The Word about Igor's Campaign - essay plan, images of heroes, history and analysis of the work

Essay plan: “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”

To make a plan for “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” for writing an essay in grade 9, you need to highlight the key points of the work :

The history of the origin of the monument, the problem of its authenticity.
Genre: “Tales of Igor’s Campaign.”
The image of the author in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”
Prince Igor's campaign in the Polovtsian steppe.
The death of the army and the capture of the Russian princes.
Yaroslavna's cry.
The main characters of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”
Image of nature.
The ideological meaning of the work.

For an essay on the topic “Yaroslavna - the main character of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign””, you will need additional analysis of the climactic (what is this?) moment of the work - Yaroslavna’s crying.

The main images of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” Preparing for an essay

Main images of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”

Warm up. Crossword
Lesson topic: “Basic images...”

Checking homework

Plan on the topic: “the author’s and my attitude towards Prince Igor”

Introduction (historical)

Assignment: Write an introduction using keywords:

a wonderful monument of ancient Russian culture

Prince Igor's campaign against the Polovtsians

description of events of his time

in poetic form he created images of princes, simple warriors and Russian women

Sample answer:

“The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is a wonderful monument of ancient Russian culture. Prince Igor’s campaign against the Polovtsians is the central event of the work. He not only conveyed to us a description of the events of his times, but also in poetic form created images of princes, simple warriors and Russian women. The focus is on the image...

Along with the depiction of brave and self-willed princes, the author of “The Lay” does not ignore the wives of Russian soldiers, dwelling in detail on the image of Yaroslavna, Igor’s wife, one of the best in the work.

Main part (ATTITUDE) Ambiguous?

Admiration for
Admiration for nobility (“Sorry for dear brother Vsevolod”)
Sincere grief over the capture of the prince
Rejoicing upon escaping from captivity
Regret
due to the disunity of the princes
Censure
for ambition.

Conclusion. My attitude

One can have different attitudes towards Igorev’s campaign and the very personality of Prince Novgorod-Seversky. It's hard to say what his appearance was like in real life. The author of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” presents him to us as a noble, sincere fighter against Russian enemies, a defender of his native Fatherland. By this he achieves the main goal of his work - a call for the unity of the Russian princes. That is why the image of Prince Igor as a noble and courageous man is legitimate and justified.

Image of Yaroslavna

Tender and devoted
selfless and faithful
, Yaroslavna pours out her grief in traditional lamentation. But it sounds so soulful and dramatic! Yaroslavna does not just perform the prescribed ritual. She sincerely grieves over the death of her husband’s squad, about Igor’s wounds, regretting that she is not around, that she cannot help, although her soul is ready to fly like a bird, to ease the suffering of her beloved.
Already in this ancient monument are laid down those traditions that will later develop in our classical literature: the extraordinary dedication of the Russian woman, her complete subordination to the interests of the husband
- a warrior, defender of the homeland, and boundless faith in the rightness of his cause.

Yaroslavna is an equivalent image along with other heroes of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” It would be much later that “Domostroy” would appear, which would outline a woman’s circle of family problems, making her a wordless “slave of her husband” in the Middle Ages. And again women will have to “win” that special position of friend, keeper of the hearth, which she rightfully occupied in ancient times.

The image of the Russian land

Independent reading of the fragment “The Image of the Russian Land in the “Word...”” from D.S. Likhachev’s article “The Golden Word of Russian Literature” (see Appendix 1).

While reading the text, students make notes:

“P” – already knew;

“+” – new;

“-” – thought differently;

“?” - have questions.

Stage II – comprehension, its goal is analytical reading of the text, obtaining new information.

1. Conversation on what you read:

– What did you already know, what was discussed in class?

– What seemed unclear?

– What surprised you, excited you?

– What would you single out as the most important?

The image of Prince Igor in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”>

1. The opinion of historians about the personality of Igor, Prince of Novgorod-Seversky. 2. The main goal of the work and its solution through the poeticization of the image of Prince Igor. 3. Igor is a valiant warrior, a noble and selfless defender of the Russian land. 4. The significance of Yaroslavna’s crying in the creation of the image of Igor.>

“The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is the greatest monument of ancient Russian literature. It is imbued with a tender and strong love for his native land. Created at the end of the 12th century, The Lay, like any other remarkable creation of human genius, is significant not only in itself, but also for the influence it had on Russian literature in all its further development.

