Quotes. The history of the opera Carmen A Spanish gypsy helps smugglers

Georges Bizet (lived 1838-1875) “Carmen” based on the short story of the same name by Prosper Merimee has now gained worldwide fame. Popularity piece of music so great that in many theaters it is performed on national language(including in Japan). The summary of the opera “Carmen” by Bizet generally corresponds to the plot of the novel, however, there are some differences.

Opera production

It may seem surprising to a modern listener that the first production of the opera, which took place on March 3, 1875 in Paris (Opera-Comique Theater), was a failure. The scandalous debut of "Carmen", accompanied by an abundance of accusatory comments from French journalists, nevertheless had its positive effect. The work, which received such a wide response in the press, could not help but attract the attention of the world. About 50 performances took place on the stage of the Comic Opera Theater alone during the premiere season.

Nevertheless, after some time the opera was withdrawn from the show and returned to the stage only in 1883. The author of the opera “Carmen” himself did not live to see this moment - he died suddenly at the age of 36, three months after the premiere of his great work.

Opera structure

Bizet's opera Carmen has a four-part form, each act of which is preceded by a separate symphonic intermission. All overtures of the work in their development contain musical material, to one degree or another representing this action ( big picture events, tragic premonition, etc.).

Place of action and specific characters

The plot of the opera "Carmen" takes place in the city of Seville and its environs (Spain) in the beginning. 19th century. The specific character of the characters chosen by the author of the opera was somewhat provocative for that time. The images of ordinary tobacco factory workers behaving rather cheekily (some of them smoke), soldiers, police officers, as well as thieves and smugglers ran counter to the strict requirements of secular society.

In order to somehow smooth out the impression created by such a society ( women lung behavior that is fickle in their affections; men sacrificing honor in the name of passion, etc.), the author of the opera "Carmen" together with the authors of the libretto are introduced into the work new character. This is the image of Michaela - a pure and innocent girl, which was not in the novel by Prosper Merimee. Due to this heroine, touching in her affection for Don Jose, the characters acquire greater contrast, and the work, in turn, acquires greater drama. Thus, the summary of the libretto of the opera “Carmen” has its own specifics.

Characters

First action

Let's look at the summary of the opera "Carmen". Seville, city square. Hot afternoon. Off-duty soldiers stand outside the barracks, next to a cigar factory, cynically discussing passers-by. Michaela approaches the soldiers - she is looking for Don Jose. Finding out that he is not there now, she leaves, embarrassed. The changing of the guard begins, and Don Jose appears among those who took up the guard. Together with their commander, Captain Zuniga, they discuss the attractiveness of cigar factory workers. The bell rings - it's a break at the factory. The workers run out into the street in a crowd. They smoke and behave quite cheekily.

Carmen comes out. She flirts with young men and sings her famous habanera (“Love has wings like a bird”). At the end of the singing, the girl throws a flower at Jose. Laughing at his embarrassment, the workers return to the factory.

Michaela appears again with a letter and a gift for Jose. Their duet “What the Relatives Said” sounds. At this time, a terrible noise begins in the factory. It turns out that Carmen slashed one of the girls with a knife. Jose receives orders from the commander to arrest Carmen and take her to the barracks. Jose and Carmen are left alone. The seguidilla “Near the Bastion in Seville” sounds, in which the girl promises to love Jose. The young corporal is completely fascinated. However, on the way to the barracks, Carmen manages to push him away and escape. As a result, Jose himself is taken into custody.

Second act

We continue to describe the summary of the opera “Carmen”. Two months later. The tavern of Lilyas Pastya, Carmen's friend, is the very place where the young gypsy promised to sing and dance for Jose. Unbridled fun reigns here. Among the most important visitors is Captain Zuniga, Commander Jose. He tries to woo Carmen, but he doesn't succeed very well. At the same time, the girl learns that Jose’s period of detention is ending, and this makes her happy.

The bullfighter Escamillo appears and performs the famous couplets “Toast, friends, I accept yours.” The tavern patrons join in his singing in unison. Escamillo is also fascinated by Carmen, but she does not reciprocate.

