Essays on literature: Dialogue between Famusov and Chatsky..
The comedy “Woe from Wit” stands out somehow in literature and is distinguished by its youthfulness, freshness and stronger vitality from other works of the word.
I. A. Goncharov.
Assessing Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” Belinsky wrote that it laid “a solid foundation for new Russian poetry, new Russian literature... It, as a work of strong talent, a deep and independent mind, was the first Russian comedy in which there is nothing imitative, no false motives and unnatural colors, but in which the whole, and details, and plot, and characters, and passions, and actions, and opinions, and language - everything is thoroughly imbued with the deep truth of Russian reality.”
Continuing Belinsky’s thought, we can say that any part of the comedy, even if it is somehow isolated and taken beyond the scope of the work, will itself be an “encyclopedia of Russian life” in miniature.
The second phenomenon from the second act, replacing previous events, introduces us to the essence of the emerging conflict between Famusov and Chatsky, representatives of the “past century” and the “present century.”
From the very beginning of the action, which develops in a leisurely rhythm, the conflict is already anticipated, figuratively speaking, it “hangs in the air” like an approaching thunderstorm.
Already initially annoyed:
Ugh, God forgive me! Five thousand times
Says the same thing!
Chatsky instantly catches this mood and, hearing the word “serve,” gives him necessary interpretation- “serve.”
This was enough for Famusov to burst into a lengthy monologue about what he thinks about the younger generation. Yes, in the person of Chatsky he sees “proud”, “clever” people, ready to destroy the established, comfortable world of “fathers”.
Realizing that Chatsky is ready to get married, Famusov puts forward one condition: “serve” as the elders served, and gives many examples for imitation. This monologue contains the whole essence of the representative of the “past century”. His ideals boil down to the glorification of everything old and established: the model of a person for Famusov is one who has made a profitable career, no matter by what means. Servility and meanness for him too good way, if it leads to desired result. Here, for example, is the deceased uncle, Maxim Petrovich:
Serious look, arrogant disposition.
When do you need to help yourself?
And he bent over...
Famusov's monologue is so offensive that Chatsky cannot help but become defensive.
The meaning of his behavior is not that “he wants to preach freedom.” In the presence of Famusov, Chatsky admits: “It is not my desire to prolong quarrels.” Loving Sophia, Chatsky is forced to enter into communication with Famusov. When talking with him, he cannot help but defend his position, not be repulsed by the morality that is being imposed on him. This is how Chatsky’s monologue appears. This is not an exercise in eloquence, not an attempt to “enlighten” Famu-sov, this is a forced and passionate defense of those principles of life that are dear to him and which he cannot refuse. Of course, Chatsky is young, passionate and passionate about what he talks about. Perhaps in some ways he is still naive, he considers the “past century” to be a thing of the past. Chatsky believes that the “present century” has already made its gains.
Although there are hunters everywhere to be mean,
Yes, nowadays laughter frightens and keeps shame in check.
Chatsky is not yet going to “challenge”; in fact, there is no sedition in his monologue, and he doesn’t even touch Maxim Petrovich, so as not to irritate Famusov (“I’m not talking about your uncle”). He does not at all paint idyllic pictures of the “present century” in contrast to Famusov’s tenderness for the “past century.” And this century is also far from ideal, but still time moves forward irreversibly. Chatsky is not denouncing yet, he just agrees. Why does Famusov react so violently to his speech, interrupting it at the end on almost every word?
Chatsky’s monologue threw Famusov off balance for a long time. A conclusion was immediately drawn:
Oh! My God! he's a Carbonari!
…A dangerous person!
So, we can say that the 2nd phenomenon from the 2nd act is built on contrast: the contrast of the heroes and their monologues. This is not Griboyedov’s only artistic technique. Let's take, for example, Famusov's monologue. Hyperboles give a special “scope” to his narration: (“a hundred people are at your service”, “all in orders”, “... everyone is important! forty pounds”). The idyllic coloring of the monologue is given by memories of signs and customs that are a thing of the past and remain in several archaisms: “riding in a train, toupey, kurtag.” The difference in views, culture, and morality of Chatsky and Famusov is clearly manifested in the speech of these heroes. Chatsky is an educated man, his speech is literary, logical, rich in intonation, figurative, it reflects the depth of his feelings and thoughts. Here are examples of this: “The legend is fresh, but hard to believe,” “It was just an age of obedience and fear...”, “Yes, today laughter frightens and keeps shame in check...”
