The meaning of the image of a simpleton in the comedy of an ignoramus. The image and character of Prostakova based on the comedy The Minor (Fonvizin D.I.). The place of the hero in the work

The comedy "Minor", created by the great Fonvizin back in the 18th century, does not leave the stages of the capital and regional theaters to this day. It has been included since Soviet times in the school curriculum of all Union republics and remained in most of them even after the collapse of the USSR and the formation of independent states. “Satires, the brave ruler,” as the playwright Pushkin called, not only severely criticized and ridiculed mediocrity, ignorance, cruelty of the nobles, stigmatized the serf system of Russia, but also created a whole gallery of images that embody certain types of characters, due to its vitality almost immediately which have become household names. One of them is Mrs. Prostakova, the mother of Mitrofanushka.

The place of the hero in the work

The image of Prostakova in the comedy plays one of the main roles. She is the mistress of the estate, the owner of serf souls, a noblewoman, a stronghold and personification of state power here, in her estate. And it, in turn, is one of the thousands of corners of endless Russia. And the problems that arise in a particular territory are typical for the entire country. This is the first thing. Secondly, the image of Prostakova is important in that she raises and brings up her son in her own image and likeness. And everything negative that is in the mother is cultivated in Mitrofan tenfold. But if the Prostakovs, Skotinins are the past and present of Russia, then their offspring are its future. This is how Fonvizin thought and wondered what the state would come to if such ignorant boors would run everything in it. Into what jungle of the Middle Ages will they throw the country, to what ruin, impoverishment will they bring? Thirdly, the image of Prostakova is interesting in itself, precisely as a human type, the quintessence of class and personal vices.

From surname to personality

Prostakova is a heroine by her husband. And he really is a "simpleton": weak-willed, weak-willed, completely entrusted to his wife and the management of the estate, and the upbringing of his son. He, no less than the rest of the household, suffers humiliation and insults from her, but it does not occur to him to put in place the presumptuous rude and petty tyrant. However, interpreting the surname, the image of Prostakova acquires a different shade of meaning. In the people, "simple" (not "simple") means "stupid", "stupid", "fool". And the dear lady, who has long stepped over the line, is proud of the fact that she is illiterate, cannot read and write. Moreover, he sincerely considers this to be the norm for female noblewomen. So, by simplicity and naivety of the soul, she embodies the most retrograde, conservative, stagnant layer of the nobility. The image of Prostakova is fully revealed through her own surname - Skotinin. "Minor" is a comedy, created in many respects in accordance with the poetics of classicism, which makes it possible to convey the essence of the character to the reader / viewer in this way. The bestial nature of the heroine, not covered by anything, literally screams about herself from her very first remarks on the stage. And the further the action of the play develops, the clearer the animal nature of this woman is to us. An inveterate serf woman, she does not consider servants for people, she scolds and beats them without a twinge of conscience. She ruined her peasants, treats them extremely cruelly. I am ready for any meanness, even a crime, for the sake of profit. Sophia, like a thing, is going to give in marriage to her brother, tk. he liked the pigs from the village, which the girl inherited from her dead parents. In this regard, "Minor" is very indicative.

The heroes of the comedy, embodying the serfdom spirit of Russia, are all negative, as if by selection! She herself crippled spiritually and mentally by social prejudices of the environment, Prostakova also cripples her son. She is engaged in raising and educating him for the sake of appearance, paying tribute to fashion and new social requirements. In fact, "in order to raise children", in the opinion of this woman who loves her son with the animal love, neither one nor the other is needed. And one more "brute" grows out of her child, betraying her mother, recognizing no one but herself, stupid and mean. Therefore, the final words of the work sound like a real verdict for the entire noble-serf system: "Here is evil worthy fruits!"

Modern classic

It is worth noting that this expression became winged and stepped far beyond the content of the play. So we can say about any negative example, an act that has entailed a corresponding reaction. Therefore, you should always try to behave, speak and act in such a way that our "ill will" does not exaggerate and does not give "worthy fruits"!

The comedy by D. Fonvizin "The Minor" tells about the events that took place in the house of the Prostakovs. Their main participants are Mitrofan, the son of the owner of the house, his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, and Starodum with his niece.

