Katerina is a Russian tragic heroine. The image of Katerina in the play The Thunderstorm

SOUL
KATERINA'S DRAMA

In the drama "The Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky created a very complex psychologically image - the image of Katerina Kabanova. This young woman charms the viewer with her huge, pure soul, childish sincerity and kindness. But she lives in the musty atmosphere of the “dark kingdom” merchant morals. Ostrovsky managed to create a bright and poetic image of a Russian woman from the people. Main storyline plays are tragic conflict the living, feeling soul of Katerina and the dead way of life of the “dark kingdom”. Honest and touching Katerina turned out to be a powerless victim of cruel orders merchant environment. No wonder Dobrolyubov called Katerina “a ray of light in dark kingdom"Katerina has not resigned herself to despotism and tyranny; driven to despair, she challenges the “dark kingdom” and perishes. Only in this way can she save her life from brutal pressure inner world. According to critics, for Katerina “it is not death that is desirable, but life that is unbearable. To live for her means to be herself. Not to be herself means for her not to live.”

The image of Katerina is built on a folk-poetic basis. Her pure soul is fused with nature. She presents herself as a bird, the image of which in folklore is closely connected with the concept of will. “I lived, didn’t worry about anything, like a bird in the wild.” Katerina, who ended up in Kabanova as if in a terrible prison, often remembers her parents’ home, where she was treated with love and understanding. Talking to Varvara, the heroine asks: “...Why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes it seems to me that I’m a bird.” Katerina breaks free from the cage, where she is forced to remain until the end of her days.

Religion evoked high feelings, a surge of joy and reverence in her. The beauty and fullness of the heroine’s soul were expressed in prayers to God. “On a sunny day, such a light column goes down from the dome, and smoke moves in this column, like clouds, and I see that it used to be as if angels were flying and singing in this column. And then, it happened... I’d get up at night... and somewhere in corner and pray until the morning. Or early in the morning I’ll go into the garden, the sun is still rising, I’ll fall on my knees, pray and cry.”

Katerina expresses her thoughts and feelings poetically vernacular. The heroine's melodious speech is colored by love for the world, the use of many diminutive forms characterizes her soul. She says “sunshine”, “voditsa”, “grave”, often resorts to repetitions, as in songs: “on a good three”, “and people are disgusting to me, and the house is disgusting to me, and the walls are disgusting.” Trying to throw out the feelings boiling inside her, Katerina exclaims: “Violent winds, bear with him my sadness and melancholy!”

Katerina's tragedy is that she does not know how and does not want to lie. And in the “dark kingdom” lies are the basis of life and relationships. Boris tells her: “No one will know about our love...”, to which Katerina replies: “Let everyone know, let everyone see what I do!” These words reveal the courageous, integral nature of this woman, who risks challenging ordinary morality and confronting society alone.

But, having fallen in love with Boris, Katerina enters into a struggle with herself, with her beliefs. She, married woman, feels like a great sinner. Her faith in God is not the hypocrisy of Kabanikha, who covers up her anger and misanthropy with God. Awareness of her own sinfulness and pangs of conscience haunt Katerina. She complains to Varya: “Oh, Varya, sin is on my mind! How much I, poor thing, cried, what I didn’t do to myself! I can’t get away from this sin. I can’t go anywhere. After all, this is not good, because this is a terrible sin, Varenka, why do I love someone else? Katerina does not think about the fact that she was violated by marrying someone she didn’t love. Her husband, Tikhon, is glad to leave home and does not want to protect his wife from her mother-in-law. Her heart tells her that her love is the greatest happiness, in which there is nothing bad, but the morality of society and the church does not forgive the free expression of feelings. Katerina struggles among unsolvable questions.

The tension in the play increases, Katerina is afraid of a thunderstorm, hears terrible prophecies of a crazy lady, sees a picture on the wall depicting doomsday. In a darkened state of mind, she repents of her sin. Repentance from the heart according to religious laws necessarily requires forgiveness. But people have forgotten the kind, forgiving and loving God, they still have a God who punishes and punishes. Katerina does not receive forgiveness. She doesn’t want to live and suffer, she has nowhere to go, her loved one turned out to be as weak and dependent as her husband. Everyone betrayed her. The church considers suicide a terrible sin, but for Katerina it is an act of despair. It is better to end up in hell than to live in the “dark kingdom”. The heroine cannot harm anyone, so she decides to die herself. Throwing herself off a cliff into the Volga, at the last moment Katerina thinks not about her sin, but about love, which illuminated her life with great happiness. Last words Katerina addressed Boris: “My friend! My joy! Farewell!” One can only hope that God will be more merciful to Katerina than people.

