Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin Play “The Minor” Summary of actions
Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin’s play “The Minor,” as an indisputable example of classicism in Russian literature of the 18th century, is included in the required reading list of works for the school curriculum. This bright literary work will not leave modern readers indifferent: “The Minor” has captivated more than one generation of theatergoers, lovers of classic comedy productions, was filmed and dissected line by line by admirers into “winged” quotes, which over time turned into aphorisms of the Russian language.
A very brief summary of the comedy “Minor”
The comedy play “The Minor” is structurally divided into five acts; the events develop in the domain of the Prostakovs. The plot of the comedy is simple. The son of provincial landowners, Mitrofan, wants to marry a distant relative, Sophia, who was orphaned and raised in the same house with him. Unfortunately, Mitrofan’s uncle, Taras Skotinin, also had his eye on the girl. Sophia is in a difficult situation, but her distant relative appears - Staradum, who, with the help of the official Pravdin, brings the whole family to clean water. In the denouement, Sophia becomes the wife of his beloved officer Milon, and the Prostakov estate finds itself under state guardianship for mistreatment of serfs. Mitrofan goes into the army.
Sophia is a rich heiress
A brief retelling of “The Minor” (Fonvizin D.I.) continues. The girl receives a letter. It's from Starodum. This means that he did not die. Mrs. Prostakova is not happy with this, whose plans were disrupted. She doesn’t give up so easily: having decided to accuse Sophia of deception, Prostakova says that this may be some kind of love letter. True, she cannot check this, since she is illiterate. Both her husband and brother also cannot boast of literacy. Pravdin comes to their aid. The guest, with Sophia's permission, reads out the letter. The letter says that Starodum decides to appoint Sophia as heir. Then she becomes the heiress of capital, which will bring 10 thousand a year. Immediately an idea strikes Prostakova: after all, Sophia is now an advantageous match, so you can try to marry her to Mitrofanushka. But this brief retelling of Act 1 of “The Minor” does not end there.
Soldiers appear in the Prostakov village, and with them an officer at their head. The officer's name is Milon. This scares Ms. Prostakova. Her husband calms her down, saying that the officer will not allow disorder in the soldiers’ camp.
Summary of the play “Minor” by action
Act I. One bride - two grooms
Mrs. Prostakova reprimands the serf Trishka for a poorly made caftan for her son Mitrofan. Although Trishka warned that he is not a sewing master. Her husband
Mr. Prostakov agrees with her, and Prostakova’s brother and Mitrofan’s uncle, Skotinin, believes that the work was done well. The servant is driven away.
Then they talk about Mitrofanushka, who did not sleep well. The Prostakovs’ son claims that he didn’t eat, but in fact he had a strong meal for dinner and drank kvass all night. The mother takes pity on her son; he runs away to the dovecote.
The remaining gentlemen are discussing Skotinin's matchmaking with Sophia, the Prostakovs' pupil. Her only relative, Uncle Starodum, moved somewhere to Siberia and is not in touch. From the conversation it becomes clear that the groom selfishly wants to enrich himself at the expense of the future bride; Sophia herself is indifferent to him.
Sophia appears with a letter from Starodum. The Prostakovs do not believe that the girl’s uncle is alive. Sophia invites them to read the letter, but it turns out that none of them can read. The message is voiced by Pravdin. It turns out that Sophia’s uncle not only did not disappear, but also assigned a monetary dowry for her. Mrs. Prostakova thinks about Sophia as her son’s wife. The women leave. A servant runs in and reports that soldiers have stopped in their village.
Act II. The appearance of Milo - Sophia's true lover
Officer Milon and Pravdin turn out to be old acquaintances. Pravdin shares with a friend that he arrived in these parts to “beautify” Prostakova. And Milon came here in the hope of meeting his beloved, from whom he was separated after the death of her parents, when distant relatives took her under the guardianship.
By the decree of fate, Sophia walks past her friends. A joyful meeting of two loving hearts takes place. Sophia complains to Milon that Prostakova is planning to marry her stupid son. Skotinin approaches, worried that he will leave home with nothing - without a wife and without an inheritance. Milon and Pravdin incite him to quarrel with his sister.
Nanny Eremeevna and Mitrofanushka Prostakov pass by. The woman insists that Mitrofan needs to study literacy, but he is categorically against it. Skotinin starts a fight with his nephew about marrying Sophia.