Mrs. Prostakova is madly in love with her son, she cares too much and pokes with him, indulging all his whims and whims, which is why Mitrofan grows up as an absolutely dependent person, whose level of development does not correspond to his age at all. But Mrs. Prostakova blindly follows his wishes. She sees her future in her son, repeating all the time: "Here is my son - my only consolation!" And at the same time, she does nothing so that something traveling will grow out of her son. Mitrofan's literacy is taught by bad teachers, and he himself does not want to study. However, the mother considers her son to be the best and most educated, although this lazy person does not smell of intelligence or knowledge.

With her husband, Mrs. Prostakova behaves as if she does not hold him for a person at all, let alone for the head of the family. She herself decides all issues, disregarding his opinion and neglecting him when it comes to Mitrofan.

Mrs. Prostakova is a cruel and unfair mistress in relation to her servants and peasants. She can severely punish the tailor for the fact that he sewed a suit incorrectly, does not pay attention if one of the servants is sick. Mrs. Prostakova scolds Eremeevna for every "mistake". For example, if Mitrofanushka perelelbulochek at dinner, and Eremeevna showed concern about this, she says: “Do you feel sorry for the sixth roll, beast? That's what zeal. " It never occurred to her that overeating would not do her son any good. Prostakova considers all serfs to be her property, practically a thing, therefore she allows herself to thoughtlessly dispose of their lives and rip them off, like sticky, just at her whim.

Mrs. Prostakova treats Sophia like an evil mistress. She is always rough, cold. But as soon as she finds out that Starodum, Sophia's uncle, left a large inheritance to her niece, she changes her behavior, becomes hypocritically kind and affectionate, calls her "dear friend." Now Prostakova wants to marry her son to Sophia in order to receive all her money as a dowry, refusing this to her brother, although she had previously agreed to this marriage. Learning that Sofia is married to an officer in Milan and that Starodum has given his consent to this, Prostakova wants to marry her son to a girl by force and deception. However, her venture failed. According to the law, the village was taken from her, depriving her of power.

Mrs. Prostakova was a cruel, headstrong woman who did not take into account the interests and feelings of other people, which is why she lost everything. In the image of Prostakova, Fonvizin reveals the negative traits of a narrow-minded, shameless person with power, who by his actions brings himself and his loved ones to trouble. The author shows that it is possible to obtain wealth without losing a couple and a human face. And people like Prostakova, in the end, pay for all the harm done.

Composition

In the comedy Minor Fonvizin depicts the vices of contemporary society. His heroes are representatives of different social strata: statesmen, nobles, servants, self-appointed teachers. This is the first socio-political comedy in the history of Russian drama.

The central heroine of the play is Mrs. Prostakova. She manages the household, beats her husband, keeps the servants in horror, brings up the son of Mitrofan. I scold, then I fight, so the house holds on. No one dares to oppose her power: Am I not powerful in my people. But there are tragic elements in the image of Prostakova. This ignorant and selfish overripe fury is very fond of and sincerely cares about her son. At the end of the play, rejected by Mitrofan, she becomes humiliated and pitiful:

You alone stayed with me.

Let go ...

I have no son ...

The main way to create the character of Prostakova is a speech characteristic. The heroine's language changes depending on who she is addressing. Mrs. Prostakova calls the servants thieves, canals, beasts, a dog's daughter. He addresses Mitrofan: my dear friend, darling. Guests are greeted with respect: I recommend you a dear guest, you are welcome.

The idea of ​​upbringing, which is very important for educational literature, is connected with the image of Mitrofan in the play. Mitrofan is an ignoramus, a loafer, a favorite of his mother. From his parent, he inherited arrogance and rudeness. He turns to Eremeevna, who is devoted to him: an old hrychovka. The upbringing and education of Mitrofan corresponds to the fashion of that time and the understanding of his parents. He is taught French by the German Vralman, the exact sciences are retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, who marakuts a little bit of arichmetic, grammar by the seminarian Kuteikin, dismissed from all teaching. Mitrofanushka's knowledge of grammar, his desire not to study, but to marry are ridiculous. But his attitude towards Eremeevna, his readiness to take on people, his mother's betrayal already evokes different feelings. Mitrofanushka becomes an ignorant and cruel despot.

