with Skalozub: after all, he is "a golden bag and is aiming at generals." How shamelessly Famusov fawns at the future general, flatters him, noisily admires every word of this frankly stupid "warrior", who sat "in a trench" during the hostilities!

Skalozub himself is comical - his mind is not even enough to learn the basic rules of decent behavior. He constantly loudly jokes and laughs, talks about "many channels" for obtaining ranks, about happiness in a partnership - this is when comrades are killed and he gets ranks. But here it is interesting: Skalozub, a purely farcical character, is always funny in the same way. The image of Famusov is much more complex: it is more deeply worked out psychologically, it is interesting to the author as a type. And Griboyedov makes him funny in different ways. He is simply comical when he fawns at the gallant colonel, flirts with Liza, or pretends to be a saint, reading Sophia's moral teachings. But his reasoning about the service: "signed, so off your shoulders", his admiration for Uncle Maxim Petrovich, his anger at Chatsky and humiliated fear of the trial of "Princess Marya Aleksevna" are no longer only ridiculous. They are terrible, terrible in their deep immorality, unprincipledness. They are scary because they are by no means characteristic of Famusov - these are the life attitudes of the entire Famusian world, of the entire "past century." That is why it was important for Griboyedov that his characters first of all evoke laughter - the laughter of the audience at those shortcomings and vices that are inherent in them. And Woe From Wit is a truly funny comedy, a constellation of comedic types.

For example, the Tugoukhovsky family: a swaggering spouse, a husband on parcels who did not utter a single articulate remark during his stage presence, and six daughters. Poor Famusov, before our eyes, crawls out of his skin to find a single daughter, and here are six princesses, and besides, they certainly are not at all shining with beauty. And it is no coincidence, when they saw a new face at the ball - and they, of course, turned out to be Chatsky (always inappropriate!) - the Tugoukhovskys immediately set about matchmaking. True, upon learning that the potential groom is not rich, they immediately retreated.

And Gorici? Are they not acting out a comedy? Natalya Dmitrievna turned her husband, a young military man who had recently retired, into an unreasonable child who must be constantly and annoyingly taken care of. Platon Mikhailovich sometimes falls into some irritation, but, in general, stoically endures this supervision, having long since resigned himself to his humiliating position.

So, before us is a comedy from the high life of modern Moscow Griboyedov. What trait, characteristic feature does the author constantly emphasize? Men are strangely dependent on women. They have voluntarily given up their male privilege of being in charge, and are quite content with a pitiful role. Chatsky formulates this wonderfully:

Husband-boy, husband-servant from wife's pages -

The high ideal of all Moscow husbands.

Do they think this state of affairs is abnormal? Far from it, they are quite happy. Moreover, notice how Griboyedov consistently pursues this idea: after all, women rule not only on stage, but also behind the scenes. Let us recall Tatyana Yurievna, whom Pavel Afanasyevich mentions in the monologue "Taste, father, excellent manner ...", whose patronage is so dear to Molchalin; Let us recall the final remark of Famusov:

Oh! Oh my God! what will say

Princess Marya Aleksevna?

For him - a man, a gentleman, a state official not of the small - the court of some Marya Alekseevna is more terrible than God's judgment, for her word will determine the opinion of the world. She and others like her - Tatyana Yuryevna, Khlestova, the Countess's grandmother and granddaughter - create public opinion. Women's power is perhaps the main comic theme of the entire play.

Comedy invariably appeals not to some abstract ideas of the viewer or reader about how it should be. It appeals to our common sense, which is why we laugh when we read Woe from Wit. What is unnatural is funny. But what, then, distinguishes cheerful, joyful laughter from bitter, bilious, sarcastic laughter? After all, the same society at which we just laughed, quite seriously considers our hero insane. The verdict of the Moscow world to Chatsky is harsh: "Crazy in everything." The fact is that the author freely uses different types of the comic within the framework of one play. From action to action, the comic "Woe from Wit" acquires an increasingly tangible shade of sarcasm and bitter irony. All the characters - not only Chatsky - joke less and less as the play progresses. The atmosphere of the house of Famusovs, which was once so close to the hero, becomes stifling and unbearable. By the end, Chatsky is no longer the joker who makes fun of everyone and everything. Having lost this ability, the hero simply ceases to be himself. "Blind man!" he cries out in despair. Irony is a way of life and an attitude towards what is not in your power to change. Therefore, the ability to joke, the ability to see something funny in every situation, to ridicule the most sacred rituals of life is not just a character trait, it is the most important feature of consciousness and worldview. And the only way to deal with Chatsky, and above all with his evil tongue, ironic and sarcastic, is to make a laughing stock out of him, to repay him with the same coin: now he is a jester and a clown, although he does not know about it. Chatsky changes in the course of the play: he moves from a rather harmless laugh at the immutability of Moscow's orders and ideas to caustic and fiery satire, in which he denounces the customs of those who "draw their judgments from forgotten newspapers // Times of the Ochakovskys and the Conquest of Crimea." The role of Chatsky, according to I.A. Goncharova, - "passive", there is no doubt about that. The dramatic motive grows more and more towards the finale, and the comic gradually gives way to its dominance. And this is also the innovation of Griboyedov.