It's getting late. Jose appears. Delighted by his arrival, Carmen escorts the remaining visitors from the tavern - four smugglers (bandits El Dancairo and El Remendado, as well as the girls Mercedes and Frasquita). A young gypsy woman performs a dance for Jose, as he was promised before his arrest. However, the appearance of Captain Zunig, who also came on a date with Carmen, destroys the romantic atmosphere. A quarrel breaks out between the rivals, ready to escalate into bloodshed. However, the gypsies who arrive in time manage to disarm the captain. Don Jose has no choice but to abandon his military career. He joins a smuggling gang, to Carmen's delight.

Third act

What else does the summary of the opera “Carmen” tell about? An idyllic picture of nature, in a secluded place among the mountains. The smugglers have a short break. Don Jose yearns for home, for peasant life, the smugglers' trade does not appeal to him at all - only Carmen and his passionate love for her attract him. However, the young gypsy no longer loves him, and things are approaching a breakup. According to the fortune telling of Mercedes and Fransquita, Carmen is in danger of death.

The halt is over, the smugglers go to work, only Jose remains to look after the abandoned goods. Suddenly Michaela appears. She continues to look for Jose. Her aria “I assure myself in vain” sounds.

At this time, the sound of a shot is heard. Frightened, Michaela hides. It turns out that the shooter was Jose, who saw Escamillo. A bullfighter in love with Carmen is looking for her. A fight begins between the rivals, which inevitably threatens Escamillo’s death, but Carmen, who arrives in time, manages to intervene and save the bullfighter. Escamillo leaves, finally inviting everyone to his performance in Seville.

The next moment, Jose discovers Michaela. The girl tells him the sad news - his mother is dying and wants to say goodbye to her son before her death. Carmen contemptuously agrees that Jose should leave. In anger, he warns her that they will meet again, and only death can separate them. Roughly pushing Carmen away, Jose leaves. The bullfighter's musical motif sounds ominously.

Act Four

The following is a summary of the opera “Carmen” about the festive festivities in Seville. Residents of the city in smart clothes are all in anticipation of the bullfighting performance. Escamillo is scheduled to perform in the arena. Soon the bullfighter himself appears, arm in arm with Carmen. The young gypsy woman is also dressed with great luxury. A duet of two lovers sounds.

Escamillo, and behind him all the spectators rush into the theater. Only Carmen remains, despite the fact that Mercedes and Fransquita manage to warn her about Jose hiding nearby. The girl defiantly says that she is not afraid of him.

Jose enters. He is wounded, his clothes have turned into rags. Jose begs the girl to return to him, but receives only a contemptuous refusal in response. The young man continues to insist. An angry Carmen throws him what he gave him. gold ring. At this time, a choir sounds behind the stage, glorifying the victory of the bullfighter, Jose’s lucky rival. Losing his mind, Jose takes out a dagger and plunges it into his lover just at the moment when the enthusiastic crowd in the theater welcomes Escamillo, the winner of the bullfight.

The festive crowd pours out of the theater onto the street, where a terrible picture opens before their eyes. A mentally broken Jose with the words: “I killed her! Oh, my Carmen!..” - falls at the feet of his dead lover.

Thus, “Carmen” is an opera, the summary of which can be described in almost two sentences. However, the range of human feelings and passions that the heroes of the work experience cannot be conveyed in any words - only with music and theatrical acting, which Georges Bizet and the opera actors managed to masterfully accomplish.

- (Spanish: Carmen) female name of Spanish origin, derived from the epithet of the Virgin Mary “Madonna of Mount Carmel”, where Her appearance took place. The adjective Carmel eventually separated from the main name and turned into a diminutive... ... Wikipedia

- (French Carmen) the heroine of P. Merimee’s short story “Carmen” (1845), a young Spanish gypsy. The image of K. is formed in the reader’s mind as a result of the difficult procedure of “overlaying” three images of the heroine. It is significant that all three narrators are men... ... Literary heroes

Opera Lyra Ottawa Genre opera Years 1984 present vr. Country... Wikipedia

- (“Opera Comique”) Comic Opera Theater (“Théâtre de l Opéra Comique”), French musical theater. Founded in 1715 in Paris as a temporary theater at the Saint-Germain Fair; was closed in 1745. Reopened in 1752, and in 1762 merged with the theater... ...

