During the lesson you can organize work in groups.
1st group. History of the creation of the play (reports about homework with additional literature).
It is necessary to note the general meaning of the work; it is no coincidence that Ostrovsky named his fictional, but surprisingly real city with the non-existent name Kalinov. In addition, the play is based on impressions from a trip along the Volga as part of an ethnographic expedition to study the life of the inhabitants of the Volga region. Katerina, remembering her childhood, talks about sewing on velvet with gold. The writer could see this craft in the city of Torzhok, Tver province.
2nd group. The meaning of the title of the play "" (reports of independent observations of the text).
A thunderstorm in nature (act 4) is a physical phenomenon, external, independent of the heroes.
The storm in Katerina's soul - from the gradual confusion caused by love for Boris, to the pangs of conscience from betraying her husband and to the feeling of sin before people, which pushed her to repentance.
A thunderstorm in society is a feeling by people who stand up for the immutability of the world of something incomprehensible. Awakening in a world of unfreedom free feelings. This process is also shown gradually. At first there are only touches: there is no proper respect in the voice, does not maintain decency, then - disobedience.
A thunderstorm in nature is an external cause that provoked both a thunderstorm in Katerina’s soul (it was she who pushed the heroine to confession) and a thunderstorm in society, which was dumbfounded because someone went against it.
Conclusion. Meaning of the title:
A thunderstorm in nature is refreshing,
Thunderstorm in the soul - cleanses,
A thunderstorm in society illuminates.
3rd group. System characters plays. (Messages about independent observations of the text.)
When studying the list of characters, you should note speaking names and the distribution of heroes by age: young - old. Then, when working with the text, students’ knowledge deepens, and the system of heroes becomes different. The teacher, together with the class, draws up a table, which is written down in notebooks.
"Masters of Life"
Wild:“You are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.” Kabanikha:“I’ve been seeing for a long time that you want freedom.” “This is where the will leads.” Curly:“Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me.” Feklusha:“And the merchants are all pious people, adorned with many virtues.”
"Victims"
Kuligin:“It’s better to endure it.” Varvara:“And I wasn’t a liar, but I learned.” “In my opinion, do whatever you want, as long as it’s safe and covered.” Tikhon:“Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live by my own will!” Boris:“I’m not eating of my own free will: my uncle sends me.”
Questions for the class. What place does Katerina occupy in this system of images? Why were Kudryash and Feklusha among the “masters of life”? How do you understand “mirror images”?
4th group. Features of revealing the characters' characters. (Students’ reports about their observations of the text.)
1. Speech characteristics (individual speech, characterizing ):
Katerina- poetic speech reminiscent of a spell, lament or song, filled with folk elements.
Kuligin- the speech of an educated person with “scientific” words and poetic phrases.
Wild- the speech is replete with rude words and curses.
2. The role of the first remark, which immediately reveals the character of the hero:
Kuligin:“Miracles, truly one must say: miracles!”
Curly:"And what?"
Wild:“What the hell are you, you came to beat the ships! Parasite! Get lost!"
Boris:" ; what to do at home!”
Feklusha:“Blah-alepie, honey, blah-alepie! The beauty is wonderful."
Kabanova: “If you want to listen to your mother, then when you get there, do as I ordered you.”
Tikhon:“How can I, Mama, disobey you!”
Varvara:“I won’t respect you, of course!”
Katerina:“For me, Mama, it’s all the same, like my own mother, like you, and Tikhon loves you too.”
3. Using the technique of contrast and comparison:
Feklushi's monologue - Kuligin's monologue,
Life in the city of Kalinov - Volga landscape,
Katerina - Varvara,
Subject. Drama "Thunderstorm". History of creation, system of images, techniques for revealing the characters' characters.
Goals: 1. Present material about the creation of Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” in the form of a video report.
2. Develop the skill of analyzing the characteristics of dramatic characters using the example of residents of the city of Kalinov: first of all, those on whom the spiritual atmosphere in the city depends.
