Woe from Wit, the life principles of Molchalin. The image of Molchalin in the comedy “Woe from Wit. Comparison of Chatsky and Molchalin
A noble husband thinks about what is right.
A low person thinks about what is profitable.
Confucius
The comedy "Woe from Wit" was completed by A. S. Griboyedov in the fall of 1824. The work put the writer on a par with the first poets of the country. Indeed, one cannot argue with the genius of this comedy - it fully reveals the most important problems of Russia in the 19th century.
Moreover, these same problems are still relevant today. “The comedy is full of characters, depicted boldly and sharply,” wrote A. Bestuzhev.
One of the main issues raised by the author is the confrontation between an intelligent person and fools - the unit of society and the crowd. In the work, this unit is, of course, Chatsky, the fools are Famus society. Throughout the comedy, there are clear boundaries between these two sides. Their behavior, worldview, attitude towards love, money, duty and honor, education and life in general are noticeably different.
Chatsky appears and goes through the entire comedy like a bolt from the blue. It appears noisily and suddenly (according to the descriptions in the work, it disappeared just as suddenly three years earlier). Further, this same “upstart” praises Europe, its rhythmic movement, filled with life, forming another point in the social conflict between him and Moscow society with long-established and unchanging morals and characters. However, one should not assume that Griboedov is calling for adaptation to Europe - he advocates his own beginning of the movement of life in Russia.
The life principles of Alexander Andreevich Chatsky are based on reason and education, which were met negatively in the place of his appearance. Chatsky does not pursue rank and wealth, answering questions about them completely indifferently (dialogue with Molchalin in the third scene of the third act). For him, business is business, fun is fun, love is love, money is money. Unlike the society opposed to him, Chatsky clearly distinguishes between these concepts and does not seek benefits for one of them in the other. Service, first of all, is serving a cause with good intentions, and not serving any person for the sake of receiving money.
On behalf of the entire Famus society, Molchalin comes forward in opposition to Chatsky. At first they are confronted by a love conflict. Being a “pathetic creature,” according to Alexander Andreevich, Alexei Stepanych is still the leader in the fight for the girl’s heart, which leads Chatsky to bewilderment: “Ah! Sophia! Has Molchalin really been chosen by her! Why not a husband? There is only little intelligence in him; but to have children, who lacked intelligence?"
Sophia is part of the Famus society, and accordingly, she is looking for a person closer to her. She doesn’t have the intelligence to match Chatsky, but she imagines an ideal image from Molchalin. Actually, even Molchalin managed to deceive her, trying to extract monetary benefits from the so-called “love” for the girl.
Alexey Molchalin’s development of thoughts is not enough to have a personal opinion. He explains this by his “small rank” and by the fact that “after all, you have to depend on others,” while Chatsky does not understand “why are other people’s opinions only sacred.”
Despite his superiority over Alexey Stepanych, Alexander Andreevich is defeated, and soon he is considered completely crazy. This is mainly due to the fact that Molchalin is a representative of the Famus society, and Chatsky is against him, which means against all of them, and as has long been known: “one man in the field is not a warrior.”
A person with an opinion different from the generally accepted one, with a different way of thinking, is always considered “different”, “not his own”, and sometimes even completely crazy, as in this case. This problem is especially relevant in our time, since over time it only intensifies and spreads to more and more people. Increasingly, people are afraid of their own opinions only because they can be perceived with condemnation, and they are afraid not only to voice these opinions, but even to even have them in principle.
In ten years, it will be two centuries since the comedy “Woe from Wit” is performed on theater stages with constant success. Among the brilliant characters that Griboyedov portrayed in his work are Chatsky and Molchalin. It is to them that our article is dedicated.
The classic of Russian literature of the early 19th century was an extraordinary personality: a brilliant diplomat “worth an army of 20,000,” one of the most educated people of his time. The viewer is fascinated by the playwright’s model of a middle-class aristocratic Moscow society. The characters of Griboedov's comedy are bright and relevant.
In particular, the life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin, two young people of 23 and 24 years of age, starting their social life in Russian society, are conceptual. The principles of the first boil down to the destruction of the foundations of serfdom. The second is fixated on an effective career within a stable state.