The main technique for creating satirical characters in the play is zoologization. Getting ready to marry, Skotinin declares that he wants to have his own piglets. It seems to Vralman that, living with the Prostakovs, he lived with a fairy with little horses. Thus, the author emphasizes the idea of ​​the animal lowland of the surrounding world.

Despite the fact that the genre of the play Minor is a comedy, Fonvizin is not limited to exposing social vices and creating satirical characters. The author draws a number of positive characters Starodum, Pravdin, Sophia, Milon. These heroes openly express the views of an honest man on the morality of the nobility, family relations, and even civil structure. This dramatic technique truly means a revolution in Russian educational literature from. criticism of the negative aspects of reality to the search for ways to change the existing system.

Reflecting the actual problems of his time, Fonvizin was a talented psychologist, thinker, artist. His comedy has universal human significance, it lives for centuries, does not leave the stages of modern theaters.

The action takes place in the estate of the Prostakovs. The unlimited hostess is Mrs. Prostakova. It is curious to note that in the list of characters only she was given the title "mistress", the rest of the heroes are named only by their last name or by their first name. She really dominates the world subject to her, reigns insolently, despotically, with complete confidence in her impunity. Taking advantage of Sophia's orphanhood, Prostakova takes possession of her estate. Without asking the girl's consent, he decides to marry her off. However, the character of this "fury" is fully revealed in the treatment of serfs. Prostakova is deeply convinced of her right to insult, rob and punish peasants, whom she looks at as creatures of another, lower Breed.

The prosperity of Prostakova rests on the shameless robbery of the serfs. "Since then, she complains to Skotinin, like everything that the peasants had, we took away, we can't rip anything off." Order in the house is brought about by abuse and beatings. "From morning to evening, Prostakova complains again, as if she was hanged by the tongue, I can't help it: now I swear, then I fight." Eremeevna, when asked how much her salary is due, tearfully replies: "Five rubles a year, up to five slaps in the face a day."

The primitive nature of Prostakova is clearly revealed in abrupt transitions from arrogance to cowardice, from complacency to servility. She is rude to Sophia, while she feels her power over her, but upon learning of Starodum's return, she instantly changes her tone and behavior. When Pravdin announces the decision to put Prostakov on trial for inhuman treatment of the peasants, she humbly rolls at his feet. But, having begged forgiveness, he immediately hurries to deal with the sluggish servants who missed Sophia: “Forgive me! Ah, father! Well! Now I will give the dawn to the canals to my people. Now I’m going to sort them all out one by one. ” Brother Prostakova Skotinin is related to her not only by blood, but also by spirit. He exactly repeats the serf practices of his sister. “If I’m not Taras Skotinin,” he says, if I’m not all to blame. In this, my sister, I have one custom with you ... and any loss ... I'll rip off my own peasants, and I'll end up in the water. "

The presence of Skotinin in the play emphasizes the wide distribution of nobles like Prostakova, gives it a typical character. No wonder at the end of the play Pravdin advises to warn the other Skotinins about what happened in the Prostakovs' estate. Many nobles in mental and civic development are so low that they can only be compared to animals. Cattle possessing people, this is the painful problem that DI Fonvizin posed with great boldness.

He endowed the heroes with emphatically Russian names, surrounded them with a familiar atmosphere, preserved Russian customs on the stage. Mrs. Prostakova nee Skotinina is always compared to a dog, Skotinin to pigs. They themselves persistently call themselves cattle, animals. “Have you ever heard of a bitch giving out her puppies?” Asks Prostakov. "Oh, I am a dog's daughter!" she declares elsewhere. The base spiritual appearance of Skotinin is revealed in his addiction to "pigs". "I love pigs ... he confesses, and we have such large pigs in our neighborhood that there is not a single one of them that, standing on the back of a leg, would not be taller than each of us with a whole head." "No, sister, he declares to Prostakova, I want to have my own piglets." And Mitrofan, according to his mother, "before the pigs was born the same hunter ... It used to be, seeing a mumps, tremble with joy." "I am the cattle, reads Mitrofan according to the book of hours, and not a man."

