How is the title of the work reflected in the scenery? A cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster. Light from the viewer and, from top to bottom, from a square window with right side. The right corner is occupied by Ash’s room, fenced off by thin partitions, near the door to this room of Bubnov’s bunk. In the left corner there is a large Russian stove, in the left, stone wall there is a door to the kitchen, where Kvashnya, Baron, and Nastya live. Between the stove and the door against the wall there is a wide bed covered with a dirty chintz curtain. Everywhere along the walls of the bunk. In the foreground, near the left wall, is a stump of wood with a vice and a small anvil attached to it, and another, lower than the first. The Tick sits on the last one in front of the anvil, trying on the keys to the old locks. At his feet are two large bunches of different keys, mounted on wire rings, a damaged samovar made of tin, a hammer, and filings. In the middle of the shelter there is a large table, two benches, a stool, everything is unpainted and dirty. At the table, by the samovar, Kvashnya is in charge, the Baron is chewing black bread, and Nastya is on a stool, reading a tattered book, leaning on the table. Anna is coughing on the bed, covered with curtains. Bubnov, sitting on his bunk, tries on old, torn trousers on a hat blank, clamped in his knees, figuring out how to cut them. Near him are tattered cardboard from under a hat for visors, pieces of oilcloth, rags. Satin has just woken up, lies on his bunk and growls. On the stove, invisible, the Actor is fiddling and coughing. The beginning of spring. Morning.
Characters Mikhail Ivanov Kostylev 54 years old, owner of the shelter Vasilisa Karpovna his wife, 26 years old Natasha her sister, 20 years old Medvedev their uncle, policeman, 50 years old Vaska Ashes 28 years old Kleshch Andrey Mitrich, mechanic, 40 years old Anna his wife, 30 years old Nastya maiden, 24 years old Kvashnya, dumpling seller, under 40 years old Bubnov the cap-maker, 45 years old Baron 33 years old Satin, about 40 years old Actor, about 40 years old Luka the wanderer, 60 years old Alyoshka the shoemaker, 20 years old Krivoy Zob, Tatar hook-makers Several tramps without names or speeches
* A hookmaker is a hired worker in Russia in the 18th and first third of the 20th century, carrying weights on his back with the help of a special iron hook (hence the name). The labor of hookmen was especially widely used in Rybinsk when transshipping goods (most often bread) from lower to upper river vessels going to St. Petersburg. IN individual years late XIX century, up to 3,600 hookers, organized in artels, worked in Rybinsk.
Whose lines are these (1 act)? How do they characterize the attitude towards life of the people in the shelter? 1. My body is poisoned by alcohol. I was a furrier... I had my own establishment... My hands were so yellow from paint: I tinted the furs, so, brother, my hands were yellow to the elbows! I thought that I wouldn’t wash it until I die... so I’ll die with yellow hands... And now here they are, my hands... just dirty... Yes! 3. Is kindness of heart comparable to money? Kindness is above all blessings. And your debt to me is just that: a debt! This means that you must compensate me for it... Your kindness to me, an old man, must be shown free of charge. So... I am tired, brother, of all human words... all our words are tired! I have heard each of them...probably a thousand times.. 5. What kind of people are they? Ragged, golden company... people! I’m a working man... I’m ashamed to look at them... I’ve been working since I was little... Do you think I won’t break out of here? I’ll get out... I’ll rip off the skin, and I’ll get out... Wait a minute... my wife will die... I lived here for six months... but it still feels like six years.. 6. Work? Make the work enjoyable for me, maybe I’ll work... yes! May be! When work is pleasure, life is good! When work is a duty, life is slavery! 7. Where are their honor and conscience? On your feet, instead of boots, you can’t put either honor or conscience... Honor - conscience is needed by those who have power and strength... 8. Where it’s warm for an old man, there’s a homeland... 9. They lived better... yes! I... used to... wake up in the morning and, lying in bed, drink coffee... coffee! with cream... Yes! 10. I don't care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they’re all black, they all jump... so and so. Where can I fit in, my dear? … 11. You are superfluous everywhere... and all the people on earth are superfluous... 12. He (the person), whatever he is, is always worth his price...
... So... I'm tired, brother, of all human words... all our words are tired! I have heard each of them... probably a thousand times... ...Work? Make the work enjoyable for me, maybe I’ll work... yes! May be! When work is pleasure, life is good! When work is a duty, life is slavery!.. Satin. He appeared not with words, but with a growl. His first line says that he is a card sharper and a drunkard. He once served in a telegraph office and was an educated man. He utters words that are incomprehensible to others. “Organon” in translation means “tool”, “organ of knowledge”, “mind”. (maybe Satin means that it is not the human body that is poisoned, but the very rationality of life.) Sicambrus is an ancient Germanic tribe that means “dark man.” With these words, Satin shows his superiority over the rest of the shelters.
... My body is poisoned by alcohol... The actor is a drunkard, constantly remembering his acting past. He is harmless, does no harm to anyone, helps Anna, takes pity on her. Quoting them classical works speaks in favor of the hero. He prefers loneliness, the company of himself, or rather, his thoughts, dreams, memories. The remarks to his remarks are typical: “after a pause,” “suddenly, as if waking up.” He has no name (his name was Sverchkov - Zavolzhsky, but “nobody knows that”). Like a drowning man, he clutches at any straw if it creates the illusion of this name, individuality. "My body is poisoned by alcohol." The remark “with pride” explains a lot: so I have something that others don’t have.
