Speech characteristics of the heroes of the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov A.S.
Griboedov's contemporaries admired the language of the comedy "Woe from Wit." Pushkin also wrote that half of the verses of the play will become proverbs. Then N.K. Piksanov noted the peculiar speech flavor of Griboedov’s comedy, the “liveliness of the spoken language,” and the characteristic speech of the characters. Each of the characters in “Woe from Wit” is endowed with a special speech characteristic of his position, lifestyle, characteristics of his internal appearance and temperament. So, Famusov is an old Moscow gentleman, a government official who defends in a comedy the vital values of the “past century.” Pavel Afanasyevich's social position is stable, he is an intelligent person, very confident, respected in his circle. His opinion is listened to, he is often invited “to name days” and “to funerals.” Famusov is gentle by nature, he is hospitable and hospitable in the Russian way, values family ties, and is insightful in his own way. However, Pavel Afanasyevich is not a stranger to a certain self-interest; on occasion he can also play cunning, he is not averse to dragging himself after the maid. The social position of this character, his psychological appearance, his character and life circumstances correspond to his speech in the play. Famusov’s speech, according to the remark of A. S. Orlov, resembles the speech of the old Moscow nobility, with its folk, conversational manner, colorful, figurative and apt. Pavel Afanasyevich is prone to philosophizing, didacticism, witty remarks, brevity of formulations and laconism. His speech style is unusually agile, lively, emotional, which indicates the hero’s intelligence, his temperament, insight, and a certain artistry. Famusov reacts to the situation instantly, he expresses his “momentary opinion”, and then begins to talk about this topic more “abstractly”, considering the situation in the context of his life experience, knowledge about human nature, about secular life, in the context of the “century” and time . Famusov's thought is prone to synthesis, to philosophical generalizations, to irony.
Upon arrival, Chatsky asks why Pavel Afanasyevich is sad, - Famusov immediately finds an apt answer: Ah! Father, I found a riddle, I’m not happy!.. At my age, I can’t start squatting! Finding his daughter with Molchalin early in the morning, Famusov becomes fatherly strict and well-intentioned: Friend, is it possible for a walk?
Should I choose a nook further away?
And you, madam, almost jumped out of bed,
With a man! with the young one! - Something to do for a girl! Pavel Afanasyevich can analyze the situation, tracing the cause-and-effect relationships in it: He reads fables all night,
And here are the fruits of these books!
And all the Kuznetsky Bridge, and the eternal French,
From there fashion comes to us, both authors and muses:
Destroyers of pockets and hearts! In a comedy, the hero appears in a variety of guises - a caring father, an important gentleman, an old red tape, etc. Therefore, Pavel Afanasyevich’s intonations are very diverse; he feels his interlocutor perfectly (N.K. Piksanov). With Molchalin and Liza, Famusov’s servants speak like his own, without ceremony. With his daughter, he maintains a strictly good-natured tone, didactic intonations appear in his speech, but love is also felt. It is characteristic that the same didacticism and parental intonations appear in the dialogues of Pavel Afanasyevich with Chatsky. Behind these moral teachings, paradoxically, there is a special, fatherly attitude towards Chatsky, who grew up with Sophia in front of Famusov’s eyes. “Brother” and “friend” - this is how Famusov addresses his former pupil. At the beginning of the comedy, he is sincerely happy about Chatsky’s arrival and tries to instruct him in a fatherly way. “That’s it, you are all proud! Would you ask what the fathers did? - Famusov perceives Chatsky not only as an inexperienced young man, but also as a son, not at all excluding the possibility of his marriage with Sophia. Famusov often uses popular expressions: “potion, spoiled girl”, “suddenly fell in a row”, “grief to grieve”, “neither give nor take.” Remarkable in its imagery and temperament is Pavel Afanasyevich’s monologue about Moscow, his indignation at the dominance of everything foreign in the upbringing of Moscow young ladies: We take tramps, both into the house and on tickets,
To teach our daughters everything, everything,
And dancing! and foam! and tenderness! and sigh!
It’s as if we are preparing them as wives for buffoons. Many of Famusov’s statements have become aphorisms: “What a commission, creator, to be a father to an adult daughter!”, “Learning is a plague, learning is the reason,” “Signed, so off your shoulders.”
The speech of old woman Khlestova is close to Famusov’s speech. As N.K. Piksanov notes, Khlestova speaks “in the most seasoned, most colorful language.” Her speech is figurative, accurate, and her intonations are confident. In the language of Famusov’s sister-in-law there are many popular expressions: “it took an hour to drive”, “he was a daredevil three fathoms”, “he got a sop from dinner.” Skalozub’s speech is also unusually characteristic - primitive, abrupt, rude in meaning and intonation. His vocabulary includes many military terms: “sergeant major,” “divisions,” “brigadier general,” “line,” “distances,” “corps” — which are often used inappropriately. So, sharing Famusov’s admiration for Moscow, he says: “The distances are enormous.” Hearing about Molchalin's fall from his horse, he declares: He tightened the reins. Well, what a miserable rider. Look at how it cracked - in the chest or in the side? Sometimes Skalozub does not understand what the interlocutor is talking about, interpreting what he heard in his own way. Sophia gives an exhaustive description of the hero’s speech: “He hasn’t uttered a smart word in his life.”