Enraged, Skotinin leaves. The Prostakov couple appears. Mrs. Prostakova pours out flattering speeches to Milon, praises Sophia and boasts that she has prepared everything for Starodum’s meeting. Prostakov and Sophia leave, Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin appear. The teachers tell Pravdin their stories - how they lived, how they studied and how they got to the Prostakovs’ estate.
Act III. Return of Starodum
Starodum's carriage arrives. Pravdin meets him. An old friend immediately told Starodum about the disgrace that was happening in the village of the Prostakovs and, most importantly, about
that Skotinin and Mitrofan “share” his niece Sophia. To which Starodum said that you shouldn’t “get into a fever” before doing anything - you need to weigh everything. He told Pravdin about where he had been and what he had seen during the years of absence.
Then Sophia appears, uncle and niece explain. At the same time, a fight occurs between Prostakova and Skotinin, which Milon manages to calm down. When Prostakova notices Starodum, she calls Mitrofan and her husband. Together they pretend to be happy about their relative and flatter him in every possible way.
Starodum announces that he wants to take Sophia to Moscow and marry her off. The girl, although she does not know that her chosen one Milon will be her future husband, agrees with her uncle’s will. But Skotinin and Prostakova are vigorously trying to dissuade him from such an undertaking. Prostakova hastens to say that in her family education was not held in high esteem, but her son learns literacy and arithmetic most diligently and in every way. Pravdin does not allow the woman to finish, citing the fatigue of the guest who arrived from afar.
Everyone disperses, Mitrofan’s teachers remain on the stage - arithmetic teacher Tsyfirkin and grammar teacher Kuteikin. Both complain about the absolute mediocrity of their student and about the eternal obstacle in the education of Mitrofan, the German Vralman.
Mitrofan and Prostakova reappear. An unsuccessful arithmetic lesson will take place - not only is Mitrofanushka himself not eager for knowledge, he is also actively “helped” in this matter by his mother and Vralman. After the Prostakovs leave, the teachers quarrel again and want to beat Vralman, but he runs away.
Act IV. Starodum intends to take Sophia away from the Prostakov family
An important conversation takes place between Sophia and Starodum about life values. Uncle explains to Sonya that wealth is not in gold, but in virtue, in righteous actions towards other people and the Fatherland. He says that the position must be earned by deeds, the title alone is not enough, and husband and wife must be one, regardless of their origin.
Starodum receives a letter, thanks to which it becomes clear that the young man, Sophia's future husband, is Milon. Through a conversation with the officer, Starodum understands that he is a man of high moral character. The uncle happily blesses the marriage.
Skotinin constantly interferes in the conversation, trying to present himself in a favorable light, but this makes him look funny. Then Prostakova, Pravdin and Mitrofan appear. The mistress of the house continues to praise the enlightenment of her offspring. After a little checking, it becomes clear that her praise is not backed up by anything.
Starodum announces that tomorrow he will take Sophia away and marry her off. Prostakova, Skotinin and Mitrofan plan to intercept the girl before leaving.
Act V. What everyone deserves
By order of Prostakova, Eremeevna tries to take Sonya away by force, but Milon interferes with her. Pravdin outlaws such an action and says that the Prostakovs may face severe punishment for the crime. The mistress of the house begs for Sophia's forgiveness, but as soon as the seal of guilt is removed from Prostakova, she intends to take it out on the servants who missed the chance to kidnap the girl. Prostakova is stopped by Pravdin, who reads out a government document, which states that the entire estate is transferred to the guardianship of the state.
Mitrofan's teachers appear. Pravdin is already counting them, rewarding each according to his deserts: the honest Tsyfirkin in full, and the calculating Kuteikin is left penniless. Vralman admits that he is a former groom, not a teacher, and goes to serve Starodum.
Sophia, Milon and Starodum are leaving. Mitrofan quarrels with his mother and goes to military service. Prostakova is in despair - she has lost everything.
First action. Start
Well, let’s get started - a short retelling of “The Minor” in abbreviation. The action begins in a village belonging to the Prostakov family. Mrs. Prostakova is angry, angry with Trishka. After all, he sewed a narrow caftan for her son. Prostakova’s husband also agrees with this; he is accustomed to submitting to his wife’s opinion. Her brother, Taras Skotinin, also agrees with Prostakova.
The caftan is what Mitrofan needs for his uncle’s conspiracy. This is connected with Sophia, who is a relative of them, albeit a distant one. She has been an orphan for six months now: her father died in her infancy, and her mother recently “moved away.” They decided to accept Sophia not because of “family ties,” but in order to take control of her estate. The only close relative she has left, Uncle Starodum, has long left for Siberia, from where there is no news from him. Therefore, the Prostakov family believes that he died long ago.
