"Boat". The play “The Boat” was very popular among peasants, soldiers, and factory workers. This was explained by the fact that it touched upon issues that were important to the broad masses. questions. Its most common name is "Boat". But it is also called differently: “Boat”, “Ataman”, “Robbers”, “Gang”, “Gang of Robbers”, “Ermak”, “Stenka Razin”.
The plot of the play is simple. A gang of robbers led by an ataman and an captain is sailing along the Volga. Esaul looks around the area through a telescope and reports to the chieftain what he sees. When
A large village comes across the shore, the robbers land and attack the landowner's estate. One version of the play ends with the exclamation: “Hey, well done! burn the rich landowner!” . In some versions, the motive of the ataman’s love for the landowner’s daughter or for a Persian woman is introduced. But at the same time, the complex basis - the threat of robbers to the authorities and landowners - remains. This suggests that the ideological essence of the play lies in the expression of the people’s protest against the oppressive nori.koi. This kind of feature of the play allowed some scientists to attribute the appearance of “The Boat” to the end of the 18th century. and connect it with peasant uprisings (V. Yu. Krupyanskaya), ^ another - to consider that it arose earlier in connection with the Razin uprising: in it Stepan Razin often acts as the main character!] But / the first information about the play comes from 1814- 1815 It is characteristic that a number of Russian writers noted the performance of “The Boat” in their memoirs.
A.E. Izmailov mentions the production of the play by students of the Theological Academy around 1814-1819; A. S. Griboyedov saw a performance of it by young children in the vicinity of St. Petersburg in 1818, I. A. Goncharov in the 20s watched as the “Boat” was played by the servants of his grandmother, and the ataman was called Stenka Razin.
The play has an anti-serfdom character. It consists of a gang of robbers, an esaul, and sometimes the robber Kalikatura. [d, center image noble robber-ataman, who sometimes has no name, in other cases is called Ermak or Stepan Razin. According to the meaning of the play, the figure of Razin is more suitable for its plot. It is difficult to decide what kind of ataman was in the original text. There is an opinion that it is composed like a play about Razin.
Stepan Razin is the main character of the play, even if the chieftain does not bear his name. In the details of the ataman’s depiction, Razin’s features are visible. The most important thing is that it is the image of Razin that most fully expresses the main ideological meaning plays: social discontent of the masses, their protest^
The sources of "The Boat" are complex. These are songs about robbers, including about Razin, and popular prints, and popular novels about robbers, and literary songs. This is reflected in the complex composition of the play: it contains monologues and dialogues, a conversation between the ataman and the esaul and with the “gang” (when it comes to admitting a newcomer to its membership), folk songs (“Down along Mother Volga”) and literary songs (A. F. Veltman’s song “What is clouded, the clear dawn” and F. B. Miller’s song “The Burial of the Robber” with the words: “Among the dense forests the silent ones walk ...”), quotes from literary works, for example from the poem by A. S. Pushkin l “Robber Brothers”. The main plot is connected with the song “Down along Mother Volga.” The performers usually remembered only the basic outline of the plot; they acted and spoke in the order of improvisation, using familiar material.
"The Boat" went through a complex story, including new songs, interludes such as the undertaker scene and the doctor scene, but the core of the plot was preserved. Some scenes were permanent, some were replaced. The play also changed: first the robber scenes, sometimes the love ones, came to the fore; the plot was sometimes weakened by the introduction large number songs.
The "robber" drama "The Boat", especially in the form in which it existed in the 19th-20th centuries, by all indications should be classified as romantic works. We would add to this that she became more stable in her motives during the period of Russian romanticism, when she absorbed materials from the works of romantic writers. But in its very essence it is romantic: the robber plot, the Volga expanse, the ataman’s love for his captive, the rebellious nature of the song’s plot - everything speaks precisely of its romantic overtones.
V. N. Vsevolodsky-Gerngross highly appreciates “The Boat”. He writes: “The boat” is a unique phenomenon not only in Russian, but, apparently, in world folklore. It is unique in content, in artistic techniques, in composition, in its authentic nationality, vividly reflects the era and environment in which it was created and existed, full of rebellious spirit, daring, and courage.”
"Tsar Maximilian". The drama “Tsar Maximilian,” as researchers suggest, was composed at the end of the 18th century. This is justified by a number of circumstances: the allusions it contains to the political events of that time, its performance by sailors and soldiers around 1818, the introduction of poems by writers of the 18th century into the play. and features of the language. The play probably took shape among soldiers: it depicts military characters (soldiers and a fast marshal), reflects the military order, and uses military phraseology in the speech of the characters:
Adolf. Hello guys!
All. We wish you good health!
There are also military songs, including marching ones. Finally, several texts of the play are recorded from former soldiers. Its earliest performance was in a military environment (1818); performance among soldiers was observed by Ya. P. Polonsky and I. S. Aksakov in 1855.
