Woland and cow hippo cat. Woland's retinue in the novel The Master and Margarita Bulgakova description of the members of the retinue essay

3. Pilate's retinue - Woland's retinue

An attempt to find Woland's retinue surrounded by Pilate is logically justified by all the previous arguments. But before moving on to comparisons, I would like to touch on the "pedigree" of Satan and his assistants, acting in the Moscow part of the novel. A separate chapter will be devoted to Woland (see Part II, Chapter 4), so we will not dwell on him for now. We spoke about Azazello above (see part I, ch. 6), we briefly recall: Azazel is the demon of the waterless desert among the ancient Jews, on Yom Kippur a scapegoat was sacrificed to him.

Let's focus on the rest of the demonic characters: Behemoth, Gella and Koroviev.

The direct literary prototype of the Behemoth was found by M. Chudakova in the book by M. A. Orlov “The History of Man’s Relations with the Devil”, which tells how a demon named Behemoth emerged from a possessed abbess. Indisputable (and main) is another source, namely the Old Testament. In the book of Job (40:10–20; 41:1–26), Behemoth is described as a monster close to Leviathan. Job likens Behemoth to Leviathan, or rather, represents them as a single entity: the description of Behemoth goes into his description of Leviathan. Behemoth is the earthly equivalent of chaos and can be identified with destruction. It is akin to numerous beasts - "the scourges of God", attacking people at the end of time. The symbolic locust, like the mysterious horsemen that strike sinful mankind, appears among the eschatological scourges (Rev. 9:3-10; Is. 33:4). It is led by the angel of the abyss (Rev. 9:11), and no one will leave it unless they have "the seal of God on their foreheads" (Rev. 9:4).

The "Charming" Behemoth personifies punishment in the novel. The reader will recognize his name only at the moment when one of the spectators of the Variety gloomily demanded to tear off the entertainer's head. Koroviev “immediately responded to this ugly proposal,” shouting to the cat: “Behemoth! .. do it! Ein, bloom, dry!!" (p. 541). And then a metamorphosis happened: a learned animal, imposing, peaceful, suddenly turned into a terrible predator, which “like a panther, waved right at Bengalsky’s chest”, and then “rumbling, with plump paws ... grabbed hold of the entertainer’s thin hair and, howling wildly, in two turned off this head from a full neck ”(p. 541). Thus, for the first time on the pages of the novel, he fulfilled his biblical destiny.

The Biblical Behemoth, one of the eschatological "beasts", even in Moscow has an animal appearance, which, by the way, he very reluctantly and infrequently changes to a human one. But even then, through human features the beast slips by, and everyone who meets the fat man thinks that he looks like a cat.

The symbolic locust is headed by the angel of the abyss - Abaddon. “His name is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon” (Rev. 9:11). Abaddon - Abaddon in The Master and Margarita. He does not appear on the streets of the city, because his time has not yet come, and sends his "representative" Behemoth as a reminder that " end times" not far away.

There is no character named Hella in the Old Testament, but in Greek mythology Hella is the daughter of the cloud goddess Nemphela who drowned in the sea. In 1977, the English researcher of Bulgakov's work L. Milne established that Bulgakov borrowed the name Gell from the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: the article "Sorcery" mentions a she-devil with that name. This fact does not explain the bizarre appearance of Bulgakov's Gella: smoldering spots on her chest, a scar on her neck, vampire inclinations. It is doubtful that Bulgakov needed these features only to emphasize the exoticism of the demoness; it was important for him not so much to borrow demonic characters from various sources as to demonstrate their timeless existence. Bulgakov describes Satan and his associates, based not only on fantasy, but also on descriptions from historical and literary sources: otherwise the depth of the idea is lost. Woland is surrounded by the spirits of darkness, which have already flashed in the literature, so their appearance is recognizable, although it can be "composite". Of course, Brockhaus and Efron do not have any description of Gella's appearance, but the drowned Gella, Nemphela's daughter, is a mythological character of the lower, afterlife: hence Bulgakov's devilish green, mermaid eyes. Greek name Moscow Gella refers the reader to the ancient "layer" of the novel and returns to Pontius Pilate, to the "Roman" make-up of Satan.

The procurator, like his servants, thinks and feels within the framework of the ancient tradition, in accordance with his culture. Pilate hates Yershalaim, he does not like Jewish holidays. Taking revenge on Judas, he not only punishes betrayal, but also, as it were, cracks down on everything alien, dark and hated in Jewish culture, faith, customs and mores, in short, with someone else's way of life. His associates wear latin names. Mark Ratslayer doesn't speak Aramaic at all. In a community with the Roman Afranius, there is a Greek woman, Nisa, who lives in the Greek quarter, since foreigners settled separately from the local population. Like Pilate, she does not celebrate the Jewish Passover and even speaks Greek with her lover Judas. And Pilate, and Aphranius, and Ratslayer, and the insidious beautiful Greek woman are foreigners in Yershalaim, like Woland and his retinue in Moscow. In Master Niza's novel, he is the only female character. Woland has only one demoness - Hella. Niza's name is symbolic. That was the name of those who raised the baby Dionysus nymphs by the Greek name of the area where they lived - Nisa. From here it is not difficult to throw a semantic bridge to the mythological ancient Greek Helle and further to the Muscovite Helle.

The characteristic features of the Woland Gella - nudity, green eyes, red hair - indicate a chthonic origin. Bulgakov emphasizes the "crimson scar" on her neck several times. This accent continues the theme of the "chopped off - attached" head. But here there is a direct literary allusion to "Faust" by I.-V. Goethe. In Walpurgis Night (scene XXI), Faust is attracted by the "image of a pale and lovely maiden", in which he imagines Gretchen.

What malaise, what torment

This eye shines! It's hard to part with him!

How strange under her beautiful head

On the neck, the strip snakes with a red thread,

No wider than a sharp knife!

Faust's charm is dispelled by Mephistopheles:

I have known all this for a long time: so what?

She sometimes takes her head under her arm,

Since Perseus cut her down.

Medusa Gorgon - another chthonic character ancient Greek mythology. The Greek "drowned" Hella, the Nisaean nymphs, Medusa Gorgon - all the prototypes of Bulgakov's demoness have roots in ancient mythology and are characters underworld. The image of the ghostly Gorgon, however, belongs to the pen German poet, and it is this “German-Greek” Gorgon that serves as a link between the Roman Pilate and the “German” Woland (in Moscow, Satan is more inclined to consider himself a German, judging by his name and by his own statement, about which see the next chapter) . But Gella is such a capacious character that she also has a German prototype. In German transcription, this is the name of the mistress of the underworld of German-Scandinavian myths - Hel (Hella). Hel's body is half blue (cf. the smoldering spots on the chest of the Moscow Gella). So, Gella is the personification of the elemental forces of nature from the most “innocent” (nymphs) to the formidable mistress underworld, including a creepy character that can kill with a look. The modest behavior of Gella in Moscow in the role of Woland's servant is deceptive: she is the owner of powerful magic spells. In the role of Niza, this devil lures Judas into a trap, leading him to death. In Moscow, she prepares Margarita for the transition from the world of the living to the dead, dousing her with smoking blood. (It is no coincidence that Behemoth rushed to help her; both are underground monsters.) It is in her power to make a person a vampire, as happened with Varenukha, who lost consciousness from her shining eyes. Her hands are "cold with icy cold" (p. 520), they are able to lengthen like rubber; Hella does not fly along with Woland's retinue, carrying away the master and his girlfriend, because her path is not into the airy spheres of black spirits, but down into the depths of the earth.