3. Education of patriotism using the example of the history of the creation of Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”; awaken interest in Ostrovsky’s work
Equipment: multimedia projector, computer, presentation for a lesson on the topic, video report about cities located on the Volga River.
Lesson Plan.
Organizational moment.
Checking homework. Survey:
Why did the formula “Columbus of Zamoskvorechye” “grow” to Ostrovsky?
How did Ostrovsky himself imagine Zamoskvorechye?
What is dramaturgy?
What theater did Ostrovsky collaborate with and what did Goncharov call this theater in a letter to Ostrovsky?
What is Ostrovsky’s contribution to the theater?
III. Work on the topic of the lesson. Announcing the topic of the lesson:“Drama “The Thunderstorm”. History of creation, system of images, techniques for revealing the characters’ characters.”
1. Video report on the history of the creation of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.
1. “Prototype” of the city of Kalinov
In the summer of 1855, the Russian Maritime Ministry equipped an ethnographic expedition to study the life and culture of the Volga cities. A.N. Ostrovsky took part in the expedition. Impressions from the trip were reflected in many of the playwright’s works. According to researchers, the “prototype” of the city of Kalinov in the play “The Thunderstorm” could be Kostroma, Torzhok or Kineshma. It is connected with Kostroma by a picturesque area, and with Kineshma by a scene Last Judgment, captured on the porch of one of the churches, with Torzhok - local customs. It would be more correct to say that Kalinov is a generalized image of the provincial cities of Russia.
2. Work with theoretical material.
Conversation with the class:
Name genre features dramas.
Drama:
1) genre;
2) literary genre, belonging simultaneously to theater and literature.
Drama Feature:
1) conflict,
2) dividing the plot into stage episodes,
3) a continuous chain of statements by characters,
4) lack of narrative beginning.
Identify the conflict in the play.
A.N. Ostrovsky showed how “a protest against centuries-old traditions is brewing
and how the Old Testament way of life begins to collapse under the pressure of life’s demands.”
The conflict between the "dark kingdom" and the new
a person who lives according to the laws of conscience.
3. Work with the text of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.
Consider the system artistic images:
"Dark Kingdom"
Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna
Dikoy Savel Prokofich
wanderer Feklusha
tradesman Shapkin
maid Glasha
Victims of the “dark kingdom”
Katerina
Boris
Kuligin
Varvara
Curly
Tikhon
- let’s turn to the meanings of names, since the heroes of the play have “speaking names.”
Catherine– colloquial Katerina, translated from Greek: pure, noble.
Varvara – translated from Greek: foreigner, foreigner.
Marfa – from Aramaic: lady
Boris – abbreviation of the name Borislav, from Bulgarian:
fight, from Slavic: words.
Sovel – from Savely, from Hebrew: requested
(from God).
Tikhon – from Greek: successful, calm.
Teacher's word: " The action takes place in the city of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga. In the city center there is Market Square, nearby there is an old church. Everything seems peaceful and calm, but the owners of the city are rude and cruel.”
Conversation with the class on the following questions:
Tell us about the residents of Kalinov.
What kind of order reigns in the city? (Confirm your answer with text).
N. Dobrolyubov spoke about the residents of the city of Kalinov as follows:
"Nothing holy, nothing pure, nothing right in this dark
world: the tyranny that dominates it, wild, insane,
wrong, drove out from him all consciousness of honor and right...”
Do you agree with the critic's opinion?
"The tyrants of Russian life."
Conversation with the class:
What does the word "tyrant" mean?
What is your idea of the Wild?
What is the reason for the unbridled tyranny of the Wild One?
How does he treat others?
Is he confident in the unlimited power?
Describe the speech, manner of speaking, communicating of the Wild. Give examples.
Let's conclude:
Dikoy Savel Prokofich -“shrill man”, “swearer”, “tyrant”, which means a wild, cool-hearted, powerful person. The goal of his life is enrichment. Rudeness, ignorance, swearing, and swearing are common to the Wild One. The passion for swearing becomes even stronger when they ask him for money.
Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna – a typical representative of the “dark kingdom”.
1. What is your idea of this character?
2. How does she treat her family? What is her attitude to the “new order”?
3. What are the similarities and differences between the characters of the Wild and Kabanikha?
4. Describe Kabanova’s speech, manner of speaking, and communication. Give examples.
Let's conclude:
Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna - the embodiment of despotism disguised as hypocrisy. How Kuligin correctly described her: “A prude... She gives favors to the poor, but completely eats up her family!” For her, love and maternal feelings for her children do not exist. Kabanikha is the exact nickname given to her by people. She is a “guardian” and defender of the customs and orders of the “dark kingdom”.
Young heroes of the play. Give them a description.
Tikhon - kind, sincerely loves Katerina. Exhausted by his mother’s reproaches and orders, he thinks about how to escape from the house. He is a weak-willed, submissive person.
Boris - gentle, kind, really understands Katerina, but is unable to help her. He is unable to fight for his happiness and chooses the path of humility.
Varvara - understands the meaninglessness of protest; for her, lying is protection from the laws of the “dark kingdom.” She ran away from home, but did not submit.
Curly – desperate, boastful, capable of sincere feelings, is not afraid of its owner. He fights in every way for his happiness.
Katerina's struggle for happiness.
How is Katerina different from other heroes of the drama “The Thunderstorm”?
2. Tell the story of her life. Give examples from the text.
3. What is the tragedy of her situation?
4. What paths does she look for in the struggle for happiness?
Comment on the illustration for the work.
Why is Katerina left alone with her grief? Why didn't Boris take her with him?
Why didn't she return to her husband?
Are Boris and Tikhon worthy of her love?
Did Katerina have any other way out other than death?
Working with text.
Why did Katerina decide to publicly repent of her sin?
2. What role does the thunderstorm scene play in the play?
3. Read expressively Katerina’s monologue in the repentance scene. What role does it play in revealing ideological content works?
Try to interpret the meaning of the title of the drama "The Thunderstorm".
Storm - This is an elemental force of nature, terrible and not fully understood.
Storm - This is a stormy state of society, a thunderstorm in the souls of people.
Storm - this is a threat to the one leaving, but still strong world boar and wild.
Storm - This is a Christian belief: the wrath of God, punishing for sins.
Storm - these are new forces maturing in the fight against old remnants of the past.
Prove that the development of the action inevitably leads to a tragic end?
Could Katerina find happiness in her family? Under what conditions?
What is the heroine struggling with: a sense of duty or the “dark kingdom”?
Read expressively last words Katerina. Who is to blame for her death?
N.A. Dobrolyubov:“Katerina is a ray of light in dark kingdom.
At the tragic end...a terrible challenge was given to tyrant power. morality, protest brought to the end...” (N.A. Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom”).
D.I.Pisarev:“Education and life could not give Katerina either a strong character or a developed mind... She cuts through the tight knots with suicide, which is completely unexpected for herself.”
(D.I. Pisarev “Motives of Russian Drama”).
What is your opinion and why?
Lesson summary:
Evaluating student responses.
Today in class we learned not only about the customs of the Kalinovites, but also looked at representatives of the “dark” and “light” kingdoms
At the end of the lesson, answer the question for yourself: “Which side of self-education should I pay more attention to?”
Complete the outline of N. Dobrolyubov’s article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” according to plan:
"Dark Kingdom" in "Thunderstorm"
Katerina – “a ray of light in the “dark kingdom”
Expression of popular aspirations
The most decisive work Ostrovsky.
It was not for nothing that Ostrovsky gave the name to his work “The Thunderstorm”, because previously people were afraid of the elements and associated them with the punishment of heaven. Thunder and lightning instilled superstitious fear and primitive horror. The writer spoke in his play about the inhabitants of a provincial town, who are conditionally divided into two groups: the “dark kingdom” - rich merchants exploiting the poor, and “victims” - those who tolerate the tyranny of tyrants. The characteristics of the heroes will tell you more about people's lives. The thunderstorm reveals the true feelings of the characters in the play.