The real revolution was made by Fonvizin in the field of comedy language. The speeches of many of his heroes are pre-set specially. the cypher of the image. In "Nedorosl" the speeches of Prostakova, Skotinin, Eremeevna are especially colorful. Fonvizin retains all the inaccuracies of the language of his ignorant heroes: “first” instead of first, “roben” instead of a child, “hollow” instead of a little head, “who” instead of which. Proverbs and sayings are successfully used. Prostakova's rude, licentious nature is well revealed by the vulgarisms she uses: “And you, beast, were dumbfounded, and you didn’t stick to your brother’s mug, and you didn’t rip his snouts over the ears.” Swear words do not leave the language of Prostakova: cattle, mug, canals, an old witch. The news of the illness of the courtyard girl Palashka infuriates her: “Oh, she is a beast! Lies. As if noble! "

Throughout the comedy, the Skotinins and Prostakovs emphasize that they are unusually smart, especially Mitrofanushka. In fact, Prostakova, her husband and her brother do not even know how to read. Moreover, they are deeply convinced of the uselessness and uselessness of knowledge. “People live and lived without science,” Prostakova confidently declares. Their public perceptions are just as wild. High positions exist, in their deep conviction, only for enrichment. According to Prostakova, her father “was fifteen years old governor ... he couldn’t read and write, but he knew how to make a fortune”. They see the advantages of the "noble" class in the ability to offend and rob people dependent on them. Bad mentors can also be the cause of "evil". Mitrofan's training was entrusted to the half-educated seminarian Kuteikin, a retired soldier Tsyfirkin and a former coachman, the German Vralman. Mitrofan is one of the main characters in the comedy. Using the techniques of speech characteristics, DI Fonvizin portrayed Mitrofan as the greatest lazy person. But it's not just the teachers, the character and behavior of Mitrofan is a natural result of those living examples that he is surrounded by in his parents' house. It had the most destructive influence on Mitrofan Prostakov. After all, his name, translated from Greek, means "like a mother", that is, "who is a mother." From Prostakova, Mitrofan took over rudeness, greed, contempt for work and knowledge. The upbringing that the mother wanted to give to her son, animal upbringing, upbringing of animal needs.

Slavery corrupts the masters, landowners, depriving them of their human features. They turned their peasants into cattle, but they themselves became cattle, having lost their honor and conscience, forgetting about human and family affections. Fonvizin managed to create truly typical images that became common nouns and outlived their time. The names of Mitrofanushka, Skotinin, Prostakova became immortal.

Other compositions on this work

The comedy "The Minor" is a brilliant work of Fonvizin, in which the playwright portrayed bright, memorable characters, whose names have become common nouns in modern literature and the era. One of the main characters in the play is Mitrofanushka's mother, Mrs. Prostakova. According to the plot of the work, the heroine belongs to negative characters. A rude, uneducated, cruel and self-serving woman from the first scene evokes a negative attitude, and in some places even ridicule of readers. Nevertheless, the image itself is subtly psychological and requires detailed analysis.

The fate of Prostakova

In the play, upbringing and heredity almost completely determine the future character and inclinations of the individual. And the image of Prostakova in the comedy "The Minor" is no exception. The woman was brought up in a family of uneducated landowners, whose main value was material wealth - her father even died on a chest with money. Disrespect for others, cruelty towards the peasants and the willingness to do anything for the sake of profit Prostakov took over from her parents. And the fact that there were eighteen children in the family and only two of them survived - the rest died due to an oversight - is a real horror.

Perhaps if Prostakova married an educated and more active man, the shortcomings of her upbringing would become less and less noticeable over time. However, she got a passive, stupid Prostakov as her husband, it is easier for him to hide behind the skirt of an active wife than to solve economic issues himself. The need to manage the whole village herself and the old landowner upbringing made the woman even more cruel, despotic and rude, strengthening all the negative qualities of her character.

Considering the story of the heroine's life, the ambiguous characterization of Prostakova in "The Ignorant" becomes clear to the reader. Mitrofan is the son of a woman, her only consolation and joy. However, neither he nor her husband appreciate the effort Prostakova spent on managing the village. Suffice it to recall the well-known scene when, at the end of the play, Mitrofan abandons his mother, and her husband can only reproach his son - Prostakov also remains on the side of her grief, not trying to console the woman. Even with all the grumpy nature of Prostakov, it is a pity, because her closest people leave her.