Famusov’s speech reveals him to be a not very educated person (“serve”, “bent over”, “almost hit the back of my head”), an intelligent, cunning, domineering gentleman (“you should learn by looking at your elders”), accustomed to counting himself infallible. In the comedy "Woe from Wit" Griboyedov showed himself to be a master of aphorisms. In the 2nd act there are enough of them: “I would be glad to serve, but serving is sickening,” “The legend is fresh, but hard to believe,” “He fell painfully, but got up well.”
As for the syntactic structure of monologues, it is necessary to note the abundance of exclamatory and interrogative sentences in them. Here is Famusov:
That's it, you are all proud!
Would you ask what the fathers did?
Everything about him betrays extraordinary excitement and indignation.
Chatsky is no less emotional, although more reasonable:
They hit the floor without regret!
...Now, to make people laugh,
Bravely sacrifice the back of your head?
By comparing the syntactic structure of the monologues of Famusov and Chatsky, we can come to the conclusion that in Chatsky’s speech the syntax is more complex, complex ones with both conjunctive and non-union connection. And this is no coincidence. The logic, weight of Chatsky’s evidence and arguments cannot be compared with Famusov’s pompous attacks.
So, at the end of the 2nd appearance of the 2nd chapter, the heroes disperse. Chatsky says this:
It is not my desire to continue the debate.
Yes, the dispute is over. But Griboyedov so skillfully showed the beginning of the conflict between representatives of the “old” and “new” that, even without reading further the comedy, one can guess that it will develop and reach its logical end.
Any kind of comedy dramatic work, intended for stage production. Therefore, in order to understand a comedy better, in order to understand its situations, characters and ideas, when reading a comedy, we must imagine all the faces, all the dialogues and positions in accordance with the conditions of the stage, in accordance with the dramatic action developing on the stage.
Reading the comedy by A.S. Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit", we see a coherent system of comic and non-comic events developing according to a single internal plan, in which
And through which social mores appear before us, public life, dominant ideas and a wide variety of life types.
To understand what the essence of the conflict between Chatsky and Famusov is, one should turn to the second phenomenon of the second act. It is here that a dialogue begins between Chatsky and Famusov, filled with great dramatic tension. Heroes who think about different things and in different ways collide. At the beginning of the conversation, Chatsky speaks about Sophia and only Sophia:
What a Sofia Pavlovna!
Has there been any sadness?
There is a bustle in your face and in your movements.
Famusov, who has his own plans
Regarding Sophia and fearing Chatsky as a possible contender for her hand, he least of all wants to talk about Sophia and Chatsky. He tries to steer away from this topic:
Oh! Father, I found a riddle,
I'm not happy!.. At my age
You can’t start squatting on me!
Chatsky definitely doesn’t understand Famusov or doesn’t want to understand. The thought of Sophia is an obsession for the lover Chatsky. He talks about her again:
Nobody invites you;
I just asked two words
About Sofya Pavlovna: maybe she’s unwell?
Chatsky’s persistence in his chosen topic leads Famusov to extreme irritation and anger:
Ugh, God forgive me! five thousand times
Says the same thing!
There is no more beautiful Sofia Pavlovna in the world,
Then Sofya Pavlovna is sick.
Tell me, did you like her?
Searched the light; don't you want to get married?
Gradually, the dialogue between Chatsky and Famusov becomes more and more acute. The verbal duel around Sophia develops into a clash of views, ideas, moral concepts. A clash on personal grounds becomes a political and ideological clash in nature. But the sharp imprint of the personal remains on this dispute even when it becomes not personal at all. The theme of Sophia does not disappear at all: it disappears only into the deepest subtext. This is what explains the extreme heat of the dispute and the extreme passion of the disputants.