... I was a furrier... I had my own establishment... My hands were so yellow from paint: I tinted the furs, so, brother, my hands were yellow to the elbows! I thought that I wouldn’t wash it until I die... so I’ll die with yellow hands... And now here they are, my hands... just dirty... Yes! ... ... You are superfluous everywhere... and all the people on earth are superfluous... Bubnov. From the first remarks, the hero's slow-wittedness and indifference are evident. V. Luzhsky, who performed the role of Bubnov at the Moscow Art Theater, recalls a conversation with Gorky: “he asked me in Act 3 to be even dumber.” ...What kind of people are they? Ragged, golden company... people! I’m a working man... I’m ashamed to look at them... I’ve been working since I was little... Do you think I won’t break out of here? I’ll get out... I’ll rip off the skin, and I’ll get out... Just wait... my wife will die... I lived here for six months... but it’s still like six years... Tick. In Act 1, the stage direction “sullenly” is mentioned twice. This is the darkest figure. He looks at life soberly and gloomily. Nastya appears in Act 1 with the novel “Fatal Love”. (Newspapers wrote that such pulp novels constituted the traditional "culture" of the city prostitute.) She had already found the "uplifting deception" before Luca arrived.
Where it’s warm for an old man, there’s his homeland... ...I don’t care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they’re all black, they all jump... so and so. Where can I fit in, my dear? ... ... He (the person), whatever he is, is always worth his price... Luka Appears with the words: “Good health, honest people.” To Vasilisa’s question: “Who are you?” answers: “Passing... wandering.”
Vote different people different interests. Indeed, everyone lives in this basement the way they want, everyone is concerned with their own problems (for some it is a problem of freedom, for others it is a problem of punishment, for others it is a problem of health, survival in the current conditions). The development of the conflict begins with the appearance of Luka. The playwright has been thinking about the problem of man for many years. Probably the appearance of the bow in the first act of the play climax this action is not only because the hero outlines one of the main problems of how to treat a person; appearance of bows most shining moment also because rays stretch from it - thoughts to the next actions of the drama. hero
Some people join wrong way involuntarily, because there is no direct path for them.
Thomas Mann
The one who has nothing left to lose is terrible.
Goethe
Despite the fact that the play by A.M. Gorky’s “At the Lower Depths” was written at the beginning of the last century (in 1902); for more than a hundred years, famous stage directors have been turning to it. In the characters of the play, who have sunk to the “bottom” of life, one can find traits of modern people who were unable to adapt to the emerging capitalism in Russia and, by the will of fate, found themselves on the sidelines of life, mired in poverty and human vices.
Let's talk about the human destinies of Gorky's heroes using the example of the first act of the play. Dramatic work intended for performance on stage, there are no descriptions of a portrait, landscape, or interior, and the reader can judge the character of the characters only by their remarks. And the landscape and interior are replaced by the author's remarks. Let us pay attention to how Gorky describes the Kostylevs’ shelter: “A basement like a cave. The ceiling is heavy stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster.” From the first lines of the play, we are struck by the miserable conditions: in the basement there is dirt, unsanitary conditions, disease. And it’s the beginning of spring, morning outside. Apparently the light of the sun's rays will never penetrate these stone walls.
But Gorky’s heroes do not pay attention to the dirt and stench, they are accustomed to such a life, to each other, and almost do not notice those around them. Each hero exists as if on his own, living his own life. Therefore, at the beginning of the play, everyone present speaks at once, without expecting an answer, weakly reacting to the comments of others. Several dialogues are going on in parallel: Kvashnya and Klesch, Nastya and Baron, etc. Kvashnya is proud that she free woman, not related by marriage, and this makes Mite angry. He has a dying wife in his arms. Nastya, a fallen woman, reads the novel “Fatal Love,” which causes the Baron to laugh ironically. Behind the screen is the seriously ill Anna, whom no one seems to notice except Kvashnya. Drunkenness, swearing, foul language - this is normal, everyone is used to such a life and does not pay attention to each other.
Who are they, these miserable inhabitants of the human “bottom”? Many heroes have only a nickname instead of a first and last name, for example, Actor, Baron. No one calls them anything else in the play.
The former Actor, who has lost his name, constantly recalls his past life in the theater; his remarks contain quotes from famous plays. But now his “body is poisoned by alcohol.” Talking about purpose creative people, The actor believes that “talent is faith in yourself, in your strength.” But he himself lost this faith, became an alcoholic, lost his job and found himself “at the bottom.”
Prostitute Nastya dreams of a bright and pure love, but this only causes laughter from others. The girl is trying to get out of the vicious circle, leave the shelter and start new life, but these are just her dreams.
Bubnov, a former furrier, recalls that he once “had his own establishment”, worked, and now he is one of the inhabitants of the “bottom”, a useless person.
His nickname speaks about the Baron's past. He was a wealthy man, born into a rich family, but he also became an alcoholic, squandered his fortune, ended up in a poor shelter and lives supported by Nastya. Many of the inhabitants of the basement do not even believe his stories about past prosperity.
Locksmith Klesch makes his living by fitting keys to old locks. And yet he is proud of this: “I am a working man... I am ashamed to look at them... I have been working since an early age.” The tick dreams of breaking out of the shelter and starting a new life as soon as Anna dies.
Satin - “intellectual”, “philosopher”. His speech differs from the inhabitants of the shelter. There are many words in it, sometimes not understandable either to those around him or to himself. “Macrobiotics”, “oranon”, “sicambrus”, etc. He considers himself an educated person, since he served in the telegraph office and read many books. Satin talks a lot, sometimes speaking in aphorisms: “Many people get money easily, but few easily part with it.” He explains his reluctance to work this way: “When work is pleasure, life is good! When work is a duty, life is slavery!” And one cannot but agree with him. But the natural mind did not find use for itself. Who is Satin in the present? Just one of the poor drunkards living in the shelter.
And Vaska Pepel never had a profession. There are no ideals for him, he does not strive to work, since he lives by theft: “... every person wants his neighbor to have a conscience, but, you see, it is not beneficial for anyone to have one... the rich need honor and conscience.” He cannot live differently, since he is a thief and the son of a thief. However, this person also retains kindness and naivety; he strives for purity and goodness. But Vaska Ash falls into slavery " powerful of the world this." The owner of the shelter, Kostylev, turns out to be an even lower person: he does not give Vasily the money for the stolen watch, believing that Ash already owes him a lot. His wife Vasilisa is also in bondage to her husband, who is twice her age: “You will become brutal with such a life... Tie every living person to a husband like hers...” She is also unhappy, and her love for Vaska Ash is a challenge to family despotism. For the sake of Vasilisa, the thief is ready to commit a crime - to kill Kostylev. Vasilisa was inflamed with terrible hatred for her sister Natalya when she learned about her lover’s betrayal. She is ready to kill her, just to keep Vasily for herself.
