The significance of minor characters in the drama of Ostrovsky's "thunderstorm". The importance of minor characters in the drama of the island thunderstorm

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered a singer merchant environment, father of Russian domestic drama, Russian national theater. He is the author of about 60 plays, and one of the most famous is “The Thunderstorm”. A. N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” the most decisive work, since “the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought to tragic consequences in it... There is something refreshing and encouraging in The Thunderstorm. This something is, in our opinion, the background of the play.”

The background of the play is made up of minor characters. This is Katerina’s constant companion, main character plays, Varvara, sister of Katerina's husband, Tikhon Kabanova She is the opposite of Katerina. Her main rule: “Do whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” You can’t deny Varvara her intelligence and cunning, before marriage she wants to be everywhere, to try everything, because she knows that “girls go out as they please, father and mother don’t care. Only women are locked up.” Lying is the norm for her. Otsa directly tells Katerina that it is impossible without deception: “Our whole house rests on this. And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary.”

Varvara adapted to the “dark kingdom” and studied its laws and rules. She feels authority, strength, readiness and even a desire to deceive. She is, in fact, the future Kabanikha, because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Varvara's friend, Kudryash, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can repel the Wild One. “I am considered a rude person; Why is he holding me? Therefore, he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me...” says Kudryash. He behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess and knowledge of the “merchant establishment.” Kudryash is the second Wild, only still young.

In the end, Varvara and Kudryash leave the “dark kingdom,” but their escape does not mean at all that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will accept new laws of life and fair rules. Once free, they will most likely try to become masters of life themselves.

The play also contains true victims of the “dark kingdom”. This is Katerina Kabanova’s husband, Tikhon, a weak-willed, spineless creature. He listens to his mother in everything and obeys her, does not have a clear life position, courage, boldness. His image fully corresponds to his name - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also allows his mother to shamelessly treat his wife. This is especially evident in the farewell scene before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats all his mother’s instructions and moral teachings word for word. Kabanov could not resist his mother in any way; he slowly drank himself to death, becoming even more weak-willed and quiet. Of course, she cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with Dikiy's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in Dobrolyubov’s apt expression, “in the wilderness,” because in essence Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Maybe a little more educated. Boris's lack of will, his desire to receive his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful to his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love. .

IN " dark kingdom“The wanderer Feklusha enjoys great respect and respect. Feklushi's stories about the lands where people with dog heads live are perceived as irrefutable information about the world. But not everything in it is so gloomy: there are also living, sympathetic souls. This is a self-taught mechanic, Kuligin, who invents a perpetual motion machine. He is kind and active, literally obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. But everything is his good intentions encounter a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, and ignorance. So, in response to an attempt to install steel lightning rods on houses, he receives a furious rebuff from the Dikiy: “The thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some kind of rods.”

Kuligin is essentially the reasoner in the play; the condemnation of the “dark kingdom” is put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, the morals in our city are cruel... Whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that his labors will be free more money make money..."

But Kuligin, like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara, Kudryash, adapted to the “dark kingdom” and came to terms with such a life. The secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Every face in the play, every image was a step on the ladder that led Katerina to the banks of the Volga, to death.

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THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF MINIOR CHARACTERS IN THE DRAMA “THE STORM”.

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered a singer of the merchant milieu, the father of Russian everyday drama, the Russian national theater. He is the author of about 60 plays, and one of the most famous is “The Thunderstorm”. A. N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” the most decisive work, since “the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought to tragic consequences in it... There is something refreshing and encouraging in “The Thunderstorm”. This something is, in our opinion, the background of the play.”

The background of the play is made up of minor characters. This is the constant companion of Katerina, the main character of the play, Varvara, the sister of Katerina’s husband, Tikhon Kabanova. She is the opposite of Katerina. Her main rule: “Do whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” You can’t deny Varvara her intelligence and cunning, before marriage she wants to be everywhere, to try everything, because she knows that “girls go out as they please, father and mother don’t care. Only women are locked up.” Lying is the norm for her. She directly tells Katerina that it is impossible without deception: “Our whole house rests on this. And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary.”