We see how Bulgakov strictly selected the most diverse mythological material to create one seemingly minor character in his novel. The choice of name is very successful - not so many mythological characters are worn in different cultures the same names. Even if Bulgakov started from the name of the witch from Brockhaus and Efron, he had to draw on serious and deep material in order to successfully combine Greek and German features in the appearance of Gella.

Having determined who Hella was surrounded by Pilate, let's take care of the rest of the procurator's bodyguards. The easiest way is to “find” Azazello among them: Mark Krysoboy took over his functions. A small, stocky, but physically very strong, “athletically built” “red-haired robber” Azazello (p. 617) in Yershalaim becomes a giant centurion (B. Gasparov proposed the same analogy). Remain common physical strength and outward ugliness: Azazello has a yellow fang, a thorn in his left eye and periodically (like Woland) lameness, the Ratslayer's face is disfigured by a blow of a club - his nose is flattened. Both Ratslayer and Azazello are red-haired, both are nasal. The voice characteristic of Ratslayer is mentioned once: in the scene of the interrogation of Yeshua (p. 437), Azazello's lack of speech is repeatedly mentioned (p. 639, 703, 761, etc.). The “punitive” role of the Moscow Azazello in Yershalaim is preserved: Ratslayer scourging Yeshua, he also leads the centuria, escorting criminals to the place of execution. It is possible that he took part in the murder of Judas: one of the two murderers was stocky (clearly not Ratslayer), but the second is not described in any way. Comically, this scene is duplicated in the Moscow attack on Varenukha, who was beaten by Behemoth and Azazello. If we start from the invariance of situations, then there is nothing unacceptable in this assumption, however, there is no direct evidence of the participation of the Ratslayer in the murder of Judas. Of course, he can change his height and appearance: in Moscow, where the evil spirit does not hide its capabilities and does not particularly seek to hide its essence, many transformations take place. Now Woland is lame, now Azazello; either the cat steps importantly, or - instead of him - a stocky fat man. In the case of Professor Kuzmin, the demons were so unrestrained that they alternately took the form of a limping sparrow and a false nurse, whose mouth was “male, crooked, to the ears, with one fangs. My sister's eyes were dead” (p. 631). In the game with Kuzmin, most likely, Azazello, Koroviev and Behemoth took part, but this is not the essence of it: one way or another, it is not difficult for them to change height, appearance, and the whole human appearance to an animal one, as well as instantly transported in space. It is entirely possible that one of the murderers of Judas was Behemoth (“a stocky male figure” (p. 732)), and the other was the Ratslayer.

It remains to discover among Pilate's retinue those who appeared in Moscow under the guise of a cat and retired regent Koroviev.

In Moscow, Behemoth rarely changed animal form to human; probably, in Yershalaim, he did not seek to "humanize himself." In this case, the conclusion is simple: he is hiding under the guise of Bungie's dog. This is “a giant sharp-eared dog of gray wool, in a collar with gilded plaques” (p. 725–726). It is not difficult for a hippopotamus to change from a cat's appearance to a dog's, while retaining its rare size. True, the color of the dog is gray, and not black, like that of a cat. But Satan appeared at the Patriarchs in gray: “He was in an expensive gray suit, in foreign shoes, the color of the suit. He famously twisted his gray beret into his ear” (p. 426). There is also a minor detail - the passport of the "foreigner" is also gray. Gray is a liquefied, diluted black, an elusive, neutral color of twilight, conducive to mimicry, wandering from almost white to almost black. In Woland's characterization, gray is a sign of elusiveness, the ability to appear in varying degrees of shadow coloration.

The dog of the procurator is devoted to a large passage in chapter 26 ("Burial"), from which it is clear that Banga plays an important role in the life of Pilate. It is to her that the procurator wants to complain about the exhausting headache. In the description of Bulgakov, Banga is devoid of any fantasy, however, like all the characters of the "apocrypha". The dog “loved, respected Pilate and considered him the most powerful in the world, the master of all people, thanks to whom the dog considered himself a privileged, higher and special being” (p. 726). Based human characteristics Pilate does not see anything special in this attitude of the dog, but, taking into account the version of Pilate - Woland, we find an accurate description of Satan, given through the demonic principle subordinate to him. As a result, the power of Satan and the chosenness of those who are directly connected with him come to the fore.

The dog meets the festive night on the balcony with the owner - the situation is quite ordinary. In the guise of Bunga, only one detail can be correlated with the Behemoth - "a collar with gilded plaques” (p. 726). Like all secondary details, the collar serves for greater clarity of what is depicted, and at the same time it is symbolic. Golden visual sign - belonging to the world of Pilate of Satan. In Moscow events, the Behemoth gilds his mustache before the ball. Bunga's collar for the cat is replaced by either a bow tie (at the ball), or a centimeter hanging from the neck (in the Variety). One capacious detail of the “Apocrypha” in the Moscow part of the novel breaks up into several small details, as in the description of Pilate and Woland, although here the writer does the opposite, describing the procurator in mosaic and the whole Moscow “make-up” of Satan.

The names of a dog and a cat begin with the same letter, they have a phonetic proximity. General and sizes of animals. Banga - " giant sharp-eared dog." The first description of the cat gives a similar epithet: " huge like a hog" (p. 466). In the future, its dimensions are constantly emphasized. The transformation of an ordinary dog ​​into an unreal monster has a literary counterpart: the metamorphosis that Faust's poodle underwent when turning into Mephistopheles.

But what do I see? Reality or dream?

My poodle is growing, he is terrible,

Huge! What miracles!

It grows in length and width.

He doesn't even look like a dog!

Eyes are burning; How hippopotamus,

He bared his mouth at me.

In Bulgakov, the transformation of a dog into a man is three-stage: a dog - a cat - a humanoid demon. Unlike the transformation of the poodle in Faust, it is extended in time, more precisely in time: the Yershalaim dog appears in Moscow as a cat and only then as a person. Comparison of Goethe's poodle with a hippopotamus could well serve as an additional incentive when choosing a name for a cat.

We have absolutely no authorial hints that Banga in human form took part in the murder of Judas, as well as participation in this operation of Ratslayer, we have. The assumption can only arise from the logical scheme of the actions of the Volandov suite in Moscow and the transfer of this scheme to the master's novel. However, it was after the murder of Judas that Ratslayer, Banga, Aphranius and Pilate find themselves on the pages of the Apocrypha together. At the same time, the author, as it were, emphasizes their "alibi". Before the murder, the owner called the dog in the garden, as if specifically to introduce it to the reader. He then remained with Pilate until the reader followed Aphranius to the Lower City. And when Aphranius returned to the palace to tell Pilate that "Judas ... was stabbed to death a few hours ago" (p. 737), the dog was next to the procurator. Aphranius began a conversation with Pilate, "making sure that, apart from Bunga, there were no extras on the balcony" (p. 736).

It seems that the centurion Ratslayer, after returning from the execution, did not go anywhere. When Aphranius appeared, Ratslayer personally reported his arrival to the procurator: “The head of the secret guard is here for you,” Mark calmly said. The intonation of Ratslayer stops attention: he speaks emphatically “calmly”. Bulgakov's definitions are accurate, so why does he emphasize Ratslayer's calmness? The serenity of the centurion suggests that something lies behind it. One way or another, by bringing Pilate and his henchmen together for the first time on the pages of the Apocrypha, the author had something significant in mind. And the murder of Judas from Kiriath was the reason for this meeting.