This is the terrible life the inhabitants of the shelter live. What they have in common is that almost all of them are “former”: former Actor, former Baron, former furrier, former telegraph operator... Their present is continuous drunkenness, a miserable existence in a damp basement. They live only with nostalgic memories of the past, sometimes idealizing it. But they have no future either. It's just as terrible as the real thing. But the worst thing is that the heroes do not strive to change themselves and their lives. This play has so much in common with contemporary Russia at the end of the 20th century. beginning of the XXI centuries! And yet I believe that each person himself is the “artist of his own happiness”, it is his own fault that he could not find a way out difficult situation, mired in drunkenness and thrown “to the bottom.” After all, “you can’t go far in the carriage of the past.” You need to be stronger than circumstances and not depend on weaknesses.
I dedicate Konstantin Petrovich Pyatnitsky
M. Gorky
Characters:
Mikhail Ivanov Kostylev, 54 years old, hostel owner. Vasilisa Karpovna, his wife, 26 years old. Natasha, her sister, 20 years old. Medvedev, their uncle, policeman, 50 years old. Vaska Pepel, 28 years old. Klesch Andrey Mitrich, mechanic, 40 years old. Anna, his wife, 30 years old. Nastya, girl, 24 years old. Kvashnya, dumpling seller, about 40 years old. Bubnov, cap maker, 45 years old. Baron, 33 years old.Satin Actor
approximately the same age: about 40 years old.
Luke, wanderer, 60 years old. Alyoshka, shoemaker, 20 years old.Crooked goiter Tatar
hook makers
A few tramps without names or speeches.Act one
A cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster. Light from the viewer and, from top to bottom, from the square window on the right side. The right corner is occupied by Ash’s room, fenced off by thin partitions, near the door to this room - Bubnov’s bunk. In the left corner there is a large Russian stove; in the left stone wall there is a door to the kitchen where Kvashnya, Baron, Nastya live. Between the stove and the door against the wall there is a wide bed covered with a dirty chintz curtain. There are bunks everywhere along the walls. In the foreground, near the left wall, is a stump of wood with a vice and a small anvil attached to it, and another, lower than the first. On the last one, in front of the anvil, sits Tick, trying on keys to old locks. At his feet are two large bunches of different keys, mounted on wire rings, a damaged samovar made of tin, a hammer, and filings. In the middle of the shelter there is a large table, two benches, a stool, everything is unpainted and dirty. At the table, by the samovar, Kvashnya is in charge, the Baron is chewing black bread, and Nastya is on a stool, reading a tattered book, leaning on the table. Anna is coughing on the bed, covered with a canopy. Bubnov, sitting on his bunk, tries on old, torn trousers on a hat blank, clamped in his knees, figuring out how to cut them. Near it are tattered cardboard from under a hat for visors, pieces of oilcloth, rags. Satin has just woken up, lies on the bunk and growls. On the stove, invisible, the Actor is fiddling and coughing.
The beginning of spring. Morning.
Baron. Further! Kvashnya. No, I say, darling, get away from me with this. I say, I experienced it... and now I won’t walk down the aisle for a hundred baked crayfish! Bubnov (to Satin).Why are you grunting?
Satin growls. Kvashnya. So that I, I say, am a free woman, my own mistress, and fit into someone’s passport, so that I give myself to a man in a fortress no! Even if he were an American prince, I wouldn’t think of marrying him. Tick. You're lying! Kvashnya. Wha-oh? Tick. You're lying! Get married to Abramka... Baron(grabs the book from Nastya and reads the title). “Fatal love”... (Laughs.) Nastya(extending his hand).Give...give it! Well... don't spoil it!
The Baron looks at her, waving the book in the air. Tick. You're lying! Get married to Abramka... Kvashnya (Tick). You're a red goat! You're lying there! How dare you say such a bold word to me? “Fatal love”... (Laughs.) (hitting Nastya on the head with a book). You're a fool, Nastya... (takes away the book). Give... Tick. Shut up, old dog! It's none of your business... Kvashnya. Ahh! You can't stand the truth! Baron. Began! Nastya where are you? “Fatal love”... (Laughs.) (without raising his head). Eh?.. Go away! Anna (poking his head out from behind the curtain). The day has begun! For God's sake... don't shout... don't swear! Tick. I started whining! Anna . Every single day... let me at least die in peace! Bubnov. The noise of death is not a hindrance... Kvashnya (approaching Anna). And how did you, my mother, live with such evil? Anna . Leave... leave me alone... Kvashnya. Oh well! Eh... you're so patient!.. Isn't your chest feeling lighter? Baron. Kvashnya! Time to go to the market... Kvashnya. Let's go now! (To Anna.) Do you want some hot lady dumplings? Anna . No need... thanks! Why should I eat? Kvashnya. And you eat. Hot softens. I’ll put it in your cup and leave it... whenever you want, eat it! Let's go, master... (I tick.) Uh, unclean spirit... (He goes into the kitchen.) Tick. You're lying! Get married to Abramka... Anna (coughing). God... (quietly pushes Nastya in the back of the head).Come on... you fool!
