Tolstoy gave the broadest panorama of Russian life at the beginning of the 19th century. Genre - epic novel: life is depicted on a national-historical scale. The history of the country is portrayed through private life. The main theme is the historical fate of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812. More than 550 characters, both fictional and historical, are bred in the novel. Tolstoy depicts his best heroes in all their spiritual complexity, in a continuous search for truth, in the pursuit of self-improvement. Such are Prince Andrei, Pierre, Natasha, Princess Mary. Negative heroes are deprived of development, dynamics, movements of the soul: Helen, Anatole.
The philosophical views of the writer are of paramount importance in the novel. Publicistic chapters anticipate and explain the artistic description of events. Tolstoy's fatalism is associated with his understanding of the spontaneity of history as "the unconscious, common, swarming life of mankind." The main idea of the novel, in the words of Tolstoy himself, is "the thought of the people." The people, in Tolstoy's understanding, are the main driving force of history, the bearer of the best human qualities. The main characters go the way to the people (Pierre on the Borodino field; "our prince" - the soldiers called Bolkonsky). Tolstoy's ideal is embodied in the image of Platon Karataev. The ideal female - in the image of Natasha Rostova. Kutuzov and Napoleon are the moral poles of the novel: "There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth." “What is needed for happiness? Quiet family life ... with the ability to do good to people ”(L.N. Tolstoy).
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Tolstoy sees the world as a person who has penetrated the backstage of social and political life. B. Shaw Defining the main idea of "War and Peace", Leo Tolstoy wrote that in this novel he loved "people's thought". The people for Tolstoy are the measure of all moral ...
Tolstoy portrays the Rostov and Bolkonsky families with great sympathy, because: they are participants in historical events, patriots; they are not attracted by careerism and profit; they are close to the Russian people. Characteristic features of the Rostov Bolkonsky 1. The older generation ....
"Deep knowledge of the secret movements of psychological life and the direct purity of the moral feeling, which now gives a special physiognomy to the works of Count Tolstoy, will always remain essential features of his talent" (N.G. Chernyshevsky) Beautiful ...
Natasha Rostova is the central female character in the novel "War and Peace" and, perhaps, the author's favorite. Tolstoy presents to us the evolution of his heroine over the fifteen-year period, from 1805 to 1820, of her life and over more than one and a half thousand...
In the center of the novel L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" is an image of the Patriotic War of 1812, which stirred up the entire Russian people, showed the whole world its power and strength, put forward simple Russian heroes and the great commander - Kutuzov. In the same time...
Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy in his epic novel "War and Peace" provided a wide system of images. His world is not limited to a few noble families: real historical characters are mixed with fictional, major and minor ones. This symbiosis is sometimes so intricate and unusual that it is extremely difficult to determine which heroes perform a more or less important function.
Representatives of eight noble families act in the novel, almost all of them occupy a central place in the narrative.
Rostov family
This family is represented by Count Ilya Andreevich, his wife Natalya, their four children together and their pupil Sonya.
The head of the family, Ilya Andreevich, is a sweet and good-natured person. He has always been provided for, therefore he does not know how to save, he is often deceived by acquaintances and relatives for selfish purposes. The count is not a mercenary person, he is ready to help everyone. Over time, his attitude, reinforced by addiction to the card game, became disastrous for his entire family. Because of the father's squandering, the family has been on the verge of poverty for a long time. The count dies at the end of the novel, after the wedding of Natalia and Pierre, of natural causes.
Countess Natalya is very similar to her husband. She, like him, is alien to the concept of self-interest and the pursuit of money. She is ready to help people who find themselves in a difficult situation, she is overwhelmed with feelings of patriotism. The countess had to endure many sorrows and troubles. This state of affairs is associated not only with unexpected poverty, but also with the death of their children. Of the thirteen born, only four survived; subsequently, the war took one more - the youngest.
The Count and Countess of Rostov, like most of the characters in the novel, have their prototypes. They were the grandfather and grandmother of the writer - Ilya Andreevich and Pelageya Nikolaevna.
The eldest child of the Rostovs is called Vera. This is an unusual girl, not like all the other members of the family. She is rude and callous at heart. This attitude applies not only to strangers, but also to close relatives. The rest of the Rostov children subsequently make fun of her and even come up with a nickname for her. The prototype of Vera was Elizaveta Bers, daughter-in-law of L. Tolstoy.