The sources of the play were various kinds of literary works: the lives of saints - martyrs for the faith, school dramas of the 17th-18th centuries, where there are images of kings - persecutors of Christians, interludes of the 18th century, in which there are a doctor, an undertaker, a tailor, comic characters who entered and in some versions of the play "Tsar Maximilian". The most likely and main source of this play is considered to be the drama “The Gloriously Victorious Crown of the Martyr Dmitry,” written in 1704 by the students of Dmitry of Rostov for his name day (indicated by P. N. Berkov). It contains many similarities with “Tsar Maximilian”: the name of the king, the persecution of Christians, their imprisonment, execution, punishment of the king. In all this they saw a conflict between Peter I and his son Alexei. But V.N. Vsevolodsky-Gerngross believes that chivalric novels should be considered the main literary source. From the story of Beauvais the Prince comes the name of the capital city Anton, knightly fights, court atmosphere and ceremony.
The play “Tsar Maximilian” has gone through a long and complex process of design. Its structure is distinguished by the large introduction into the text of heterogeneous literary works, most often songs and poems, for example, excerpts from G. R. Derzhavin’s ode “To the Capture of Warsaw”, songs by the poetess of the late 18th century. M. V. Zubova “I’m moving away into the desert”, “Songs of a Prisoner” (“You can’t hear the noise of the city”) by F.N Glinka; using “Hussar” by A. S. Pushkin and “Separation” (“Hussar leaning on a saber”) by K. N. Batyushkov. These were not random or mechanical insertions. They served to characterize characters, create a certain emotional tone and evaluate the behavior of the characters. Poems and songs were reworked, presented in a different language, verse and rhythms were rearranged. The composition and role of works introduced into folk plays was examined in detail by V. E. Gusev.
"King Maximilian" was often contaminated with the plays "Herod" and "The Boat". The first of them strengthened the motives of the struggle for the right faith and the fight against despotism, the second - the motives of the social struggle (Adolph's departure to the robbers). The structure of the play became more complicated, and at the same time the tragic line weakened and comic episodes developed. But the basic plot structure and character characteristics were preserved. Despite all this, the play remained a unique and striking work. V.N. Vsevolodsky-Gerngross says about it: “...This is an original original Russian play, composed for specific Russian ■ political events, only using the scheme of the drama about Herod.”
The action of the play “Tsar Maximilian” in its most complete version develops quite sequentially.
How is this typical for folk plays, the face appears first, in in this case the walker, and addresses the audience:
Hello gentlemen senators,
I didn’t come here to you myself,
And sent from the royal office.
Get everything out of this place
And here the royal throne will be erected.
Goodbye, gentlemen,
Now the king himself will be here. (Leaves)
The emerging Tsar also addresses the public and announces that he is not the Russian Emperor or the French King (“I am your formidable Tsar Maximilian”), that he will judge his rebellious son Adolf. Then the king orders the pages to bring him, and orders the walker to bring “all the decency and royal accessories.” The courtiers carry regalia, in which he dresses. They bring Adolf. The king demands that his son bow to the “idol gods,” but Adolf rejects this:
I bring your idol gods under my feet.
The king and his son have an explanation three times, as a result of which Adolf is shackled and taken to prison. The “Giant Knight” appears to the king and demands the release of Adolf. This is the Roman ambassador. The king refuses to do this, and the knight leaves with threats. The king orders to call on the “ancient and brave warrior Anika” and orders him to protect the city from the “ignoramus” who wants to burn the capital, kill the knights, and take the king into captivity. Once again the king calls on his son and asks if he has come to his senses, but Adolf does not recognize the “idol gods.” The king is angry:
Oh, you rebellious monster,
You set my heart on fire,
I won't spare you anymore.
And now I will command that the evil one be put to death.
The Tsar sends a fast-walking marshal for the executioner knight Brambeus. The executioner at first refuses to carry out the order to execute Adolf, but the king insists, and the executioner cuts off Adolf's head, but then he pierces his own chest and falls dead. A scene with the undertaker follows. The king praises Anika the warrior for defeating the Gigantic Knight. But at this time Death appears. The king asks the soldiers to protect him from her, but they run away in fear. He asks Death to give him three years to live, but she refuses; asks for three months, but is again refused; He asks for three days, but she doesn’t give even three hours and cuts him down with a scythe. From this scene it is clear that the plot of the play about Anika the Warrior and Death is adapted to the plot of the play “King Maximilian”.
The introduction of the play “Anika the Warrior and Death” into the play “Tsar Maximilian” helps to understand the ideological meaning of the latter: it consists in the punishment of evil, the punishment of the cruel tyrant Tsar Maximilian. It is difficult to determine what political situation the play is directed against; perhaps it hints at the relationship between Peter I and his son Alexei. IN different time viewers had different associations. There were many reasons, including in connection with the events of the late 18th century. With the development of the revolutionary liberation struggle, the play served as an expression of the revolutionary sentiments of the masses. That's why she was so popular. The clear political meaning of the play could be strengthened in connection with new socio-historical situations.
The contamination of "King Maximilian" with the play "Herod" emphasized the struggle for the throne. But the meaning of “Tsar Maximilian” is broader.
It not only denounces tyranny and despotism, but also glorifies Adolf’s bold protest, the correctness of which becomes especially obvious: Brambeus, who killed Adolf on the orders of the king, cannot bear this injustice and commits suicide. And the fact that Death destroys not Anika, as would be the case according to the traditional course of the plot, but the king, speaks of the inevitability of the death of despotism.
Mentions of this wedding can be found in many modern books dedicated to wedding traditions, - supposedly for the first time in history, it was Maximilian who presented a diamond engagement ring to his Mary. In fact, everything is a little more complicated, and this is not the only reason why their wedding deserves a place in history.