Varvara adapted to the “dark kingdom” and studied its laws and rules. She feels authority, strength, readiness and even a desire to deceive. She is, in fact, the future Kabanikha, because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Varvara's friend, Kudryash, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can fight back against the Wild One. “I am considered a rude person; Why is he holding me? Therefore, he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me...” says Kudryash. He behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess and knowledge of the “merchant establishment.” Kudryash is the second Wild, only still young.

In the end, Varvara and Kudryash leave the “dark kingdom,” but their escape does not mean at all that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will accept new laws of life and fair rules. Once free, they will most likely try to become masters of life themselves.

The play also contains true victims of the “dark kingdom”. This is Katerina Kabanova’s husband, Tikhon, a weak-willed, spineless creature. He listens to his mother in everything and obeys her, does not have a clear position in life, courage, courage. His image fully corresponds to his name - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also allows his mother to shamelessly treat his wife. This is especially evident in the farewell scene before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats all his mother’s instructions and moral teachings word for word. Kabanov could not resist his mother in any way; he slowly drank himself to death, becoming even more weak-willed and quiet. Of course, Katerina cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with Dikiy's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in Dobrolyubov’s apt expression, “in the wilderness,” because in essence Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Maybe a little more educated. Boris's lack of will, his desire to receive his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful to his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love.

In the “dark kingdom” the wanderer Feklusha enjoys great reverence and respect. Feklushi's stories about the lands where people with dog heads live are perceived as irrefutable information about the world. But not everything in it is so gloomy: there are also living, sympathetic souls. This is a self-taught mechanic, Kuligin, who invents a perpetual motion machine. He is kind and active, literally obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. But all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, and ignorance. So, in response to an attempt to install steel lightning rods on houses, he receives a furious rebuff from the Wild: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some kind of rods.”

Kuligin is essentially the reasoner in the play; the condemnation of the “dark kingdom” is put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, the morals in our city are cruel... Whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that he can get even more free money for his labors.” make money..."

But Kuligin, like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara, Kudryash, adapted to the “dark kingdom” and came to terms with such a life.

The secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Every face in the play, every image was a step on the ladder that led Katerina to the banks of the Volga, to death.