Drama or comedy set to music. Dramatic texts are sung in opera; singing and stage action are almost always accompanied by instrumental (usually orchestral) accompaniment. Many operas are also characterized by the presence of orchestral... Collier's Encyclopedia

- (Italian opera, lit. work, work, composition) a type of music. dram works. O. is based on the synthesis of words, scenic. action and music. Unlike different types of dramas t ra, where music performs service, applied functions, in O. it becomes ... ... Music Encyclopedia

ABOUT musical form see Opera Comedian Opera Comedian Modern interior ... Wikipedia

Y; and. [ital. opera] 1. units only A genre of musical dramatic art that combines instrumental (orchestral) music with vocal (solo and choral) music. History of Russian classical opera. Folk, heroic o. Give lectures on opera... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

View of the stage and auditorium Bolshoi Theater, (Moscow), 2005 This term has other meanings, see ... Wikipedia

- (Italian opera, literally composition, from Latin opera work, product, work) genre of musical dramatic art. Literary basis O. (Libretto) is embodied by means of musical dramaturgy and primarily in the forms of vocal... Big Soviet encyclopedia

Books

• J. Bizet. Carmen. Klavier, . "Carmen" by J. Bizet - greatest work world opera art. The original opera contains spoken dialogue, but is usually performed in Ernest Guiraud's version. He replaced the dialogues...
• Carmen. Opera in four acts. Clavier, Bizet J.. "Carmen" by J. Bizet is the greatest work of world operatic art. The original opera contains spoken dialogue, but is usually performed in Ernest Guiraud's version. He replaced the dialogues...

J. Bizet's opera "Carmen"

The plot of J. Bizet's opera "Carmen" is taken from novel of the same name P. Merimee. At the center of the cycle of events is a beautiful, passionate and freedom-loving gypsy, who with her lifestyle and actions changes the lives of the people around her. This is the composer's last opera, performed thorny path to glory and the stages of world theaters. It is considered the culmination of creativity Georges Bizet and his life fiasco.

Summary of Bizet's opera "" and set interesting facts Read about this work on our page.

Summary of “Carmen”

The opera takes place in Spain, in the first half of the 19th century. Carmen is a beautiful, passionate, temperamental gypsy who works in a cigarette factory. She noticeably stands out among other workers - as soon as this burning beauty appears on the street, all the admiring male gazes immediately turn to her. Carmen takes particular pleasure in mocking the men around her and their feelings. But the temperamental girl does not like the fact that Jose is indifferent to her; she tries in every possible way to attract his attention. Having failed, the gypsy, along with other girls, returns to work. However, a quarrel breaks out among them, which instantly turns into a fight. The culprit of the conflict turns out to be Carmen. She is sent to a cell, where she languishes while awaiting a warrant under the supervision of Jose. But the insidious seductress makes the sergeant fall in love with her, and he helps her escape from custody. This reckless act completely turns his life upside down: Jose loses everything - his girlfriend, family, respect, rank and becomes a simple soldier.

And all this time, Carmen continues to lead an idle life - together with her friends, she wanders through taverns, where she entertains visitors with her songs and dances. At the same time, the girl manages to collaborate with smugglers and flirt with the bullfighter Escamillo. Soon Jose appears at the tavern, but not for long - it’s time for him to return to the barracks for an evening check. However, the gypsy uses all her charm so as not to let the soldier leave her. Jose is fascinated by her, and the captain’s order means nothing to him now. He becomes a deserter and is now forced to be with Carmen and the smugglers. But soon the feelings of the burning beauty fade away - she is bored with Jose. Now she was seriously infatuated with the bullfighter, who even promised to fight in her honor. And the soldier in love is forced to temporarily leave her - from his ex-lover he finds out that his mother is dying, and he hastily goes to her.

