Sergey Sergeevich Skalozub - minor character Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit". A disinterested colonel who wants to become a general.
Pavel Afanasyevich classifies Skalozub as one of the eligible Moscow bachelors. In Famusov’s opinion, a rich officer with weight and status in society is a good match 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 lack of education.
Characteristics of Skalozub
Skalozub joined the army, as was customary, at the age of 15. He connected his career and life with military affairs. In ten years he rose to the rank of colonel. Despite the great opportunities for career growth During the war years, he did not show much initiative, which is why he was awarded only one award. The authorities noted Skalozub not for his exploits, but on the occasion of military celebrations.
Outwardly, the colonel is a tall and conspicuous man with a hoarse voice. Neither young nor old, he is unpretentious in everyday life and is thinking about getting married. Availability cash lets him lead secular image life, play cards and appear at balls.
Sergei Sergeevich is scrupulous about his appearance. She wears belts to emphasize her chest, but wears simple clothes. He shows obvious dissatisfaction with the guardsmen in uniforms embroidered with gold. Negative feelings It is not so much the clothing that awakens in him, but the literacy and free-thinking of the representatives of the guard. It was precisely these young people that the young ladies of that time gravitated towards.
The uneducated Skalozub is contemptuous of the literate and well-read, and openly mocks his relative, who is fond of books. Talking and talking a lot about military affairs and rejoicing at the prospect of organizing educational institutions according to the barracks principle, he is not a clear defender of his homeland. A clear indication of this is his service in the musketeer regiment, which was not among the advanced ones.
Satisfied with himself, but not smart and slow, Skalozub is not to the liking of Famusov’s daughter.
The image of the hero in the work
In the comedy “Woe from Wit”, the character of Skalozub Griboyedov demonstrated the morals of the 19th century and the confrontation between the nobility of the old way of life and the new progressive views that were actively promoted by young people, characteristic of that period.
The Colonel is a classic representative of the old principle of thinking. By the same standards, he is an enviable groom who has rank and money. The younger generation does not consider these ideals to be such. This is manifested in Sophia's response, calling the colonel too stupid to make a match for her.
In the image of Skalozub, the writer ridiculed the entire Arakcheev army, which demanded unquestioning obedience and despised any free-thinking.
Another characteristic point is that career advancement does not require effort or expense. It is obtained not by devoted service to the Motherland, but by the connections and “channels” that the colonel has.
The relative tragedy of the image lies in the fact that it is not a caricature of a soldier’s life. This is a real description of a representative of the officer corps of that time.
In contrast to such characters, the writer introduced his brother Sergei Sergeevich into the work. Having also been involved in military affairs in the past, he left the service. Being progressive-minded, he could not stand the oppression of people like the colonel, and went to read books in the village. In a similar way, while establishing a quiet life in the village, those who did not want to fawn over the authorities who did not understand the coming changes continued to live.
Comedy "Woe from Wit", written by A.S. Griboyedov in 1824, exposes the morals of the nobles of the early 19th century. The play presents a situation when, after the War of 1812, at a turning point for Russia, people with progressive views on the structure of society began to appear in the noble society. The main theme of the work is the struggle of the “past century” with the “present century”, the old with the new. The camp of the “past century” is represented in the play by many people different types. Great value To understand the problems of the work, Skalozub’s characterization in the comedy “Woe from Wit” is useful.
This hero is highly respected among Famus society. From the first pages of the book we learn that Famusov considers him the most desirable contender for the hand of his daughter Sophia. In the play "Woe from Wit" Skalozub fully corresponds to the ideals of Moscow noble society: "And a golden bag, and aims to become a general." Sophia, as a sensible girl, does not want to marry Skalozub at all. She considers him very stupid: “He will never utter a smart word - I don’t care what’s for him, what’s in the water.”
If Chatsky is not suitable for the role of Sophia’s husband, because he “does not serve, that is, he does not find any benefit in it,” then Skalozub is a colonel. High rank is the main thing that is valued in Moscow. The image of this hero is a satire on Russian army Arakcheev's period, when any free-thinking was persecuted, and thoughtless submission was required. In this regard, many young nobles resigned. Stupid military drill reigned in the army at that time. That's why in Famusov society They treat Chatsky with such caution, who “would be glad to serve”, but does not want to “serve”, because this indicates his dissent. Skalozub is “with stars and ranks,” which means everything is fine with him. In Famus society, he is forgiven even for rudeness, which is not forgiven for Chatsky.