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered a singer of the merchant milieu, the father of Russian everyday drama, Russian theater. He wrote about 60 plays, the most famous of which are “Dowry”, “ Late love", "Forest", "Simplicity is enough for every wise man", "We will count our own people", "Thunderstorm" and many others. A.N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" the most decisive work, since "the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness is brought to tragic consequences in it... There is something refreshing and encouraging in “The Thunderstorm”. This something is, in our opinion, the background of the play." Who makes up this background? Minor characters. So, the constant companion of Katerina, the main character of the play, Varvara, the sister of Katerina’s husband, Tikhona Kabanova. She is Katerina’s opponent. Her main thing rule: “do whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” Varvara cannot be denied intelligence, cunning and lightness; before marriage she wants to be everywhere, try everything, because she knows that “girls go out as they please, Father and mother don't care. Only women are locked up." Lying is the norm for her. In a conversation with Katerina, she speaks directly about this: Katerina: “I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything.” Varvara: “Well, you can’t live without it...” Our whole house is based on this. And I was not a deceiver, but Varvara learned when it became necessary, she learned its laws and rules. She is, in fact, the future. Kabanikha, after all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Varvara’s friend, Kudryash Ivan, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can answer to the Wild one. Why is he holding me? Therefore, he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me..." says Kudryash. In conversation, he behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess, red tape, knowledge of the "merchant establishment." Kudryash - the second Wild, only he is still young. In the end, Varvara and Kudryash leave the “dark kingdom,” but does this escape mean that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will become the source of new laws of life and fair rules ? Hardly. Now, having found themselves free, they will most likely try to become masters of life themselves. Let us now turn to the true victims of the “dark kingdom”. So, Katerina Kabanova’s husband Tikhon is a weak-willed, spineless creature. He obeys his mother in everything and obeys her. He does not have a clear position in life, courage, courage. His image fully corresponds to the name given to him - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also allows his mother to shamelessly treat his wife. This is especially evident in the farewell scene before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats all his mother’s instructions and moral teachings word for word. Kabanov could not resist his mother in anything, he slowly became an alcoholic and thereby became even more weak-willed and quiet. Of course, Katerina cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with Dikiy's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in Dobrolyubov’s apt expression, “in the wilderness,” because in essence Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Maybe a little more educated. Boris's lack of will, his desire to receive his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful to his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love. In the dark kingdom, the wanderer Feklusha enjoys great respect and respect. Feklushi's stories about the lands where people with dog heads live are perceived as irrefutable information about the world. But not everything is so gloomy; in the “dark kingdom” there are also living, sympathetic souls. This is a self-taught mechanic Kuligin, looking for a perpetual motion machine. He is kind and active, obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. But all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, and ignorance. So, when he tries to install steel lightning rods on houses, he receives a furious rebuff from Dikiy: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some kind of rods.” Kuligin is the reasoner in the play , a condemnation of the “dark kingdom” was put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, the morals in our city are cruel... Whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that he can make even more money from his free labors...” But Kuligin, just like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara, Kudryash, has adapted to the “dark kingdom”, has come to terms with such a life, he is just a body that has taken root in the “dark kingdom”. Minor characters, as already said, are the background against which The tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Every face in the play, every image was a step in the ladder that led Katerina to the banks of the Volga, to death.

Tasks and tests on the topic "The significance of minor characters in the drama of Ostrovsky Groz"

  • Main and minor members of the sentence - Offer. Word combination 4th grade

    Lessons: 1 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1


Meaning minor characters in Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm"

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered a singer of the merchant milieu, the father of Russian drama and Russian theater. He is the author of about 60 plays, of which the most famous are “The Dowry”, “Late Love”, “The Forest”, “For Every Wise Man Enough Simplicity”, “Our People Are Numbered”, “The Thunderstorm” and many others.

A.N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” the most decisive work, given that “the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought to tragic consequences in it...

There is something refreshing and encouraging about "The Thunderstorm". This something is, in our opinion, the background of the play." Who makes up the background? Minor characters. So, the constant companion of Katerina, the main character of the play, Varvara, the sister of Katerina’s husband, Tikhona Kabanova. She is Katerina’s opponent. Her main thing rule: “do what you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” Varvara cannot be denied intelligence, cunning and lightness; before marriage she wants to be everywhere, to try everything, because she knows that “girls go out as they want, Father and mother don't care. Only women are locked up." Lying is the norm for her.

In a conversation with Katerina, she directly talks about this: Katerina: - I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything.

Varvara: - Well, you can’t do without it... Our whole house rests on this. And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary.

Varvara adapted to the dark kingdom, learned its laws and rules

She feels authority, strength, and a desire to deceive. She is, in fact, the future Kabanikha, because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Varvara's friend, Kudryash Ivan, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can answer Dikiy. “I’m considered a rude person; why is he holding me? So, he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me...” says Kudryash

In conversation, he behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess, red tape, and knowledge of the “merchant establishment.” Kudryash is the second Dikoy, only he is still young.

In the end, Varvara and Kudryash leave the “dark kingdom,” but does ϶ᴛόᴛescape mean that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will become the source of new laws of life and honest rules? Hardly. Now, having found themselves free, they will most likely try to become masters of life themselves.