Preparations for a bullfight are underway in a square in Seville. The gypsy prepares to join the celebration, but Jose appears on her way. He begs the girl to be with him again, confesses his love, threatens, but everything is in vain - she is cold towards him. In a fit of anger, he takes out a dagger and plunges it into his beloved.

Photo:

Interesting facts

• Surprisingly, I have never been to Spain. To create the necessary musical atmosphere, he reworked folk melodies, giving them the desired Spanish flavor.
• In 1905, scientists discovered a new asteroid, which was named “Carmen”.

• The famous German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck was present at the screening of Carmen 27 times under various circumstances.
• English musicologist Hugh MacDonald wrote that French opera does not know a greater fatalist than Carmen. Outside France, its descendants could be Richard Strauss's Salome and Alban Berg's Lulu.
• The play premiered on March 3, 1875 and ended in complete failure. And exactly 3 months after it, the composer himself died. The causes of his death are still debated. According to one version, Bizet could not survive the fiasco of “Carmen” and the “immorality” of which he was accused after the premiere. The opera seemed indecent to the public, because its heroes were bandits, smoking factory workers, smugglers and ordinary soldiers. And characterizing main character opera, art connoisseurs did not mince words at all - she was the true embodiment of vulgarity and dirt.
• The opera was designated by the composer as comic. And the first performance took place at the Opera-Comic. What does the comic have to do with it, you ask? It's simple. According to the traditions of French theater, all works whose main characters are ordinary people, classified as a comedy genre. It is for this reason that the opera alternates musical numbers with spoken dialogues - all comic operas in France were built according to this scheme.
• One of the co-directors of the Opera Comique theater had to leave his position because of this work. Adolphe de Leuven believed that in a genre such as comic opera there should absolutely be no murder, especially such a terrible and sophisticated one. In his opinion, violence absolutely does not fit into the norms of a decent society. He tried in every possible way to convince the authors of this, repeatedly inviting librettists to talk with him, persuading them to make Carmen’s character softer and change the ending. The latter was required in order for the audience to leave the theater in in a great mood. However, they never reached agreement, and as a result Adolf was forced to leave his post. This became a kind of sign of protest against the play, which promoted murder.

• Shortly before his death, J. Bizet entered into a contract with the Vienna State Opera for the production of Carmen. Despite some edits and differences from the author's original, the performance was a huge success. "Carmen" won praise not only from ordinary spectators, but also from such prominent composers as Johannes Brahms And Richard Wagner . This was the first serious success of J. Bizet’s creation on the way to world recognition.
• On October 23, 1878, the first premiere took place at the New York Academy of Music. of this work in the USA. In the same year, the opera appeared before the audience in St. Petersburg.
• "Carmen" became the last opera, staged on the stage of the Bolshoi (Kamenny) Theater. It was with this work that the theater decided to end its history - after the last production it was closed, then transferred to the RMO, and then completely demolished. In 1896, the building of the St. Petersburg Conservatory was erected in its place.

Popular arias and numbers

Habanera - listen

Escamillo's couplets - listen

Aria Jose - listen

Gypsy dance- listen

The history of the creation of "Carmen"

He announced his plans to write the opera Carmen in 1872. Even then " Comic opera“made an order to the famous librettists Henri Meillac and Ludovic Halévy, and they worked hard on the text. They managed to significantly transform P. Merimee's novel. First of all, the changes affected the images of the main characters - in their interpretation they became more noble. Jose, from a severe lawbreaker, turned into an honest but weak-willed man. The gypsy woman is also presented differently - her independence is more emphasized, and the thirst for theft and cunning are hidden. The authors also changed the location of the action - if in the literary source everything happened in slums and gorges, then in the libretto all events were transferred to the center of Seville, to squares and streets. The playwrights introduced a new character into the opera - Jose's beloved, Micaela, to show the complete opposite of Carmen. The bullfighter turned from an uninitiative and nameless participant into a cheerful Escamillo, who played decisive role in the fate of the main character.

The text was completely ready by the spring of 1873, and then the composer began work. The opera was completely finished in the summer of 1874.