Characteristics of the Wild
Savel Prokofich Dikoy is a typical tyrant. This is a rich merchant who has no control. He tortured his relatives, and because of his insults, his family fled to attics and closets. The merchant treats servants rudely, it is impossible to please him, he will definitely find something to cling to. You can’t beg a salary from Dikiy, because he is very greedy. Savel Prokofich is an ignorant person, a supporter of the patriarchal system, does not want to learn modern world. The merchant’s stupidity is evidenced by his conversation with Kuligin, from which it becomes clear that Dikoy does not know the thunderstorm. Unfortunately, the characterization of the heroes of the “dark kingdom” does not end there.
Description of Kabanikha
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is the embodiment of the patriarchal way of life. A wealthy merchant, a widow, she constantly insists on observing all the traditions of her ancestors and herself strictly follows them. Kabanikha brought everyone to despair - this is exactly what the characteristics of the heroes show. "The Thunderstorm" is a play that reveals the mores of a patriarchal society. The woman gives alms to the poor, goes to church, but does not give life to her children or daughter-in-law. The heroine wanted to preserve the old way of life, so she kept her family at bay and taught her son, daughter, and daughter-in-law.
Characteristics of Katerina
In a patriarchal world, it is possible to preserve humanity and faith in goodness - this is also shown by the characteristics of the heroes. “The Thunderstorm” is a play in which there is a confrontation between the new and old world, only the characters in the work defend their point of view in different ways. Katerina remembers her childhood with joy, because she grew up in love and mutual understanding. She belongs to the patriarchal world and up to a certain point everything suited her, even the fact that her parents themselves decided her fate and got her married. But Katerina doesn’t like the role of a humiliated daughter-in-law; she doesn’t understand how one can constantly live in fear and captivity.
The main character of the play gradually changes, a strong personality awakens in her, capable of making her own choice, which is manifested in her love for Boris. Katerina was ruined by her environment, the lack of hope pushed her to commit suicide, because she would not have been able to live in Kabanikha’s home prison.
The attitude of Kabanikha’s children to the patriarchal world
Varvara is someone who does not want to live according to the laws of the patriarchal world, but she is not going to openly resist her mother’s will. She was crippled by Kabanikha’s house, because it was here that the girl learned to lie, be cunning, do whatever her heart desires, but carefully hide the traces of her misdeeds. To show the ability of some individuals to adapt to different conditions, Ostrovsky wrote his play. A thunderstorm (the characterization of the heroes shows the blow Varvara dealt to her mother by escaping from the house) brought everyone to clean water, during bad weather, the residents of the town showed their real faces.
Tikhon is weak person, the embodiment of the completion of the patriarchal structure. He loves his wife, but cannot find the strength to protect her from her mother’s tyranny. It was Kabanikha who pushed him towards drunkenness and destroyed him with her moralizing. Tikhon does not support the old ways, but sees no point in going against his mother, letting her words fall on deaf ears. Only after the death of his wife does the hero decide to rebel against Kabanikha, blaming her for the death of Katerina. The characteristics of the heroes allow us to understand the worldview of each character and his attitude to the patriarchal world. "The Thunderstorm" is a play with a tragic ending, but with faith in a better future.
The main characters of Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm"
The events in A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” unfold on the Volga coast, in the fictional city of Kalinov. The work contains a list of characters and their brief characteristics, but they are still not enough to better understand the world of each character and reveal the conflict of the play as a whole. There are not many main characters in Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm".