Let us now turn to the true victims of the “dark kingdom”. So, Katerina Kabanova’s husband Tikhon is a weak-willed, spineless creature. He obeys his mother in everything and obeys her. He does not have a clear position in life, courage, courage. His image fully corresponds to the name given to him - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also gives his mother the opportunity to shamelessly treat his wife. This is especially evident in the farewell scene before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats all his mother’s instructions and moral teachings word for word. Kabanov could not resist his mother in anything, he slowly drank himself to death and thereby became even more weak-willed and quiet. Of course, Katerina cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with Dikiy's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in Dobrolyubov’s apt expression, “in the wilderness,” because in essence Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Maybe a little more educated. Boris's lack of will, his desire to receive his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful to his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love.

In the dark kingdom, the wanderer Feklusha enjoys great reverence and respect. Feklushi's stories about the lands where people with dog heads live are perceived as irrefutable information about the world. Text from the Big Abstract RU website

But not everything is so gloomy; in the “dark kingdom” there are also living, sympathetic souls. This is a self-taught mechanic Kuligin, looking for a perpetual motion machine. He is kind and active, obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. But all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, and ignorance. So, when he tries to install steel lightning rods on houses, he receives a furious rebuff from the Dikiy: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some kind of rods.”

Kuligin is the reasoner in the play, condemnation of the “dark kingdom” is put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, the morals in our city are cruel... Whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that he can make even more money from his free labors ..." But Kuligin, like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara, Kudryash, has adapted to the “dark kingdom”, has come to terms with such a life, he is just a body that has taken root in the “dark kingdom”.

The secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Every face in the play, every image was a step in the ladder that led Katerina to the banks of the Volga, to death.

List of used literature and sources

To prepare this work, materials from the site http://sochinenia1.narod.ru/ were used

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Character, conflict and features of stage action in the drama "The Thunderstorm"

Character, conflict and features of stage action in the drama "The Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky in his work more than once turned to the theme of patriarchal merchants. His most striking work on this topic is the drama “The Thunderstorm,” written in 1859. “The Thunderstorm” is without a doubt Ostrovsky’s most decisive work; the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought to the most tragic consequences in it...” wrote Dobrolyubov. Among the expanse of Russian nature, on the steep bank of the Volga lies the city of Kalinov. And beyond the Volga you can see villages, fields, forests. “The view is extraordinary! Beauty! The soul rejoices!” - Kuligin admires. It would seem that the life of the people of this city should be happy. However, this is not true. There is a struggle of new forces, younger generation with outdated social orders and their defenders. The younger generation in the play is represented by Katerina, Varvara, Kudryash, Tikhon. Each of them in their own way resists the “dark kingdom”, the main representatives of which are Kabanikha and Dikoy. The composition “Thunderstorms” is based on love drama . The plot of the action begins with Katerina’s confession that she does not love Tikhon, but loves Boris. Katerina's love is dramatic, as she was raised in a religious family. Her feelings conflict with the views that were instilled in her from childhood. Therefore, she considers her love for Boris a sin that she cannot overcome. Her suffering is intensified by the fact that she is a truthful and sincere person: “I don’t know how to deceive, I can’t hide anything.” Katerina’s feeling does not make anyone feel good; only Varvara feels sorry for her and tries to help her. However, Varvara offers Katerina help, which is unnatural for Katerina and only increases her suffering. Varvara, raised in the Kabanikha family, learned to lie and dodge, seeing this as an opportunity to resist her mother’s oppression. Varvara lives by the principle: “do what you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered.” Her beloved Kudryash, who works for Dikiy, lives by the same principle. The image of the Wild shows the brute force of tyranny. The Wild One's speech is ignorant. He doesn't want to know anything about science, culture, inventions that improve life. Dikoy constantly fights, but only with those who fear him or depend on him financially. The family hides from him in attics and basements, Boris, his nephew, endures his abuse because he depends on him. Wildly greedy. The meaning of his life is to acquire and increase his wealth. To achieve this, he does not disdain any means. Having thousands, he feels his strength and brazenly demands everyone's respect and obedience. However, in the appearance of the Wild, despite all his belligerence, there are comical features. Kabanikha is the most sinister figure in the city. She observes obsolete orders and customs in the house, based on religious prejudices and Domostroy. She “eats” her victim, “sharpens like rusting iron.” The speech of the imperious Kabanikha sounds like an order. Kabanikha is an exponent of the ideas and principles of the “dark kingdom”. She understands that money alone does not give power, another indispensable condition is the obedience of those who do not have money. She wants to kill the will of the household, any ability to resist. Neither Tikhon nor Varvara dare to openly contradict her. However, they are not satisfied with the patriarchal order in the house. Varvara says: “What a desire to dry out! At least die of melancholy...” She secretly meets with Kudryash and offers the same method to Katerina. It’s difficult for Katerina to agree to this, but she decides: “Come what may, I’ll see Boris!” However, she cannot hide her love for long and decides to repent. Public repentance shows the depth of her suffering, moral greatness, determination and willpower. She says to Boris: “I wasn’t afraid of sin for you, should I be afraid of human judgment.” But public repentance does not bring her relief. Katerina is left completely alone, she has nowhere to look for support. All future life It seems to her like sheer torment for the sin she committed. Her position in the family becomes unbearable. In this state, Katerina could only rely on her loved one. But Boris could not be such a support. Financially dependent on the Dikiy, he submits to his will and leaves for the trading settlement of Kyakhta. What is left for Katerina? “Where to now? Go home?.. Live again? - she asks herself. - No, no, don’t, it’s not good! And people are disgusting to me, and the house is disgusting to me, and the walls are disgusting!.. I wish I could die now...” The only way out she finds is to throw herself into the Volga. Having experienced freedom and true happiness, she cannot come to terms with the oppression of the ominous Kabanikha. Her entire unbending nature rebelled against this, but she did not have the strength to confront this world in an unequal struggle....