Arguing with Chatsky, defending his view of things and his ideals, Famusov, even more than in the scene with Petrushka, expresses all the retrogradeness of both his views and his ideals. His story about Maxim Petrovich, who “ate on gold” and, when necessary, “bravely sacrificed the back of his head” in front of the Empress, opens up for Chatsky the possibility of a passionate rebuke, allowing him to show all his strength and sharpness of mind:
The legend is fresh, but hard to believe.
Chatsky openly mocks Famusov’s ideals:
Although there are hunters everywhere to be mean,
Yes, nowadays laughter frightens and keeps shame in check...
Famusov must take Chatsky’s words about laughter especially close to his heart. Laughter really scares him the most. It is not without reason that when Chatsky begins to sneer at him and his ideals, Famusov’s anger and irritation crosses all boundaries. Everything he says now, he says without direct dependence on Chatsky’s words:
Oh! My God! he's a Carbonari!
A dangerous person!..
What does he say? and speaks as he writes!
He wants to preach freedom!
Yes, he does not recognize the authorities!
IN climax scene Famusov completely stops listening to anything. Griboedov stipulates this with a special remark. The remark is given when the servant announces the arrival of Skalozub, because it is Skalozub who reads Famusov as his daughter’s groom, it was he who was waiting for him with joy and impatience. But when he appeared, he “sees and hears nothing.”
An important place in the second scene of Act II is occupied by Chatsky’s monologue “And exactly, the world began to grow stupid...”, in which he compares “the present century” and “the past century.” This is not an exercise in eloquence, not an attempt to “enlighten” Famusov, this is a forced and passionate defense of those principles of life that are dear to him and which he cannot refuse. Of course, Chatsky is young, passionate and passionate about what he talks about. Chatsky’s naivety does not lie in the fact that he explains at length to Famusov, trying to convince him of the correctness of his thoughts, but, first of all, in the fact that he considers the “past century” to have passed away, believes that the “present century” has already made its conquests and that this irreversible.
Skalozub appears as a refutation of this illusion of Chatsky. He is not much older than Chatsky, but is an ardent defender of the “past century.” Chatsky, hearing that his allies in the dispute, Famusov and Skalozub, “pity” him, cannot contain his indignation. The monologue “And who are the judges?...” (act two, scene five) was born of Chatsky’s protest: he is being handed over to Skalozub for trial! Restraint leaves the hero, and he openly enters into confrontation with people who are the “pillars” of society, speaks out sharply against the order of the Catherine century, dear to Famusov’s heart, “the century of humility and fear - the century of flattery and arrogance.”
If Famusov, Molchalin and Skalozub view service as a source of personal benefits, service to individuals rather than to a cause, then Chatsky breaks ties with ministers and leaves service precisely because he would like to serve his homeland and not serve his superiors: “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to be waited on,” he says. If Famus society treats everything folk, national with disdain, slavishly imitates external culture the West, especially France, even neglecting his native language, then Chatsky stands for the development national culture, mastering the best, advanced achievements of civilization. He himself “searched for intelligence” during his stay in the West, but he is against the “empty, slavish, blind” imitation of foreigners. Hinting at French foreigners who lived in rich noble houses, He says:
And where foreign clients will not be resurrected
The meanest features of the past life.
Attacking the “fathers of the fatherland”, who should be taken as models, Chatsky criticizes serfdom, which contributes to impunity ruling circles: exchange and sale of serf servants, inhumane treatment of serf children. Defending freedom of thoughts and opinions, Chatsky recognizes every person’s right to have their own beliefs and express them openly.
Thus, listening to the dialogue of two heroes: Famusov and Chatsky, we see a conflict between two generations. Famusov, who firmly preserved the traditions of the “past century,” is opposed by Alexander Andreevich Chatsky, advanced man"this century". The clash of Chatsky - a man with a strong-willed character, intelligent, insightful, with high ideological convictions, with Famusovsky society was inevitable. This clash gradually takes on an increasingly fierce character and is complicated by Chatsky’s personal drama, the collapse of his hopes for personal happiness. Assessing the role of Chatsky in the comedy “Woe from Wit,” I.A. Goncharov in the article “A Million Torments” wrote: “...Chatsky created a schism, and if he was deceived in his personal goals, did not find the “charm of meetings, living participation,” then he himself sprinkled living water on the dead soil - taking with him “a million torments,” this crown of thorns of Chatsky is torment from everything: from the “mind”, and even more from the “offended feeling”.