The next oldest child is Nikolai. His image is drawn in the novel with love. Nicholas is a noble person. He responsibly approaches any occupation. Tries to be guided by the principles of morality and honor. Nikolai is very similar to his parents - kind, sweet, purposeful. After the distress he had endured, he constantly took care not to find himself in a similar situation again. Nikolai takes part in military events, he is repeatedly awarded, but still he leaves military service after the war with Napoleon - his family needs him.
Nikolai marries Maria Bolkonskaya, they have three children - Andrei, Natasha, Mitya - and a fourth is expected.
The younger sister of Nikolai and Vera, Natalya, is the same in character and temperament as her parents. She is sincere and trusting, and this almost ruins her - Fedor Dolokhov fools the girl and persuades her to escape. These plans were not destined to come true, but Natalya's engagement with Andrei Bolkonsky was terminated, and Natalya fell into a deep depression. Subsequently, she became the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. The woman stopped watching her figure, others began to speak of her as an unpleasant woman. Tolstoy's wife, Sofya Andreevna, and her sister, Tatyana Andreevna, became the prototypes of Natalia.
The youngest child of the Rostovs was Petya. He was the same as all Rostovs: noble, honest and kind. All these qualities were enhanced by youthful maximalism. Petya was a sweet eccentric, to whom all pranks were forgiven. The fate of Petya was extremely unfavorable - he, like his brother, goes to the front and dies there very young and young.
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Another child, Sonya, was brought up in the Rostov family. The girl was related to the Rostovs, after the death of her parents, they took her in and treated her like their own child. Sonya was in love with Nikolai Rostov for a long time, this fact did not allow her to get married on time.
Presumably she remained alone until the end of her days. Its prototype was Leo Tolstoy's aunt, Tatyana Alexandrovna, in whose house the writer was brought up after the death of his parents.
We get to know all the Rostovs at the very beginning of the novel - they are all active throughout the story. In the "Epilogue" we learn about the further continuation of their kind.
Bezukhov family
The Bezukhov family is not represented in such a numerous form as the Rostov family. The head of the family is Kirill Vladimirovich. The name of his wife is not known. We know that she belonged to the Kuragin family, but it is not clear who exactly she was to them. Count Bezukhov has no children born in marriage - all his children are illegitimate. The eldest of them - Pierre - was officially named by his father the heir to the estate.
After such a statement by the count, the image of Pierre Bezukhov begins to appear actively in public terms. Pierre himself does not impose his society on others, but he is a prominent groom - the heir to unthinkable wealth, so they want to see him always and everywhere. Nothing is known about Pierre's mother, but this does not become a reason for indignation and ridicule. Pierre received a decent education abroad and returned to his homeland full of utopian ideas, his vision of the world is too idealistic and divorced from reality, so all the time he faces unthinkable disappointments - in social activities, personal life, family harmony. His first wife was Elena Kuragina - a whore and a flirtatious. This marriage brought a lot of suffering to Pierre. The death of his wife saved him from the unbearable - he did not have the power to leave Elena or change her, but he could not come to terms with such an attitude towards his person. The second marriage - with Natasha Rostova - became more successful. They had four children - three girls and a boy.
Princes Kuragins
The Kuragin family is stubbornly associated with greed, debauchery and deceit. The reason for this was the children of Vasily Sergeevich and Alina - Anatole and Elena.
Prince Vasily was not a bad person, he possessed a number of positive qualities, but his desire for enrichment and gentleness of character towards his son nullified all positive aspects.
Like any father, Prince Vasily wanted to ensure a prosperous future for his children, one of the options was a profitable marriage. This position not only had a bad effect on the reputation of the whole family, but also later played a tragic role in the lives of Elena and Anatole.
Little is known about Princess Alina. At the time of the story, she was a rather ugly woman. Her distinguishing feature was hostility to her daughter Elena on the basis of envy.
Vasily Sergeevich and Princess Alina had two sons and a daughter.
Anatole - became the cause of all the troubles of the family. He led a life of spenders and rake - debts, brawls were a natural occupation for him. Such behavior left an extremely negative imprint on the reputation of the family and its financial situation.