The tragedy of a suffering soul in the world of businessmen (based on the drama by A. N. Ostrovsky "Dowry")

The tragedy of a suffering soul in the world of businessmen (based on A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry") Tragedy... This word implies death. At the end of the play, a wonderful, gifted, fragile girl, Larisa Ogudalova, dies. Her death is not accidental. The playwright consistently takes his heroine through suffering and shock, forcing her to experience all the bitterness of deceived love and the collapse of hopes for happiness. ...


The Dark Kingdom in Ostrovsky's drama Groz (Wild and Kabanikha)

It seems as if Kalinov is fenced off from the rest of the world by a high fence and lives some kind of special, closed life. Ostrovsky concentrated his attention on the most important thing, showing the wretchedness and savagery of the morals of Russian patriarchal life - after all, all this life only stands on familiar, outdated laws, which are obviously completely ridiculous. The “Dark Kingdom” tenaciously clings to everything old and established. This is standing in one place, stagnation. And stagnation is only possible when it is supported by people who have power and authority....


The Dark Kingdom in the drama "The Thunderstorm"

The Dark Kingdom in the drama "The Thunderstorm" The drama "The Thunderstorm" was written by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in 1859 after a trip along the Volga. It was believed that a certain Alexandra Klykova served as the prototype of Katerina. Her story is in many ways similar to the heroine’s story, but Ostrovsky finished work on the play a month before Klykova’s suicide. However, the very fact of such a coincidence suggests that the author perspicaciously grasped and reliably described the growing conflict between the older and younger generations in merchant life. The appearance of “The Thunderstorm” made it possible for Dobrolyubov to call the main character of the play, Katerina, “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” Dobrolyubov calls the “Dark Kingdom” not only the life of a merchant, but also the entire Russian reality, shown by Ostrovsky in his plays....