Katerina, a girl, the main character of the play. She is quite young, she was married off early. Katya was brought up exactly according to the traditions of house-building: the main qualities of a wife were respect and obedience to her husband. At first, Katya tried to love Tikhon, but she could not feel anything but pity for him. At the same time, the girl tried to support her husband, help him and not reproach him. Katerina can be called the most modest, but at the same time the most powerful character in “The Thunderstorm”. Indeed, Katya’s strength of character does not appear outwardly. At first glance, this girl is weak and silent, it seems as if she is easy to break. But this is not true at all. Katerina is the only one in the family who resists Kabanikha’s attacks. She resists, and does not ignore them, like Varvara. The conflict is more likely internal character. After all, Kabanikha is afraid that Katya might influence her son, after which Tikhon will stop obeying his mother’s will.
Katya wants to fly and often compares herself to a bird. She is literally suffocating in Kalinov’s “dark kingdom”. Falling in love with a newcomer young man, Katya created for herself perfect image love and possible liberation. Unfortunately, her ideas had little to do with reality. The girl's life ended tragically.
Ostrovsky in “The Thunderstorm” makes not only Katerina the main character. The image of Katya is contrasted with the image of Marfa Ignatievna. A woman who keeps her entire family in fear and tension does not command respect. Kabanikha is strong and despotic. Most likely, she took over the “reins of power” after the death of her husband. Although it is more likely that in her marriage Kabanikha was not distinguished by submissiveness. Katya, her daughter-in-law, got the most from her. It is Kabanikha who is indirectly responsible for the death of Katerina.
Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikha. Despite the fact that over so many years she has learned to be cunning and lie, the reader still sympathizes with her. Varvara good girl. Surprisingly, deception and cunning do not make her like other residents of the city. She does as she pleases and lives as she pleases. Varvara is not afraid of her mother’s anger, since she is not an authority for her.
Tikhon Kabanov fully lives up to his name. He is quiet, weak, unnoticeable. Tikhon cannot protect his wife from his mother, since he himself is under the strong influence of Kabanikha. His rebellion ultimately proves to be the most significant. After all, it is the words, and not Varvara’s escape, that make readers think about the whole tragedy of the situation.
The author characterizes Kuligin as a self-taught mechanic. This character is a kind of tour guide. In the first act, he seems to be taking us around Kalinov, talking about its morals, the families that live here, and the social situation. Kuligin seems to know everything about everyone. His assessments of others are very accurate. Kuligin himself kind person who is used to living by established rules. He constantly dreams of the common good, of a perpetu mobile, of a lightning rod, of honest work. Unfortunately, his dreams are not destined to come true.
The Wild One has a clerk, Kudryash. This character is interesting because he is not afraid of the merchant and can tell him what he thinks about him. At the same time, Kudryash, just like Dikoy, tries to find benefit in everything. He can be described as a simple person.
Boris comes to Kalinov on business: he urgently needs to establish relations with Dikiy, because only in this case will he be able to receive the money legally bequeathed to him. However, neither Boris nor Dikoy even want to see each other. Initially, Boris seems to readers like Katya, honest and fair. IN last scenes this is refuted: Boris is not able to decide to take a serious step, to take responsibility, he simply runs away, leaving Katya alone.
One of the heroes of “The Thunderstorm” is a wanderer and a maid. Feklusha and Glasha are shown as typical inhabitants of the city of Kalinov. Their darkness and lack of education is truly amazing. Their judgments are absurd and their horizons are very narrow. Women judge morality and ethics according to some perverted, distorted concepts. “Moscow is now full of carnivals and games, but through the streets there is an indo roar and groan. Why, Mother Marfa Ignatievna, they started harnessing a fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed” - this is how Feklusha speaks about progress and reforms, and the woman calls a car a “fiery serpent”. The concept of progress and culture is alien to such people, because it is convenient for them to live in an invented limited world of calm and regularity.