Anatole was seen in love with his sister Elena. The possibility of a serious relationship between brother and sister was suppressed by Prince Vasily, but, apparently, they still took place after Elena's marriage.
The daughter of the Kuragins, Elena, had incredible beauty, like her brother Anatole. She skillfully flirted and after marriage had a love affair with many men, ignoring her husband Pierre Bezukhov.
Their brother Ippolit was completely unlike them in appearance - he was extremely unpleasant in appearance. In terms of the composition of his mind, he was not much different from his brother and sister. He was too stupid - this was noted not only by those around him, but also by his father. Nevertheless, Ippolit was not hopeless - he knew foreign languages well and worked at the embassy.
Princes Bolkonsky
The Bolkonsky family occupies far from the last place in society - they are rich and influential.
The family includes Prince Nikolai Andreevich - a man of the old school and peculiar customs. He is rather rude in dealing with his relatives, but still not devoid of sensuality and tenderness - he is kind to his grandson and daughter, in a peculiar way, but still, he loves his son, but he does not really succeed in showing the sincerity of his feelings.
Nothing is known about the prince's wife, even her name is not mentioned in the text. In the marriage of the Bolkonskys, two children were born - son Andrei and daughter Marya.
Andrei Bolkonsky is partially similar in character to his father - he is quick-tempered, proud and a little rude. He has an attractive appearance and natural charm. At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is successfully married to Lisa Meinen - the couple has a son, Nikolenka, but his mother dies on the night after giving birth.
After some time, Andrei becomes the fiancé of Natalia Rostova, but he didn’t have to get married - Anatol Kuragin translated all the plans, which earned him personal dislike and exceptional hatred on the part of Andrei.
Prince Andrei takes part in the military events of 1812, is seriously wounded on the battlefield and dies in the hospital.
Maria Bolkonskaya - Andrey's sister - is deprived of such pride and stubbornness as her brother, which allows her, not without difficulty, but still to get along with her father, who is not distinguished by an accommodating character. Kind and meek, she understands that she is not indifferent to her father, therefore she does not hold a grudge against him for nit-picking and rudeness. The girl is raising her nephew. Outwardly, Marya does not look like her brother - she is very ugly, but this does not prevent her from marrying Nikolai Rostov and living a happy life.
Liza Bolkonskaya (Meinen) was the wife of Prince Andrei. She was an attractive woman. Her inner world was not inferior to her appearance - she was sweet and pleasant, she loved needlework. Unfortunately, her fate did not turn out in the best way - childbirth turned out to be too difficult for her - she dies, giving life to her son Nikolenka.
Nikolenka lost his mother early, but the boy's troubles did not stop there - at the age of 7, he also loses his father. Despite everything, he is characterized by the cheerfulness inherent in all children - he grows up as an intelligent and inquisitive boy. The image of his father becomes key for him - Nikolenka wants to live in such a way that his father can be proud of him.
Mademoiselle Bourienne also belongs to the Bolkonsky family. Despite the fact that she is only a friendly companion, her significance in the context of the family is quite significant. First of all, it consists in a pseudo friendship with Princess Mary. Often Mademoiselle acts meanly towards Mary, enjoys the favor of the girl in relation to her person.
The Karagin family
Tolstoy does not spread much about the Karagin family - the reader gets acquainted with only two representatives of this family - Marya Lvovna and her daughter Julie.
Marya Lvovna first appears before readers in the first volume of the novel, her own daughter also begins to act in the first volume of the first part of War and Peace. Julie has an extremely unpleasant appearance, she is in love with Nikolai Rostov, but the young man does not pay any attention to her. Does not save the situation and its huge wealth. Boris Drubetskoy actively draws attention to her material component, the girl understands that the young man is kind to her only because of the money, but does not show it - for her this is actually the only way not to remain an old maid.
Princes Drubetskoy
The Drubetsky family is not particularly active in the public sphere, so Tolstoy avoids a detailed description of the family members and focuses readers only on active characters - Anna Mikhailovna and her son Boris.