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At the center of Griboyedov’s play “Woe from Wit” lies the clash between “lordly Moscow” and “new” people with progressive views. The representative of these “new” people in comedy is Chatsky alone. By this, the author emphasizes the exceptional position of people like him. “In my comedy,” wrote Griboyedov, “there are twenty-five fools for one sane person.” The figure of Chatsky, receiving a special place in the play, becomes large and strong.
And the most striking representative of retrogrades in “Woe from Wit” is Famusov. His image, in comparison with other characters of Moscow society, is depicted by the author more clearly. Good-natured and hospitable Famusov, as he may seem in a conversation with Skalozub at the beginning of the play, is rude to his family, picky, stingy and petty. For real he doesn’t care about his daughter’s fate or his official affairs. This hero is afraid of only one thing in his life: “What will Princess Marya Aleksevna say!” Thus, in the person of Famusov, the author exposed the veneration of Moscow “society”.
Every conversation between Famusov and Chatsky ends with the former’s inevitable “upset.” So, in the second act (phenomenon 2) the characters are left alone and they manage to talk. Famusov has not seen Chatsky for a long time, so he still does not know what the boy he once knew became like.
First, in their conversation, the characters touch on the issue of service. Chatsky immediately notes: “I would be glad to serve, but being served is sickening.”
Famusov, not understanding what Alexander Andreevich means, tries to teach him how to achieve “both places and promotion in rank.” Through the mouth of Famusov, all of noble Moscow speaks at this moment:
And uncle! What is your prince? What's the count?
When is it necessary to serve?
And he bent over:
On the kurtag he happened to step on his feet...
He was granted the highest smile;
He stood up, straightened up, wanted to bow,
A row suddenly fell - on purpose...
This and only this way of serving, as Famusov says, can bring both glory and honor. This was the case in the era of Catherine. But times have changed. Chatsky points to this when he answers Famusov in an ironic and somewhat angry manner:
But meanwhile, who will the hunt take,
Even in the most ardent servility,
Now, to make people laugh,
Bravely sacrifice the back of your head?
Further, Chatsky, in the most apt and witty expressions, brands “the past century.” He claims that now is a new time, that people no longer fawn over patrons (“patrons yawn at the ceiling”), but achieve everything only with the help of their abilities and intelligence:
No, the world is not like that these days.
Everyone breathes more freely
And he’s in no hurry to fit into the regiment of jesters.
The hero says all this with such fervor that he does not notice that Famusov has not listened to him for a long time: he covered his ears. Thus, in my opinion, the conversation between the two characters is a farce. Griboedov uses this technique specifically in order to outline even more clearly the position of the Chatskys - they simply do not listen to their arguments, since there is nothing to oppose them. The only thing Famusov can do to protect his old familiar life is -
I would strictly forbid these gentlemen
Drive up to the capitals for the shot.
We also hear one of Famusov’s exclamations: “What is he saying! And he speaks as he writes! This applies to Chatsky’s speeches and stands among his characteristics such as: “ a dangerous person", "Yes, he does not recognize the authorities!", "Carbonari." Why, from Famusov’s point of view, is this so terrible? Later, in the third appearance, Famusov will declare that the reason for Chatsky’s madness is “learning” that all books must be burned.
For the age of servility, learning and one’s own opinion were indeed dangerous, because then they were punished for it. But even now, when Catherine’s reign no longer exists, Famusov is still afraid. And the worst thing is that people like him still held high positions in society and were role models.
Thus, the conflict between Chatsky and his opponents, led by Famusov, is an expression of the struggle between the crowd and a heroic personality who wants to change life, to live better, more honestly and more justly. This struggle is stubborn and lengthy, but the victory of the new is inevitable.
From the play by A. S. Griboyedov. Also on this page you will find a video of the famous play "Woe from Wit". Enjoy watching!
Famusov, servant.
Parsley, you are always with new clothes,
With a torn elbow. Get out the calendar;
Read not like a sexton, *
And with feeling, with sense, with arrangement.