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> Folk-poetic and religious in the image of Katerina Kabanova (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky)

In A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina can be classified as the first type, and Varvara as the second type. Katerina is a poetic person, she feels the beauty of nature. “I used to get up early in the morning, summer, so I would go to the spring, wash myself, bring some water with me and that’s it, water all the flowers in the house. I had many, many flowers,” says Katerina about her childhood. She is constantly drawn to beauty, her dreams are filled with miracles. Katerina often sees herself
The play “The Thunderstorm” begins with a free-spirited song, sung by Kuligin, a man who deeply feels beauty and knows how to express his feelings: Among the flat valleys, On the smooth heights, a tall oak blossoms and grows In mighty beauty. It is unlikely that the author accidentally chose this particular song, the verses of which were written at the beginning of the century. Against its background, the themes that will be developed in “The Thunderstorm” sound stronger: the beauty and ugliness of life, tyranny arising from unlimited power, the omnipotence of the house-building, protest against the humiliation of man, the substitution of moral
The uniqueness of "The Thunderstorm" lies in the fact that not everything in it characters connected to each other in terms of plot. So, for example, Dikoy has no visible relationship with Katerina, detailed stories about his tyranny, according to old aesthetic standards, might seem tacky. But he and other extra-plot characters (like Feklusha, for example) were absolutely necessary for the playwright, because they made it possible to understand the origins and nature of Katerina’s tragedy. In the system of images Katerina
And if I get really tired of it here, they won’t hold me back by any force. A. Ostrovsky Against the backdrop of a still formidable, but already shaky tyranny, Ostrovsky showed the original, integral, strong, selfless character of a Russian woman, who, with the decisiveness of her protest, was a terrible challenge to the “tyrant” Power and foreshadowed the onset of the end of the “dark kingdom.” Dobrolyubov named Katerina, main character drama "The Thunderstorm", with a folk, national character, "a bright ray in a dark kingdom." Katerina appears before us as bright, but deeply suffering. Happy and cloudless
The old days are coming to an end! A. Ostrovsky The drama "The Thunderstorm" is based on Katerina's protest against centuries-old traditions and the Old Testament way of life of the "dark kingdom". The author shows deep internal drama Katerina: a passionate impulse for freedom and happiness collides with her own ideas about morality, which were formed under the influence of the same “dark kingdom” against which she “revolted.” The play takes place in a very beautiful place on the banks of the Volga. The landscape creates a certain mood, which allows, by contrast, to more acutely feel the stuffy
This work was published in 1860, during a period of social upsurge, when the foundations of serfdom began to crumble, and a thunderstorm was really brewing in the stuffy, anxious atmosphere. In Russian literature, a thunderstorm has long been the personification of the struggle for freedom, and for Ostrovsky it is not just a majestic natural phenomenon, but a social upheaval. The play reflected the impressions of a trip along the Volga, which the author undertook as part of an expedition that studied the life of the inhabitants of the Volga region. N.A. Dobrolyubov, speaking about the innovation of Ostrovsky the playwright, believed that
Where and when does the drama "The Thunderstorm" take place? What phenomena of Russian life are reflected in it? Name the main characters of the play. Who is opposed to whom? Are we talking about the struggle between generations of “fathers” and “sons” or about the opposition of psychology, views, beliefs? The main characters of the play are contrasted to some extent as people of different generations, “fathers” (Dikoy, Kabanikha) and “children” (Katerina, Varvara, Boris, Tikhon). But the main thing is different: the attitude to life, the psychology of the guardians of antiquity, who are afraid of everything new, are contrasted,

KATERINA'S IMAGE

(BASED ON THE PLAY “THUNDERSTORM” BY A.N. OSTROVSKY)