Nastya (mumbling). Go away... I'm not bothering you. The Baron, whistling, goes after Kvashnya. Satin (rising up on the bunk). Who beat me yesterday? Bubnov. Do you care?.. Satin. Let's put it this way... Why were they beaten? Bubnov. Did you play cards? Satin. Played... Bubnov. That's why they beat me... Satin. M-bastards... Actor (poking his head out of the stove). One day you will be completely killed... to death... Satin. And you are a fool. Actor. Why? Satin. Because you can't kill twice. Actor (after a pause). I don’t understand... why isn’t it possible? Tick. You're lying! Get married to Abramka... Tick. And you get off the stove and clean the apartment... why are you basking? Actor. This is none of your business... Tick. But Vasilisa will come, she will show you whose business it is... Actor. To hell with Vasilisa! Today it's the baron's turn to clean up... Baron! (leaving the kitchen). I don’t have time to clean up... I’m going to the market with Kvashnya. Actor. This doesn’t concern me... at least go to hard labor... and it’s your turn to take revenge... I won’t work for others... Baron. Well, to hell with you! The wall will sweep... Hey, you, fatal love! Wake up! (Takes the book from Nastya.) Nastya (getting up). What do you need? Give it to me! Mischievous! And also master... Baron (giving the book). Tick. You're lying! Get married to Abramka... Nastya! Sweep the floor for me, okay? Nastya (going into the kitchen). It’s very necessary... of course! Kvashnya (He goes out into the vestibule, letting Baron go ahead of him.) Actor (getting off the stove). It's harmful for me to breathe dust. (With pride.) My body is poisoned by alcohol... (Thinks while sitting on the bunk.) Satin. Organism... organon... Anna . Andrey Mitrich... Tick. What else? Anna . Kvashnya left me dumplings there... take it and eat it. Tick (approaching her). And you won't? Anna . I don’t want... What do I need to eat? You are a worker... you need... Tick. Are you afraid? Don't be afraid... maybe more... Satin. Played... Anna . Go eat! It’s hard for me... apparently, soon... Tick (moving away). Nothing... maybe you'll get up... it happens! (Goes into the kitchen.) (loudly, as if suddenly waking up). Yesterday, at the hospital, the doctor told me: your body, he says, is completely poisoned by alcohol... Satin. Played... Satin (smiling). Organon... Actor (persistently). Not an organon, but an or-ga-ni-zm... Satin. Sicambre... (waves his hand at him). Eh, nonsense! I'm saying seriously... yes. If the body is poisoned... it means it is harmful for me to sweep the floor... to breathe dust... Satin. Macrobiotics... ha! Bubnov. Why are you muttering? Satin. Words... And then there is trans-scedental... Bubnov. What's this? Tick. And you get off the stove and clean the apartment... why are you basking? Satin. I don't know... I forgot... Bubnov. Why are you talking? Satin. So... I'm tired, brother, of all human words... all our words are tired! I have heard each of them... probably a thousand times... Actor. In the drama “Hamlet” they say: “Words, words, words!” Good thing... I played a gravedigger in it...Mite
Are you going to play with a broom soon? Actor. None of your business... (Hits himself in the chest with his hand.) "Ophelia! Oh... remember me in your prayers!..” Behind the stage, somewhere far away, there is a dull noise, screams, a policeman's whistle. The tick sits down to work and creaks with a file. Satin. I love incomprehensible, rare words... When I was a boy... I served in the telegraph office... I read a lot of books... Bubnov. Were you also a telegraph operator? Satin. Was... (Grinning.) There are very good books ... and a lot of interesting words... I was an educated person... you know? Bubnov. I've heard it... a hundred times! Well, he was... how important!.. I was a furrier... I had my own establishment... My hands were so yellow from paint: I tinted the furs, so, brother, my hands were yellow up to the elbows ! I already thought that I wouldn’t wash it until I die... so I’ll die with yellow hands... And now here they are, my hands... just dirty... yes! Satin. Played... Satin. So what? Education is nonsense, the main thing is talent. I knew the artist... he read the roles according to the rules, but could play the characters in such a way that... the theater crackled and swayed from the delight of the audience... Satin. Bubnov, give me a penny! Bubnov. I only have two kopecks... Actor. I say talent, that's what a hero needs. And talent is faith in yourself, in your strength... Satin. Give me a nickel, and I will believe that you are a talent, a hero, a crocodile, a private bailiff... Tick, give me a nickel! Tick. Go to hell! There are a lot of you here... Satin. Why are you swearing? Because you don't have a penny, I know... Anna . Andrey Mitrich... I feel stuffy... difficult... Tick. What will I do? Bubnov. Open the door to the hallway... Tick. OK! You are sitting on the bunk, and I am on the floor... let me go to my place, and open the door... and I already have a cold... Bubnov (calmly). I don’t need to open the door... your wife asks... Tick (sullenly). You never know who would ask for anything...Satin. My head is buzzing... eh! And why do people hit each other on the head?
Satin. Played... Bubnov. They are not only on the head, but throughout the rest of the body. (Gets up.) Go and buy some thread... And for some reason our owners haven’t been seen for a long time today... as if they had died. (Leaves.) Anna coughs. Satin, with his hands under his head, lies motionless. (after looking around sadly, he approaches Anna). What? Badly? Anna . It's stuffy. Actor. Do you want me to take you out into the hallway? Well, get up. (He helps the woman get up, throws some junk over her shoulders and, supporting her, leads her into the hallway.) Well, well... hard! I am sick myself...poisoned with alcohol... Kostylev (at the door). For a walk? Oh, and a nice couple, a ram and a young lady...Actor. And you step aside... see sick people coming?..
Kostylev. Come in, if you please...
(Humming something divine under his breath, he looks around the shelter suspiciously and tilts his head to the left, as if listening to something in Ash’s room.) The tick fiercely jingles its keys and creaks its file, watching its owner from under its brows.Are you creaking? Tick. What? Kostylev. Are you creaking, I say?
Ah... that... what did I want to ask? (Quickly and quietly.) Wasn't your wife here? Tick. I haven't seen... Kostylev Kostylev. Why put pressure on you? Who benefits from this? The Lord is with you, live, know, for your own pleasure... And I’ll throw fifty dollars on you, I’ll buy oil for the lamp... and my sacrifice will burn in front of the holy icon... And the sacrifice will go for me, as retribution for my sins , and for you too. After all, you yourself don’t think about your sins... well... Eh, Andryushka, you are an evil person! Your wife has withered away from your villainy... no one loves you, no one respects you... your work is creaky, restless for everyone... Tick (screams).Have you come to poison me?