This was, of course, a dynastic union. But the bride was not only fabulously rich, but very smart and beautiful, and the groom was not just a future emperor, but one of the most attractive princes in Europe. They met for the first time only at a wedding, but immediately fell in love with each other, and that day became the beginning of a truly happy family life. This fairy tale, a glorified love story, could have lasted for many years, but quickly ended with early death Mary, whom Maximilian never forgot. How did it all begin?...
Mary of Burgundy. Artist M. Pacher
The son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg, the only heir of his father, strong, robust and handsome, Maximilian was an enviable groom from childhood. Even when he was not even five years old, the famous Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, began to designate him as his son-in-law. He was growing up only daughter, who was to inherit all her father’s lands, and as a bride, Mary of Burgundy was even more attractive than Maximilian as a groom. The contenders for her hand succeeded one another, but who cares about the charms of the young heiress when the wealth of Burgundy is at stake! Dukes, margraves, princes... The Spanish king wooed her for his son, the French Louis XI first for his younger brother, and then, when his son was born in his declining years, for him. But if Mary had married a French prince, then subsequently all the lands of Burgundy would have gone to the French crown, and all the efforts that Mary’s father made to preserve the independence of his duchy and prevent its neighbor France from absorbing it would have come to naught. So Maximilian, who was to inherit his father’s crown, seemed to Charles the Bold the most suitable candidate.
The young bride and groom exchanged miniature portraits. The artists did not have to embellish their appearance, as was often done in such situations. Maximilian's famous family Habsburg nose and chin did not yet disfigure his face, like those of his degenerate descendants, but, on the contrary, beautified him. An aquiline profile, slightly curly blond hair... Admired by the portrait of the groom, the young duchess often looked at him. Maximilian later described Maria in one letter as follows: “She has snow-white skin, she is brown-haired, and her eyes are gray, beautiful and shining... Her mouth is located quite high, but it is clean and bright.” In a word, they were a lovely couple!
However, everything was suddenly complicated by the death of Mary's father, Charles the Bold. The twenty-year-old girl herself had to fight for the right to marry her prince - both with those who themselves wanted to make her their wife, and with their subjects. She needed a husband whose strong hand the young ruler could rely on, and she wanted it to be Maximilian... When Maria signed the “Great Privilege” (a document restoring local privileges and powers of the Netherlands, once abolished by the Burgundian dukes), she found herself so dependent on her surroundings that she had to secretly write a letter to Maximilian in which she begged him to come as soon as possible.
Finally, Frederick III officially approved this union (which he never did during the life of Mary’s father), and the emperor’s envoys went to the Burgundian court. Happy Mary received confirmation that the union she wanted, as they say, with all her heart, was real. Ambassadors, a ring, a letter...
On April 21, 1477, a wedding by proxy took place. The groom was represented by Duke Ludwig of Bavaria - a representative man dressed in silver-plated armor. Maria and Ludwig ascended to the wedding bed, and a sword was placed between them - a symbol of the protection that Maximilian would provide to Maria in due time. This ceremony was repeated again, in Ghent - the local townspeople, having learned about the holiday in Bruges, also wanted to see such a celebration.
Meanwhile, the groom was getting ready to set off. Of course, he could have left immediately, but his father believed that the emperor’s son should go to his bride in an appropriate manner - in all his splendor. Alas, this was precisely the problem - the Habsburgs did not have money, so they had to resort to another loan.
On May 21, 1477, exactly a month after the wedding by proxy, the Archduke finally set off. Not very modest, let's be honest, the young hero ordered to write down all the details of his journey, boldly exaggerating the slightest difficulties - the result was a whole book in which the “Much-Grateful” knight overcame many obstacles on the way to his beloved. In fact, there were not so many obstacles (in particular, in the form of natural disasters) - it was the end of spring and the beginning of summer - and in the cities that Maximilian and his retinue passed through, they were joyfully welcomed and celebrated.
True, Maximilian soon faced a real problem - the money he had taken for the trip came to an end, and he was simply stuck in Cologne, unable to either pay for the celebrations he had held or move on. He was rescued by Maria's stepmother, Margaret of York, with whom Maria had a very warm relationship since Margaret's arrival from England to Burgundy. She sent the groom a large sum money, and he was able to continue his journey.
When Maximilian set foot on the lands of Burgundy, his retinue increased - the Burgundians now joined it. In Maastricht, Brussels, Brabant and other cities, the townspeople greeted the future husband of their duchess with great fervor, but no holiday could compare with the one that awaited him upon his arrival in Ghent - it was there that Maria was supposed to meet him.
In mid-August, Maximilian, a handsome eighteen-year-old prince in gilded armor, entered Ghent, decorated for his arrival. Triumphal arches, solemn processions with representatives of the church, aristocrats, city authorities and craft guilds... But all this, presumably, was overshadowed long-awaited meeting with the Duchess herself.
When they met, at first they looked at each other in silence, and finally, the mistress of the country, Mary of Burgundy, moved towards the groom with words of greeting and kissed him. And Maximilian kissed back - the fairy tale began!
The language barrier, alas, has not yet given them the opportunity to communicate fully, but is this so important when the bride and groom have been waiting for a meeting for so long, and now they can communicate with smiles, glances, gestures, and, finally, kisses?