“The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” tells the story of the campaign against the Polovtsians of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich Novgorod-Seversky, which took place in 1185. From a historical point of view, Igor does not belong to those princes who left a deep mark on the history of Russia. He did not glorify himself with anything special, and the campaign, sung by an unknown author in the Lay, ended sadly - the prince and his squad faced an inglorious defeat. Different sources allow us to think differently about the moral character of the prince. Some researchers unconditionally recognize him as a hero who selflessly defended the Russian land. Others consider him a reckless ruler - Prince Igor’s campaign was senseless and was obviously doomed to failure. But, according to these researchers, the Prince of Novgorod-Seversk, although he turned out to be a short-sighted politician, was not devoid of military valor. And still others are inclined to see in him only an insidious and unprincipled self-seeker who decided to appropriate for himself the glory of the defender of his native land, achieved by the Grand Duke Svyatoslav.

In “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, the image of the Seversky Prince is deliberately poeticized by the author. This achieves the main goal of the work. The author of “The Lay” was not only a great artist, but also a man of amazing worldly wisdom. He understood perfectly well that the internecine princely enmity that reigned in Rus' at that time was leading to decline and impoverishment of foreign policy weakness. Therefore, the author set the goal of his work to call for the unification of the Russian principalities. He strives to unite the princes, to revive kindred feelings in them. Hence the song contains a condemnation of the princely strife and one of their initiators - Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, nicknamed Gorislavich.

To achieve this task, the author endows Prince Igor with all the possible qualities of a valiant warrior, capable of a great feat and any sacrifice for the good of his native land. Before setting out on a campaign, Igor inspires the squad with words full of courage and selfless bravery. He does not agree to put up with captivity, preferring death to captivity: “Oh my squad and brothers! It’s better to be killed than to be captured; Let us sit, brothers, on greyhound horses and at least look at the blue Don.”

The author’s attitude towards the Novgorod-Seversk prince is clearly visible in the epithets with which he gives Igor: “falcon”, “red sun”. During their campaign, Igor’s army meets a detachment of Polovtsians on their way. The first battle ended in victory for the Russians. The Russian soldiers took a lot of booty: gold and pavoloks, expensive okosamites, red Polovtsian girls were taken captive. The loot was so great that they began to build bridges across swamps and swampy places with blankets, cloaks and casings, and various jewelry. In this situation, Prince Igor shows himself to be a noble and selfless man. He came to beat his enemies, and not to profit, therefore from the trophies the prince takes for himself only the battle signs of his enemies: “The scarlet banner, the White banner, the scarlet bangs, the Silver shaft - to the brave Svyatoslavich!”

This episode shows that the main thing for Igor is the fight against Russian enemies, and not personal gain. The desire for profit is too petty for him. Igor is above simple everyday worries.

The noble character of the Novgorod-Seversky prince is also manifested in the next battle, more difficult and crushing for the Russians. During the battle, it is again clear that personal benefits are not the main thing for Igor: when brother Vsevolod began to experience difficulties during the battle, Igor, without hesitation, “turns up” his regiments to help, “for he feels sorry for his dear brother Vsevolod.” But, despite all the courage of Igor, Vsevolod and the brave Russian army, the battle is lost, and Igor is taken captive: “Melancholy has spread across the Russian land; abundant sadness flowed in the middle of the Russian land.”

When the prince suffers defeat in battle, the author deeply grieves, and with him all of nature grieves. The manifestation of emotions by the author of “The Lay” helps to maintain the image of Prince Igor as a positive hero, despite the fact that with his reckless act he put his own Fatherland, and with it all the Russian people, at risk. The poet shows his attitude to what is happening not only when describing the defeat of the Russian army, but also when narrating Igor’s escape from captivity. In the lines of the song one can feel the author’s jubilation, since “how hard it is for the body, except for the head, it is so hard for the Russian land without Igor.” Igor’s return to his homeland is marked by the jubilation of nature and the Russian people: “The sun is shining in the sky, and Igor the prince is in the Russian land; girls sing on the Danube, their voices curl across the sea to Kyiv. Igor travels along Borichev to the Holy Mother of God Pirogoshchaya. The villages are happy, the towns are cheerful."

And finally, when creating the image of Igor, the author could not help but include the power of love. No, the song says nothing about the prince’s personal heartfelt experiences. But there is a mention that Igor is loved, and loved with strong, sincere love. This love is so enormous that it influences nature and, penetrating across vast distances into the Polovtsian camp, helps Igor escape. Of course, we are talking about Igor’s wife, Yaroslavna. In Yaroslavna’s piercing, emotional cry, the image of Igor is covered with tenderness, warmth, and ardent sympathy. Such strong, selfless love can only be felt for a worthy person. The author believes that Igor deserves the sincere feelings that Yaroslavna has for him.

Please note: we see a very unusual combination of colors. The disk of the sun is covered by the moon, but only the uppermost part of the sky has darkened; it is saturated with blue. But most of the sky is bathed in golden sunlight. The combination of yellow, dark blue and red tones sounds solemn, it contains both sadness over the upcoming losses and the affirmation of the final victory.