Satin growls loudly. Kostylev (shuddering). Hey, father... Actor (enters). He sat the woman down in the hallway, wrapped her up... Kostylev. How kind you are, brother! That's good... it'll all count towards you... Actor. When? Kostylev. In the next world, brother... there everything, every deed of ours is counted... Actor. And here you would reward me for my kindness... Kostylev. How can I do this?Actor. Rate half the debt...
Kostylev. Hehe! You keep joking, my dear, you keep playing... Can kindness of heart be compared with money? Kindness is above all good things. And your debt to me is indeed a debt! This means that you must compensate me for it... Your kindness to me, an old man, must be shown free of charge... Actor. You are a rogue, old man... (He goes into the kitchen.) The tick gets up and goes into the hallway. Kostylev (to Satin). (Quickly and quietly.) Creaky? He ran away, hehe! He doesn't love me... Satin. Who except the devil loves you...Kostylev (chuckling).
What a scolder you are! And I love you all... I understand, my brothers, you are unfortunate, useless, lost... (Suddenly, quickly.) And... Vaska is at home? Satin. Look... (comes to the door and knocks). Vasya! Nastya (mumbling). The actor appears at the door from the kitchen. He's chewing something. Ash. Who is this?Kostylev. It's me... me, Vasya.
(Quickly and quietly.) Ash. What do you need? Kostylev (moving away). Open... (without looking at Kostylev). He will open it, and she will be there... The actor snorts. (restless, quietly). A? Who's there? You... what? Satin. What? Are you telling me? (Quickly and quietly.) Kostylev. What did you say? Satin. This is me... to myself... Kostylev. Look, brother! Make jokes in moderation... yes! (Knocks hard on the door.) Basil!.. Ashes (opening the door). Well? Why are you worried? (looking into the room). Ash. Well, look! Yesterday, in front of witnesses, I sold you a watch for ten rubles... I got three, give me seven! Why are you blinking your eyes? Hangs around here, bothers people... but doesn't know his business... Kostylev. Shh! Don't be angry, Vasya... The clock, it... Satin. Stolen... Kostylev (sternly). I don't accept stolen goods... how can you... Ash(takes him by the shoulder). Why did you alarm me? What do you want? Kostylev. Yes... I don't care... I'll leave... if you're like that... Ash. Go, bring the money! Kostylev (leaves.) What rude people! Ay-ay... Actor. Comedy! Satin. Fine! This is what I love... Ash. Why is he here? Satin (laughing). Do not understand? He's looking for a wife... and why don't you kill him, Vasily?! Ash. I will ruin my life because of such rubbish... Satin. And you are clever. Then marry Vasilisa... you will be our master... Ash. Great joy! You will not only drink my entire household, but also, out of my kindness, you will drink me in a tavern... (Sits on the bunk.) The old devil... woke me up... And I had a good dream: as if I was catching a fish, and I got caught by a huge bream! This kind of bream, the kind that only happens in a dream... And so I’m leading it on a fishing rod and I’m afraid the line will break off! And I prepared a net... now, I think... Satin. This is not bream, but Vasilisa was... Bubnov. What's this? Actor. He caught Vasilisa a long time ago... Ash (angrily). Go to hell... and with her too! (enters from the hallway). Cold... doggy... Bubnov. What's this? Actor. Why didn't you bring Anna? Will freeze... Tick. Natasha took her into the kitchen... Actor. The old man will kick you out... (sitting down to work). Well... Natasha will bring... Satin. Basil! Give me a nickel... Actor (Satin). Oh... a nickel! Vasya! Give us two kopecks... Ash. We must give it quickly... don't ask for a ruble yet... on! Satin. Giblartarr! There are no better people in the world than thieves! Tick (sullenly). They get money easily... They don't work... Satin. Many people get money easily, but few part with it easily... Work? Make sure that work is pleasant for me - maybe I will work... yes! May be! When work is pleasure, life is good! When work is a duty, life is slavery! (To the actor.) You, Sardanapalus! Let's go... Actor. Let's go, Nebuchadnezzar! I'll get drunk like... forty thousand drunkards... Ash (yawning). How's your wife? Tick. These? What kind of people are they? Ragged, golden company... people! I’m a working man... I’m ashamed to look at them... I’ve been working since I was little... Do you think I won’t break out of here? I’ll get out... I’ll rip off the skin, and I’ll get out... Just wait... my wife will die... I lived here for six months... but it still feels like six years... Ash. No one here is worse than you... you are in vain to say... Tick. No worse! They live without honor, without conscience... Ashes (indifferently). Where are they - honor, conscience? On your feet, instead of boots, you cannot put either honor or conscience... Those who have power and strength need honor and conscience... Bubnov (enters). Uh... chilly! Ash. Bubnov! Do you have a conscience? Bubnov. Wha-oh? Conscience? Ash. Well, yes! Bubnov. What is conscience for? I'm not rich... Ash. So I say the same thing: the rich need honor and conscience, yes! And Kleshch scolds us: no, he says, we have a conscience... Bubnov. What did he want to do? Ash. He has a lot of his own... Bubnov. So he's selling? Well, no one here will buy it. I would buy broken cardboards... and even then on credit... Ashes (instructive). You're a fool, Andryushka! You should listen to Satin about conscience... otherwise Baron... Mite. I have nothing to talk to them about...Ash. They will be smarter than you...even if they are drunkards...