As A.I. Revyakin notes, Skalozub is tongue-tied. He doesn't know Russian well, confuses words, and doesn't follow grammar rules. So, he says to Famusov: “I am ashamed, like an honest officer.” Skalozub’s speech thus emphasizes the hero’s mental limitations, his rudeness and ignorance, and narrow-mindedness. Molchalin's speech also corresponds to his inner appearance. The main features of this character are flattery, sycophancy, and humility. Molchalin’s speech is characterized by self-deprecating intonations, words with diminutive suffixes, an obsequious tone, exaggerated courtesy: “two-s,” “still-s,” “forgive me, for God’s sake,” “little face,” “angel.” Molchalin is mostly laconic; his “eloquence” awakens only in a conversation with Liza, to whom he reveals his true face. Among the characters in Famusov's Moscow, “member of the secret union” Repetilov stands out for his colorful speech. This is an empty, frivolous, careless person, a talker, a drinker, a regular at the English Club. His speech is endless stories about himself, about his family, about the “most secret union,” accompanied by ridiculous oaths and derogatory confessions. The hero’s speech style is conveyed by only one phrase: “We’re making noise, brother, we’re making noise.” Chatsky comes to despair from Repetilov’s “lies” and “nonsense.” As A. S. Orlov noted, “Repetilov’s speech is very interesting due to the diversity of its composition: it is a mixture of salon chatter, bohemia, circles, theater and vernacular, which was the result of Repetilov’s wandering around different strata of society.” This character is characterized by both vernacular and high-style expressions. It is worth noting the originality of the Countess-grandmother’s speech style. As V. A. Filippov notes, this heroine is not at all tongue-tied. Her “wrong”, non-Russian accent is determined by her nationality. Old woman Khryumina is a German woman who never mastered the Russian language or Russian accent.
The speech of Chatsky differs from the speech of all the characters, who to a certain extent is a hero-reasoner expressing the author’s views in the comedy. Chatsky is a representative of the “present century”, criticizing all the vices of Moscow society. He is smart, educated, speaks the correct literary language. His speech is characterized by oratorical pathos, journalisticism, imagery and accuracy, wit, and energy. It is characteristic that even Famusov admires the eloquence of Alexander Andreevich: “he speaks as he writes.” Chatsky has a special manner of conversation, different from the manner of other characters. As A. S. Orlov noted, “Chatsky recites as if from the stage, according to the satirical didacticism of the author. Chatsky’s speeches take the form of monologues even in conversation, or are expressed in the shortest remarks, as if shooting at the interlocutor.” Often this character’s speeches contain irony, sarcasm, and parody intonations: Ah! France! There is no better region in the world! —
The two princesses, sisters, decided, repeating
A lesson that they have learned since childhood. What is remarkable in the play is Chatsky’s monologue, in which he, with all the fervor and noble indignation, attacks the social order, the bureaucracy of officials, bribery, serfdom, the inertia of the views of modern society, the callousness of public morality. This passionate, freedom-loving speech clearly characterizes the hero’s inner appearance, his temperament, intelligence and erudition, and worldview. Moreover, Chatsky’s speech is very natural, vitally truthful, and realistic. As I. A. Goncharov wrote, “it is impossible to imagine that another, more natural, simpler, more taken from life speech could ever appear.” Many of Chatsky’s statements have become aphorisms: “And the smoke of the fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us,” “The tradition is fresh, but hard to believe,” “The houses are new, but the prejudices are old,” “Who are the judges?” Sophia also speaks quite correct literary language in the play, which indicates her good education, well-readness, and intelligence. Like Famusov, she is prone to philosophizing: “Happy people don’t watch the clock.” Sophia’s expressions are pointed, figurative, aphoristic: “Not a person, a snake,” “The hero is not my novel.” However, the heroine’s speech was greatly influenced by the French language. As N.K. Piksanov notes, in Sophia’s speech “there are whole tirades, remarks, stated in unclear, heavy language, with a non-Russian arrangement of sentence parts, with direct syntactic irregularities”: But everything the slightest in others scares me,
Although there is no great misfortune from
Even though he’s a stranger to me, I don’t care. Lisa speaks in an unusually lively, lively language in the play. It contains both vernacular and high-style words. Lisa’s statements are also apt and aphoristic: Pass us away more than all sorrows
And lordly anger, and lordly love. The comedy “Woe from Wit” is written in a simple, light and at the same time bright, imaginative, rich and expressive language. Each of her words, as Belinsky notes, breathes “comic life”, amazes with “quickness of mind”, “originality of turns”, “poetry of models”.