"Thunderstorm" is, without a doubt, the most decisive work Ostrovsky..."
– wrote N.A. Dobrolyubov in his article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom”, and
he would be right. A.N. Ostrovsky, as a very sensitive playwright, managed to
reveal with extraordinary clarity the conflict of tyranny with voicelessness and
show how close the end of the triumph of false positions is. Katerina,
the main character of the play "The Thunderstorm", very different from the others
characters in the drama. According to N.A. Dobrolyubov, “...the character of Katerina
corresponds to the new phase of our folk life, he has long demanded his
implementation in literature...", in it "... consciousness of truth and right, sound
meaning…". In her image there is a “decisive, integral Russian character.” Katerina –
this is the embodiment of all living Russian nature, in its protest - “...the most
a strong protest that rises from the chests of the weakest and
patient." Using her example, A.N. Ostrovsky shows the difficult situation
women in nineteenth-century society. At that time representatives
the weaker sex had no right to express their thoughts freely,
openly protest against this attitude towards oneself. Everything there is
in your soul, you had to keep it to yourself or earn everyone’s disapproval
and constant, albeit silent, reproaches.

Katerina also found herself in such conditions when she married Tikhon Kabanov. But
she didn’t retreat, she didn’t give up. Why? Because she wasn't like that
character formed long before marriage. Katerina the girl and
Katerina is a married woman, they are different, although they are all the same
freedom-loving, open, independent nature.

Before marriage, Katerina’s life was similar to the life of a free bird: “I
lived, didn’t worry about anything...” she says. Conditions in which
Katerina was brought up, and made her character so unique, complete
vital force, and its nature - surprisingly holistic and multifaceted.

Katerina’s youth is the morning of nature, the solemn beauty of the sun
sunrise, bright hopes and joyful prayers. She's poetic all the time
compares himself first with a bird, sometimes with a butterfly, dreams of flying away from earthly
worries together with the angels, she constantly has wonderful dreams. Religiosity
Katerina absorbs all the beauty of nature: both the expanse of the Volga and the dewy
grass in the flowering Trans-Volga meadows, and butterflies fluttering from flower to
flower. Katerina experiences the joy of life in the temple. “Exactly, it used to be in heaven
I go in and don’t see anyone, and I don’t remember the time, and I don’t hear when the service is
will end,” she recalls. And how she prays! "What's on her face
the smile is angelic, but the face seems to glow.”

Katerina's love of freedom, her independence and determination began
appear early. Proof of this is Varvara’s story about the incident
childhood: “I was born this way, hot! I was still six years old, no
more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was evening,
it's already dark; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat, and pushed it away from
shores. The next morning they found it about ten miles away! But this act
Katerina is completely consistent with her soul, the soul of a Russian person. In this
freedom-loving impulse - leaving untruth and evil in the land of light and goodness,
an attempt to find protection from the great Mother Volga.

Dreaminess, religiosity, kindness and love of freedom - these are the features
character of unmarried Katerina. But then she got married. How is she
changed?

Once in the Kabanov family, a real “dark kingdom,” Katerina “withered
completely,” but her rebellious soul remained the same. Everything seems to be left
the same thing, but “... as if from under captivity...” Katerina no longer dreams of
beautiful dreams that she had as a girl, she does not experience such
boundless happiness upon entering the temple. Wherever she goes, no matter what
did, she always feels vigilantly watching over her, nothing
Kabanikha’s never-missing gaze. “Was I like that!” - Katerina sighs, with
sadly remembering the carefree days of her girlhood. But she doesn't give up
does not agree to suppress thoughts that Kabanikha dislikes. At first
her protest is heard only in conversations, in her answers to her mother-in-law: “Why
Are you offending me?”, “Who enjoys tolerating lies!” But already
It is now clear that this cannot continue for long. And, indeed,
Katerina's protest soon develops into an open clash with
representatives of the “dark kingdom” and their “house-building”. In this kingdom where
all living things wither and dry up, the heroine is overcome by longing for the lost
harmony. Having fallen in love with Boris, she, even if unconsciously, proved that
she cannot be locked up, she cannot be prevented from doing anything. Her love is akin
the desire to raise your hands and fly. She tried to turn this feeling into
his fly Tikhon, but he pushed her away, not understanding what she was experiencing
suffering. This is especially clear in the scene of their farewell. "Well, take me with
take it with you!” - asks Katerina. “What fun it is to travel with you! you me
We've already stopped here completely. I have no idea how to escape, but you still
“You’re forcing yourself on me,” Tikhon answers. Katerina is attracted to Boris
the need for love, the offended feeling of a wife and woman, mortal
the melancholy of her monotonous life, finally. But Boris is not a match for Katerina - fate
brought together people who are incommensurable in their moral depth
sensitivity. Boris lives only for the present day and does not think about
the consequences of their actions. Already after their love with Katerina
has ceased to be a secret, it doesn’t even occur to him to help somehow
Katerina, at least take her with you. “Who knew what kind of love we have?
ours to suffer so much with you!” - he says, forgetting that about retribution
Kudryash and Katerina herself told him for this love, who even with
when saying goodbye to Boris, he doesn’t think about himself, but only asks him for forgiveness for
the troubles caused to him. The contrast of the fullness of free love is striking
Katerina and Boris’s mental flabbiness.