Comparison of Chatsky and Molchalin
The nature of people's social activity is to a certain extent determined by their social status. The origins of Alexander Andreevich Chatsky and Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin are different. Chatsky is an aristocrat; although he is not in the service, he has a stable source of income. Moreover, it not only provides “daily bread”, but also allows you to go to “learn your mind” in Europe. The life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin are the principles of various social groups: aristocrats who despise work and are passionate about the French Revolution, and commoners who seek recognition with their work.
Chatsky is ironically called a “fiery prophet”
Arriving at his homeland, aristocrat Chatsky, inspired by the European progress he saw, according to Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn, positions himself with the status of a “fiery prophet” who does not even imagine how the declarative principles he formulated can be implemented in Russia.
Chatsky’s phrases are biting and correct. Alexander is a utopian and an egoist. His communication with other people comes down to fiery monologues and sharp parries of opposing opinions. Alexander Isaevich noticed the communicative incompetence of this hero Griboedov, his readiness to “slash” his opponents with words, and being overly carried away by the process.
Pushkin, speaking about Chatsky, was even more ironic - “a funny guy.”
Chatsky and Molchalin − different attitude towards society
Unlike his wealthier peers, Alexey has a keen sense of the society in which he lives. His tact and helpfulness earn him social bonuses. is more than a secretary, in fact, Famusov’s right hand. He pleases the friends of his patron who are visiting Famusov’s house.
Is Chatsky right in branding the “two-faced,” “creeping,” “mean” secretary? After all, he doesn’t even try to understand what kind of person Alexey is. Chatsky and Molchalin expose two completely different personalities with different types of minds. One is bright, imaginative, ideological, the second is practical, economic. After all, in fact, Alexey Stepanovich Molchalin acts within the framework of decency and tolerance.
In the end, he may also be motivated by gratitude to Famusov - his benefactor, the person who gives work and shelter. Molchalin does not think about things (in the words of Bulgakov’s professor Preobrazhensky) “of cosmic scale and cosmic stupidity.” He does more than he says. Moreover, Chatsky also shows that the first is not only loyal to society, but is also its useful cog. The second should be classified as a cohort of superfluous people in his Fatherland, following Evgeny Onegin and Pechorin. He, following the logic of the author of the work, positions himself as the only “smart person” among the “fools”.
The life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin are incomparable. The ideas of the first are divorced from Russian life; they are just general slogans. Before their implementation - the abyss.
Is Molchalin so “cunning”?
Alexey Molchalin, unlike his opponent, actually makes a living from the service. His life rules are tested in practice. He, working as a secretary, lives in the house of his patron Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, actually carrying out all the office work of the manager of the government place for him. In other words, Molchalin is a clerk and accountant. He values his place of work. So should he be blamed for "moderation and accuracy"?
In addition, young people are united by a love conflict. Chatsky likes Famusov's daughter, Sophia; and she, in turn, sympathizes with Alexei Khlestakov. The life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin are different, including in relationships with the opposite sex. So, Chatsky, who imagines himself to be ideal, has no idea about the reasons that have cooled the girl’s feelings for him.
Molchalin is a "live", mistaken character
Molchalin does not find the courage to immediately admit to Sophia that he does not love her. At the same time, he is delicate in communicating with her and does not compromise the girl. Griboyedov in the image of Molchalin shows a careerist who does not have a noble title, but is pragmatic. Step by step he follows to achieve a favorable position in society. Silent people are not keen on ideas or criticism. Their element is daily painstaking work.
Griboyedov brings these two characters into an ideological conflict: Chatsky and Molchalin. After all, they, young people, according to the author, will determine the face of the “coming century.” However, the reader understands: Famusov’s secretary is not at all such a calculating monster as Chatsky expresses. Moreover, Alexey is really confused - on the one hand, wanting a relationship with Liza, whom he loves, and on the other, trying to be nice to the owner's daughter. By chance, Sophia hears his confession to the maid. This plays into Chatsky’s hands.