However, rejection of this opera appeared long before its production, as soon as the idea was voiced - the abundance of dramatic events and the intensity of passions were not suitable for the stage in which the first production was planned. The thing is that the Opera Comique was considered a secular theater, which was visited only by representatives of the wealthy class. Going to the theater, they knew in advance that they would see a light genre with an abundance of funny situations. This audience was far from frenzied passions, and certainly from bloody murders. The opera presented characters and passions unacceptable to the public - girls not burdened with morality, cigarette factory workers, robbers, military deserters.

The opera premiered in the capital of France, at the Opera Comique. It was March 3, 1875. The audience did not know how to react to this performance: it was very beautiful music, instantly etched in the memory, but there was also a terrible plot that is simply indecent to talk about secular society. The opera was a failure, and its authors were accused of debauchery and immorality. But, despite the fact that Bizet’s creation was a complete fiasco, it was staged 45 times that year. And the reason for this is quite simple - ordinary human curiosity. The public was haunted by the fact that all of Paris was talking about this work at that time. Interest in the work intensified at the beginning of summer - exactly 3 months after the premiere, J. Bizet died. Many came to the conclusion that the failure with Carmen was to blame, because the failure and persecution from the press provoked a nervous shock in the maestro and contributed to the deterioration of his health. After the end of the theater season, it was decided to remove the play from the stage. Then everyone was sure that he would never appear there again.

In the autumn of 1875 the opera was staged in Vienna at German. However, what was shown to the audience was radically different from what Bizet intended - it was a real opera-ballet with many dance numbers. The Vienna theater decided to surprise the audience with a spectacular spectacle - riders on real horses and a whole cortege of bullfighters were brought onto the stage.

In December of the same year, Carmen was staged in Italy. Subsequently, the work had unprecedented success and was immediately included in the repertoire of many world theaters. Moreover, the audience liked the Viennese, classical production. Other directors who staged this opera in other European countries relied on it.

In February 1878, the opera was brought to Russia and shown to wealthy audiences on the stage of the Bolshoi (Kamenny) Theater in St. Petersburg. It was performed by the imperial Italian troupe in its version. Many scenes were cut from the work in order not to shock the audience. However, this did not help, and the performance was not a success. In many ways, this turn of events was facilitated by the fact that the soloists did not have time to prepare well, since they were in a hurry with the production. As many newspapers wrote at that time, the premiere of this performance was more like a rehearsal, so many flaws and “roughness” were present in it.

But in 1882, the audience greeted another production of the play with delight, and, finally, Bizet’s work received the recognition it deserved. It was initiated by new director imperial theaters I.A. Vsevolozhsky. The cut excerpts reappeared on stage, a new cast was chosen, and all the choreographic numbers were choreographed.

In 1885, the text of the libretto was translated into Russian, and in this version the opera was first performed at the Mariinsky Theater,

The fact that "Carmen" received global recognition, made the French interested in her again. One of the composers of that time, Ernest Guiraud, decided to make his own edition - he replaced all the spoken dialogues in Bizet’s work with recitatives, and also decorated the finale of the opera with bright choreographic scenes. The opera was staged in Paris in this version in 1883, and this time it was a real triumph. After 21 years, the capital of France saw the anniversary, thousandth performance of "".

One of the first Russian composers to become acquainted with this work Bizet , became P.I. Tchaikovsky . He loved it so much that Pyotr Ilyich even learned the entire clavier by heart. And when the media kept publishing negative reviews and devastating reviews, he insisted that one day this opera would become the most popular in the world. And the Russian genius was not mistaken. Today, the tragic story about the life of a freedom-loving gypsy in the interpretation of the great French maestro is considered one of the peaks opera music– a brilliant, reference and inimitable creation.

Georges Bizet "Carmen"

The novella "Carmen" was written French writer Prosper Merimee in 1845. Merimee was a historian, archaeologist, ethnographer. This special knowledge was useful to him in literary activity. In France, he became one of the first masters of the short story. Thanks to the fact that composer Georges Bizet turned to the work “Carmen”, creating an opera of the same name, this short story became the most famous in the writer’s work. It consists of four chapters. A summary of the short story “Carmen” by Prosper Merimee will be presented below.