Bubnov. And whoever is drunk and smart has two lands in him... I don't accept stolen goods... how can you... Ash. Satin says: every person wants his neighbor to have a conscience, but, you see, it’s not beneficial for anyone to have one. And this is true... Natasha enters. Behind her is Luka with a stick in his hand, a knapsack over his shoulders, a bowler hat and a kettle at his belt. Luke. Good health, honest people! (smoothing his mustache). Ahh, Natasha! Bubnov (Luke). I was honest, but the spring before last... Natasha. Here's a new guest... Luke. I don't care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they are all black, they all jump... that’s it. Where can I fit in, my dear? Natasha (pointing to the door to the kitchen). Go there, grandpa... Luke. Thanks girl! There and there... For the old man, where it’s warm, there’s his homeland... Ash. What an interesting old man you brought, Natasha... Natasha. More interesting than you... Andrey! Your wife is in our kitchen... you, later, come for her. Tick. Okay... I'll come... Natasha. If only you could treat her more kindly now... it won't be long... Tick. I know... Ash. Really, I'm not afraid! Even now I will accept death! Take a knife, strike against the heart... I’ll die without a sigh! Even with joy, because from a clean hand... Natasha (leaves). Well, you should start talking to others. Bubnov (drawn out). And the threads are rotten... Natasha (at the door in the hallway). Don't forget, Andrey, about your wife... Tick. OK... Ash. Nice girl! Bubnov. Girl nothing... Ash. Why is she with me... right? Rejects... All the same, he will disappear here... Bubnov. It will disappear through you... Ash. Why through me? I feel sorry for her... Bubnov. Like a wolf a sheep... I don't accept stolen goods... how can you... Ash. You're lying! I really... feel sorry for her... It’s bad for her to live here... I see... Tick. Wait, Vasilisa will see you talking to her... Bubnov. Vasilisa? No, she won’t give up hers for nothing... the woman is fierce... (lies on the bunk). To hell with both of you... prophets! Tick. You'll see... just wait!.. Luke (in the kitchen, humming). It’s in the middle of the eyes... you can’t see the road... Tick (going into the canopy). Look howls... too... Ash. And it’s boring... why is it boring for me? You live, you live, everything is fine! And suddenly you’ll definitely feel cold: it’ll become boring... (lies on the bunk). Bubnov. Boring? Mm... Ash. Hey, hey! Luke (singing). Eh, and there’s no way to see the way... Ash. Old man! Hey! (looking out the door). It's me? Ash. You. Do not sing. Luka (exits). Don't you like it? Ash. When they sing well I love... Luke. Does that mean I'm not doing well? Ash. That is...Luke. Look! And I thought I sing well. This is how it always turns out: a person thinks to himself: “I’m doing well!” Grab and people are unhappy...
Ashes (laughing). Here! Right... Bubnov. You say it’s boring, but you want to laugh. Ash. What do you want? Crow... Luke. Is this boring for anyone? Ash. Here I... The Baron enters. Luke. Look! And there, in the kitchen, the girl is sitting, reading a book and crying! Right! Tears are flowing... I tell her: honey, what are you doing, huh? And she's a pity! Who do I say I feel sorry for? But, he says, in the book... This is what a person does, huh? Also, apparently, out of boredom... Baron. This is stupid... Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea? Baron. Drank... further! Ash. Would you like me to supply half a bottle? Baron. Of course... further! Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. Well, I will! Blockhead! What pleasure can you get from this if I myself know that I have become almost worse than you? You would then force me to walk on all fours when I was no match for you... Bubnov. Right! Luke. And I will say good!.. Bubnov. What happened was, but only trifles remained... There are no gentlemen here... everything has faded away, only one naked man remains... Luke. That means everyone is equal... And you, dear, were you a baron? Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. What else is this? Who are you, kikimora? Luke (laughs). I saw the count and the prince... but this is the first time I’ve met the baron, and even then he’s spoiled... Ash. Would you like me to supply half a bottle? (laughs). Baron! And you embarrassed me... Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. It's time to be smarter, Vasily... Luke. Ehe-he! I’ll look at you, brothers, your life oh-oh!.. Bubnov. Such a life that you get up in the morning and howl... Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. We lived better... yes! I... used to... wake up in the morning and, lying in bed, drink coffee... coffee! with cream... yes! Luke. And that's all people! No matter how you pretend, no matter how you wobble, but you were born a man, you will die a man... And that’s all, I see, smarter people They are becoming more and more interesting... and even though they live worse and worse, they want to get better... stubborn! Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. Who are you, old man?.. Where did you come from? Luke. Me? Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. Wanderer? Luke. We are all wanderers on earth... They say, I have heard, that our earth is also a wanderer in the sky. Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea? (strictly). This is so, well, do you have a passport? Luke (not right away). Who are you, detective? Ash. Would you like me to supply half a bottle? (joyfully). Clever, old man! What, Barosha, did you get it too? Bubnov. Well, yes, the master got it... Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea? (confused). Well, what's there? I'm... kidding, old man! Brother, I don’t have any papers myself... Bubnov. You're lying! Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. That is... I have papers... but they are no good. Luke. They, the pieces of paper, are all like that... they are all no good. Ash. Would you like me to supply half a bottle?. Baron! Let's go to the tavern... Ash. Baron! Did you drink tea?. Ready! Well, goodbye, old man... you rogue! Luke. Anything can happen, honey... Ash. Would you like me to supply half a bottle? (at the door in the hallway). Well, let's go, shall we! (Leaves.)The Baron quickly follows him.
Luke. In fact, was the man a baron? Bubnov. Who knows? Master, that's true... Even now, no, no, and suddenly he will show himself to be a master. I haven't gotten used to it yet, apparently. Luke. It is, perhaps, lordship - like smallpox... and a person will recover, but the signs remain... Bubnov. He’s okay after all... Only sometimes he kicks... like what about your passport... Alyoshka (enters drunk, with a harmony in his hands. Whistling). Hey residents! Bubnov. Why are you yelling? Alyoshka. Sorry! I'm a polite person... Bubnov. Have you been on a spree again? Alyoshka. As many as you like! Now assistant bailiff Medyakin kicked me out of the station and said: so that, he says, on the street there is no smell of you... no, no! I am a person with character... And the owner snorts at me... And what is the owner? F-fe! There’s just one misunderstanding... He’s a drunkard, the owner... But I’m the kind of person who... I don’t want anything! I don’t want anything and Sabbath! Here, take me for a ruble for twenty! But I don’t want anything.Nastya comes out of the kitchen.
Give me a million I don’t want it! And so that by me, a good man, my comrade commanded... drunkard, I don’t want it! Don't want!