Characteristics of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm”
Using the example of the life of a single family from the fictional city of Kalinov in the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky, the whole essence of the outdated patriarchal structure is shown Russia XIX century. Katerina is the main character of the work. She is contrasted with all the other characters in the tragedy, even from Kuligin, who also stands out among the residents of Kalinov, Katya is distinguished by her strength of protest. The description of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm”, the characteristics of other characters, the description of the life of the city - all this adds up to an incriminating tragic picture, conveyed photographically accurately. The characterization of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is not limited to just the author’s commentary in the list of characters. The playwright does not evaluate the actions of the heroine, relieving himself of the responsibilities of an all-knowing author. Thanks to this position, each perceiving subject, be it a reader or a viewer, can himself evaluate the heroine based on his own moral convictions.
Katya was married to Tikhon Kabanov, the son of a merchant's wife. It was given out, because then, according to the domostroy, marriage was more likely the will of the parents than the decision of the young people. Katya's husband is a pitiful sight. The child's irresponsibility and immaturity, bordering on idiocy, led to the fact that Tikhon is incapable of anything other than drunkenness. In Marfa Kabanova, the ideas of tyranny and hypocrisy inherent in the entire “dark kingdom” were fully embodied. Katya strives for freedom, comparing herself to a bird. It is difficult for her to survive in conditions of stagnation and slavish worship of false idols. Katerina is truly religious, every trip to church seems like a holiday for her, and as a child, Katya more than once fancied that she heard angels singing. It happened that Katya prayed in the garden because she believed that the Lord would hear her prayers anywhere, not just in church. But in Kalinov, the Christian faith was deprived of any internal content.
Katerina's dreams allow her to briefly escape from real world. There she is free, like a bird, free to fly wherever she wants, not subject to any laws. “And what dreams I had, Varenka,” continues Katerina, “what dreams! Either the temples are golden, or the gardens are extraordinary, and everyone is singing invisible voices, and there is a smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem not to be the same as usual, but as if depicted in images. And it’s like I’m flying, and I’m flying through the air.” However, in lately Katerina began to have a certain mysticism. Everywhere she begins to see imminent death, and in her dreams she sees the evil one who warmly embraces her and then destroys her. These dreams were prophetic.
Katya is dreamy and tender, but along with her fragility, Katerina’s monologues from “The Thunderstorm” reveal perseverance and strength. For example, a girl decides to go out to meet Boris. She was overcome by doubts, she wanted to throw the key to the gate into the Volga, thought about the consequences, but still took an important step for herself: “Throw the key! No, not for anything in the world! He’s mine now... Whatever happens, I’ll see Boris!” Katya is disgusted with Kabanikha’s house; the girl doesn’t like Tikhon. She thought about leaving her husband and, having received a divorce, living honestly with Boris. But there was nowhere to hide from the tyranny of the mother-in-law. With her hysterics, Kabanikha turned the house into hell, stopping any opportunity for escape.
Katerina is surprisingly insightful towards herself. The girl knows about her character traits, about her decisive disposition: “I was born this way, hot! I was only six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found it, about ten miles away! Such a person will not submit to tyranny, will not be subject to dirty manipulations by Kabanikha. It’s not Katerina’s fault that she was born at a time when a wife had to unquestioningly obey her husband and was an almost powerless addition whose function was childbearing. By the way, Katya herself says that children could be her joy. But Katya has no children.
The motif of freedom is repeated many times in the work. The parallel between Katerina and Varvara seems interesting. Sister Tikhon also strives to be free, but this freedom must be physical, freedom from despotism and mother’s prohibitions. At the end of the play, the girl runs away from home, finding what she dreamed of. Katerina understands freedom differently. For her, this is an opportunity to do as she wants, take responsibility for her life, and not obey stupid orders. This is freedom of the soul. Katerina, like Varvara, gains freedom. But such freedom is achievable only through suicide.
In Ostrovsky’s work “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina and the characteristics of her image were perceived differently by critics. If Dobrolyubov saw in the girl a symbol of the Russian soul, tormented by the patriarchal house-building, then Pisarev saw a weak girl who had driven herself into such a situation.