Exhibition of images of the main characters

The narration is told in the first person. The author plays the role of a traveling archaeologist. Judging by the summary, Merimee's short story "Carmen" tells about the events early autumn 1830. The scientist, having hired a guide, goes to look for ancient city Munda. He is interested in him in connection with the last victorious battle of Julius Caesar, after which he became the sole ruler of Rome. The midday heat and the thirst that overcame him force the narrator to look for a stream. In search of a shady shelter, the scientist goes to the stream. There he meets a warrior-looking stranger armed with a blunderbuss. Having overcome the initial fear, the author offers the stranger a cigar. Then he shares his meal with him. The stranger greedily pounces on the offered food. After talking, they find out what is on their way, since both of them are heading to Voronya Venta for the night. Random fellow travelers decide to continue their journey together, despite the fact that the guide makes some warning signs. In the conversation, the scientist tries to find out from his fellow traveler whether he is the famous robber Jose Maria. But he avoids answering.

Service provided

The summary of “Carmen” by Prosper Merimee continues with the story of the overnight stay that the travelers reached. The author draws attention to the fact that the hostess calls his traveling companion Don Jose. After dinner, the robber, at the request of the narrator, sings a Basque song, accompanying himself on the mandolin. The handler makes signs to the owner, calling him to a conversation in the stable. However, the author neglects this, thereby showing his confidence in Don Jose. The fellow travelers spend the night together. Waking up in the middle of the night, the scientist went out into the street, where he met a guide who was going to hand over the robber Jose to the lancers and receive a reward for it. The narrator managed to warn his fellow traveler, and Jose Navarro disappeared.

The scientist meets Carmen

Next in summary Merimee's Carmen is about a scholar-traveler who spends several days in Cordoba. In the library of the Dominican monastery he gets acquainted with manuscripts, and in the evenings he walks along the city embankment. On one of these evenings, the scientist met a young gypsy woman - the beautiful Carmen. He is captivated by her wild and sensual beauty. Having learned that she can tell fortunes, he accompanies her home and asks her to tell his fortune with cards. Suddenly a man wrapped in a cloak bursts into the room. The narrator recognizes him as his recent companion, Don Jose. Carmen and Don Jose argue in an unfamiliar language, gesticulating. The narrator guesses that Carmen is inviting the robber to deal with him. Don Jose takes the scientist to the bridge and shows the way to the hotel.

Lost

Having already returned to his lodgings for the night, the scientist discovers that his gold watch, which Carmen liked, is missing. The narrator leaves the city, but returns here again a few months later. From one of the monks of the Dominican monastery, he learns that Jose Navarro has been captured and is now awaiting execution. The narrator's missing gold watch was found in his possession. The scientist decides to meet with the robber.

Date with Don Jose

At the meeting, Don Jose, in response to the scientist’s offer of help, asks to serve mass for him and Carmen.

Fatal meeting

Josse Navarro was born in Elizondo. It belonged to an antique noble family. In his youth, Jose joined a cavalry regiment and became a corporal. One day, when he was standing guard at a Seville tobacco factory, his fateful meeting with Carmen took place. She, passing him to work along with other girls, began to flirt with him.

On the same day, a few hours later, Jose was called to accompany her to prison, since Carmen started a quarrel at the factory and disfigured the face of one of the workers with a knife. On the way to prison, she began to tell Jose about her unhappy life, trying to evoke pity from him. He believed her, not realizing that she was lying. She persuaded young man give her a chance to escape. At first she wanted to bribe him, but then, realizing the futility of her attempt, she began to speak in Basque, persuading him to help his imaginary fellow countrywoman. Jose could not resist her seduction and helped her escape. Punishment immediately followed for this - he was demoted and sent to prison for a month. While in prison, Jose constantly thought about Carmen. One day he receives a gift from her - a loaf of bread with a file and two piastres. But military honor does not allow him to escape. After leaving prison, he was demoted to ordinary soldiers. Standing as a sentry at the colonel's house, he again meets Carmen, who, along with other gypsies, comes to entertain the audience. As she leaves, she tells Jose where he can find her.