.1 student: Look here: the ominous yellowness of the sky, turning into blue. A dark circle with a gold rim represents an eclipse. This is a symbol or sign of trouble. Against the background of the golden-yellow sky, the dark silhouettes of Igor’s warriors clearly stand out. Their cloaks and shields blaze with fire.

2nd student: The entire lower part of the canvas is occupied by a continuous chain of foot and horse soldiers who appear from the gates of the fortress wall and disappear beyond the horizon. Flags and long pikes flutter above the army.

3rd student: On the right is Prince Igor. He looks at the shelves, at the dimmed Sun, at the distant horizon. There are enemies somewhere ahead. Terrible trials await him there.

Mysterious author and creation story

The history of the creation of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is very mysterious. There are several versions of the origin of the monument.

“The Word...” was written during the early Middle Ages, and then rewritten by a later author, after which it was discovered and made public by Count A. Musin-Pushkin in the 90s of the 18th century.
“The Lay of Igor’s Campaign” is not an original work of ancient Russian art, but is a stylization created in modern times to maintain the authority of Russian literature among national European literatures.

The basis for such contradictory hypotheses (what is this?) was the fact that the work reached descendants in a single copy, discovered by A. Musin-Pushkin , who was the chief prosecutor of the Synod and, presumably, received it along with other documents from Kirillo-Belozersky monastery

The original manuscript was kept in the nobleman's palace in Razgulyai and, according to the official version, was lost during the Moscow fire in 1812.

Some researchers attribute the authorship of “The Lay…” to A. Musin-Pushkin, however, there is no obvious reason for this: the count, for all his learning, was not distinguished by literary talents. There are other assumptions.

Over time, the dispute about the authenticity of the document acquired an ideological overtones : those who considered the “Word ...” to be a real document were called patriots (who is that?), while those who saw the work as a skillful craft were equated almost with the enemies of Russia.

If we leave emotions aside and turn to the content of the monument, it will become obvious that the author of the word created his creation in an era when the main character of the story, Igor Vsevolodovich, was still alive and reigning.

Academician A.A. Zaliznyak, a specialist in the language of monuments of ancient Russian literature, analyzed the linguistic features of the Old Church Slavonic text (the presence of a dual number, traces of “clattering”, etc.) and concluded that “The Word...” could not have been written later than 11 and earlier than 14th century .

Researcher A.N. Uzhankov gives the exact date: late autumn - winter of the year 1200 . The scientist considers the author to be one of the monks of the Vydubetsky monastery near Kiev, who personally took part in the campaign.

The author of the work contrasts his language with the language of the “prophetic Boyan”, talks about recent and long-past affairs, knows and quotes the Gospel very well (at that time it had not yet been translated into Old Church Slavonic and was read in Greek).

The attitude of ancient Russian scribes to literary fame is far from modern ideas. The scribes did not seek to attribute the feat of writing to themselves; they performed it as obedience , divinely inspired work, for which they were only instruments, intermediaries.

That is why the author's name has not reached us . The question of who wrote the word about Igor’s Campaign remains open.

Translations of “Words...”

The original “Tale of Igor’s Campaign” was written in Old Church Slavonic. Today the work exists in more than one hundred language versions. The authorship of the translation of “The Word…” into the Russian literary language belongs to such outstanding writers as V.A. Zhukovsky, K.D. Balmont, N. A. Zablotsky, E. A. Evtushenko.

The famous Russian-American writer V. Nabokov made an excellent translation of “The Lay...” into English. In 1977, the Kiev publishing house released a single copy of “The Word...”, which consisted of four variations - in Russian, Old Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian.

The most famous translations of the work into Russian belong to researchers who devoted their entire lives to studying this memo - D.S. Likhachev, O.V. Tvorogov, R.O. Yakobson.

Summary and analysis of the work

The plot of the work (how is that?) describes an event that occurred in 1185 : the campaign of Novgorod-Seversk Prince Igor to the lands of the Polovtsian Khan.

If we convey the brief content of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” in a few sentences, it is about the campaign undertaken by the Russian prince in 1185 to assert his power over the southern borders of Russia.

This campaign was not defensive; its goal was to explore new space. The prince wanted “quick glory” and thought of achieving victory with a cunning, unexpected attack.

A brief retelling of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” does not boil down to the plot (how is that?).

The narrator (and the image of the author in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is very important, noticeable, covered with notes of nostalgia (how is that?) for the old days) builds the composition of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” in such a way that it becomes clear: Igor’s campaign goes beyond the existing framework way of life, overturns the foundations of the ancient Russian worldview, violating religious and ethical norms. So, important events in Igor’s life take place on Friday, the day of Christ’s Passion on the Cross.

When starting an essay on the topic “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” it is necessary to draw up a quotation plan and trace how the narrator’s attitude to the events described changes.