The play "The Thunderstorm" by the famous Russian writer XIX century by Alexander Ostrovsky, was written in 1859 on the wave of social upsurge on the eve of social reforms. She became one of best works the author, opening the eyes of the whole world to the customs and moral values of the merchant class of that time. It was first published in the journal “Library for Reading” in 1860 and, due to the novelty of its subject matter (descriptions of the struggle of new progressive ideas and aspirations with old, conservative foundations), immediately after publication it caused a wide public response. It became a topic for writing large quantity critical articles of that time (“A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” by Dobrolyubov, “Motives of Russian Drama” by Pisarev, critic Apollon Grigoriev).
History of writing
Inspired by the beauty of the Volga region and its endless expanses during a trip with his family to Kostroma in 1848, Ostrovsky began writing the play in July 1859, three months later he finished it and sent it to the St. Petersburg censor.
Having worked for several years in the office of the Moscow Conscientious Court, he knew well what the merchant class was like in Zamoskvorechye (the historical district of the capital, on the right bank of the Moscow River), more than once having encountered in his service what was going on behind the high fences of the merchant choirs , namely with cruelty, tyranny, ignorance and various superstitions, illegal transactions and scams, tears and suffering of others. The basis for the plot of the play was tragic fate daughters-in-law in the wealthy merchant family of the Klykovs, which happened in reality: a young woman rushed into the Volga and drowned, unable to withstand oppression from her domineering mother-in-law, tired of her husband’s spinelessness and secret passion for a postal employee. Many believed that it was the stories from the life of the Kostroma merchants that became the prototype for the plot of the play written by Ostrovsky.
In November 1859, the play was performed on the stage of Maly academic theater in Moscow, in December of the same year in Alexandrinsky drama theater in St. Petersburg.
Analysis of the work
Storyline
At the center of the events described in the play is a prosperous merchant family Kabanov, living in the fictional Volga city of Kalinov, a kind of peculiar and closed little world, symbolizing the general structure of the entire patriarchal Russian state. The Kabanov family consists of a powerful and cruel tyrant woman, and essentially the head of the family, a wealthy merchant and widow Marfa Ignatievna, her son, Tikhon Ivanovich, weak-willed and spineless against the backdrop of the difficult disposition of his mother, daughter Varvara, who learned by deception and cunning to resist her mother’s despotism , as well as Katerina’s daughter-in-law. A young woman, who grew up in a family where she was loved and pitied, suffers in the house of her unloved husband from his lack of will and the claims of her mother-in-law, having essentially lost her will and becoming a victim of Kabanikha’s cruelty and tyranny, left to the mercy of fate by her rag husband.
Out of hopelessness and despair, Katerina seeks consolation in her love for Boris Dikiy, who also loves her, but is afraid to disobey his uncle, the rich merchant Savel Prokofich Dikiy, because the financial situation of him and his sister depends on him. Secretly he meets with Katerina, but in last moment betrays her and escapes, then, at the direction of his uncle, leaves for Siberia.
Katerina, having been brought up in obedience and submission to her husband, tormented by her own sin, confesses everything to her husband in the presence of his mother. She makes her daughter-in-law’s life completely unbearable, and Katerina, suffering from unhappy love, reproaches of conscience and cruel persecution of the tyrant and despot Kabanikha, decides to end her torment, the only way in which she sees salvation is suicide. She throws herself off a cliff into the Volga and dies tragically.
Main characters
All the characters in the play are divided into two opposing camps, some (Kabanikha, her son and daughter, the merchant Dikoy and his nephew Boris, the maids Feklusha and Glasha) are representatives of the old, patriarchal way of life, others (Katerina, self-taught mechanic Kuligin) - the new, progressive.
The young woman, Katerina, wife of Tikhon Kabanov, is central heroine plays. She was brought up in strict patriarchal rules, in accordance with the laws of the ancient Russian Domostroy: a wife must submit to her husband in everything, respect him, and fulfill all his demands. At first, Katerina tried with all her might to love her husband, to become a submissive and good wife for him, but due to his complete spinelessness and weakness of character, she can only feel pity for him.