The characteristic that the procurator gives to people who come to Yershalaim for the holiday is curious: “A lot of different people flock to this city for the holiday. There are among them magicians, astrologers, soothsayers And the killers"(p. 439). Secondarily, he returns to this theme after the murder of Judas: “But these holidays are magicians, sorcerers, wizards…” (p. 719). In Moscow, as we know, these roles are played by the Volandov retinue. Koroviev is directly defined as "a magician, a sorcerer and the devil knows who," which allows us to draw an absurd, as it seems at first, conclusion: Koroviev and Aphranius may be one person. At first glance at this parallel, only one commonality is visible: neither Aphranius nor Koroviev have personal name. The Roman (judging by his name and position) Aphranius is described as a person whose nationality is difficult to establish (p. 718). This is not said about Koroviev. The "retired regent" bears a Russian surname. "Unraveling" Koroviev, this should not be neglected. The literary prototype of Koroviev was indicated by V. Lakshin. If "virgin" in the sense of education, Ivan Bezdomny failed to recognize Satan in Woland, then guessing the devil in Koroviev is no easier. “With his mustache and cracked pince-nez, with dirty socks and plaid trousers; this is how he appeared once to Ivan Karamazov and since then has not disturbed the imagination of readers. Lakshin does not quite accurately call Woland "the traditional literary Mephistopheles", but as for Koroviev, he is absolutely right.

It turns out the following: the direct genealogy of Azazello, Behemoth and Woland goes back to the Old Testament; We found Hella in Greek and German mythologies, not to mention the dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, and literary biography Koroviev has its roots in Russian literature, moreover, his last name is changed by Bulgakov: in the epilogue of the novel, among those detained in connection with the "Woland case" were "nine Korovins, four Korovkins and two Karavaevs" (p. 802). The surname Korovkin is directly related to Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov": Ivan Karamazov retells his youthful essay "The Legend of Paradise" to a friend Korovkin. It can be assumed that Bulgakov used in his novel not only the appearance of the devil from The Brothers Karamazov, but also the modified name of the confidant Ivan.

Koroviev's outfit is also mentioned by Bulgakov in another work: a "nightmare" in plaid trousers appears in The White Guard. Alexei's unfolded dream is described in the 1st scene of the second act of the play " white guard”, published in the book “The Unpublished Bulgakov”. “Nightmare” directly tells Alexei Turbin about his “pedigree”: “I come to you, Alexei Vasilyevich, with a bow from Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. I would, ha, ha, hang him.”

The situation is more complicated with Koroviev's nickname "Fagot". First, let's refer to B. Gasparov, who proposed a parallel: Cat Murr THIS. Hoffmann - chaplain Kreisler. Kreisler, according to the researcher, is the positive image of Koroviev. Twice in Bulgakov's novel, Koroviev and Behemoth are called "an inseparable couple", which strengthens the Murr-Kreisler association. But another association connected with Dostoevsky is also possible. In a conversation with Ivan Karamazov, the devil recalls Ivan's poem "Geological Revolution", in which it is proposed new version world order - anthropophagy". The Greek phagos (fagoj) is devouring, thus Bassoon is a devourer. All foreign words in The Master and Margarita are given in Russian transcription, so this assumption should not be ruled out. The meaning of this nickname is deepened by the fact that in the context of the “Geological Revolution” a peculiar version of “phagia” is proposed - spiritual devouring, the destruction of the very idea of ​​God.

In connection with the literary pedigree of Koroviev, his answer to the “bored citizen” at the entrance to Griboedov is filled with special irony:

“You are not Dostoevsky,” said the citizen, confused by Koroviev.

“Well, who knows, who knows,” he replied.

“Dostoevsky is dead,” the citizen said, but somehow not very confidently.

- I protest! Behemoth exclaimed hotly. “Dostoevsky is immortal!” (p. 769).

french word bassoon has several meanings, in particular: suspicious (in the sense of inspiring suspicion), carrying nonsense (cf. A.S. bassoon... "), poorly dressed. All these meanings can be addressed to Koroviev. Naturally, the musical instrument bassoon is just as “lanky” as Koroviev.

In this case, it is important to establish the relationship between Koroviev and Aphranius on the basis of a common literary source, possible prototype their images. Stretching the thread from Koroviev, who “the devil knows who he is”, to hell with Dostoevsky from The Brothers Karamazov, we will use the description of Ivanov the tempter as a key to reveal the last parallel: Aphranius - Koroviev.

Bulgakov describes Aphranius in detail: “The main thing that determined his face was, perhaps, an expression of good nature, which was broken, however, by his eyes, or rather, not by his eyes, but by the manner of the person who came to look at the interlocutor” (p. 718).

We read from Dostoevsky: “The face of the unexpected guest was not exactly good-natured, but again, folding and ready, judging by the circumstances, for any kind expression.” Good nature is a trait that connects both characters, and in both cases this trait is relative.

On the finger of the Karamazov devil is "a massive gold ring with an inexpensive opal." The ring given by Pilate for the murder of Judas also appears in Aphranius: “...then the procurator took out a ring from the pocket of his belt lying on the table and gave it to the head of the secret service” (p. 742).

If Koroviev inherited from his colleague from Dostoevsky's novel plaid trousers, lorgnette-pince-nez and the general buffoonish-clownish look of a "hawker", then Aphranius is only good nature (in the face of Karamazov's trait, only an outline, and in the face of Aphranius - relative). In general, all three characters complement each other, and Koroviev is an obvious continuation of the line outlined by Dostoevsky.

There is another "general biographical fact" in Karamazov's devil and Aphranius - the theme of death. Aphranius is present at the execution of Yeshua, witnessing his death. Ivan Karamazov's night guest confesses to having witnessed death on the cross Christ. Perhaps Bulgakov moved the devil from Dostoevsky's novel into his work, dividing his signs between two characters. Unites Koroviev and Aphranius and a penchant for jokes, although their humor is of a different nature. “It must be assumed that the procurator's guest was inclined towards humor” (p. 718). The buffoonish nature of Koroviev already shows through in the first author's description: "Physionomy, please note, is mocking" (p. 424). As for the appearance of the "retired regent", it corresponds to his character: he has "small, ironic, half-drunk eyes" (p. 462).

Aphranius “kept his small eyes ... under closed, slightly strange, as if swollen, eyelids. Then in the slits of those eyes shone a gentle slyness” (p. 718). As you can see, there is an undeniable similarity in the description of the eyes of both characters.

The retinue of Woland and the retinue of Pilate are united by the ability to extract any seals. Aphranius breaks the temple seal from the package, which contains the money given to Judas by the Sanhedrin, and then returned by the murderers to Caifa. Having shown the money to Pilate, he again seals the package, since Aphranius keeps all the seals, as he assures both the reader and the procurator himself.

Behemoth does the same in Moscow: he famously puts a "seal obtained from somewhere" on the certificate of Nikolai Ivanovich - a boar, in which it is reported that the latter was at the ball with Satan. The jester’s seal seals the certificate with the word “flattened” (p. 707). The fraudulent actions of both retinues - Pilate and Woland - testify to their lack of jurisdiction over human laws, omnipotence, which in reality is inaccessible even to such a person as the "head of the secret guard."