Just wait. - On a piece of paper, scribble on a note,
Against next week:
To Praskovya Fedorovna's house
On Tuesday I'm invited to go trout fishing.
How wonderful the light has been created!
Philosophize - your mind will spin;
Either you take care, then it’s lunch:
Eat for three hours, but in three days it won’t cook!
Mark that same day... No, no.
On Thursday I am invited to the funeral.
Oh, the human race! has fallen into oblivion
That everyone should climb there themselves,
In that little box where you can neither stand nor sit.
But who intends to leave the memory on its own
Living a commendable life, here is an example:
The deceased was a venerable chamberlain,
With the key, he knew how to deliver the key to his son;
Rich, and married to a rich woman;
Married children, grandchildren;
Died; everyone remembers him sadly.
Kuzma Petrovich! Peace be upon him! -
What kind of aces live and die in Moscow! -
Write: on Thursday, one to one,
Or maybe on Friday, or maybe on Saturday,
I have to baptize a widow, a doctor's wife.
She didn't give birth, but by calculation
In my opinion: she should give birth...
That's it, you are all proud!
Would you ask what the fathers did?
We would learn by looking at our elders:
We, for example, or the deceased uncle,
Maxim Petrovich: he’s not on silver,
Ate on gold; one hundred people at your service;
All in orders; I was always traveling in a train;
A century at court, and at what court!
Then it was not the same as now,
He served under the Empress Catherine.
And in those days everyone is important! forty pounds...
Take a bow - they won’t nod to stupid people.
A nobleman in the case - even more so,
Not like anyone else, and he drank and ate differently.
And uncle! what is your prince? what's the count?
Serious look, arrogant disposition.
When do you need to help yourself?
And he bent over:
On the kurtag he happened to step on his feet;
He fell so hard that he almost hit the back of his head;
The old man groaned, his voice hoarse;
He was granted the highest smile;
They deigned to laugh; what about him?
He stood up, straightened up, wanted to bow,
Suddenly a row fell - on purpose -
And the laughter is worse, and the third time it’s the same.
A? what do you think? in our opinion, he is smart.
He fell painfully, but got up well.
But it happens that who is more often invited to whist?
Who hears a friendly word at court?
Maxim Petrovich! Who knew honor before everyone?
Maxim Petrovich! Joke!
Who promotes you to ranks and gives pensions?
Maxim Petrovich! Yes! You, the current ones, wow!
Famusov's monologue phenomenon 2 act 5 "Woe from Wit"
Taste, father, excellent manners;
All have their own laws:
For example, we have been doing this since ancient times,
What honor for father and son:
Be bad, but if you get enough
Two thousand ancestral souls, -
He's the groom.
The other one, at least be quicker, puffed up with all sorts of arrogance,
Let yourself be known as a wise man,
But they won’t include you in the family. Don't look at us.
After all, only here they also value the nobility.
Is this the same thing? take some bread and salt:
Whoever wants to come to us is welcome;
The door is open for those invited and uninvited,
Especially from foreign ones;
Though fair man, at least not,
It’s all the same for us, dinner is ready for everyone.
Take you from head to toe,
All Moscow ones have a special imprint.
Please look at our youth,
For young men - sons and grandchildren.
We scold them, and if you figure it out,
At the age of fifteen, teachers will be taught!
And our old people?? -How the enthusiasm will take them,
They will condemn deeds, that the word is a sentence, -
After all, the pillars * are all, they don’t blow anyone’s mind;
And sometimes they talk about the government like this,
What if someone overheard them... trouble!
It’s not that new things were introduced - never,
God save us! No. And they will find fault
To this, to that, and more often to nothing,
They will argue, make some noise, and... disperse.
Direct chancellors * retired - according to the mind!
I'll tell you, you know, the time is not ripe,
But the matter cannot be accomplished without them. -
What about the ladies? - anyone, try it, master it;
Judges of everything, everywhere, there are no judges above them;
Behind the cards, when they rise up in a general revolt,
God grant me patience, because I myself was married.
Order the command in front of the front!
Be present, send them to the Senate!