As a typical representative of the “past century,” Skalozub serves the purpose of enriching himself, gaining respectable weight in society, and not in order to take care of the safety of his homeland. In the comedy “Woe from Wit,” Skalozub’s army rank is very attractive to Famusov’s Moscow. In this regard, Chatsky gives an apt description of Skalozub: “A constellation of maneuvers and mazurkas.”
The path to high ranks and awards for people like Skalozub does not matter. Most often, promotions among the nobility of that time were achieved through connections. Skalozub’s character helps him skillfully use these connections: “... To get ranks, there are many channels... I just wish I could become a general.”
Skalozub even received his order not for military merits, but on the occasion of military celebrations.
In the comedy “Woe from Wit,” the characterization of Skalozub would have been incomplete if the work had not contrasted this hero with other representatives of the military class - progressive-minded, respectful human personality nobles. These were the people who retired during that period. Such is Skalozub’s cousin, who, despite the fact that “the rank followed him,” left military service and went to live in the village, where “he began to read books.” Refusing another rank is unthinkable for Skalozub. Skalozub speaks about his brother with disdain also because he is also an opponent of learning and education. It is from the lips of this hero at Famusov’s ball that information comes about the reform of barracks-type educational institutions: “They will only teach there in our way: once or twice; and the books will be preserved - like this: for big occasions».
Sergei Sergeevich Skalozub is a military man (colonel), a seasoned serviceman, who does not care about anything except military affairs and career advancement in the service (“And the golden bag, and aims to become a general”). He is completely undeveloped mentally, even, roughly speaking, dull (Sofia about Skalozub: “he hasn’t uttered a smart word in his life”). That is why he does not suit Sophia as a groom, despite how much her father craves it. Famusov treats Skalozub with reverence, as he considers him the best match for his daughter.
Skalozub can conduct a conversation exclusively about the service, so he mentions it everywhere (“I don’t know, sir, it’s my fault; we didn’t serve together”) or tries to reduce the conversation to this topic. IN high society he ended up there solely thanks to his rank and good earnings, since otherwise no one would have communicated with him. As you already understand, Skalozub is an opponent of all education and enlightenment, he considers this a completely unnecessary activity, does not want to learn himself and advises the same to others (“You can’t faint with learning”).
Updated: 2017-08-17
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Skalozub Sergei Sergeich - in his image the “ideal” Moscow groom is depicted - rude, uneducated, not very smart, but rich and pleased with himself. Famusov reads S. as his daughter’s husband, but she considers him “the hero of a novel that is not hers.” At the moment of his first arrival at Famusov’s house, S. talks about himself. He took part in the War of 1812, but received the order “on the neck” not for military exploits, but on the occasion of military celebrations. S. “aims to become a general.” The hero despises book wisdom. He makes disparaging remarks about his cousin reading books in the village. S. tries to embellish himself externally and internally. He dresses in army fashion, using belts to make his chest look like a wheel. Having understood nothing in Chatsky’s accusatory monologues, he, nevertheless, joins his opinion, saying all sorts of nonsense and nonsense.