The retinue plays the king: the imperial retinue, palace grenadiers, convoy The imperial main apartment was: His retinue Imperial Majesty, military field office, His Imperial Majesty's Own Convoy, a company of palace grenadiers and life doctors.

Woland did not come to earth alone. He was accompanied by beings who in the novel largely play the role of jesters, arrange all kinds of shows, disgusting and hated by the indignant Moscow population (they simply turned human vices and weaknesses inside out). But their task was also to do all the "dirty" work for Woland, to serve him, incl. to prepare Margarita for the Great Ball and for her and the Master's journey into the world of peace. Woland's retinue consisted of three "main" jesters - Behemoth Cat, Koroviev-Fagot, Azazello and another vampire girl Gella. Where did such strange creatures in Woland's suite? And where did Bulgakov get their images and names from?

Let's start with Behemoth. This is a werewolf cat and Woland's favorite jester. The name Behemoth is taken from the apocryphal Old Testament book of Enoch. Information about Behemoth Bulgakov, apparently, learned from the research of I.Ya. Porfiriev "Apocryphal tales of the Old Testament persons and events" and from the book of M.A. Orlov "The History of Man's Relations with the Devil". In these works, Behemoth is a sea monster, as well as a demon, which “was depicted as a monster with an elephant head, with a trunk and fangs. His hands were of a human style, and his huge belly, short tail and thick hind legs, like a hippopotamus, reminded of the name they bear. Bulgakov's Behemoth became a huge werewolf cat, and Behemoth served as a real prototype domestic cat L.E. and M.A. Bulgakov Flushka is a huge gray animal. In the novel, he is black, because. symbolizes evil spirits.

During the last flight, the Behemoth turns into a thin young page, flying next to the purple knight (transformed by Koroviev-Fagot). Here, probably, the comic “legend of a cruel knight” from the story of Bulgakov’s friend S.S. was reflected. Zayaitsky "Biography of Stepan Aleksandrovich Lososinov". In this legend, along with a cruel knight, his page also appears. The knight at Zayaitsky had a passion to tear off the heads of animals, and this function in the "Master ..." is transferred to Behemoth, only in relation to people - he tears off the head of Georges of Bengal.

In the demonological tradition, Behemoth is the demon of the desires of the stomach. Hence the extraordinary gluttony of Behemoth in Torgsin. This is how Bulgakov sneers at the visitors of the foreign exchange store, including himself (people seem to have been possessed by the demon Behemoth, and they are in a hurry to buy delicacies, while outside the capitals the population lives from hand to mouth).

The hippopotamus in the novel mostly jokes and fools around, which manifests Bulgakov's truly sparkling humor, and also causes confusion and fear in many people with his unusual appearance (at the end of the novel, it is he who burns down apartment No. 50, "Griboyedov" and Torgsin).

Koroviev-Fagot - the eldest of the demons subordinate to Woland, his first assistant, the devil and the knight, who appears to Muscovites as an interpreter with a foreign professor and a former regent church choir. There are many versions about the origin of the name Koroviev and the nickname Fagot. Perhaps the surname is modeled after the surname of the character in A.K. Tolstoy's "Ghoul" of State Councilor Telyaev, who turns out to be a knight Ambrose and a vampire. Koroviev is also associated with the images of the works of F.M. Dostoevsky. In the epilogue of The Master and Margarita, “four Korovkins” are named among those detained because of the similarity of their surnames with Koroviev-Fagot. Here one immediately recalls Dostoevsky's story "The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants", where a certain Korovkin appears. And a number of knights from the works of authors of different times are considered the prototypes of Koroviev-Fagot. It is possible that this character also had a real prototype among Bulgakov's acquaintances - the plumber Ageich, a rare dirty trick and drunkard, who more than once recalled that in his youth he was the regent of the church choir. And this influenced the hypostasis of Koroviev, posing as a former regent and appearing at the Patriarchs as a bitter drunkard.

The nickname Fagot, of course, echoes the name musical instrument. This, most likely, explains his joke with the employees of the branch of the Entertainment Commission, who, against their will, sang in a choir directed by Koroviev, “Glorious Sea, Sacred Baikal.” The bassoon (musical instrument) was invented by the Italian monk Afranio. Due to this circumstance, the functional connection between Koroviev-Fagot and Aphranius is more clearly indicated (in the novel, as we have already said, three worlds are distinguished, and the representatives of each of them together form triads in terms of external and functional similarity). Koroviev belongs to the triad: Fyodor Vasilievich (first assistant to Professor Stravinsky) - Aphranius (first assistant to Pontius Pilate) - Koroviev-Fagot (first assistant to Woland). Koroviev-Faot even has some resemblance to Fagot - a long thin pipe folded in three. Bulgakov's character is thin, tall and in imaginary subservience, it seems, is ready to triple in front of his interlocutor (in order to calmly harm him later).

On the last flight, Koroviev-Fagot appears before us as a dark purple knight with a gloomy face that never smiles. He rested his chin on his chest, he did not look at the moon, he was not interested in the earth beneath him, he was thinking about something of his own, flying next to Woland.

Why has he changed so much? Margarita asked softly to the whistle of the wind at Woland.
- This knight once joked unsuccessfully, - Woland answered, turning his face to Margarita, with a softly burning eye, - his pun, which he composed, talking about light and darkness, was not entirely good. And the knight had to beg a little more and longer than he expected ...

Tasteless torn circus clothes, gayer look, buffoonish manners - that, it turns out, what punishment was determined for the nameless knight for the pun about light and darkness!

Azazello - "the demon of the waterless desert, the killer demon." The name Azazello was formed by Bulgakov from the Old Testament name Azazel (or Azazel). This is the name of the negative cultural hero of the Old Testament apocrypha - the book of Enoch, the fallen angel who taught people to make weapons and jewelry. Thanks to Azazel, women have mastered the "lascivious art" of face painting. Therefore, it is Azazello who hands the cream to Margarita, magically changing her appearance. Probably, Bulgakov was attracted by the combination of the ability to seduce and kill in one character. It is for the insidious seducer that Azazello Margarita takes during their first meeting in the Alexander Garden. But the main function of Azazello is connected with violence. Here are the words that he said to Margarita: “Kicking the administrator in the face, or putting my uncle out of the house, or shooting someone, or some other trifle of that kind, this is my direct specialty ...” Explaining these words, I will say that Azazello threw Stepan Bogdanovich Likhodeev from Moscow to Yalta, expelled him from

Bad apartment uncle M.A. Berlioz Poplavsky, killed Baron Meigel with a revolver.

Gella is the youngest member of Woland's retinue, a female vampire. Bulgakov got the name "Gella" from the article "Sorcery" of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, where it was noted that in Lesbos this name was used to call untimely dead girls who became vampires after death. The characteristic features of the behavior of vampires - clicking their teeth and smacking their lips, Bulgakov, perhaps, borrowed from A.K. Tolstoy's story "Ghoul", where the main character is threatened with death by ghouls (vampires). Here, a vampire girl turns her lover into a vampire with a kiss - hence, obviously, the kiss of Gella, fatal for Varenukha. She, the only one from Woland's retinue, is absent from the scene of the last flight. The third wife of the writer E.S. Bulgakova believed that this was the result of the unfinished work on The Master and Margarita. However, it is possible that Bulgakov deliberately removed Gella from the scene of the last flight as the youngest member of the retinue, performing only auxiliary functions in the Variety Theater, and in the Bad Apartment, and at the great ball with Satan.