But what is the reason that prompted Katerina to publicly confess to her husband
perfect sin? Was she afraid of thunderstorms like other residents?
Kalinova, due to superstition? No, the true source of her repentance is in her
sensitive conscience. It's not the thunderstorm itself that she's afraid of. Die restless
coming before God with all her sins is what scares her. Fear
Katerina is the inner voice of her conscience. She couldn't live with
such a sin, pretending to be a respectable and faithful wife.

But even after repentance, Katerina does not calm down. She knows that life is hers
will now become more terrible than before: “Live again? No, no, don't... not good!
And people are disgusting to me, and the house is disgusting, and the walls are disgusting!” She can't
to submit to the soulless Kabanikha and other inhabitants of the “dark kingdom” is not
such is her character. The only way out for her is death. But
Katerina dies morally purified, having gone through thunderstorm trials,
she leaves this world calm. Her death is the last flash
spiritual love for God's world.

So was Katerina “a ray of light in a dark kingdom,” as he called her
N.A. Dobrolyubov? No, she was a candle that warmed the people around her
smooth living light. This is not a beam of light, cold, merciless, never
going out is precisely a candle that has been extinguished with one’s breath
residents of the “dark kingdom” reaching out to her from all sides.

So why did A.N. Ostrovsky introduce the image of Katerina into the play? I think on
Through the example of this heroine, he wanted to show that the decisive protest of the people,
the embodiment of which Katerina became, is inevitable. There are still few like
she, they have no support, they are not understood. But over time these people
there will be more of them, they will be the majority, and they will defeat the “dark kingdom.”
By continuing Katerina's work, they will bring it to the end. And instead of "dark"
kingdom" there will be a "bright kingdom" where all people will be kind,
sincere and sympathetic - in a word, the way Katerina was.

I admire the purity of Katerina, the originality of her character,
love of freedom, kindness, dreaminess - all inherent in her
qualities. One can only regret that even in our modern
Society rarely meets such integral natures, such “candles” as
Katerina. Surprisingly, A.N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is still
almost a century and a half later, everything is as relevant as at the time of its
writing.

The idea for “The Thunderstorm” arose during Ostrovsky’s trip along the Volga (1856-1857), but the drama was written only in 1859. “The Thunderstorm,” wrote Dobrolyubov, “is without a doubt Ostrovsky’s most decisive work.” This assessment has not lost its force to this day. Among everything written by Ostrovsky, “The Thunderstorm” is undoubtedly the best work, the pinnacle of his creativity. This is a real pearl of Russian drama, standing on a par with such works as “The Minor”, ​​“Woe from Wit”, “The Inspector General”, “Boris Godunov”.

The most complete and convincing assessment of Ostrovsky’s work was given by Dobrolyubov in the articles “The Dark Kingdom” (1859) and “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” (1860), which had a huge revolutionary influence on the younger generation of the 1860s. In Ostrovsky's works the critic saw, first of all, a remarkably truthful and versatile depiction of reality. Possessing “a deep understanding of Russian life and a great ability to depict sharply and vividly its most essential aspects,” Ostrovsky was, according to Dobrolyubov’s definition, a real people’s writer. Ostrovsky’s work is distinguished not only by its deep nationalism, ideological nature, and bold denunciation social evil, but also high artistic skill, which was entirely subordinated to the task of realistic reproduction of reality. Ostrovsky repeatedly emphasized that life itself is a source of dramatic collisions and situations.