Mitrofan's ingratitude: who is to blame?

As mentioned above, Mitrofan was the only joy of Prostakova. Excessive love of a woman raised him "mama's son". Mitrofan is just as rude, cruel, stupid and greedy. At sixteen, he still resembles a small child who is naughty and runs around chasing pigeons instead of studying. On the one hand, excessive care and protection of the son from any worries of the real world can be associated with the tragic story of the family of Prostakova herself - one child is not eighteen. However, on the other hand, it was simply convenient for Prostakova that Mitrofan remained a big, feeble-minded child.

As it becomes clear from the stage of a lesson in arithmetic, when a woman solves the problems proposed by Tsyfirkin in her own way, the “own”, landowner wisdom of the owner is the main one for her. Without any education, Prostakova solves any situation by seeking personal gain. The obedient Mitrofan, who obeyed his mother in everything, should also have been a profitable investment. Prostakova is not even spent on his education - after all, firstly, she herself lived well without burdensome knowledge, and, secondly, she knows better what her son needs. Even marrying Sophia would first of all replenish the chests of the village of Prostakovs (remember that the young man does not even fully understand the essence of marriage - he is simply not mentally and morally mature enough).

The fact that in the final scene Mitrofan refuses his mother is undoubtedly the fault of Prostakova herself. The young man took over from her disrespect for relatives and the fact that you need to stick to someone who has money and power. That is why Mitrofan, without hesitation, agrees to serve with the new owner of the village, Pravdin. However, the main reason still lies in the general "evil" of the entire Skotinin family, as well as the stupidity and passivity of Prostakov, who could not become a worthy authority for his son.

Prostakova as a bearer of outdated morality

In The Minor, Mrs. Prostakova is contrasted with two characters - Starodum and Pravdin. Both men are carriers of humane educational ideas, contrasting with the outdated, landowner foundations.

According to the plot of the play, Starodum and Prostakova are the parents of young people, but their approach to upbringing is completely different. A woman, as mentioned earlier, pampers her son and treats him like a child. She does not try to teach him something, on the contrary, even during the lesson she says that he will not need knowledge. Starodum communicates with Sophia on equal terms, shares his own experience with her, transfers his own knowledge and, most importantly, respects her personality.

Prostakova and Pravdin are contrasted as landowners, owners of large estates. The woman believes that it is quite normal to beat her peasants, take their last money from them, treat them like animals. For her, the inability to punish the servants is as terrible as the fact that she lost her village. Pravdin is guided by new, educational ideas. He came to the village specifically in order to stop the cruelty of Prostakova and give people to work in peace. By comparing the two ideological directions, Fonvizin wanted to show how important and necessary the reforms of the upbringing of Russian society of that era are.

Fonvizin's innovation in the image of Prostakova

In The Minor, Prostakov is an ambiguous character. On the one hand, she appears to be a cruel, stupid, selfish representative of the old nobility and landowners' foundations. On the other hand, we have before us a woman with a difficult fate, who at one moment loses everything that was valuable to her.

According to the canons of classic works, the exposure and punishment of negative characters in the final scene of the play should be fair and not arouse sympathy. However, when in the end the woman loses absolutely everything, the reader feels sorry for her. The image of Prostakova in Nedoroslya does not fit into the templates and framework of classic heroes. Psychologism and non-standard depiction of a prefabricated image (Prostakova is a reflection of a whole social stratum of serf Russia in the 18th century) makes it innovative and interesting even for modern readers.