Vampires are traditionally the lowest category of evil spirits. In addition, Gella would have no one to turn into on the last flight, because, like Varenukha, having turned into a vampire, she retained her original appearance. It is also possible that the absence of Gella means immediate disappearance (as unnecessary) after the end of the mission of Woland and his companions in Moscow.

Quotes

“... the described person did not limp on any leg, and his height was neither small nor huge, but simply tall. As for his teeth, he had platinum crowns on the left side, and gold crowns on the right. He was in an expensive gray suit, in foreign shoes, matching the color of the suit. He famously twisted his gray beret over his ear, and under his arm carried a cane with a black knob in the shape of a poodle's head. He looks to be over forty years old. The mouth is kind of crooked. Shaved smoothly. Brunette. The right eye is black, the left one is green for some reason. The eyebrows are black, but one is higher than the other."

"I do not argue, our capabilities are quite large, they are much more than some not very sharp-sighted people believe ... But what is the point in doing what another department is supposed to do?" Mercy is the "department" of Yeshua Ha-Nozri."

Characteristics of the hero

The description given to Woland in the novel is eloquent. However, do not forget that Woland subsequently develops lameness. And it is an integral attribute of his appearance. There are many reasons. But, it is especially worth emphasizing the fact that both Woland and his entire retinue are the owners of some kind of defect in appearance. What is the reason? The reason is simple.

The presence of defects in appearance is nothing more than a mockery of the biblical rules taken from the Old Testament, as well as the rules established in christian church. As you know, the events of the novel that took place in Moscow, as well as the ball held by Satan on the eve of Easter, were nothing more than a large-scale black mass dedicated to Black Easter - the exodus of the forces of evil into the world. Consequently, both Woland and each of the members of his retinue fulfilled their role in this "sacred rite", the satanic liturgy. According to the book of Leviticus (ch. 21), one who has any physical handicap, including an acquired one, does not have the right to be a priest. As we can see, Woland, as a dark high priest, has several flaws in appearance at once: false teeth, crooked mouth, multi-colored eyes, lameness. Moreover, we must pay tribute to the peculiar "delicacy" of Woland in explaining this lameness. However, according to rabbinic literature, the lameness of the devil is by no means an ache in the bones (a spirit cannot have bodily illnesses), the reason is simpler: the same rules apply to angels, as to assisting Divine priesthood, as to people - the absence of defects, including and appearance. And during the overthrow of Satan and his helpers from the Kingdom, Satan injured his leg and thereby lost forever the right to participate in worship before God. In Orthodoxy, there is one more rule that concerns blood: no more blood should be shed in the temple, for the blood of Christ, shed on Golgotha, was the last bloody sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. It is no coincidence that if the priest bleeds, there is a cut or something else happens that causes bleeding, the priest is obliged to suspend the service, leave the temple, and only when the blood flow ends, continue the service from the place it stopped. At the ball of Satan, we see the opposite picture: Margarita rubbed her legs to the blood, continues to "rite" as the queen of the ball; Baron Meigel is killed and his blood is used as communion wine, etc.

Alleged prototypes

Satan

No, it's not for nothing that Bulgakov writes this novel - The Master and Margarita. The main character of this novel, as you know, is the devil, acting under the name of Woland. But this is a special devil. The novel opens with an epigraph from Goethe: “... so who are you, finally? “I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” Appearing in Moscow, Woland unleashes all his diabolical power on those in power who create lawlessness. Woland deals with the persecutors of the great writer - the Master. Under the scorching summer sun of 1937, during the days of the Moscow trials, when another devil destroyed the devil's party, when Bulgakov's literary enemies perished one after another, the Master wrote his novel... So it's not difficult to understand who was behind the image of Woland.

Stalin's attitude towards M.A. Bulgakov and his work are known from Stalin's article in defense of Bulgakov, published in the Pravda newspaper, as well as from his oral speeches at a meeting between Stalin and a group Ukrainian writers which took place on February 12, 1929.

Second Coming of Christ

There is a version that the image of Woland has many Christian features. In particular, this version is based on a comparison of some details in the descriptions of Woland and Yeshua. Yeshua appeared before the procurator with a large bruise under his left eye - Woland's left eye is "empty, dead." There is an abrasion in the corner of Yeshua's mouth - in Woland "the corner of the mouth is pulled down." Yeshua was burned by the sun on a pillar - "the skin on Woland's face seemed to be burned forever by a tan." The torn blue tunic of Yeshua turns into dirty rags, which even the executioners refused - before the ball, Woland "is dressed in one night long shirt, dirty and patched on his left shoulder." Jesus is called the Messiah - Woland messier.

Also, this version is sometimes based on a comparison of some scenes of the novel with certain biblical quotations.

Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." Woland appeared during a conversation about Jesus:

May I have a seat? - the foreigner asked politely, and the friends somehow involuntarily parted; the foreigner deftly sat down between them and immediately entered into conversation.

Finally, in the conversation, Woland testifies about Christ: "Keep in mind that Jesus existed."

Nevertheless, this interpretation The image contains a number of inaccuracies.

1. Explicit. Levi Matvey gives Woland an order from Yeshua about the further fate of the Master and Margarita.
2. Woland is shown as a witness, not a participant in the Yershalaim scenes. By his own admission, during the conversation between Yeshua and Pilate, Woland is present incognito, which can be understood in two ways. However, in the evening, Pilate for a moment sees a mysterious figure among the shadows.

This interpretation can also be considered quite controversial, since it is necessary to take into account a number of points that are important when reading and understanding the images displayed in the novel. According to the Christian point of view, the Antichrist is not so much a person who opposes Christ, but rather a substitute for him. the prefix "anti" has a double translation:

• denial, adversary
• instead, substitute.

In addition, do not forget that Yeshua is a parody character in the novel about Pontius Pilate, the author of which is Woland himself. Consequently, the repetition of some elements of the image of his character indicates Woland trying on the image of Christ, albeit in such a caricature form. From this, some of the allusions cited above are understandable.

Do not forget that this version is very different from the full context of the Bible, according to which the Second Coming of Christ will happen after the coming of the power of the Antichrist and will be obvious to all people: “For as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so it will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27).

It is also worth remembering that Ivan Bezdomny defends himself from Woland with an icon of an unknown saint.

Apostle Peter

The apostle is a former fisherman; Woland, with the air of a connoisseur, argues that there is no second-fresh sturgeon. The Apostle Peter founded the Roman Church - there are many Roman motifs in the book. Azazello said that "Rome is better", financial director Rimsky left for the former St. Petersburg ("city of St. Peter").

The apostle Peter stated: “For we have announced to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, not following intricately woven fables, but being eyewitnesses of his greatness.” Woland: "I was personally present at all this."

This interpretation is also very controversial, since the words of Christ to the Apostle Peter were applicable to quite specific situation, namely, to the moment when Peter asks Christ not to go towards judgment and execution. If we remember, then in the Garden of Gethsemane Christ prays that the cup prepared for him as the Savior would not pass away - that is, arrest, trial, execution, death and resurrection. Peter is essentially asking Christ to abandon the sacrificial mission. Hence the words of Christ to Peter - get away from me Satan (opponent).