In the evening, everyone was treated to a luxurious banquet, which was organized for her beloved stepdaughter and her fiancé by Margaret of York. At this holiday, Maria and Maximilian exchanged gifts - from his father, the Archduke brought magnificent jewelry with diamonds, including the notorious diamond engagement ring, but Maria’s gift was even more precious than these stones. She hid a flower somewhere on her body and invited her groom to find it...
The Archbishop of Trier quietly told Maximilian where to look, and he unbuttoned the bride’s corsage - there, on the duchess’s chest, was hidden a pink carnation, a symbol of marital love... After the feast, the young people slipped away - as they said, to the priest, so that he would bless their union and they could do not postpone your wedding night until tomorrow, until the official ceremonies. Well, they've been waiting for each other for so long!
The wedding itself was relatively modest - after all, six months earlier the bride had lost her father, but the townspeople of Ghent still gathered to rejoice for their ruler and congratulate her. By different sources, the ceremony took place either on August 16 or 18 and either in the morning or in the afternoon. The bride was wearing a dress of gold brocade, an ermine robe and with the crown of the Duchy of Burgundy on her head, the groom changed his armor and this time wore silver. Sun and moon!
The service in the main cathedral was conducted by the papal legate Julian of Ostia, and the Bishop of Tournai served him. The newlyweds exchanged rings and made vows of eternal fidelity to each other. Time will show that they kept them... After this, Maximilian gave Mary thirteen gold coins - a symbol that he would provide for her (although in reality, of course, it was the rich Duchess of Burgundy who would bathe her German prince in luxury).
After the wedding, the feast began, and although it was far from the celebrations that nine years earlier Mary’s father, the Grand Duke of Burgundy, had organized in honor of his marriage with the English Princess Margaret, the mutual tenderness of the bride and groom (if love can be measured) at the wedding Mary and Maximilian surpassed both that and many other weddings of European rulers. Real love occurs so rarely when it comes to dynastic marriages...
After the feast, the newlyweds were escorted to their chambers, and, as a chronicler from Saxony, one of the members of Maximilian’s retinue, delicately put it, the doors closed behind them, and what happened next was unknown to him.
And great. Fortunately, this couple was given only five years - let’s not disturb them...
The play is based on the description of the folk drama “Tsar Maximilian” in Bakrylov’s collection, in which the author collected extensive folklore material. The author compiled several striking examples of folk drama in Russian culture and created his own version of the play “Tsar Maximilian”. Having familiarized himself with this work by Bakrylov, Alexey Remizov expressed the opinion that the play was written rudely and vulgarly. and its parts are connected to each other mechanically. After a meeting of the editorial commission, at which Bakrylov's code was discussed, Remizov decided to create his own version of the play.
Remizov worked on drama not only as a writer, but also as a scientist. largely based on historical and philological works:
“... I, laying my, perhaps, one single stone to create the future great work, which will give a whole kingdom of folk myth, I consider it my duty, without adhering to the tradition of our literature, to introduce notes and tell in them the progress of my work.”
In his work, Remizov tried to embody his ideas about the ideal folk theater - “the theater of squares and oak forests” and mystery action as opposed to the “theater of walls.” In practice, this desire was expressed in the fact that Remizov simplified the production of the play as much as possible and, in comparison with Bakrylov’s play, significantly reduced the number of characters. By reducing the descriptive stage directions, he took “a step away from naturalistic theater.”
In many ways, the plot of the folk drama is based on the story of Peter I and Tsarevich Alexei. Tsar Maximilian is a king who decided to marry a foreign queen and abandon the Orthodox faith. The king's son, Adolf, opposes his father's marriage. Trying to change his son’s decision, Tsar Maximilian takes Adolf into custody and eventually executes him.
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Drama "Tsar Maximilian" (sometimes Maximyan, Maksemyan) has become widespread throughout Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tver, Yaroslavl, Kostroma provinces, Russian North, Don, Terek, Ural, Siberia), Belarus (Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk provinces), Ukraine (Kiev, Chernigov, Podolsk , Kharkov, Kherson provinces), Moldova. It was played among soldiers, sailors, urban, workers, and peasants 3.
Several opinions have been expressed about the origin of this drama. The researchers are probably right who believed that the reason for its creation was the political situation of the early 18th century: the conflict between Peter I and his son Alexei and the execution of the latter. People also remember the murder of their son by Ivan the Terrible. The filicide could not but affect the attitude of the people towards the rulers. This helped spread the drama. It should also be taken into account that the people knew the spiritual verse “Kirik and Ulita”, in which, as in the drama, the cruel Tsar Maximilian demands that the baby Kirik renounce his faith in the Christian God. Kirik, like the hero of the drama Adolf, remains faithful to God.
A persistent search was made for the immediate source of the drama, but it was not found. There was probably no single source. At the same time, the play’s connection with the repertoire of the Russian city theater of the 17th-18th centuries is indisputable, as well as the influence on its text of translated stories (knightly novels) and their dramatizations of the same era, which has been proven by a number of researchers. However, no matter how diverse the literary sources of “Tsar Maximilian” may be, what is essentially different is the connection of the play with Russian reality.
The drama is based on the conflict between the tyrant Tsar Maximilian and his son Adolf. The pagan father demands that his son abandon the Christian faith, but he resolutely refuses:
- I am your idol gods
I put it under my feet,
I'm trampling in the dirt, I don't want to believe.