Off-stage characters
In addition to the main and minor characters, off-stage characters were introduced into the work by the skillful hand of the writer. They are needed in order to increase the scale of the conflict of two centuries. These characters embody both the past and the present century.
Just remember the chamberlain Kuzma Petrovich, who was rich himself and was married to a rich woman. These are Tatyana Yuryevna and Praskovya, narrow-minded foreigners who came to Russia to earn money. These images and a number of others lead the reader to the idea of the large-scale conflict presented vividly in the play “Woe from Wit.” The character who shows the reader that Chatsky is not alone, behind him there are those who will promote ideas that support him, is also presented, and not in one way, but in several. For example, the comedy mentions Skalozub’s cousin from the village, a relative of Princess Tugoukhovskaya.
The main task that the writer performed when portraying the characters in the play was to show their views on society, and not to reveal their psychological characteristics. Griboyedov is first and foremost a writer-educator, therefore in each image he clearly outlines certain moral qualities or the lack thereof. He typifies character traits and qualities and immediately individualizes them.
Chatsky has surpassed his age in everything. That is why he became a model of sincerity and nobility, and Famusov and Skalozub became a symbol of vulgarity and stagnation. Thus, using the example of 20 individuals, the writer reflected the fate of an entire generation. Chatsky’s views are the views of the entire progressive movement of future Decembrists. Chatsky and Famusov are representatives of two generations, two centuries: the enlightened century and the obsolete century.
Sirvint-Sherman Z.M. Sketch of a theatrical production for the play by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
Famusov's image
Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov is an elderly man, self-confident and domineering. A wealthy nobleman, a widower, the father of his only seventeen-year-old daughter, whom he loves very much and raises in his own way, in the spirit of old times. Famusov is a major official, although he approaches his service formally, it does not interest him (... it’s signed, off his shoulders). Always strives for his own benefit. This is evident from the way he talks about his daughter's marriage. Famusov loves to brag. He even boasts about what he does not have, for example: monastic behavior, although he himself flirts with the maid Lisa. In the image of Famusov, the author portrays an ordinary person for that time, with his views on life and upbringing.
Image of Sophia
Sophia is Famusov’s daughter, she is seventeen years old. From the words of her father, we learn that she lost her mother early, so Madame Rosier and visiting teachers were involved in her upbringing. As a child, she was very friendly with Chatsky, possibly in love with him. Likes to read French novels. He treats his maid Lisa well and considers her the only devoted person. She sincerely loves Molchalin, considers him smart, handsome and similar to the hero of her favorite French novels. He does not hesitate, on occasion, to deceive his father, and has absolutely no sympathy for Chatsky.
The image of Chatsky
Chatsky is a young man, Sofia’s childhood friend. He is very smart and well read. His speech is literate and colorful. Arriving from abroad in Moscow, he rushes to meet Sofia and rejoices at the upcoming date. He is lively, inspired, eloquent (even talkative), witty, full of life, and jokes a lot. But the strange cold reception offends him, he is upset and puzzled by Sofia’s inattention, because, rushing to his homeland, Chatsky hoped that she was waiting for him. Chatsky mocks and condemns the life of the Moscow nobles. He doesn’t like the fact that Russian children are taught to read and write by foreign teachers, and the children do not know pure Russian. Chatsky came to Russia with the hope of changing the old order, but these hopes were not realized.
Image of Molchalin
Molchalin is a young man in the service of Famusov. He is his secretary and lives at his home. Before meeting Famusov, Molchalin was either a minor nobleman or a commoner; after meeting him, he began to quickly move up the career ladder. Molchalin’s characteristic features are the desire for a career, the ability to fawn, and hypocrisy. He is a man of few words. This is explained by his fear of expressing his judgment. Molchalin knows that if he wants to make a career, then he needs to please his bosses in everything. In an effort to rise in rank, Molchalin fawns and fawns on influential people. He talks to different people differently. He addresses Famusov with respect, and Sophia with particular modesty; with Liza he does not mince words; with Chatsky he speaks outwardly politely, but behind this lies complacency, mockery and a desire to teach. The manner of talking to people reveals all of Molchalin’s hypocrisy. His father bequeathed to him to please all the people who could be of some use to him. And he largely follows this advice. Chatsky, who knows the type of officials such as Molchalin, predicts for him the possibility of a brilliant career.
Characteristics of the Moscow nobility
About life, way of life and morals of Moscow in the 20s of the 19th century. and its individuals, we learn from the words of Chatsky and Famusov. We see before us a sleepy, ossified life, where nothing changes for many years. Blind worship of everything foreign is shown, whether it concerns fashion, education or language. The empty pastime of many is to attend numerous balls and festivities in order to pursue ladies there. Mention is made of a serf-theater - a cruel tyrant, an obscurantist - a member of the academic council.
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In Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit", there are many characters. Most of them are used by the author as a background or confirmation of certain principles of secular society.