Having met, Carmen and Jose spent the whole day together. In the morning, the girl told the soldier that she had paid him in full. After this meeting, José tries unsuccessfully to find Carmen.

The next meeting with her occurred when Jose was in once again stood on guard near the gap where smugglers carry their goods. Carmen promised to give him a night in exchange for letting the bandits through. And Jose commits this crime for her sake. After the promised meeting, Carmen disappears again for a long time.

Bandit Jose

The next time José accidentally meets her at Dorothea's house, where their previous dates took place. The girl was with the lieutenant of his regiment. The quarrel between the young people ends tragically: Jose kills Carmen's new boyfriend. A gypsy woman hides a young man in an unfamiliar house. In the morning, she informs him that he has no other choice but to become a smuggler himself. Jose is attracted new life, in which he will have money and a lover. Together with a gang of bandits, he robs, sometimes kills, and engages in smuggling.

From the leader of the bandits, Don Jose learns that Carmen has freed her husband, the terrible gypsy Garcia Crooked, from prison. Now meetings become rare and bring pain to the young man. Carmen invites him to kill her husband during the next bandit attack. But Jose considers this unworthy. He kills Garcia in a fair fight. After this, Carmen agrees to become Don Jose's wife. The robber tries to persuade his wife to leave for New World by changing your life. But Carmen takes this proposal with ridicule.

Tragic ending

Freedom-loving Carmen is burdened by the love of a robber. She begins to cheat on him with the picador Lucas. Don Jose, having learned about this, is jealous of his wife and again persuades her to leave for America. But she again refuses him. Many times she tells her husband that she does not love him and will not live with him. And one day, in a fit of anger, Don Jose kills Carmen. After burying her in the forest, he surrenders to the authorities.

Final chapter

IN last chapter, as written in the summary of “Carmen” by Merimee, tells about the peculiarities of life, activities, and customs of Spanish gypsies. The author admires their hospitality and loyalty in relations with their fellow tribesmen. This is a kind of cultural and ethnographic information about the life of this people. If you conduct a structural analysis of “Carmen” by Prosper Merimee, it becomes obvious what techniques the author used. With his unhurried narration, both at the beginning and at the end of the story, he sets off tragic story love of Don Jose and Carmen.

Heroes of the novel

In the short story "Carmen" Merimee's characters do not have extensive dialogues. Following the peculiarities of the psychological novel genre, the author conveys their emotional state through appearance, behavior and actions.

In the analysis of Merimee’s “Carmen”, a special place is occupied by the images of the main characters. The image of the gypsy Carmen is static; it does not change throughout the novel. In contrast, the image of Don Jose is dynamic: from an honest cavalryman with ideas about military honor to a smuggler capable of murder. The hero's social decline is due to his fatal passion for a fraudster, whose meeting changed his life so dramatically.

In the early autumn of 1830, an inquisitive scientist (Mérimée himself can be seen in him) hires a guide in Cordoba and goes in search of ancient Munda, where the last victorious Spanish battle of Julius Caesar took place. The midday heat forces him to seek refuge in a shady gorge. But the place by the stream has already been taken. A dexterous and strong fellow with a gloomy, proud look and blond hair rises warily towards the narrator. The traveler disarms him with an offer to share a cigar and a meal with him, and then they continue their journey together, despite the eloquent signs of the guide. They stop for the night in a remote Venta. The companion puts a blunderbuss next to him and falls asleep to the sleep of the righteous, but the scientist cannot sleep. He leaves the house and sees a sneaking guide who is going to warn the Uhlan post that the robber Jose Navarro has stopped in Venta, for whose capture two hundred ducats have been promised. The traveler warns his companion about danger. Now they are bound by bonds of friendship.