The theme of moral obligations in F. Schiller’s drama “The Robbers”

Friedrich Schiller once said that he knew how to keep people from falling. To do this, you need to close your heart to weakness. The depth of this saying becomes more transparent if you look closely at the image of the German romantic poet Friedrich Schiller. He was a famous humanist and thought a lot about the meaning of human life. Schiller's contemporaries completely lost sincerity and openness in their relationships with their neighbors and no longer lived by faith, but by calculation, seeing people not as friends, but almost as enemies. Schiller was against the rise of such flamboyant individualism and unbelief. ...

The significance of minor characters in A. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered a singer of the merchant milieu, the father of Russian everyday drama, Russian theater. He is the author of about sixty plays, of which the most famous are “The Dowry”, “Late Love”, “The Forest”, “Simplicity is Enough for Every Wise Man”, “We Are Our Own People”, “The Thunderstorm” and many others.

A. N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” the most decisive work, since “the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought to tragic consequences in it... There is something refreshing and encouraging in “The Thunderstorm”. This something is, in our opinion, the background of the play.” Who makes up this background? Minor characters.

Thus, the constant companion of Katerina, the main character of the play, is Varvara, the sister of Katerina’s husband Tikhon Kabanova. She is Katerina's opponent. Her main rule: “Do whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” Varvara cannot be denied intelligence, cunning and lightness; Before marriage, she wants to be able to go everywhere, try everything, because she knows that “girls go out as they please, father and mother don’t care. Only women are locked up.” Lying is the norm for her. In a conversation with Katerina, she directly talks about this:

“Katerina. I don’t know how to deceive, I can’t hide anything.

Varvara. Well, you can’t do without this... Our whole house rests on this. And I wasn’t a liar, but I learned when it became necessary.”

Varvara adapted to the “dark kingdom”, learned its laws and rules. There is a sense of authority, strength, and desire to deceive in her. She is, in fact, the future Kabanikha, because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Varvara's friend, Ivan Kudryash, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can answer Dikiy. “I am considered a rude person; Why is he holding me? Therefore, he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me...” says Kudryash. In conversation, he behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess, red tape, and knowledge of the “merchant establishment.” Kudryash is the second Wild, only he is still young.

In the end, Varvara and Kudryash leave the “dark kingdom,” but does this escape mean that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will become the source of new laws of life and honest rules? Hardly. Once free, they will most likely try to become masters of life themselves.

Let us now turn to the true victims of the “dark kingdom”. So, Katerina Kabanova’s husband Tikhon is a weak-willed, spineless creature. He obeys his mother in everything and obeys her. He does not have a clear position in life, courage, courage. His image fully corresponds to the name given to him - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also allows his mother to treat his wife rudely. This is especially evident in the farewell scene before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats all his mother’s instructions and moral teachings word for word. Kabanov could not resist his mother in anything, he slowly became an alcoholic and thereby became even more weak-willed and quiet.

Of course, Katerina cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with Dikiy's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in Dobrolyubov’s apt expression, “in the wilderness,” because, in essence, Boris is not much different from Tikhon, except perhaps a little more educated than him. Boris's lack of will, his desire to receive his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful to his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love.

In the “dark kingdom” the wanderer Feklusha enjoys great reverence and respect. Feklushi's stories about the lands where people with dog heads live are perceived as irrefutable information about the world.

But not everything is so gloomy; in the “dark kingdom” there are also living, sensitive souls. This is a self-taught mechanic Kuligin, looking for a perpetual motion machine. He is kind and active, obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. However, all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, and ignorance. So, when he tries to install steel lightning rods on houses, he receives a furious rebuff from the Wild: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some kind of rods.”

Kuligin is the reasoner in the play, condemnation of the “dark kingdom” is put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, the morals in our city are cruel... Whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that he can make even more money from his free labors ...”

But Kuligin, like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara, Kudryash, has adapted to the “dark kingdom”, has come to terms with such a life, he is just one of the inhabitants of the “dark kingdom”.

The secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Every face in the play, every image was a step on the ladder that led Katerina to the banks of the Volga, to tragic death.