The author gives his assessment of Igor's actions. He compares his campaign with the previous campaign of Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, Igor’s grandfather. The previous campaign was defensive, the old prince defended his fatherland and did not encroach on foreign territories.

He set out on the road after confession and Communion, received a blessing, defeated the dark forces throughout Lent, and returned home victoriously by Easter. Igor, on the contrary, goes out on a campaign during Easter week, without a blessing, secretly from the enemy.

His entire path is shrouded in darkness. The image of an eclipse conveys not so much a natural phenomenon as the internal state of the hero, his spiritual confusion.

Only when he is captured by the Polovtsian Khan and ingloriously flees, Igor begins to repent of his pride and receives God's help: animals, birds, nature, the Lord himself show him the way home.

Yaroslavna's cry, reminiscent of a prayer, cleanses the prince of all his mistakes.

In conclusion, the author of the Word appeals to the Russian princes with a call to come to their senses, stop the bloody feud and become a united family again.

Analyzing “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” whose heroes are in a state with themselves and each other, one cannot help but note how nature behaves in the work.

In the work, rivers, fields, ravines come to life, every plant and animal feels anxiety and predicts the death of the army. The prince violated the laws of fair living - he encroached on other people's borders, and this will not bring him glory. But the way back is covered in the spirit of joy, humble forgiveness, and acceptance.

Characteristics of the heroes of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”

The main characters of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” are Prince Igor Svyatoslavovich, Prince of Novgorod-Seversky, his brother Bui Tur Vsevolod, father, Prince Svyatoslav, wife Yaroslavna.

Characteristics of Igor . On the one hand, the prince is ambitious, cunning, and determined to achieve his goals, on the other hand, he is brave and formidable in battle. At first, his speech and actions do not evoke sympathy, but after returning from captivity, all living things sympathize with the hero.

The image of Igor in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” becomes brighter when his saddened wife remembers him. The Russian land needs a prince, just as Yaroslavna needs her husband.

Yaroslavna is the heroine of “The Lay...”, which has become a symbol of the entire Russian people in its female form. The image of Yaroslavna in the work is presented through the motif of love.

Like a “zegzitz on the Jura,” the prince’s loving wife asks the natural elements to return her beloved to her.

The image of Yaroslavna is the ideal of Russian femininity, absolute love and fidelity. Yaroslavna’s lament in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is the central episode in the revelation of the image.

A woman wants to turn into a cuckoo and fly to distant lands to bring her dear husband back to life and wash his bloody wounds. Yaroslavna’s characterization is laconic, focused not on the woman’s external appearance, but on her inner beauty.

Igor's brother, Prince Vsevolod, is participating in the campaign . He is full of courage, brave, his own wound saddens him less than defeat in battle. Like Igor, Vsevolod is captured.

Prince Svyatoslav , the father of Igor and Vsevolod, personifies the wisdom of the older generation. Svyatoslav dreams of ending civil strife and wants to see his sons as friends.

The characterization of Svyatoslav in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is given not directly, but through the speech of the hero, his instructions to his descendants.

The image of Svyatoslav in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”

As a contrast to Igor, the author gives the image of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav. Just as the real historical prince Igor is far from the image created in the Lay, Svyatoslav is far from the character that history knows. But in the artistic fabric of the work, it is precisely this image that plays a decisive role in establishing the idea of unity of the Russian land, overcoming princely strife for the sake of common interests. Svyatoslav is shown primarily as a wise politician, a statesman, who bears responsibility for the fate of the state and who, aware of this responsibility, sees real ways to strengthen the state. In his famous “golden word,” so named by the author because the main idea of the work is expressed here, Svyatoslav, who saw a “vague dream,” paying tribute to the bravery and courage of Igor and Vsevolod (“your brave hearts are bound from strong damask steel and tempered in courage.” ), reproaches them for the fact that they “early began to create insults to the Polovtsian land with swords, and seek glory for themselves.” Addressing “his children” (here the role of Kyiv and its prince in the Russian land is emphasized), Svyatoslav accuses them of the fact that their rash act brought harm not only to themselves, but also cast a shadow on the glorious history: “But you said: “ Let’s be courageous ourselves: we’ll steal our past glory, and we’ll share the future ourselves!”

Finally, the main idea of the “golden word” can be considered Svyatoslav’s explanation of why dangerous, difficult times have now come for Rus', when its future is under threat: “But the evil is that the princes are not helping me: times have turned out badly.” A truly state approach to power sounds very convincing in Svyatoslav’s “golden word” because he addresses Igor and Vsevolod, as if he were talking only to them, but at the same time each of their princes understands that this “word” is addressed to him too, because the “glory” of the Russian land also depends on it. The author’s appeal directly to each of the princes, following the “golden word”, is a reminder to them not only of their princely greatness, but also of their princely duty; it seems to continue the patriotic call-word of Prince Svyatoslav.