Molchalin’s career is ruined by “lordly love”
The situation is not in Molchalin’s favor. Most likely, he will lose his job as a secretary of a government agency. However, in the grand scheme of things, he didn’t do anything reprehensible. Sophia’s reaction to the confession she heard can be called “a storm in a teacup.” She liked Alexey, and she fantasized that he loved her. Famusov’s daughter presented the discrepancy between imagination and reality as Molchalin’s baseness. Chatsky openly gloats.
However, he understands perfectly well that his position in the Famusov house is quite precarious. Therefore, the wise phrase spoken by Lisa about the disastrous consequences for a person of a simple class of both “lordly anger” and “lordly love” directly concerns him. It is “lordly love” that becomes the reason for the future collapse of his career as an employee. Comparative and Molchalina, thus, shows that it is the latter who is characterized by sociability, modesty, self-discipline, and will.
Obviously, these traits aroused Sophia’s sympathy.
Instead of a conclusion
Chatsky and Molchalin have different types of thinking. Alexander Andreevich expresses his thoughts very temperamentally, he clearly justifies his chosen position, immediately criticizes his opponents and does nothing, and then leaves with an offended look. It is worth remembering that lovers of Russian literature have already encountered a stormy and fruitless stream of thoughts in one character. This is Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, familiar to us all.
Of course, Chatsky is a more dynamic character. However, he had already taken the first step along the path of Ilya Ilyich - he neglected work. It’s not for nothing that Alexey Molchalin teases him about this.
At the same time, the characterization of Molchalin and Chatsky, given by the author in the work, gives reason to move away from the classical characterization. And it is right. After all, Chatsky is not so positive, and Molchalin, in fact, is not a potential villain at all.
Life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin
Polkanova Maria
Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" was written in 1824. The essence of the play is the confrontation between “smart” people and “stupid” people.
The author himself wrote: “In my comedy there are 25 fools for one sane person...” The main character is Alexander Chatsky, Griboedov assigned him the role of “smart”, and the “fools” turned out to be landowners and officials, residents of Moscow, Messrs. Famusov and his secretary Molchalin , Colonel Skalozub and others.
Over the course of 4 acts of the comedy, we see how Chatsky “struggles” with the “outdated” principles of his opponents. Extraordinary, witty, capable of pronouncing brilliant monologues like “Who are the judges?..”, he is a man who undoubtedly rises above the entire “Famus society.” But, despite all this, our hero is a utopian. He believes that all human vices can disappear instantly. According to A.I. Solzhenitsyn, Chatsky chose for himself the role of a fiery prophet who still does not know who and where to lead. Our hero's program is as follows: he calls for national identity, for freedom of choice and for mitigating the abuses of serfs. Chatsky preaches his ideas to everyone and everyone, he doesn’t care whether people are interested in it or not. Often Griboyedov's hero does not notice that he is telling something to himself. Chatsky speaks in monologues, and if he suddenly hears a response, he retorts sharply and rudely. Alexander is impatient, quick-tempered, thoughtlessly and unfair. In his article “Rubing His Eyes,” Solzhenitsyn writes that Chatsky “... flogs everyone in a row, indiscriminately, and he himself is already exhausted from this.”
In contrast to the verbose Chatsky, the quiet Molchalin is placed. These heroes were brought together by a love conflict. Chatsky sympathizes with Sofia, Famusov’s daughter, and she is in love with Molchalin, her father’s secretary. But the main character cannot understand why Sofia chose Molchalin over him. Chatsky characterizes his opponent as “the most pitiful creature.” (However, the main character does not consider the other characters in the comedy different.) M.M. Bakhtin called Griboyedov’s hero a superlative, because he cannot and does not want to delve into the psychology of other people. The same is true in the situation with Molchalin. He really doesn’t have a lively, lively, knowledge-hungry mind like Chatsky, but he has a practical, worldly mind. Molchalin is a provincial who came to conquer the capital. It was a great happiness for him to become the secretary of the rich Famusov. And, naturally, Molchalin had to please his boss and his friends in every possible way. Chatsky ridicules “subservience to superiors.” But it’s easy for him to say, he himself is a rich nobleman and, naturally, can afford to satisfy his every whim. And Molchalin constantly has to gather his will into a fist so as not to fall from his precarious position, earned by such hard work.