I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ,
And I kiss Him on the mouth,
And I keep His law.
Tsar Maximyan commands to the prison guard.
- Go and take my son Adolfa to prison
starve him to death.
Give him a pound of bread and a pound of water 1 .
Adolf in prison. Tsar Maximilian turns to Adolf three times with his demand, but he always refuses. Then the king calls executioner Brambeus and orders Adolf's execution.
The drama depicts the cruelty of Tsar Maximilian not only with his son. In one version, he, like King Herod, orders a warrior (here: Anika the warrior) kill babies:
- Warrior, my warrior.
All the countries of Bethlehem descend,
WITHstrike, cut down fourteen thousand babies.
You won't kill anyone else.
You will bring me alive.
Baba (Rachel) appears and asks the king:
- Why should my child
To disappear innocently?
The king is inexorable:
- How shameful
When I sent a warrior
An armed warrior?
Warrior, my warrior,
Kill this baby
ANDdrive this woman away!
A warrior kills a child. Rachel is crying 1. .
Tsar Maximilian is opposed by his son Adolf. He boldly tells his father that rode down the Mother Volga and withfree gang, with robbers, knew 2 , that he was their chieftain 3; orders the release of a prisoner from prison (restanta), who was imprisoned by order of his father 4. In the drama, Adolf firmly defended his convictions, endured torture, went to his death, but did not betray his ideals, which aroused sympathy and sympathy. The executioner, having carried out the king’s order and killed Adolf, stabbed himself with the words:
Behind that I loved
For that he cut off his head.
I am correcting the king's debt
AND I'm dying myself 5 .
The king's command to kill his son, the depiction of Adolf's execution, the executioner's suicide - tragic pictures. But the performance had to amuse the audience; a release was needed. A tradition has been established of introducing farcical, satirical and humorous episodes. Such are the conversations of the Grave Diggers, the Tailor, the Doctor, even the funeral service of the body of Adolf by the Patriarch. A sharp satire on the clergy arose when depicting the wedding of Tsar Maximilian with the Goddess (the priest and deacon drank in a tavern wedding book, and on zaupobed room hangover) 1.
Researcher of folk dramas N. N. Vinogradov wrote about “Tsar Maximilian”: “Having appeared in the middle of the 18th century and passing from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, this play inevitably underwent a wide variety of changes, shortened and lengthened at will. Having pleased the people, she gradually drew into herself whole line individual scenes and small works of the same kind. As a result, in many versions we get a long series of individual scenes, a whole collection of different characters, a motley kaleidoscope of the most varied positions; gets lost general meaning plays, there is no unity of plot, only the unity of the title remains. Here, for example, is the series of plots practiced in most of the not very common (in terms of volume) variants: 1) Maksemyan and Adolf (main); 2) Goddess and Mars;
3) Mamai; 4) Anika and Death; 5) Boat. Often they are not connected at all, sometimes the connection is purely mechanical. To these plots we still need to add a whole series of inserts in the form of individual comic scenes, either stable, permanent (doctor, tailor, gypsy, grave digger...), or random, sporadic (n-number); sometimes the play begins with verte pom 2.
Gradually, the topic of the struggle for religious beliefs became less relevant - this made possible a satirical depiction of clergy, as well as church funeral and wedding rites. IN 1959 t. in the Arkhangelsk region. a version of the drama was recorded in which the religious beliefs of the father and son were not even mentioned 3. At the same time, the problem of tyranny and the fight against violence continued to worry viewers. In the drama "Tsar Maximilian" a replacement was made: the tsar demanded from his son not to betray his religious beliefs, but to marry his bride from the distant kingdom, which I found for him. Adolf refused to marry as resolutely as he refused to change his faith. And he was executed.
Sometimes the drama ended with the death of Tsar Maximilian himself, which could be perceived as punishment for cruelty and filicide.
The dialogue between Death and King Maximilian coincided almost word for word with the spiritual verse - the dialogue between Anika the warrior and Death.
Death (approaching the throne, addresses Tsar Maximilian):
- Follow me!
Tsar Maximilian:
- Masha, my dear Death,
Give me at least three years to live,
To make money for me And dispose of your kingdom. Death:
- You don't even have one year to live.
- You won't have time for even three hours,
And here's my sharp braid for you.
(Hits him on the neck with a scythe. The king falls) 1 .
The drama "Tsar Maximilian" is large in volume. It was often copied into notebooks and rehearsed before the performance. However, it also developed stereotypical situations, as well as formulas that contributed to the memorization and reproduction of the drama. Such, for example, are scenes of fights, formulas-answers of Adolf to his father ( "I am your idol gods TerI'll put you under your feet..." etc.). Tsar Maximilian’s summons to Skorokhod (or another character) and the summoned person’s report of his arrival took on a stable form.
Tsar Maximilian:
- Skorokhod-Field Marshal,
Ihang before the throne
GGpink king Maximilian!
Skorokhod:
- I'll go back from right to left,
I will appear before the throne of the formidable Tsar Maximilian:
Oh great lord.
Terrible Tsar Maximilian,
Why are you calling for the Field Marshal?
Or do you command deeds or decrees?
Or has my sword become dull?