The image of Woland in cinema

• Oleg Basilashvili - 2005 TV series (Russia)

Notes

see also

Links

Leading the world of otherworldly forces. Woland is the devil, Satan, "the prince of darkness", "the spirit of evil and the lord of shadows" (all these definitions are found in the text of the novel).

Woland is largely focused on Mephistopheles "Faust" (1808-1832) by Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), including the opera, from Charles Gounod's (1818-1893) opera "Faust" (1859).

The name Woland itself is taken from a poem by Goethe, where it is mentioned only once and is usually omitted in Russian translations. This is how Mephistopheles calls himself in the scene of Walpurgis Night, demanding from evil spirits to give way: "Nobleman Woland is coming!" In the prose translation of A. Sokolovsky (1902), with the text of which Bulgakov was familiar, this passage is given as follows:

"Mephistopheles. Where did it take you! I see that I need to put my master's rights into action. Hey you! Place! Woland is coming!"

In the commentary, the translator explained the German phrase "Junker Voland kommt" as follows: "Junker means a noble person (nobleman), and Woland was one of the names of the devil. The main word "Faland" (which meant a deceiver, crafty) was already used by ancient writers in the sense of a devil ".

Bulgakov also used this last name: after a session of black magic, the employees of the Variety Theater try to remember the name of the magician: "- In ... It seems, Woland. Or maybe not Woland? Maybe Faland."

In the edition of 1929-1930. Woland's name was reproduced entirely in Latin on his business card: "D-r Theodor Voland". In the final text, Bulgakov refused the Latin alphabet: Ivan Bezdomny remembers only initial letter surnames - W ("double-ve").

This replacement of the original V ("fau") is not accidental. The German "Voland" is pronounced like Foland, and in Russian the initial "ef" in this combination creates comic effect Yes, and it is difficult to pronounce. The German "Faland" would not fit here either. With the Russian pronunciation - Faland - things were better, but there was an inappropriate association with the word "fal" (it denotes a rope that raises sails and yards on ships) and some of its slang derivatives. In addition, Faland did not meet in Goethe's poem, and Bulgakov wanted to connect his Satan with Faust, even if he was given a name not too well known to the Russian public. Rare name it was necessary so that the ordinary reader, not experienced in Demonology, would not immediately guess who Woland was.

The third wife of the writer E. S. Bulgakov captured in her diary the reading of the initial chapters latest edition"Masters and Margaritas" April 27, 1939: "Yesterday we had Faiko - both (playwright Alexander Mikhailovich Faiko (1893-1978) with his wife), Markov (Head of the Moscow Art Theater) and Vilenkin (Vitaly Yakovlevich Vilenkin (born 1910/11) ), a colleague of Pavel Alexandrovich Markov (1897-1980) in the literary part of the Moscow Art Theater). Misha read "The Master and Margarita" - from the beginning. The impression is enormous. They immediately insistently asked to set a day for the continuation. Misha asked after reading - who is Woland? Vilenkin said he guessed, but he would never tell. I suggested that he write, I will write too, and we will exchange notes. We did. He wrote: Satan, I am the devil. After that, Fyko also wanted to play. And he wrote on his note: I don't know. But I fell for the bait and wrote to him - Satan."

Bulgakov, no doubt, was quite satisfied with the experiment. Even such a qualified listener as A. M. Faiko Woland did not immediately guess. Therefore, the riddle that appeared on Patriarch's Ponds a foreign professor will be kept in suspense from the very beginning by most readers of The Master and Margarita. In early editions, Bulgakov tried the names Azazello and Belial for the future Woland.

The literary genealogy of Woland, used by Bulgakov, is extremely multifaceted. The devil in "The Master and Margarita" has an obvious portrait resemblance to Eduard Eduardovich von Mandro, the infernal character in A. Bely's novel "Moscow Eccentric" (1925), presented to Bulgakov by the author. According to the definition given by A. Bely in the preface to the novel "Masks" (1933) from the same epic "Moscow" as "The Moscow Eccentric", Mandro is a combination of "a kind of Marquis de Sade and Cagliostro of the 20th century." In the preface to The Moscow Eccentric, the author argued that "in the face of Mandro, the theme is becoming obsolete" iron heel" (famous novel Jack London (John Griffith) (1876-1916), who appeared in 1908) (enslavers of mankind)". Bely masks the infernality of his character in every possible way, leaving the reader in the dark whether Mandro is Satan.
Bulgakov hides the true face of Woland only at the very beginning of the novel, in order to intrigue readers, and then he directly declares with his lips Masters and Woland himself, that Satan (the devil) has definitely arrived at the Patriarch's. The version with hypnotists and mass hypnosis, which Woland and his companions allegedly subjected to Muscovites, is also present in The Master and Margarita. But its purpose is by no means a disguise. Thus, Bulgakov expresses the ability and desire of ordinary Soviet consciousness to explain any inexplicable phenomena of the surrounding life, up to mass repressions and the disappearance of people without a trace.

The author of The Master and Margarita, as it were, says: even if the devil himself with his infernal retinue, the competent authorities and Marxist theorists, like the chairman of MASSOLIT, appear in Moscow Michael Alexandrovich Berlioz, anyway, they will find a completely rational basis for this, which does not contradict the teachings of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin, and most importantly, they will be able to convince everyone of this, including those who have experienced the influence of evil spirits.

Bulgakov could not be familiar with the theory (or principle) of falsification by the outstanding Austrian philosopher Karl Raimund Popper (1902-1993), which appeared after the death of the creator of The Master and Margarita. Popper proved that Marxist theory, as well as the teachings of psychoanalysis of the Austrian Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), are capable of explaining in their terms any phenomenon and any result of any process, so that in principle it is impossible to offer any procedure for their experimental verification. In The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov, as it were, satirically anticipated Popper's theory.

Like Mandro, Woland, according to Koroviev-Fagot, owns a villa in Nice. This detail reflected not only the acquaintance with the "Moscow Eccentric" and symbolic meaning Nice as a resort where rich people from all over the world rest, but also the circumstances of Bulgakov's biography.

In the spring of 1934, before starting work on the screenplay " Dead Souls", the writer and his wife filed a petition for a two-month trip abroad, to France. In a letter to his friend P. S. Popov on April 28, Bulgakov shared his old dreams in connection with this: "For a long time I have been dreaming of the Mediterranean wave, and Parisian museums, and quiet a hotel, and no acquaintances, and Moliere's fountain, and a cafe, and - in a word, the opportunity to see it all. For a long time already with Lyusya (E. S. Bulgakova) I talked about what kind of trip I could write!

The beginning of the future book was the sketch "It was May". May 10, 1934, still full of hope for trip abroad, Bulgakov, as recorded the next day in the diary of E. S. Bulgakov, to the stupid proposal of the director of the film "Dead Souls" I. A. Pyryev (1901-1968): "You should, M. A., go to the factory, look ...", jokingly replied: "- It's very noisy at the factory, but I'm tired, ill. You'd better send me to Nice."

After a humiliating refusal to foreign trip the author of The Master and Margarita fell into a depression. I had to part with the dream of Nice forever. But Woland now received a villa in this resort.

Woland's unconventionality is manifested in the fact that, being a devil, he is endowed with some obvious attributes of God. Bulgakov was well acquainted with the book of the English church historian and bishop F. V. Farrar, The Life of Jesus Christ (1873). Extracts from it have been preserved in the writer's archive.