The above description of Prostakova will help pupils of grades 8 and 9 to reveal the image of Mitrofan's mother in her essay on the topic "Characteristics of Prostakova in the comedy" Minor "by Fonvizin"

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- Mrs. Prostakova. The playwright portrays her vividly and realistically. Before us is a living face, we see Prostakova, we understand all her simple primitive psychology, we understand why and how the character of this “pretentious fury,” as Pravdin calls her, has developed. The first thing that catches your eye when you read "The Minor", or see the production of this comedy, is the extraordinary rudeness of Mrs. Prostakova: the first action begins with the fact that she scolds the tailor Trishka, calling him "cattle, thieves hare and fool" ... The same rudeness is visible in her words addressed to her husband, to her brother. But in the treatment of servants one can see not only rudeness, but also inhuman cruelty. Upon learning that the girl Palashka fell ill, fell ill and delirious, Prostakova exclaims: “Oh, she is, a beast! Lies! Delusional, beast! As if she is noble! " She tells her husband to punish Trishka the tailor for the fact that, in her opinion, the caftan that he sewed for Mitrofan does not fit well. "Dodgers! the thieves! scammers! beat everyone to death! " She shouts to people. Maltreatment of Prostakov's servants considers not only his right, but also his duty: "I manage everything myself, father," she says to Pravdin, so the house holds on! " She completely ruined her serfs with dues, and she herself says this: "Since we robbed everything that the peasants had, we cannot tear off anything." Her brother, Skotinin, does the same with his peasants: “No matter how much the neighbors hurt me, how much they made a loss,” he says, “I didn’t hit anyone with my forehead: their own peasants, and ends in the water. "

Heroes of the "Minor" Fonvizin

Brother and sister received the same upbringing, which partly explains the roughness of their morals. Prostakova herself says that their father had eighteen brothers and sisters, but, except for her and her brother, they "tried on" everything; it can be seen that the children grew up without any supervision: “some were dragged out of the bathhouse for the dead; three, having sipped milk from a copper pot, died; two fell about the Saint from the bell tower; and they didn’t stand on their own ... ”The children were not taught anything at home. The father was angry when "good people" persuaded him to send his son to school, and shouted: "I curse the child who will take something from the basurmans, and if not Skotinin who wants to learn something."

In a conversation with Starodum, Prostakova completes a portrait of her father: “The deceased father,” she says, “was fifteen years old governor, and with that he deigned to die, because he could not read and write, but knew how to make and keep wealth. Chelobitchikov received, it happened, always, sitting on an iron chest. After doing anything, he will open the chest and put something in. " At the same time, he was a great "economist", in other words, - a stingy curmudgeon. "Dead, light", ends his story Prostakova, "lying on a chest with money, died, so to speak, of hunger." The example of such a father and the upbringing given to his children was reflected in the character and views of Prostakova.

Fonvizin. Undergrowth. Maly Theater performance

However, agreeing with her father that “people live and lived without sciences”, Prostakova is trying to give her son Mitrofanushka some kind of education. Following the requirements of the times, she even herself says to Mitrofan: “live and learn”. She understands that now you will not get high ranks without a diploma. Therefore, the seminarian Kuteikin has been teaching Mitrofan to read and write for the third year already, the retired soldier Tsyfirkin - arithmetic, and the German Vralman, who enjoys special respect in the house, as a foreigner, all sciences. Prostakova spares nothing in order to bring Mitrofanushka into people, but, herself not understanding anything in the sciences, she interferes in the lessons, stupidly interferes with the teachers from doing their job and indulges Mitrofan's laziness.

Prostakova's insane love for her son is the only good trait of her character, although, in essence, this is a primitive, coarse feeling; Prostakova herself compares her love for her son with the natural affection of a dog for her puppy. But love for her son, whatever it may be, takes the first place in all the actions and thoughts of Mrs. Prostakova. Mitrofan is the center and meaning of her life. For his sake, she is ready to commit a crime, trying to take away Sophia and forcibly marry her with Mitrofan. Therefore, when all her atrocities are revealed, when Pravdin takes into custody her estate for inhuman treatment of servants and threatens to bring her to justice, seeing that her power and strength have been taken away from her, she rushes to her adored son: “You are the only one left with me , my dear friend, Mitrofanushka! " - And when Mitrofan, in response to this cry of the mother's heart, rudely pushes her away: "Yes, get off, mother, how imposed!" - she can't stand her grief and with the words: “And you! And you're leaving me! " loses feelings. At this moment, one involuntarily becomes sorry for Mrs. Prostakova; the author was able to portray her really, as a living face. Pointing to her, Starodum says the well-known final words of the comedy: "Here is evil worthy fruits!"