Chatsky, who shackled himself with the armor of infallibility, according to Solzhenitsyn, cannot understand why Sofia (the girl whom he so easily left and forgot) stopped loving him. The main character blames Molchalin for everything. The comedy contains numerous evidence of the insensitivity and prudence of Famus’s secretary. But if you take a closer look at the text, the picture emerges as follows: Molchalin does not love Sofia, there is a struggle in his soul (on the one hand, he needs to be more kind to the boss’s daughter, but on the other, his heart does not allow him to do this, since he loves another, maid Lisa). Therefore, Molchalin is delaying the outcome in every possible way. But circumstances are not in his favor: Sofia hears Molchalin’s confession to Liza.
Even though the secretary still ruined his career, he did not allow himself to discredit the girl out of selfish interest. This characterizes Molchalin from the best side. To summarize, we can say that Molchalin showed over Chatsky a clear advantage of deeds over words. Our heroes are two different types of people characteristic of the era of the early 19th century.
Bibliography
To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://www.repetitor.ru/
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Polkanova Maria
Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" was written in 1824. The essence of the play is the confrontation between “smart” people and “stupid” people.
The author himself wrote: “In my comedy there are 25 fools for one sane person...” The main character is Alexander Chatsky, Griboedov assigned him the role of “smart”, and the “fools” turned out to be landowners and officials, residents of Moscow, Messrs. Famusov and his secretary Molchalin , Colonel Skalozub and others.
Over the course of 4 acts of the comedy, we see how Chatsky “struggles” with the “outdated” principles of his opponents. Extraordinary, witty, capable of pronouncing brilliant monologues like “Who are the judges?..”, he is a man who undoubtedly rises above the entire “Famus society.” But, despite all this, our hero is a utopian. He believes that all human vices can disappear instantly. According to A.I. Solzhenitsyn, Chatsky chose for himself the role of a fiery prophet who still does not know who and where to lead. Our hero's program is as follows: he calls for national identity, for freedom of choice and for mitigating the abuses of serfs. Chatsky preaches his ideas to everyone and everyone, he doesn’t care whether people are interested in it or not. Often Griboyedov's hero does not notice that he is telling something to himself. Chatsky speaks in monologues, and if he suddenly hears a response, he retorts sharply and rudely. Alexander is impatient, quick-tempered, thoughtlessly and unfair. In his article “Rubing His Eyes,” Solzhenitsyn writes that Chatsky “... flogs everyone in a row, indiscriminately, and he himself is already exhausted from this.”
In contrast to the verbose Chatsky, the quiet Molchalin is placed. These heroes were brought together by a love conflict. Chatsky sympathizes with Sofia, Famusov’s daughter, and she is in love with Molchalin, her father’s secretary. But the main character cannot understand why Sofia chose Molchalin over him. Chatsky characterizes his opponent as “the most pitiful creature.” (However, the main character does not consider the other characters in the comedy different.) M.M. Bakhtin called Griboyedov’s hero a superlative, because he cannot and does not want to delve into the psychology of other people. The same is true in the situation with Molchalin. He really doesn’t have a lively, lively, knowledge-hungry mind like Chatsky, but he has a practical, worldly mind. Molchalin is a provincial who came to conquer the capital. It was a great happiness for him to become the secretary of the rich Famusov. And, naturally, Molchalin had to please his boss and his friends in every possible way. Chatsky ridicules “subservience to superiors.” But it’s easy for him to say, he himself is a rich nobleman and, naturally, can afford to satisfy his every whim. And Molchalin constantly has to gather his will into a fist so as not to fall from his precarious position, earned by such hard work.
Chatsky, who shackled himself with the armor of infallibility, according to Solzhenitsyn, cannot understand why Sofia (the girl whom he so easily left and forgot) stopped loving him. The main character blames Molchalin for everything. The comedy contains numerous evidence of the insensitivity and prudence of Famus’s secretary. But if you take a closer look at the text, the picture emerges as follows: Molchalin does not love Sofia, there is a struggle in his soul (on the one hand, he needs to be more kind to the boss’s daughter, but on the other, his heart does not allow him to do this, since he loves another, maid Liza). Therefore, Molchalin is delaying the outcome in every possible way. But circumstances are not in his favor: Sofia hears Molchalin’s confession to Liza.