Obviously, the episode goes back to this book, when the barman of the Variety Theater Sokov learns from Woland about his incurable disease and imminent death, but still refuses to spend his considerable savings.

In F. W. Farrar we read: “How rich, for all its brevity, is what He told ... a little parable about a rich fool who, in his greedy, God-forgetful self-confidence, intended to do both, and who, completely forgetting that there is death and that the soul cannot eat bread, he thought that these "fruits", "good" and "granaries" would be enough for his soul for a long time, and that it was enough for him only to "eat, drink and be merry", but to which, like a terrible echo, thundered from heaven stunning and full of irony sentence: "Mad! this very night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared?" (Luke XII, 16-21)."

In The Master and Margarita, Woland talks about the future of the barman as follows, when it turns out that "he will die in nine months, next February, from liver cancer in the clinic of the First Moscow State University, in the fourth ward":

Nine months, Woland thought thoughtfully, two hundred and forty-nine thousand ... This comes out to a round bill of twenty-seven thousand a month (for comparison: Bulgakov's salary as a consultant librettist of the Bolshoi Theater in the late 30s was 1000 rubles a month). Little, but humble life enough...
- Yes, I would not advise you to go to the clinic, - the artist continued, - what's the point of dying in the ward under the groans and wheezing of hopeless patients. Wouldn't it be better to arrange a feast for these twenty-seven thousand and, having taken poison, move to another world to the sound of strings, surrounded by drunken beauties and dashing friends?

Unlike the hero gospel parable Sokov does not enjoy earthly pleasures, but not for the sake of saving the soul, but only because of natural stinginess. Woland ironically invites him to become like a "rich fool". Likewise, Berlioz, thinking only about the blessings of life, like the upcoming trip to rest in Kislovodsk, did not heed the warning voice of Woland, convincing writers that "Christ existed" and that a person is "suddenly mortal", and immediately experienced the proof on himself: to the chairman of MASSOLIT, in full accordance with the words of Satan, cut off his head with a tram. In place of the rich hedonist were a swindler-miser and a writer-opportunist.
Through the book of F. V. Farrar it is possible to comprehend one of the meanings of the diamond triangle on Woland's cigarette case. The author of The Life of Jesus Christ wrote: "In order to show them (the chief priests, scribes, rabbis, representatives of all classes of the Sanhedrin - the highest Jewish judicial body) that Scripture itself prophetically convicts them, Christ asked if they had never read in Scripture (Ps. CXVII) about the stone that the builders rejected, but which, nevertheless, by the miraculous purposes of God, became the cornerstone? How could they continue to remain builders when the whole plan of their building was rejected and changed? Does not the ancient messianic prophecy clearly show that God will call other builders to build his temple? Woe to those who stumbled, as they did, against this rejected stone; but even now there was still time to escape the final destruction for those on whom this stone might fall. in His humanity and humility it was already to suffer a grievous loss; but to be rejected of Him when He comes in glory, would it not mean "finally to perish in the presence of the Lord?" people; but to be condemned by Him—wouldn't that mean to be "blown to dust" (Dan. II, 34-44)?"

Woland's triangle just symbolizes this cornerstone - the rejected stone, which has become the head of the corner. And the course of events in The Master and Margarita fully corresponds to the parable interpreted by F.V. Farrar. Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz and Ivan Bezdomny , sitting on a bench ("seat of court"), again, nineteen centuries later, they judge Christ and reject his divinity (Homeless) and his very existence (Berlioz).

Woland's triangle is another warning to the chairman of MASSOLIT, a reminder of the parable about the builders of Solomon's temple, especially in combination with the words: "A brick for no reason will never fall on anyone's head ... You will die a different death." Berlioz did not heed the warning, did not believe in the existence of God and the devil, and even decided to kill Woland with a denunciation, and paid for it with a quick death.

Also, the listeners of Christ and their descendants, as emphasized by F.V. Farrar, did not escape a painful death during the capture of Jerusalem by the troops of Titus in 70 AD. n. e., which procurator Pontius Pilate predicts to the chairman of the Sanhedrin Joseph Kaifa.

After the death of Berlioz, the homeless man believed in Woland and the story of Pilate and Yeshua Ha-Nozri, but then he agreed with the official version that Satan and his retinue were only hypnotists. The poet Ivan Bezdomny turned into Professor Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev, parodically finding his own house (the surname is associated with the Ponyri station in the Kursk region) and, as it were, becoming a "different" builder. In the same context, Woland's words about a new building to be built on the site of the burnt Griboedov House should be taken. - a symbol of modern Soviet literature. However, the temple of new literature will have to be built according to the providence not of God, but of Woland. The new builder Ponyrev generally renounced poetry and believed in his own omniscience.

In Masonic symbolism, the triangle goes back to the legend that develops the parable of Solomon's temple. Woland's triangle is therefore related to Freemasonry . The hero of the "Moscow Eccentric" Mandro is also a Freemason. Like Eduard Eduardovich, Woland through literary sources associated with the image of the famous adventurer, occultist and alchemist of the XVIII century. Count Alessandro Cagliostro, posed as the Italian Giuseppe (Joseph) Balsamo (1743-1795).

The episode with the burning of the Griboyedov House and Woland's words about the inevitable future construction of a new building in its place is very reminiscent of one of the scenes of the fictionalized story by Mikhail Kuzmin (1872-1936) "The Wonderful Life of Joseph Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro" (1916), which in many ways served Bulgakov as a model while writing Molière.

At Kuzmin, an unknown young man in a gray cloak meets young Joseph Balsamo and asks him, pointing to a beautiful pink building: “Would you like to have such a house? to such a question, so he said nothing and only turned his eyes to the pink building. The stranger continued: “But how much more beautiful it is to build such a house than to own it.” The boy was silent all the time. where everyone would be happy." "Bricklayers build houses!" "Yes, my child, bricklayers build houses. Remember what I tell you, but forget my face." His face was beautiful, and the boy seemed to understand for the first time that there are ordinary, ugly, and beautiful faces. The young man muttered: "No matter how you goggle your eyes, you will still forget that you do not need to remember!"

Kara overtakes the House of Griboedov, where MASSOLIT is located, because the writers who occupied it do not unite, but separate and corrupt people with their false opportunistic writings, make the brilliant Master unhappy. The Kuzminsky man in gray is clearly infernal, and in full accordance with the tradition of depicting the devil, Woland appears now in a gray suit, now in the black tights of the operatic Mephistopheles.

On the Patriarchs, in a conversation with Woland, Homeless is endowed with the same traits of a naive child as the boy Balsamo in a conversation with an unknown person. In the finale, he forgets the meeting at the Patriarchs, and the Master in the last shelter forgets earthly life. The words about masons building houses here also bring to mind Freemasonry, since Masons are freemasons, builders of the Solomon Temple, and Woland is also associated with Masonic symbols and rituals.

However, Woland's goal is not only the construction of a new temple of literature, where everyone will unite and be happy, but the awakening of writers to creativity, the fruits of which may be pleasing to both God and the devil.

Woland

Woland is a character in the novel The Master and Margarita, who leads the world of otherworldly forces. Woland is the devil, Satan, the prince of darkness, the spirit of evil and the lord of shadows (all these definitions are found in the text of the novel). Woland is largely focused on Mephistopheles, even the name Woland itself is taken from Goethe's poem, where it is mentioned only once and is usually omitted in Russian translations.

Prince's appearance.