Skalozub is a character in the comedy by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" (1824). If we look for classicist, and through them, ancient prototypes in the characters of the play, then S. corresponds to the “boastful warrior”, a popular mask of Roman comedies, embodied in the famous “tower-city conqueror” Pyrgopolinicos, the hero of Plautus. The bully warrior was traditionally portrayed not only as a braggart, but also as a narcissistic person. S., if we take it out of the poetic context, is somewhat similar to his distant ancestor. It should be noted that many characters in Griboedov’s work wear comedic masks, but the “mask” is only the top layer of its voluminous plot. During the course of the action, S. transforms into an individual comedic character. Colonel Sergei Sergeevich S. is at the very center of the events of the play. Already in the first act, Lisa mentions him as Sophia’s almost official fiancé (“and the golden bag and aims to become a general”) in contrast to the “unwanted” Chatsky and the “secret” Molchalin. Perhaps, for the sake of S., in order to introduce him to the circle of relatives, Famusov is planning a ball where he introduces S. Khlestova, who does not like him because of his lack of servility and too tall stature. All the facts of S.’s biography, in the eyes of Famusov, distinguish him favorably from Chatsky. S. is rich, a military man, quickly and thoughtfully making his career, arguing little, expressing himself straightforwardly and lapidarily. S.’s manner of not conforming to the tone of secular politeness does not harm him in the opinion of others (like Chatsky), because in the main S. is Famusovsky, his own: “you won’t faint me with your learning!” What his military career is based on becomes clear quite quickly: “then some of the elders are turned off, others, you see, have been killed.” It would be a mistake to underestimate S.’s influence in the “Moscow” environment: he is recognized and supported by society. IN climax discussions about the harm caused by books and education, S. announces the good news for everyone that it has been decided to reform lyceums, schools and gymnasiums according to the barracks model: “There they will only teach in our way: one, two; And the books will be saved like this: for special occasions.” (Which, however, does not quite suit Famusov, who knows a more correct way to restore order: “take all the books and burn them.”) S. is a collective character in which Griboyedov’s contemporaries recognized many: from divisional colonel Frolov to the Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, the future Emperor Nicholas I. In a vast stage history“Woe from Wit” has not yet found a solution to this image that would be free from the “mask”, equally emphasized by the actors with the most different directorial decisions in style. The basis of S.’s image is the technique of the grotesque, but not cartoon or caricature. Such an image requires an interpretation akin to the poetics of the play as a whole, which Griboedov called “the poetics of an excellent poem.”
"no less bright than the figure of Famusov. “A constellation of maneuvers and mazurkas,” says Chatsky about Skalozub. In the person of this hero, Griboyedov caricatured the type of military man who pays attention mainly to the external part military service, are interested in the uniform that distinguishes one regiment from another, are engaged in drilling, “stepping,” as they said then, and are deprived of that real military spirit that created the valor of the Russian army. Skalozub embodies all the vulgarity, all the limitations of this kind of officer. His name indicates that he constantly “snarls”, jokes, tries to make jokes; but his jokes are not funny, but vulgar. Typical is his story about Princess Lasova, who, having fallen from her horse,
“...the other day I was completely blown away:
The jockey did not support - he thought it was obvious that there were flies.
And without that she is, as you can hear, clumsy,
Now the rib is missing
So she’s looking for a husband for support.”
His answer to Famusov’s question about how Nastasya Nikolaevna is related to him is typical:
“I don’t know, sir, it’s my fault:
She and I didn’t serve together.”
With this witticism, Skalozub wants to show that nothing outside of military service interests him. What is occupying him? “The uniforms have piping, shoulder straps, buttonholes...” - a comparison of the guard with the army, in which the officers “everything is so tailored and the waists are so narrow”...
Woe from the mind. Maly Theater performance, 1977
Skalozub strives only for ranks, awards, and promotions. He himself is a colonel, but is already “aiming for general.” It is interesting to know how he achieved high rank; he himself quite frankly says that he received a promotion not for personal merit, but due to happy coincidences of circumstances:
“I am quite happy in my comrades,”
Vacancies are currently open:
Then the elders will turn off others,
The others, you see, have been killed.”
The frankness with which Skalozub speaks about his promotion testifies to his extreme stupidity:
“He’s talkative, but he’s not cunning,”
– the maid Lisa characterizes him. Just like Famusov, he is convinced of the dangers of science and wants children to be taught to march in all lyceums and gymnasiums.
I will make you happy: universal rumor,
That there is a project about lyceums, schools, gymnasiums;
There they will only teach in our way: one, two;
And the books will be saved like this: for big occasions.
This is the kind of son-in-law Famusov would like to have! But his daughter Sophia Skalozub is disgusted - and not only because she loves Molchalin. Sophia understands Skalozub’s emptiness and stupidity. When Chatsky, trying to find out Sophia’s attitude towards a possible groom, mentions:
Here, for example, Colonel Skalozub:
And a golden bag, and aims to become a general,
she answers:
How cute! and it's fun for me to fear
Listen about the frunt and rows;
He hasn’t uttered a smart word for a long time, -
I don’t care what goes into the water.