From the point of view of the aesthetics of classicism, this is an impermissible mixture of satire and high comedy genres. From the point of view of the reader of the new era, this is the success of a talented playwright and a step towards a new aesthetics, where there is no hierarchy of genres and one genre is not separated from another by a blank fence. So, according to Goncharov, "Woe from Wit" is "a picture of morals, and a gallery of living types and an eternally sharp, burning satire, and at the same time a comedy ... which can hardly be found in other literatures." N. G. Chernyshevsky precisely defined the essence of the comedy in his dissertation "Aesthetic relations of art to reality": comic "... the inner emptiness and insignificance of human life, which at the same time is covered by an appearance that has a claim to content and real meaning."

What are the techniques of the comic in Woe from Wit? Throughout the comedy, there is a "deaf talk" technique. Here is the first phenomenon of the second act, the meeting between Famusov and Chatsky. The interlocutors do not hear each other, each speaks about his own, interrupting the other:

Famusov. Oh! Oh my God! He's a Carbonari!

Chatsky. No, the light is not like that today.

Famusov. A dangerous person!

Seemingly, the author himself defined the genre: "Woe from Wit" - a comedy, but after all, any dramatic work that does not have a tragic ending was called a comedy in the 19th century. Comedy is a picture of mores, and the play has a comedic origin: at first glance, the work is built according to the traditional classic comedic scheme.

Here, the trinity of time, place and action is observed, the number of heroes includes familiar characters: a loving hero-reasoner (Chatsky), a girl in love (Sofia), a second lover (Molchalin), a stupid daddy (Famusov), an agile servant (Liza). But Griboyedov gives the usual masks a new reading, he kind of turns everything upside down, deliberately deceiving the reader in his expectations: the happy lover turns out to be not a positive hero at all, the girl in love herself looks a little like a model, the resonant hero outrages others with his behavior and, moreover, ridiculed by them; the maid was denied a significant role, etc.

But the comedic intrigue based on the love triangle was observed, however, and Griboyedov solves it in a very peculiar way: he introduces additional love parallels: Skalozub - Sofia - Chatsky, Skalozub - Sofia - Molchalin, Famusov - Liza - Molchalin, Molchalin - Liza - Petrushka, thereby deepening the comedic line and at the same time complicating the characterization of the characters. Similar parallels help to achieve the main effect: ridicule of the main love triangle, built on true and imaginary feelings and turns out to be false in the finale.

Griboyedov introduces tragic notes into the comedy scheme: the true feelings experienced by the heroes are crumbling (Chatsky is disappointed in Sofia, Sofia is humiliated and insulted by Molchalin), and only the imaginary heroes are simply exposed in the spirit of comedy. The tragedy of the protagonists takes on a sound towards the finale, but it is inherent in them from the very beginning. Chatsky, who carries the features of a romantic hero, suffers from the uncertainty and uncertainty of his position, Sofia - from the inability to reveal her feelings to others and find personal happiness.

The problem of gaining personal happiness, and through it, worries both heroes, but it is solved in different ways. Once offended by Chatsky's departure, Sofia seeks calm and reliability in the person of Molchalin, and Chatsky needs Sofia's understanding and her love.

The tragedy of the heroes also causes "a million torments" that have fallen to their lot. The conflict is insoluble: true feelings cannot adapt, and the characters carry tragedy features more than comedies. Combining the features of these genres allows the author to almost break the canons and bring his work to the level of complex internal rather than external contradictions.

Griboyedov builds a comedy on two storylines: love, connected with Sophia and Chatsky, and social, based on the difference in views of the two opposing sides. The second, according to tradition, is genre-defined as social satire. But is it worth limiting ourselves to such an assessment?