The portrait of Woland is shown before the start of the Great Ball "Two eyes rested on Margarita's face. The right one with a golden spark at the bottom, drilling anyone to the bottom of the soul, and the left one is empty and black, sort of like a narrow needle's ear, like an exit into a bottomless well of all darkness and shadows Woland's face was slanted to the side, the right corner of his mouth was pulled down, deep wrinkles parallel to sharp eyebrows were cut on his high bald forehead. The skin on Woland's face seemed to be burned forever by sunburn. "The true face of Woland Bulgakov hides only at the very beginning of the novel, so that the reader intrigue, and then directly declares through the lips of the Master and Woland himself that the devil has definitely arrived at the Patriarch's. The image of Woland - majestic and regal, is put in opposition to the traditional view of the devil, as the "monkey of God"

The purpose of Messier's coming to earth

Woland gives different explanations of the goals of his stay in Moscow to different characters in contact with him. He tells Berlioz and Bezdomny that he has come to study the found manuscripts of Gebert Avrilaksky. Woland explains his visit to the employees of the Variety Theater with the intention to perform a session of black magic. After the scandalous séance, Satan told the barman Sokov that he simply wanted to "see Muscovites en masse, and it was most convenient to do this in the theater." Margarita Koroviev-Fagot, before the start of the Great Ball with Satan, reports that the purpose of the visit of Woland and his retinue to Moscow is to hold this ball, whose hostess should bear the name Margarita and be of royal blood. Woland has many faces, as befits the devil, and in conversations with different people puts on different masks. At the same time, Woland's omniscience of Satan is completely preserved (he and his people are well aware of both the past and future life those with whom they come into contact know the text of the Master's novel, which literally coincides with the "Gospel of Woland", the same thing that was told to the unlucky writers at the Patriarchs.

The world without shadows is empty

Woland's unconventionality is that, being a devil, he is endowed with some obvious attributes of God. The dialectical unity, the complementarity of good and evil, is most tightly revealed in the words of Woland, addressed to Levi Matthew, who refused to wish health to the "spirit of evil and the lord of shadows" ("Would you like to strip the entire globe, blowing away all the trees and all living things from it?" - for your fantasy to enjoy the naked light (You are stupid. " In Bulgakov, Woland literally revives the burnt novel of the Master - a product of artistic creativity, preserved only in the head of the creator, materializes again, turns into a tangible thing. Woland is the bearer of fate, this is connected with a long-standing tradition in Russian literature, linking fate, fate, fate not with God, but with the devil. Bulgakov's Woland personifies the fate that punishes Berlioz, Sokov and others who violate the norms of Christian morality. This is the first devil in world literature, punishing for non-observance of the commandments of Christ.

Koroviev - Bassoon

This character is the eldest of the demons subordinate to Woland, a devil and a knight, who introduces himself to Muscovites as an interpreter with a foreign professor and a former regent of the church choir.

background

The hero's surname was found in F.M. Dostoevsky "The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants", where there is a character by the name of Korovkin, very similar to our Koroviev. His second name comes from the name of the musical instrument bassoon, invented by an Italian monk. Koroviev-Fagot has some resemblance to a bassoon - a long thin tube folded in three. Bulgakov's character is thin, tall and in imaginary servility, it seems, is ready to triple in front of his interlocutor (so that later he can calmly harm him)

Appearance of the regent

Here is his portrait: "... a transparent citizen of a strange appearance, On a small head a jockey cap, a short checkered jacket ... a citizen a sazhen tall, but narrow in the shoulders, incredibly thin, and a physiognomy, please note, mocking"; "... his antennae are like chicken feathers, his eyes are small, ironic and half drunk"

Appointment of the lascivious gayar

Koroviev-Fagot is a devil that has arisen from the sultry Moscow air (an unprecedented heat for May at the time of its appearance is one of the traditional signs of the approach of evil spirits). Woland's henchman, only out of necessity, puts on various masks-masks: a drunken regent, a gaer, a clever swindler, a rogue translator with a famous foreigner, etc. Only in the last flight Koroviev-Fagot becomes who he really is - a gloomy demon, a knight Bassoon, no worse than his master, knowing the price of human weaknesses and virtues

Azazello

Origin

The name Azazello was formed by Bulgakov from the Old Testament name Azazel. This is the name of the negative hero of the Old Testament book of Enoch, the fallen angel who taught people to make weapons and jewelry

The image of a knight

Probably, Bulgakov was attracted by the combination in one character of the ability to seduce and kill. It is for the insidious seducer that Azazello Margarita takes during their first meeting in the Alexander Garden: "This neighbor turned out to be vertically challenged, fiery red, with a fang, in starched linen, in a good-looking striped suit, in patent leather shoes and with a bowler hat on his head. "Absolutely robber face!" Margaret thought.

Appointment in the novel

But the main function of Azazello in the novel is associated with violence. He throws Styopa Likhodeev from Moscow to Yalta, expels Uncle Berlioz from the Bad Apartment, and kills the traitor Baron Meigel with a revolver. Azazello also invented the cream, which he gives to Margherita. The magic cream not only makes the heroine invisible and able to fly, but also endows her with a new, witchy beauty.

Behemoth cat

This werewolf cat and Satan's favorite jester is perhaps the most amusing and memorable of Woland's retinue.

Origin

The author of The Master and Margarita got information about Behemoth from the book by M.A. Orlov "The History of Man's Relations with the Devil" (1904), extracts from which have been preserved in the Bulgakov archive. There, in particular, the case of the French abbess, who lived in the 17th century, was described. and possessed by seven devils, the fifth demon being Behemoth. This demon was depicted as a monster with an elephant's head, with a trunk and fangs. His hands were of a human style, and his huge belly, short tail and thick hind legs, like a hippopotamus, reminded him of his name.

Behemoth image

Bulgakov's Behemoth became a huge black werewolf cat, since it is black cats that are traditionally considered to be associated with evil spirits. This is how we see it for the first time: "... on a jeweler's pouffe, a third person collapsed in a cheeky pose, namely, a terrible black cat with a glass of vodka in one paw and a fork, on which he managed to pry a pickled mushroom, in the other." Behemoth in the demonological tradition is the demon of the desires of the stomach. Hence his extraordinary gluttony, especially in Torgsin, when he indiscriminately swallows everything edible.

Appointment of the Jester

Probably everything is clear here without additional digressions. The shootout between Behemoth and the detectives in apartment No. 50, his chess duel with Woland, the shooting contest with Azazello - all these are purely humorous scenes, very funny and even, to some extent, removing the sharpness of those worldly, moral and philosophical problems that the novel poses reader.

Gella

Gella is a member of Woland's retinue, a vampire woman: "I recommend my maid Gella. Quick, understanding and there is no such service that she would not be able to provide."

The origin of the witch-vampire

Bulgakov got the name "Gella" from the article "Sorcery" of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, where it was noted that in Lesbos this name was used to call untimely dead girls who became vampires after death.

Image of Gella

Beauty Gella - a green-eyed, red-haired girl who prefers not to burden herself with excess clothes and dresses only in a lace apron, moves freely through the air, thereby taking on the resemblance to a witch. The characteristic features of the behavior of vampires - clicking their teeth and smacking their lips, Bulgakov, perhaps, borrowed from the story of A.K. Tolstoy "Ghoul". There, a vampire girl with a kiss turns her lover into a vampire - hence, obviously, the kiss of Gella, fatal for Varenukha