The scientist continues his search in the library of the Dominican monastery in Cordoba. After sunset he usually walks along the shores of Guadalquivir. One evening on the embankment he is approached by a woman dressed as a grisette and with a tuft of jasmine in her hair. She is short, young, well-built, and has huge slanted eyes. The scientist is struck by her strange, wild beauty and especially her gaze, which is both sensual and wild. He treats her to cigarettes and learns that her name is Carmen, that she is a gypsy and knows how to tell fortunes. He asks permission to take her home and show him her art. But the fortune telling is interrupted at the very beginning - the door swings open and a man wrapped in a cloak bursts into the room, cursing. The scientist recognizes him as his friend Jose. After a furious argument with Carmen in an unfamiliar language, Jose takes the guest out of the house and shows the way to the hotel. The scientist discovers that in the meantime his gold striking watch, which Carmen liked so much, has disappeared. The distressed and ashamed scientist leaves the city. A few months later, he finds himself back in Cordoba and learns that the robber Jose Navarro has been arrested and is awaiting execution in prison. The curiosity of a researcher of local customs prompts the scientist to visit the robber and listen to his confession.

José Aizarrabengoa tells him that he is a Basque, born in Elizondo and belongs to an old noble family. After a bloody fight he flees native land , joins a dragoon regiment, serves diligently and becomes a brigadier. But one day, to his misfortune, he is assigned to guard duty at a Seville tobacco factory. That Friday he sees Carmen for the first time - his love, torment and death. She goes to work with other girls. She has an acacia flower in her mouth, and she walks, moving her hips like a young Cordovan mare. Two hours later, a squad is called to stop the bloody quarrel at the factory. Jose must take the instigator of the quarrel, Carmen, to prison, who disfigured the face of one of the workers with a knife. On the way, she tells Jose a touching story about how she, too, is from the Basque country, all alone in Seville, being persecuted as a stranger, which is why she took up the knife. She lies, as she has lied all her life, but Jose believes her and helps her escape. For this he was demoted and sent to prison for a month. There he receives a gift from Carmen - a loaf of bread with a file, a gold coin and two piastres. But Jose does not want to run - military honor holds him back. Now he serves as a simple soldier. One day he stands guard at his colonel's house. A carriage with gypsies, invited to entertain the guests, arrives. Among them is Carmen. She makes an appointment with Jose, and they spend an incredibly happy day and night together. When parting, Carmen says: “We’re even. Goodbye... You know, son, I think I fell in love with you a little. But […] a wolf and a dog cannot get along,” Jose tries in vain to find Carmen. She appears only when it is necessary to lead smugglers through a gap in the city wall, which is guarded by Jose. So, for Carmen’s promise to give him a night, he breaks his military oath. He then kills the lieutenant, whom Carmen brings to him. He becomes a smuggler. For a while he is almost happy, as Carmen is sometimes affectionate with him - until the day when Garcia Crooked, a disgusting monster, appears in the smuggling squad. This is Carmen's husband, whom she finally manages to free from prison. Jose and his “associates” smuggle, rob and sometimes kill travelers. Carmen serves as their liaison and guide. Rare meetings bring short happiness and unbearable pain. One day, Carmen hints to Jose that during the next “case” he could expose his crooked husband to enemy bullets. Jose prefers to kill his opponent in a fair fight and becomes Carmen's rom (gypsy husband), but she is increasingly burdened by his obsessive love. He invites her to change her life and go to the New World. She laughs at him: “We are not created to plant cabbage.” After some time, Jose learns that Carmen is infatuated with the matador Lucas. Jose is furiously jealous and again invites Carmen to go to America. She replies that she is fine in Spain, but she still won’t live with him. José takes Carmen to a secluded ravine and asks again and again if she will follow him. “I can’t love you. “I don’t want to live with you,” Carmen answers and rips the ring he gave him off his finger. Enraged, Jose stabs her with a knife twice. He buries her in the forest - she always wanted to find eternal peace in the forest - and puts a ring and a small cross in the grave. In the fourth and final chapter of the story, the narrator selflessly shares with readers his observations of the customs and language of the Spanish gypsies. At the end, he cites a meaningful gypsy proverb: “A fly’s mouth is closed tightly.”