Or I, Skorokhod-Field Marshal, in what before you
guilty? 1
In the quoted version of the drama, this formula of the report is repeated 26 times (Skorokhod pronounces it 18 times, Markushka 3 times, Adolf and Anika the warrior 2 times, Executioner 1 time).
To what has been said, it should be added that in “Tsar Maximilian” the same situations and common passages are encountered as in the drama “The Boat”. For example: Adolf - knew the cap of robbers; about the burial of the murdered man they say: "Remove this body so that there is nosmoldered..." - etc.
Thus, the drama "Tsar Maximilian" arose and developed under the influence of other folk plays, chivalric novels, popular prints, folk songs, and spiritual poems 2.
FOLK DRAMA (THEATRE)
Folk drama is oral and poetic works in which reality is reflected through the actions and conversations of the characters, in which the word is inextricably linked with the action. The beginning of Russian folk theater goes back to very distant times. Games, round dances, pagan rituals with elements of dramatic action were widespread not only among Russians, but among all Slavic peoples. In The Tale of Bygone Years, the Christian author disapprovingly mentions the “games”, “dances” and “demonic songs” organized by some East Slavic tribes. In Russian folklore, dramatic actions include rituals, mummers, games (merrymaking), round dances, dramatic scenes, plays, as well as puppet theater. The difference between dramatic actions and other genres is that general folklore qualities are manifested in them in a special way; the conventions inherent in folklore manifest themselves especially clearly here. This is observed both in the characterization of the internal qualities of the characters, and in the delineation of their appearance, and in endowing them with special clothes and accessories. Tradition and improvisation in dramatic actions are expressed differently than in other genres of folklore; here improvisation manifests itself in the form of varying the text, inserting new scenes or releasing individual passages of the text. Special role In this genre, contrast plays a role; it can represent social antitheses (master and peasant), everyday antitheses (husband and wife), antitheses of positive and negative principles (in the puppet theater - Petrushka and his opponents). In dramatic actions, syncretism is more complex, since it includes the fusion of words, chant, musical accompaniment, dancing, the use of gestures and facial expressions, costumes, sometimes part of the text is sung, and part is recited, etc.
Folk theater is born at the moment when it is isolated from ritual and becomes a reflection of the life of the people. The first mentions of theater in Rus' usually date back to the 11th century, when some of the participants folk games and performances stood out amuse- buffoons. The creativity of buffoons expressed the thoughts, aspirations and moods of the people, most often rebellious ideas. From this point of view, the epic “Vavila’s Journey with the Buffoons” is interesting, which tells how cheerful people, the buffoons, together with Vavila decided to outplay the evil Tsar Dog. Because of the play of the buffoons and Babyla, the kingdom of King Dog burned “from edge to edge,” and “they installed Babyla here as king.” Buffoonery was a form of Russian national theater, which existed for a number of centuries, it was the soil on which the Russian theater arose. But academician P.N. Berkov believes that “it is wrong to derive Russian folk theater entirely from the art of buffoons: “Russian theater grew from the very folk life, and the art of buffoons was only part of the folk theater.”
One of the most ancient forms of folk actions was mummery, a situation where a person dressed up as an animal: a goat, a bear, a wolf, a horse, etc. The custom of mummering was widespread in Kievan Rus; this custom, with some changes, has survived to this day; Russians traditionally dress up during the Russian Winter holiday.
All rituals, both calendar and family, have features of dramatic action. Games, round dances and ritual dramatic scenes were not yet theater in the literal sense of the word, they were not a spectacle. In the emerging theatrical action there is a great role "games". “Playing” is the name given to those improvised folk plays that occupy an intermediate position between “game” and “oral drama.” The first mention of such performances dates back to the 17th century (“The Game about the Master”, “The Landowner, the Judge and the Peasant”). From rituals and games the path led to dramatic performances proper, for the formation of which folk choral games, as well as everyday scenes performed by wandering singers, musicians and buffoon actors, were of particular importance.
PUPPET SHOW
A special, extremely bright page of folk theatrical entertainment culture was represented by fairs and festivities in cities on the occasion of major calendar holidays (Christmas, Maslenitsa, Easter, Trinity, etc.) or events of national importance. The heyday of the festivities dates back to the 18th century. early XIX centuries, although certain types and genres folk art were created and actively existed long before the designated time; some, in a transformed form, continue to exist to this day. Such is the puppet theater, bear fun, jokes of traders, many circus acts. Fairs and festivities have always been perceived as a bright event, as a general holiday. At fairs, a special place was given to the puppet theater, which in Rus' had several varieties: “Petrushka”, “Nativity scene”, “Rayok”.
Petrushka Theater- This is a theater of finger puppets. Such a theater probably existed in Kievan Rus; evidence of this is the fresco in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The traveler Adam Olearius, who visited Russia three times in the 30s of the 17th century, left the following description puppet theater, which he saw near Moscow: “The leaders of the bears have with them such comedians who, by the way, can immediately present some kind of joke with the help of puppets. To do this, they tie a sheet around their body, lift its free side up and arrange something like a stage over their heads, from which they walk through the streets and show various performances on it with dolls.”