Outwardly, she looks weak and silent, but in the depths of her soul there is enough willpower and perseverance to resist the tyranny of her mother-in-law, who is afraid that her daughter-in-law might change her son Tikhon and he will stop submitting to his mother’s will. Katerina is cramped and stuffy in the dark kingdom of life in Kalinov, she literally suffocates there and in her dreams she flies like a bird away from this terrible place for her.
Boris
Having fallen in love with a visiting young man, Boris, the nephew of a rich merchant and businessman, she creates in her head an image of an ideal lover and a real man, which is not at all true, breaks her heart and leads to a tragic ending.
In the play, the character of Katerina opposes not a specific person, her mother-in-law, but the entire patriarchal structure that existed at that time.
Kabanikha
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha), like the tyrant merchant Dikoy, who tortures and insults his relatives, does not pay wages and deceives his workers, are prominent representatives of the old, bourgeois way of life. They are distinguished by stupidity and ignorance, unjustified cruelty, rudeness and rudeness, complete rejection of any progressive changes in the ossified patriarchal way of life.
Tikhon
(Tikhon, in the illustration near Kabanikha - Marfa Ignatievna)
Tikhon Kabanov is characterized throughout the play as a quiet and weak-willed person, under the complete influence of his oppressive mother. Distinguished by his gentle character, he makes no attempts to protect his wife from her mother’s attacks.
At the end of the play, he finally breaks down and the author shows his rebellion against tyranny and despotism; it is his phrase at the end of the play that leads readers to a certain conclusion about the depth and tragedy of the current situation.
Features of compositional construction
(Fragment from a dramatic production)
The work begins with a description of the city on the Volga Kalinov, the image of which is collectively all Russian cities of that time. The landscape of the Volga expanses depicted in the play contrasts with the musty, dull and gloomy atmosphere of life in this city, which is emphasized by the dead isolation of the life of its inhabitants, their underdevelopment, dullness and wild lack of education. The author described the general state of city life as if before a thunderstorm, when the old, dilapidated way of life will be shaken, and new and progressive trends, like a gust of furious thunderstorm wind, will sweep away the outdated rules and prejudices that prevent people from living normally. The period of life of the residents of the city of Kalinov described in the play is precisely in a state when outwardly everything looks calm, but this is only the calm before the coming storm.
The genre of the play can be interpreted as a social drama, as well as a tragedy. The first is characterized by the use of a thorough description of living conditions, the maximum transfer of its “density,” as well as the alignment of characters. Readers' attention should be distributed among all participants in the production. The interpretation of the play as a tragedy presupposes its deeper meaning and thoroughness. If you see Katerina’s death as a consequence of her conflict with her mother-in-law, then she looks like a victim family conflict, and the entire unfolding action in the play for a real tragedy seems small and insignificant. But if we consider death main character As a conflict of a new, progressive time with a fading, old era, then her act is best interpreted in the heroic key characteristic of a tragic narrative.
Talented playwright Alexander Ostrovsky from social drama about the life of the merchant class gradually creates a real tragedy, in which, with the help of a love-domestic conflict, he showed the onset of an epochal turning point taking place in the consciousness of the people. Ordinary people They become aware of their awakening sense of self-worth, begin to have a new attitude towards the world around them, want to decide their own destinies and fearlessly express their will. This nascent desire comes into irreconcilable contradiction with the real patriarchal way of life. Katerina's fate becomes public historical meaning, expressing the state national consciousness at the turning point of two eras.
Alexander Ostrovsky, who noticed in time the doom of the decaying patriarchal foundations, wrote the play “The Thunderstorm” and opened the eyes of the entire Russian public to what was happening. He depicted the destruction of a familiar, outdated way of life, with the help of the ambiguous and figurative concept of a thunderstorm, which, gradually growing, will sweep away everything from its path and open the way to a new, better life.