Nastya, standing at the door, shakes her head, looking at Alyoshka.
Luke (good-naturedly). Eh, boy, you're confused... Bubnov. Human stupidity... Alyoshka (lays down on the floor). Here, eat me! But I don’t want anything! I'm a desperate person! Explain to me who am I worse? Why am I worse than others? Here! Medyakin says: don’t go outside, I’ll beat you in the face! And I’ll go... I’ll go and lie down in the middle of the street, crush me! I don't wish for anything!.. Nastya. Unhappy!.. he’s still young, and yet... he’s breaking down like that... Alyoshka (seeing her, he kneels down). Young lady! Mamzel! Parle France... price list! I went on a spree... Nastya (whispers loudly). Vasilisa! Vasilisa (quickly opening the door to Alyosha). Are you here again? Alyoshka. Hello... please... Vasilisa. I told you, puppy, not to let your spirit be here... and you came again? Alyoshka. Vasilisa Karpovna... would you like me... to play a funeral march? Vasilisa (pushes him on the shoulder). Out! Alyoshka (moving towards the door). Wait... you can't do that! Funeral march... recently learned! Fresh music... wait! you can not do it this way! Vasilisa. I'll show you... you can't... I'll set the whole street against you... you're a damn pagan... you're too young to bark about me... Alyoshka (running out). Well, I'll leave... Vasilisa (To Bubnov). Don't let his feet be here! Do you hear? Bubnov. I'm not your keeper here... Vasilisa. And I don’t care who you are! You live out of mercy don’t forget! How much do you owe me? Bubnov (calmly). Didn't count... Vasilisa. Look, I'll count! Alyoshka (opening the door, shouts). Vasilisa Karpovna! And I’m not afraid of you... n-I’m not afraid! (Hides.)Luka laughs.
Vasilisa. Who are you?.. Luke. Passing... wandering... Vasilisa. Are you spending the night or living? Luke. I'll take a look there... Vasilisa. Patchport! Luke. Can... Vasilisa. Let's! Luke. I'll bring it to you... I'll drag it to your apartment... Vasilisa. Passerby... too! A rogue would say... getting closer to the truth... Luke (sighing). Oh, and you are not kind, mother...Vasilisa goes to the door to Ash’s room.
Alyoshka (whispers, looking out from the kitchen). Gone? A? Vasilisa (turns to him). Are you still here?Alyoshka, hiding, whistles. Nastya and Luka laugh.
Bubnov (Vasilisa). He is not here... Vasilisa. Whom? Bubnov. Vaska... Vasilisa. Did I ask you about him? Bubnov. I see... you look everywhere... Vasilisa. I keep order, understand? Is this why you haven’t got a sweep yet? How many times have I ordered it to be clean? Bubnov. Revenge actor... Vasilisa. I don't care who! But if the orderlies come and impose a fine, then I... all of you out! Bubnov (calmly). How will you live? Vasilisa. So that there is no speck! (Goes to the kitchen. Nastya.) Why are you hanging around here? Is your mug swollen? Why are you standing there? Sweep the floor! Have you seen Natalya? Was she here? Nastya. I don't know... I haven't seen... Vasilisa. Bubnov! Was your sister here? Bubnov. And... she brought him... Vasilisa. Was this... at home? Bubnov. Basil? There was... She was talking to Kleshch here, Natalya... Vasilisa. I'm not asking you with whom! Dirt everywhere... dirt! Oh you... pigs! To keep it clean... hear! (Quickly leaves.) Bubnov. How much atrocity there is in this woman! Luke. Serious butterfly... Nastya. You will go wild in such a life... Tie every living person to a husband like hers... Bubnov. Well, she's not very tightly attached... Luke. Is she always so... torn? Bubnov. Always... You see, I came to my lover, but he’s not there... Luke. It’s a shame, then. Oho-ho! How much it different people He controls the earth... and frightens each other with all sorts of fears, but there is no order in life... and there is no purity... Bubnov. Everyone wants order, but there is a lack of reason. However, we need to sweep... Nastya!.. You should get busy... Nastya. Well yes, of course! I'm here for you, maid... (Pause.) I'll get drunk today... I'll get so drunk! Bubnov. And that's the thing... Luke. Why are you, girl, thirsty? Just now you were crying, now you’re saying, “I’ll get drunk!” Nastya (defiantly). And if I get drunk, I’ll cry again... that’s all! Bubnov. A little... Luke. For what reason, tell me? After all, without a reason, a pimple won’t pop up...Nastya is silent, shaking her head.
So... Ehe-he... gentlemen! And what will happen to you?.. Well, at least I’ll leave a litter here. Where is your broom?
Bubnov. Behind the door, in the hallway...Luka goes into the hallway.
Nastenka!
Nastya. A? Bubnov. Why did Vasilisa rush at Alyosha? Nastya. He said about her that Vaska was tired of her and that Vaska wanted to leave her... and take Natasha for himself... I’ll leave here... to another apartment. Bubnov. What? Where? Nastya. I'm tired... I'm superfluous here... Bubnov (calmly). You are superfluous everywhere... and all the people on earth are superfluous...Nastya shakes her head. He gets up and quietly goes into the hallway. Medvedev enters. Behind him Luke with a broom.
Medvedev. It's like I don't know you... Luke. Do you know all the other people? Medvedev. I should know everyone in my precinct... but I don’t know you... Luke. This is because, uncle, not all of the land fits in your plot... there’s only a little left to cover it... (Goes into the kitchen.) Medvedev (approaching Bubnov). That’s right, my plot is small... at least worse than any big one... Now, before being relieved from duty, I took the shoemaker Alyoshka to the unit... He lay down, you know, in the middle of the street, plays the accordion and yells: I don’t want anything, I don't wish for anything! Horses ride here and there is movement in general... they can be crushed by wheels and so on... A violent guy... Well, now I... introduced him. Loves chaos... Bubnov. Are you coming to play checkers in the evening? Medvedev. I'll come. Hmmm... What... Vaska? Bubnov. Nothing... everything is the same... Medvedev. So... he lives? Bubnov. Why shouldn't he live? He can live... Medvedev (doubting). Can?Luka goes out into the hallway with a bucket in his hand.