Parsley looks more like Ivanushka from the Russians folk tales, this is a resilient hero who emerges victorious from various unpleasant situations. This hero mocks representatives of the authorities and the clergy; his apt, sharp word reflected the rebellious mood of the people. Petrushka's adventures boiled down to brawls, he was often beaten and taken to prison, but he always emerged victorious in the end. The text of the entire performance changed depending on local conditions. The action at the Petrushka Theater was commented on in the form of a conversation between the puppeteer and the hero himself; the text consisted of various crude jokes, often rhyming, that could be applied to local events and persons. But Petrushka was not always just the amusement of the crowds gathering at fairs and squares. It was a theater of topical satire, for which puppeteers often ended up in prison. Despite the primitiveness of the Petrushka Theater, its image has deep roots in Russian folklore. Parsley is the embodiment of folk ingenuity, jokes, casual wit, and sincere laughter. The comedy about Petrushka expressed the rebellious mood of the people, their optimism and faith in their victory. The Petrushka Theater has been repeatedly reflected in the works fiction. In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” Nekrasov depicts country fair and forces the wanderers to watch the “comedy with Petrushka.” M. Gorky highly valued this image: “This is the invincible hero of the folk puppet comedy. He defeats everyone and everything: the police, the priests, even the devil and death, but he himself remains immortal. The hero of a comedy is a cheerful and cunning person, hiding a sly and mocking mind under the guise of a comic grotesque.”
Nativity scene- a special type of puppet theater, it came to Russia from Europe. The nativity scene is associated with the custom of installing a manger with figurines of the Virgin Mary, baby, shepherds, and animals in the church at Christmas; this custom came to Slavic countries from medieval Europe. In Catholic Poland it grew into a truly popular religious concept and in this form penetrated into Ukraine, Belarus, and some regions of Russia. The nativity scene drama was played out in special box, divided into two floors, which was carried by two people. The bearers of the nativity scene were wandering priests and monks, students, and later peasants and townspeople. Nativity scenes are associated with the so-called “school dramas”, which were composed and performed by students of church schools, “colleges” and “academies”. School dramas consisted of dramatizations of the birth of Christ and other biblical stories. These scenes got their name from the fact that the scene of the birth of Christ was played out in a den, a cave hidden from people. Events related to the birth of Christ were performed in the upper tier, and episodes with Herod and the everyday, comedic part were performed in the lower tier. The upper floor was usually covered with blue paper, in the center was a manger with a baby, and a star was drawn above the manger. The lower floor was covered with bright colored paper, there were doors on the right and left through which the dolls appeared and left. Wooden dolls were made fifteen to twenty centimeters high, they were painted or dressed in cloth clothes, attached to rods, with the help of which they were moved along slots in the floor of the box. The puppeteer himself spoke for all the characters; musicians and singers sat behind the box. In the Russian tradition, the religious part did not occupy big place, but the comedy half was quite developed, where everyday, historical, and comic scenes were staged one after another. “Nativity Scene” had a great influence on the development of oral folk drama; subsequently, almost all nativity scene interludes were included in the repertoire of the folk theater.
Rayok is a picture theater that has spread throughout Russia in XVIII-XIX centuries. A rack is a box, a box, quite big size. On its front wall there were two holes with magnifying glasses; inside the box there was a paper tape with drawn pictures (it was twisted from roller to roller). Raeshnik moved the pictures and gave explanations for them. The district's interest lay not so much in the pictures as in the explanations, which were distinguished by wit and a unique way of speaking. The pictures on the tape initially had religious and church content, but gradually they were replaced by various secular images: fires, foreign cities, royal coronation, etc. When showing the pictures, the raeshnik gave them a drawn-out, loud description, often of a satirical nature. For example, “Here is the city of Paris, as soon as you enter, you will leave, our nobles come here to spend money, they leave with a sack of gold, and return on a stick on horseback.” Although the rayok arose later than many other forms of folk theater, its influence nevertheless penetrated into oral drama, and the influence of the “raesh style” on the language of folk drama was especially great.
FOLK DRAMATIC WORKS
The themes and problems of major folk dramas are similar to other genres of folklore. This is evidenced first of all by its main characters - the freedom-loving chieftain, the robber, the brave warrior, the rebellious royal son Adolf. In them the people embodied their ideas about goodies, with deeply attractive features for their creators - daring and courage, uncompromisingness, the desire for freedom and justice.
Folk dramatic works, which have developed on the basis of a rich theatrical tradition, can be divided into three groups according to ideological and thematic criteria: 1) heroic plays, stories about rebels, exponents of spontaneous protest (“Boat”, “Boat”, “Gang of Robbers”, “Ataman Storm”, etc.), 2) historical-patriotic plays, expressing the patriotism of the Russian people (“How the Frenchman took Moscow”, “Tsar Maximilian”, “About the hero and the Russian warrior”, etc.), 3) plays on everyday themes(“The Master and Afonka”, “The Master and the Clerk”, “The Imaginary Master”, etc.).
"Boat"– the central work of the first group; in terms of the number of recordings and publications it belongs to the most famous. Usually “The Boat” is attributed to the so-called “robber” folklore. In the eyes of the people, robbers are avengers for the oppressed state, they are individuals who defend people's rights, so the robbers were not only not condemned, but were perceived as heroes. Therefore, the drama “The Boat” should be defined as a work with a heroic theme. “The Boat” is based on the song “Down on Mother Volga”; it is a dramatization of the events described in the song. Images of ataman, captain, good fellows, daring robbers are determined by the songs of Razin’s cycle. The plot of the play is simple: a gang of robbers led by an ataman and an esaul sails along the Volga. Esaul looks around the area through a telescope and reports to the chieftain what he sees. When a large village comes across the shore, the robbers land and attack the landowner's estate. One of the versions of the play ends with the call: “Burn, burn the rich landowner!”