Irina Vlasevna! Lukerya Aleksevna!
Tatyana Yuryevna! Pulcheria Andrevna!
And whoever saw the daughters, hang your head...
His Majesty the King of Prussia was here,
He marveled not at the Moscow girls,
Their good character, not their faces;
And indeed, is it possible to be more educated!
They know how to dress themselves up
Taffeta, marigold and haze, *
They won’t say a word in simplicity, everything will be done with a grimace;
French romances are sung to you
And the top ones bring out notes,
They just cling to military people.
But because they are patriots.
I will say emphatically: barely
Another capital will be found, like Moscow.
WOE FROM MIND (Maly Theater 1977) - video
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He speaks seriously, but we turn his words into a joke.
- How about the second wind? - we ask each other, laughing. And he laughs with us.
We're going all the way. The sun, which shone on the lamas' faces, remains behind us. In its truthful light we see each other. Their faces became haggard, darkened, their lips were cracked, their eyes were red...
But suddenly, at a turn, right on the outskirts of a quiet village, we see a passenger car covered with branches. This is the vehicle of the commander and commissar. Colonel Aleshin is not visible, Rakitin stands by the road and salutes us.
He does not stretch in a drill manner, and an embarrassed grin wanders across his tired, kind face. But still, there is no other way to interpret his pose - he salutes us. The entire regiment walks past him, which must continue for quite a long time, but he stands with his hand on the visor of his cap, and there is not a person in the regiment who does not understand what this means.
The colonel meets us in the village itself.
He stands in the middle of the street, with one hand in his belt, waiting for us. In the last hours of the march, our column became very upset. We do not walk in ranks, but in groups, and only when we see the colonel do we begin to look around and change formations as we go.
It is very difficult to understand the expression on the colonel's face. He's definitely looking at...
- Great, well done! - he said when we, having lined up in ranks, pulled ourselves up and even made an attempt to “give a leg,” passed him. “Turn here, second company!” It's cooked and cooked for you here. In one pot, both dinner and breakfast at once. Go quickly, otherwise the cook is nervous, worried that everything will be over!
The colonel points to the gate with a hospitable gesture. We pass by him, he carefully looks around our tired ranks. He knows very well that he needs hot food to restore strength and recover after a seven-decade trek. Having sent us to breakfast, he again looks at the road, waiting for the next, third company.
Day. We are located on a wide school yard. It recently rained here, the calm puddles are filled to the top and full of blue sky and wet clouds. There are people sleeping on the grass all over the yard. Some are spread out, others are curled up, but above each dozen heads there are rifles in a pyramid. We sleep in squads, platoons and companies, so that we can get up and go west again.
We sleep until lunch, we sleep after lunch, we could sleep longer, but we need to continue the hike. It’s difficult to walk at first, your legs are sore and bandaged, but the pain subsides and you don’t think about it. The legs parted. We turned from the echoing asphalt onto a soft dirt road, which again led us into the forest. This is still the Moscow region. It is prohibited to cut down trees here. The forests are getting thicker. Sometimes the forest parts, and arable fields crossed by rivers are visible.
...The sun is setting again, which day we follow it! Here is a large village, and you can see our army entering it from the forest along several roads...
We cross the street and stop the herd with our movements. Huge cows smelling of milk moo displeasedly. We prevented them from reaching the farm, the carved ridge of which is visible from the side. Young milkmaids dressed in white bring us morning milk. Here we were given a longer rest, and we have time to look back. Among the huts, two new white two-story houses rose. The roadsides are lined with turf. The glass of the school is clear. Socialist abundance in every detail, and in everything the mature fullness of an unprecedented, socialist, already developed system of life.
In 1928-1929, I visited the Comintern commune in the Dnieper Tauride steppes. The large wasteland overgrown with weeds on the site of the landowner's house was not yet built up, and the coals of the 1818 fire crunched underfoot. This commune was like a drawing by a talented child. The hand is uncertain, the perspective is confused, but the main strokes were outlined even then with brilliant fidelity. The commune plowed up five thousand hectares, built barns like hangars, erected silos... They were poor kindergarten and a nursery, but how clean are the sackcloth bedding in children’s beds!