Hmmm... there's a conversation going on... about Vaska... haven't you heard?
Bubnov. I hear different conversations... Medvedev. About Vasilisa, it’s like... didn’t notice? Bubnov. What? Medvedev. So... in general... Maybe you know, but are you lying? After all, everyone knows... (Strictly.) You can't lie, brother... Bubnov. Why should I lie! Medvedev. That's it! Ah, dogs! They are talking: Vaska and Vasilisa... they say... what do I need? I'm not her father, I'm her uncle... Why laugh at me?..Included Kvashnya.
What kind of people have become... everyone laughs... A-ah! You've come...
Kvashnya. My dear garrison! Bubnov! He pestered me again at the market to get married... Bubnov. Go ahead... what? He has money, and he is still a strong gentleman... Medvedev. Me? Ho-ho! Kvashnya. Oh, you gray one! No, you don’t touch me for this, for my sore spot! This, my dear, happened to me... for a woman to get married is like jumping into an ice hole in winter: I did it once, I remember it for the rest of my life... Medvedev. You wait... husbands they are different. Kvashnya. Yes, I’m all the same! When my dear hubby died, there was no hope for him, so I sat alone all day with joy: I sit and still can’t believe my happiness... Medvedev. If your husband beat you... in vain you should have complained to the police... Kvashnya. I complained to God for eight years, but he didn’t help! Medvedev. Now it is forbidden to beat wives... now there is strictness and law and order in everything! You can’t beat anyone in vain... they beat you for the sake of order... Luke (introduces Anna). Well, we crawled... oh you! And is it possible to walk alone in such a weak group? Where is your place? Anna (pointing). Thank you grandpa... Kvashnya. Here she is, married... look! Luke. The butterfly is of a very weak composition... It walks along the canopy, clings to the walls and groans... Why are you letting it go alone? Kvashnya. We didn’t notice, sorry, father! And her maid, apparently, went for a walk... Luke. You're laughing... but is it really possible to abandon a person like that? Whatever it is, it is always worth its price... Medvedev. Supervision is needed! What if he dies? This will be a mess... You have to watch! Luke. That's right, Mr. Under... Medvedev. Hmmm... although I... am not quite under yet... Luke. W-well? And visibility is the most heroic!There is noise and trampling in the hallway. Muffled screams can be heard.
Medvedev. No way scandal? Bubnov. It seems... Kvashnya. Go have a look... Medvedev. And I have to go... Oh, service! And why do they separate people when they fight? They themselves would stop... because you get tired of fighting... Let them beat each other freely, as much as each one wants... They would fight less, because they would remember the beatings longer... Bubnov (getting off the bunk). Talk to your boss about this... Kostylev (opening the door, shouts). Abram! Go... Vasilisa is killing Natasha... go!Kvashnya, Medvedev, Bubnov rush into the hallway. Luka, shaking his head, looks after them.
Anna. Oh my God... Poor Natasha!The play “At the Depth” was written by A.M. Gorky in 1902. For a long time, Gorky could not find the exact title for the play, so initially the title of the play was changed three times - “Without the Sun”, “Nochlezhka”, “In the Lodging House”.
The play takes place in the Kostylevs' rooming house - it is a “Cave-like basement. The ceiling is heavy, stone vaults, smoked, with crumbling plaster. Everywhere along the walls there are bunks. In the middle of the shelter there is a large table, two benches, a stool, all unpainted and dirty.” Residents of the shelter have various pasts social status, but due to tragic events, they all ended up in a shelter and now many of them do not work, but only drink, play cards and steal.
Here is the worker Mite, dreaming of honest work; and Ashes, thirsty right life; and the Actor, all absorbed in the memories of his past glory; and Nastya, passionately eager for the big one, true love. They are all unhappy in their own way.
Mite is a working man, he worked all his life, but this work did not save him from poverty. He had to sell everything to save his dying wife. The tick hurts
realize that he is degrading, but, in the end, he resigns himself and comes to the conclusion: “Nothing... there are people everywhere, at first you don’t see it, and then you look - there will be all people,” if at first he saw the inhabitants of the shelter as a collection of vices, then Now he saw a person in everyone. The actor used to be an actor, read plays well, but played in crowd scenes, one of roles - role gravedigger. He is worried about the loss of his name, he drank himself to death, but wants to feel like a human being. Lives among fictional characters. He is convinced that “talent is faith in yourself, in your strength.” He compares himself to a corpse, he believes “no name, no personality.” Ash is the son of a thief. He himself became a thief out of evil, he denies his conscience. She is drawn to beauty, she is attracted to Natasha by the purity of her soul, and hopes for salvation from her vulgar life. The baron is a descendant of noble nobles, lived his whole life in a fog, and ended up being a tramp. This is a combination of arrogance and contempt for people. Satin is an educated man who killed a scoundrel who dishonored his sister. Satina believes that: “Man, that’s the truth!” The hero compares the truth about a person with his creative activity: “Only man exists - everything else is the work of his hands and his brain... this is all the beginning and end... everything is in man, everything is for man! Only man exists.” The wanderer Luke comes to this shelter. Throughout the play we are trying to understand who Luke is? “Healer of souls” or liar? Luka was the only one who approached the dying Anna (Tick’s wife), took pity on her and tried to assure her that death is not scary. Luka also told the Actor about a free hospital for alcoholics. The actor believed him, stopped drinking and got a job to save money for the trip there. And the old man convinced Ash that he and Natasha needed to flee to Siberia to start a new life there. In my opinion, Luke is a healer of souls, because he is trying to somehow make it easier to take into account the homeless people, calm them down and help them.
The very title of the play already has a huge meaning. They all deserve a better fate. All the more tragic is their situation now. People who have fallen to the bottom will never rise to the light, to a new life.