Princess Drubetskaya belongs to an old family, but now her family is going through hard times - poverty has become a constant companion of the Drubetskys. This state of affairs gave rise to a sense of prudence and self-interest in the representatives of this family. Anna Mikhailovna tries to get as much benefit as possible from her friendship with the Rostovs - she has been living with them for a long time.
Her son, Boris, was a friend of Nikolai Rostov for some time. As they grew older, their views on life values and principles began to differ greatly, which led to a removal in communication.
Boris more and more begins to show self-interest and the desire to get rich at any cost. He is ready to marry for money and does it successfully, taking advantage of the unenviable position of Julie Karagina
Dolokhov family
Representatives of the Dolokhov family are also not all active in society. Among all, Fedor stands out clearly. He is the son of Marya Ivanovna and the best friend of Anatole Kuragin. In his behavior, he also did not go far from his friend: revelry and an idle way of life are a common occurrence for him. In addition, he is famous for his love affair with Pierre Bezukhov's wife, Elena. A distinctive feature of Dolokhov from Kuragin is his attachment to his mother and sister.
Historical figures in the novel "War and Peace"
Since Tolstoy's novel takes place against the backdrop of historical events related to the war against Napoleon in 1812, it is impossible to do without at least a partial mention of real characters.
Alexander I
The novel most actively describes the activities of Emperor Alexander I. This is not surprising, because the main events take place on the territory of the Russian Empire. In the beginning, we learn about the positive and liberal aspirations of the emperor, he is "an angel in the flesh." The peak of his popularity falls on the period of Napoleon's defeat in the war. It was at this time that the authority of Alexander reaches incredible heights. An emperor can easily make changes and improve the lives of his subjects, but he doesn't. As a result, such an attitude and inactivity become the reason for the emergence of the Decembrist movement.
Napoleon I Bonaparte
On the other side of the barricade in the events of 1812 is Napoleon. Since many Russian aristocrats were educated abroad, and the French language was everyday for them, the attitude of the nobles towards this character at the beginning of the novel was positive and bordered on admiration. Then disappointment occurs - their idol from the category of ideals becomes the main villain. With the image of Napoleon, such connotations as egocentrism, lies, pretense are actively used.
Mikhail Speransky
This character is important not only in Tolstoy's novel, but also during the real era of Emperor Alexander.
His family could not boast of antiquity and significance - he is the son of a priest, but still he managed to become the secretary of Alexander I. He is not a particularly pleasant person, but everyone notes his importance in the context of events in the country.
In addition, historical characters of lesser significance, in comparison with the emperors, act in the novel. These are the great commanders Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail Kutuzov and Pyotr Bagration. Their activity and the disclosure of the image takes place on the battlefields - Tolstoy tries to describe the military part of the narrative as realistic and captivating as possible, therefore these characters are described not only as great and unsurpassed, but also as ordinary people who are subject to doubts, mistakes and negative qualities of character.
Other characters
Among the other characters, the name of Anna Scherer should be highlighted. She is the "owner" of a secular salon - the elite of society meets here. Guests are rarely left to their own devices. Anna Mikhailovna always seeks to provide her visitors with interesting interlocutors, she often panders - this is of particular interest to her.
Characteristics of the heroes of the novel "War and Peace": images of characters
4.3 (86.67%) 6 votesHeroes of the novel "War and Peace"
L.N. Tolstoy put the “folk thought” as the basis for evaluating the heroes of his book. Kutuzov, Bagration, captains Tushin and Timokhin, Andrey Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, Petya Rostov, Vasily Denisov, together with the people, stand up to defend their homeland. With all their hearts they love their homeland and people and the heroine of the novel, the wonderful "sorceress" Natasha Rostova. The negative characters of the novel: Prince Vasily Kuragin and his children Anatole, Ippolit and Helen, the careerist Boris Drubetskoy, the money-grubber Berg, foreign generals in the Russian service - they are all far from the people and care only about their own personal benefits.
The unparalleled feat of Moscow is immortalized in the novel. Its inhabitants, unlike the inhabitants of the capitals of other countries conquered by Napoleon, did not want to submit to the conquerors and left their native city. “For the Russian people,” says Tolstoy, “there could be no question of whether it would be good or bad under French rule in Moscow. It was impossible to be under the control of the French: it was the worst of all.