At the center of the play is the image of a noble robber - ataman, who sometimes has no name, and in some versions is called Ermak or Stepan Razin. It is the image of Razin that most fully expresses the main ideological meaning of the play: the social discontent of the masses, their protest.
“The Boat” is based on songs about robbers, including Razin, and popular prints, popular novels, and literary songs. This is reflected in the complex composition of the play: it contains monologues and dialogues, a conversation between the ataman and the captain, folk songs, and quotes from literary works. "The Boat" went through a complex story: it included new songs, interludes, for example, a scene with a doctor, but the core of the plot was preserved. In different regions of Russia there were different variants This plot, for example, in the play “Gang of Robbers” reflects one of the episodes of the peasant war in Ukraine. In Siberia, a version of “The Boat” was recorded, where robbers not only burn down the landowner’s estate, but hold a trial over him. Some versions of the play depict uncoordinated actions between the ataman and members of the gang, sometimes the Cossacks quarrel with each other. The motives and situations of the dramas “The Boat” and “Gang of Robbers” are widely known not only in the folklore of various nations, but also in the literature of the Romantic period.
TO historical-patriotic drama may be considered a play “How the Frenchman took Moscow”. This one-act play, originating among soldiers, takes place at Napoleon's headquarters. The French leader is shown satirically in this play; plans for military adventures keep him awake. Napoleon is surrounded by a deceitful and servile retinue; he cannot understand the nationwide upsurge in Russia. The play shows the unanimity of the Russian people; these are Russian women who give up their jewelry for the defense of the country, and a peasant who cut off his own hand so as not to serve Napoleon. The drama allegorically depicts the feat of Raevsky, who, according to legend, at a decisive moment, in order to inspire the army, sends his own children into battle. In the image of the wife of a general who was shot by Napoleon, a faithful daughter of her homeland is depicted, who mourns her hero husband as the defender of her native land.
The image of Potemkin captures the typical features of a Russian warrior, dying, but not giving up, faithful to duty. The tyrant in the play most often dies at the hands of the people: a village woman is chasing him with a pitchfork. This play is truly historical, it contains reliable historical facts, but fictitious details are also inserted. Overall, the play accurately conveys popular attitude to the War of 1812.
One recording of a “living nativity scene” includes a scene from some play about the War of 1812 that has not reached us. This scene is a sharp caricature ridiculing the vanity of Napoleon, who believes that “they will honor me as a king, an earthly god.” Napoleon interrogates a poor old man, a partisan: “What village are you from? - “I’m from a village where there are oaks, birches, and broad leaves.” The partisan not only fearlessly answers Napoleon’s questions, but also uses mocking jokes in his speech. The scene ends with the old man suddenly raising his stick and hitting Napoleon.
The most favorite play of the folk theater is "Tsar Maximilian"(30 options). A number of researchers (I.L. Shcheglov, D.D. Blagoy) argue that this play reflected the history of the relationship between Peter I and his son Alexei. Historically, this assumption is justified. “Tsar Maximilian” is a play that exposes the external “splendor” of tsarism and shows its cruelty and heartlessness. The play probably took shape among soldiers; it depicts military characters (warriors and a walking marshal), reflects the military order, military phraseology is used in the speech of the characters, and military and marching songs are quoted. The play's sources were various works: lives of saints, school dramas, where there are images of kings - persecutors of Christians, sideshows.
The action of the play “Tsar Maximilian” develops quite sequentially. In the very first scene, the king appears (“I am your formidable king Maximilian”) and announces that he will judge his rebellious son Adolf. The king demands that his son bow to the “idol gods,” but Adolf refuses to do so. The king and his son have an explanation three times, then Adolf is shackled and taken to prison. The “Giant Knight” tries to speak out in defense of the prince, but the king kicks him out and orders the brave warrior Anika to defend the city. The king is angry that Adolf still does not recognize the “idol gods” and orders the knight Brambeus to execute his son. The executioner cuts off Adolf's head, but then pierces his own chest and falls dead. At the end of the play, the symbolic Death appears with a scythe and cuts off the king's head.
The play not only denounces tyranny and despotism, but also exalts the brave Adolf. A fantastic death destroys the king, which speaks of the inevitability of the death of despotism. In this patriotic play, two antagonistic images are contrasted in conflict: Maximilian - the type of tyrant, Adolf - the type of the kind, humane king, people's defender who betrays his native faith. The source of the conflict, of course, is not in differences over religious issues, but in Adolf’s connection with the people; it is no coincidence that in one of the options he appears as a member of a band of robbers.
Dramas on everyday topics. These plays mainly ridicule the image of a white-handed gentleman, an arrogant braggart (“I was in Italy, I was again, I was in Paris, I was closer”), his affectation, mannerisms, and frivolity. Main character of these plays - the cheerful, clever servant, practical and resourceful Afonka Maly (Afonka Novy, Vanka Maly, Alyoshka). The servant mocks the master, invents fables, and plunges him into horror and despair. A man, a soldier, Petrushka ridicules and worships everything foreign; This is how the master's lunch menu is described.