Famusovskaya Moscow is a limited world, in which a quiet life, kinship, adherence to customs, admiration for foreigners, reverence for a foreigner, denial of education and, in general, everything new are in value. Chatsky notices all these features with his ironic mind, he denounces them in front of the viewer. They also carry elements of satire as a phenomenon, reinterpreted with the help of laughter. But the storyline of Famusov - Chatsky is not limited to satire: it is deeper and more original. Famusov and Chatsky are heroes of not opposite camps; Chatsky was brought up in Famusov's house, grew up in front of his eyes and left his house to wander, and even Famusov sees in Chatsky a close person who has certain abilities ("he writes gloriously, translates"), pleasant to the company.

The conflict between them arises gradually: not from deep dissatisfaction with the interlocutor, but from the randomness of the moment of explanation. Chatsky's inner experiences, irritation, love uncertainty run up against complacent inquiries
and teachings. A spark of love fire ignites in Chatsky a fire of discontent against the existing social system: he
gradually, reacting to Famusov's remarks, unwittingly, he becomes more and more inflamed against what is unpleasant for him and what, from his point of view, needs to be changed. This storyline reaches its climax in the scene of the ball, when (again, because of the twists and turns of love) Chatsky is declared insane.

In relations with those around him, Chatsky acquires the features of a dramatic hero. But the hero's drama lies not only in the fact that he is almost the only one who sees all the shortcomings of society and exposes them, but also in the fact that he himself acquires the comedic features of a jester,
entertaining the public.

In the dramatic development, the love and social lines are connected in the finale and reconciled with a farcical vaudeville, which, starting at the ball, ends with a scene of explanation between Liza and Molchalin. The features of vaudeville with its deliberately comical elements (the false deafness of Prince Tugoukhovsky, the indicatively loud hunt for the suitors of the Tugoukhovsky family, the fall of Repetilov, Molchalin's monologue) set off all plot lines, showing almost the absurdity of any sincere feelings in the atmosphere of such a farce. Griboyedov builds the dramatic beginning of the work, using features of different genres: tragedy, comedy, drama, satire, farce vaudeville, thereby not only destroying the usual canons, but also accumulating dramatic energy into a fundamentally new genre whole, in which one can talk about the serious at the same time both comical and tragic.

In literary works, for some reason, the fact that a work created for the viewer has long remained (and, perhaps, remains) an accessory of the reader's attention, is bypassed. According to the testimony of some of the writer's contemporaries, Griboyedov, realizing the impossibility of staging and publishing Woe from Wit, before giving it to the scribes, changed a lot in it. It is not by chance that when analyzing a work, one can find an epic element: the traditional viewer's subjective perception is opposed not by the author's objective point of view on the characters, but by the subjective perception of each other by the characters.

In "Woe from Wit" it is difficult to arrange traditional classicist roles precisely because each character evaluates the other from the point of view of "his own truth" and has his own word in the play: Chatsky, convinced of the insignificance of Molchalin and the exclusiveness of Sofia, Sofia - of irony, sarcasm, Chatsky's dangers, Molchalin - in a misunderstanding of life, Chatsky's stupidity. All these points of view are of equal importance, and the characters who express them acquire an epic sound in the canvas of a dramatic work. (To the arguments in defense of this thesis can be cited the fact that all productions of "Woe from Wit" on stage turned out to be unsuccessful.)

The special depth of Griboyedov's poems, their aphorism allow us to speak about the presence of a lyrical element in comedy. In our opinion, the author uses a whole range of lyric genres: from parody of a ballad to civic lyrics. Already in the first act, we are faced with the ballad genre that Griboyedov did not like so much, over which he is simply frankly mocked, talking about something that does not exist. This is Sophia's dream, which did not exist at all, since the heroine did not sleep at night. The ballad appears before us in a comedic key: Sofia, familiar with dream books, omens, literary ballads, almost composes it on her own: a flowery meadow, the heroine is looking for some grass, a person dear to her heart appears to her, then the appearance of her father, separation from her lover , monsters, whistles, screams, roars - all elements of this genre.

Griboyedov emphasizes that even an intelligent girl can compose works of this kind to please herself and her interests.
The aphoristic nature of the language also points to the elements of folklore and fables in the work, which carry in themselves a slight didacticism and moralizing: "What a commission, creator, to be a father to an adult daughter", "Blessed are those who believe, warmth to him in the world", "Pass us more than all sadness and lordly anger, and lordly love "," Ah, evil tongues are more terrible than pistols ", etc. It focuses on the fable and free iambic, first used in comedy. Chatsky's monologues also hear motives of civic lyrics protesting against the unfair
the structure of society: "Who are the judges?"

So, "Woe from Wit" is a complex genre-genre formation, in the structure of which elements of all kinds and genres are reflected: comedy, tragedy, drama, farce vaudeville, ballad, fable, civic lyrics, which create the unique genre of this comedy.

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