Skotinin wants to marry Sophia. Again by calculation: he wants to take possession of her estate, which contains many pigs. These animals are his passion. Sophia doesn't even know about it.
The main characters of the comedy "Minor"
- Mrs. Prostakova is the mistress of the house, without education or special upbringing. A cunning, rude and selfish person.
- Mitrofan Prostakov is the only son of the Prostakov couple, 16 years old. Stupid, weak-willed and ill-mannered boy.
- Pravdin is a representative of the new nobility, personifying law and order in the play. He arrived at the Prostakov estate to stay and to understand the cruel attitude of the owners towards the servants.
- Starodum is Sophia's guardian. A decent and intelligent person who has achieved everything in life independently and honestly.
- Sophia is a pupil of the Prostakovs, an orphan with a dowry. An honest, sympathetic, educated girl.
- Milon is Sophia's betrothed, who has lost contact with her for a long time. A soldier distinguished by valor, bravery and honor.
- Skotinin is Prostakova’s brother, who is in constant search of profit.
Third act
Let's continue with the brief retelling. Act 3 “The Minor” begins with Starodum arriving. Before meeting the owners, he decides to talk with his old acquaintance Pravdin. Starodum indulges in memories of how his father served under Peter 1. He considers these times “golden”. Starodum comes to this estate with the goal of freeing his niece from “these ignoramuses.” That's why he left his service so soon. He also talks about the injustice when it is not seniority, but nobility that plays a role. Because of this, he was “outclassed.” When Starodum retired, he moved to the court in St. Petersburg, but quickly realized that it was not his.
Other characters in the play "The Minor"
- Prostakov is the weak-willed and driven husband of Mrs. Prostakova.
- Eremeevna is the nanny of the Prostakovs’ son Mitrofan.
- Kuteikin is a greedy and not very diligent grammar teacher.
- Vralman is a groom who introduces himself as a German and a teacher.
- Tsyfirkin is a teacher of arithmetic sciences, an honest retired military man.
- Trishka is a servant on the Prostakov estate.
Second act
Let's continue with a brief retelling of the story "The Minor", where in the second act officer Milon met his long-time and good friend Pravdin. From him Milon learns that he is a member of the viceroyal board. And here he is with one important goal: the ability to identify the “malicious ignoramuses” living in various villages and estates. He needs to identify those landowners who cruelly and unfairly treat their courtyard people and servants. In the Prostakov family, he discovered such careless landowners.
In turn, Milon tells his friend that he has a chosen one, whom he has not seen for six months and whom he loves dearly. And just recently he learned that his love was taken away by distant relatives. At this very time he sees his love.
Briefly about the history of creation and the main idea of Fonvizin’s work “Minor”
The first drafts of the play date back to 1770. To create the work, Fonvizin processed a large amount of material - works by foreign and Russian writers on similar topics, satirical articles and comedies written by Catherine II. The work was completed in 1771, a year later it premiered on the theater stage, with the author himself directing the production. The comedy was first published in 1773.
The main idea of the play “The Minor” was to reveal the theme of education, which was universally addressed during the Enlightenment. In the process of creation, Fonvizin added some socio-political issues to his work, and connected the title of the play directly with the decree of Peter I the Great banning the marriage of young, uneducated nobles, otherwise known as “minors.”
Fifth act, last
A brief retelling of the comedy “The Minor” is coming to an end. Pravdin and Starodum are talking. They are trying to decide what to do with Prostakova, how to change her evil disposition. There is a solution: to take custody of the Prostakovs’ estate in order to prevent this from happening in the future. Then they talk about the king, about his virtue, and subsequently about the good behavior of his subjects - the nobles.
Milon successfully recaptures Sophia from Eremeevna and the courtyard people belonging to Prostakova. They wanted to use force to drag Sophia into the carriage, which was supposed to take her to church for the wedding with Mitrofanushka.
Pravdin believes that this act of Prostakova gives reason to complain to the government about her. This would be a serious punishment for Prostakova. She begs them to spare her. Milon and Starodum decide that she is a low person, but they will not complain. Now they understand that it can no longer be changed. And Prostakova immediately proves this: realizing that she has been forgiven, she decides to carry out reprisals against her people. And all because they couldn’t keep Sophia. Pravdin quickly knocks down the aggressive Prostakova by taking out a paper on guardianship of her estate.
Skotinin quickly retreats, prudently deciding that he himself might get “under attack.” Pravdin also denies Prostakova a deferment, which, in his opinion, the family does not need.