Even though the secretary still ruined his career, he did not allow himself to discredit the girl out of selfish interest. This characterizes Molchalin from the best side. To summarize, we can say that Molchalin showed over Chatsky a clear advantage of deeds over words. Our heroes are two different types of people characteristic of the era of the early 19th century.
Life principles of Chatsky and Molchalin
Polkanova Maria
Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" was written in 1824. The essence of the play is the confrontation between “smart” people and “stupid” people.
The author himself wrote: “In my comedy there are 25 fools for one sane person...” The main character is Alexander Chatsky, Griboedov assigned him the role of “smart”, and the “fools” turned out to be landowners and officials, residents of Moscow, Messrs. Famusov and his secretary Molchalin , Colonel Skalozub and others.
Over the course of 4 acts of the comedy, we see how Chatsky “struggles” with the “outdated” principles of his opponents. Extraordinary, witty, capable of pronouncing brilliant monologues like “Who are the judges?..”, he is a man who undoubtedly rises above the entire “Famus society.” But, despite all this, our hero is a utopian. He believes that all human vices can disappear instantly. According to A.I. Solzhenitsyn, Chatsky chose for himself the role of a fiery prophet who still does not know who and where to lead. Our hero's program is as follows: he calls for national identity, for freedom of choice and for mitigating the abuses of serfs. Chatsky preaches his ideas to everyone and everyone, he doesn’t care whether people are interested in it or not. Often Griboyedov's hero does not notice that he is telling something to himself. Chatsky speaks in monologues, and if he suddenly hears a response, he retorts sharply and rudely. Alexander is impatient, quick-tempered, thoughtlessly and unfair. In his article “Rubing His Eyes,” Solzhenitsyn writes that Chatsky “... flogs everyone in a row, indiscriminately, and he himself is already exhausted from this.”
In contrast to the verbose Chatsky, the quiet Molchalin is placed. These heroes were brought together by a love conflict. Chatsky sympathizes with Sofia, Famusov’s daughter, and she is in love with Molchalin, her father’s secretary. But the main character cannot understand why Sofia chose Molchalin over him. Chatsky characterizes his opponent as “the most pitiful creature.” (However, the main character does not consider the other characters in the comedy different.) M.M. Bakhtin called Griboyedov’s hero a superlative, because he cannot and does not want to delve into the psychology of other people. The same is true in the situation with Molchalin. He really doesn’t have a lively, lively, knowledge-hungry mind like Chatsky, but he has a practical, worldly mind. Molchalin is a provincial who came to conquer the capital. It was a great happiness for him to become the secretary of the rich Famusov. And, naturally, Molchalin had to please his boss and his friends in every possible way. Chatsky ridicules “subservience to superiors.” But it’s easy for him to say, he himself is a rich nobleman and, naturally, can afford to satisfy his every whim. And Molchalin constantly has to gather his will into a fist so as not to fall from his precarious position, earned by such hard work.
Chatsky, who shackled himself with the armor of infallibility, according to Solzhenitsyn, cannot understand why Sofia (the girl whom he so easily left and forgot) stopped loving him. The main character blames Molchalin for everything. The comedy contains numerous evidence of the insensitivity and prudence of Famus’s secretary. But if you take a closer look at the text, the picture emerges as follows: Molchalin does not love Sofia, there is a struggle in his soul (on the one hand, he needs to be more kind to the boss’s daughter, but on the other, his heart does not allow him to do this, since he loves another, maid Lisa). Therefore, Molchalin is delaying the outcome in every possible way. But circumstances are not in his favor: Sofia hears Molchalin’s confession to Liza.
Even though the secretary still ruined his career, he did not allow himself to discredit the girl out of selfish interest. This characterizes Molchalin from the best side. To summarize, we can say that Molchalin showed over Chatsky a clear advantage of deeds over words. Our heroes are two different types of people characteristic of the era of the early 19th century.