With amazing power he depicts the Ostrovo corner of the “dark kingdom”, where human dignity in people is brazenly trampled upon. The masters of life here are tyrants. They tyrannize over their families and suppress every manifestation of living human thought. The main character of the drama is Katerina. In terms of her character, she stands out sharply among those around her. Her fate is tragic and, unfortunately, is bright and typical example the fates of thousands of Russian women of that time.

Katerina is the wife of the merchant son Tikhon Kabanov. She recently left her home and moved in with her husband, where she lives with her mother-in-law Kabanova. Katerina has no rights in the family; she is not even free to dispose of herself. With warmth and love, she remembers her parents' home and her girlhood life. There she lived at ease, surrounded by her mother’s affection and care. I went to the spring to get water, looked after flowers, embroidered on velvet, went to church, listened to the stories and singing of wanderers. The religious upbringing she received in her family developed in her impressionability, dreaminess, belief in the afterlife and retribution for sins.

In the husband's house, freedom was replaced by stuffy slavery. At every step, Katerina felt dependent on her mother-in-law and suffered humiliation and insults. She does not meet with any support from Tikhon, much less understanding, since he himself is under the power of Kabanikha. Katerina is ready to treat Kaba-nikha as her own mother. She tells her: “For me, mamma, everything is the same as my own mother and you.” But sincere feelings Katerina does not find support from either Kabanikha or Tikhon. Life in such an environment changed Katerina’s character: “How playful I was, but with you I completely withered... Was I like that?” Katerina’s sincerity and truthfulness collide in Kabanikha’s house with lies, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, and rudeness.

When love for Boris is born in Katerina, it seems like a crime to her, and she struggles with the feeling that washes over her. Truthfulness and sincerity make her suffer so much that she finally has to repent to her husband. These human qualities are incompatible with the life of the “dark kingdom”, so they became the cause of Katerina’s tragedy. The intensity of her experiences especially increases after Tikhon’s return: she “is trembling all over, as if a fever is hitting her... rushing around the house, as if looking for something, her eyes are like those of a madwoman, just this morning she began to cry, and she is sobbing.”

Katerina’s public repentance shows the depth of her suffering, moral greatness, and determination. But after repentance, her situation became unbearable. Her husband does not understand her, Boris is weak-willed and does not come to her aid. The situation has become hopeless - Katerina is dying. More than one specific person is to blame for her death. Her death is the result of the incompatibility of morality and the way of life in which she was forced to exist.

Katerina - new type people of Russian reality in the 60s of the 19th century. Dobrolyubov wrote that Katerina’s character “is full of faith in new ideals and selfless in the sense that it is better for him to die than to live under those principles that are disgusting to him. A decisive, integral character acting among the Wild and Kabanovs appears in Ostrovsky in female type, and this is not without its serious significance.” Dobrolyubov calls Katerina “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” He says that her suicide seemed to illuminate for a moment the deep darkness of the “dark kingdom.” At its tragic end, according to the critic, “a terrible challenge was given to tyrant power.”

Katerina’s last monologue is evidence of her inner victory over the forces of the “dark kingdom.” “Live again? No, no, don’t... it’s not good! the man is walking speech! At the thought of the violence that will be committed against her, Katerina exclaims: “Oh, quickly, quickly!” The thirst for liberation triumphs.

Katerina becomes convinced of her right to freedom of feeling, to the freedom to choose between life and death. “It’s all the same that death will come, that it will... but you can’t live!” - she reflects on suicide, which from the point of view of the church is a mortal sin. And then she questions this idea: “Sin! Won't they pray? He who loves will pray...” The thought of love is stronger than the fear of religious prohibitions, and Katerina’s dying words are not addressed to God and do not express repentance for the sins committed - they are addressed to her beloved: “My friend! My joy! Goodbye!" So, free from prejudice, a living and strong feeling won in Katerina’s soul, and she broke free from the shackles of the “dark kingdom”.