Entering Moscow, which looked like an empty hive. Napoleon felt that over him and his armies the hand of the strongest enemy was raised. He began to insistently seek a truce and twice sent ambassadors to Kutuzov. On behalf of the people and the army, Kutuzov decisively rejected Napoleon's proposal for peace and organized a counteroffensive of his troops, supported by partisan detachments.
Having suffered a defeat in the Battle of Tarutino, Napoleon left Moscow. Soon began a disorderly flight of his regiments. Having turned into crowds of marauders and robbers, the Napoleonic troops fled back along the same road that led them to the Russian capital.
After the battle near Krasny Kutuzov addressed his soldiers with a speech in which he heartily congratulated them on their victory and thanked them for their faithful service to the fatherland. In the scene under Krasnoy, the deepest nationality of the great commander, his love for those who saved his homeland from foreign enslavement, his true patriotism is revealed with special penetration.
However, it should be noted that there are scenes in War and Peace where the image of Kutuzov is shown inconsistently. Tolstoy believed that the development of all events taking place in the world does not depend on the will of people, but is predetermined from above. It seemed to the writer that Kutuzov thought the same way and did not consider it necessary to interfere in the development of events. But this decisively contradicts the image of Kutuzov, which was created by Tolstoy himself. The writer emphasizes that the great commander knew how to understand the spirit of the army and sought to control it, that all Kutuzov's thoughts and all his actions were aimed at one goal - to defeat the enemy.
The image of the soldier Platon Karataev, with whom Pierre Bezukhov met and became friends in captivity, is also contradictory drawn in the novel. Karataev is characterized by such features as gentleness, humility, readiness to forgive and forget any offense. Pierre listens with surprise, and then with delight, to Karataev's stories, which always end with gospel calls to love everyone and forgive everyone. But the same Pierre had to see the terrible end of Platon Karataev. When the French drove a party of prisoners along a muddy autumn road, Karataev fell from weakness and could not get up. And the guards ruthlessly shot him. One cannot forget this terrible scene: the murdered Karataev lies by the muddy forest road, and a hungry, lonely, freezing little dog sits and howls near him, which he saved so recently from death ...
Fortunately, the "Karataev" features were unusual for the Russian people who defended their land. Reading "War and Peace", we see that it was not Platon Karataev who defeated Napoleon's army. This was done by the fearless gunners of the modest Captain Tushin, the brave soldiers of Captain Timokhin, the cavalrymen of Uvarov, and the partisans of Captain Denisov. The Russian army and the Russian people defeated the enemy. And this is shown with convincing force in the novel. It is no coincidence that during the Second World War, Tolstoy's book was a reference book for people from different countries who fought against the invasion of Hitler's fascist hordes. And it will always serve as a source of patriotic inspiration for freedom-loving people.
From the epilogue that ends the novel, we learn about how his characters lived after the end of the Patriotic War of 1812. Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha Rostova joined their destinies, found their happiness. Pierre is still concerned about the future of his homeland. He became a member of a secret organization from which the Decembrists would later emerge. Young Nikolenka Bolkonsky, the son of Prince Andrei, who died from a wound received on the Borodino field, listens attentively to his heated speeches.
You can guess the future of these people by listening to their conversation. Nikolenka asked Pierre: “Uncle Pierre ... If dad were alive ... would he agree with you?” And Pierre replied: “I think so ...”
At the end of the novel, Tolstoy draws a dream of Nikolenka Bolkonsky. “He and Uncle Pierre walked ahead of a huge army,” Nikolenka dreamed. They went on a difficult and glorious feat. Nikolenka was accompanied by her father, who encouraged both him and Uncle Pierre. Waking up, Nikolenka makes a firm decision: to live in such a way as to be worthy of the memory of his father. "Father! Father! Nikolenka thinks. “Yes, I will do what even he would be pleased with.”
With this oath, Nikolenka Tolstoy completes the storyline of the novel, as if opening the veil to the future, stretching the threads from one era of Russian life to another, when the heroes of 1825, the Decembrists, entered the historical arena.
Thus ends the work to which Tolstoy, in his own admission, devoted five years of "continuous and exceptional labor."
In his novel, Tolstoy portrayed a number of characters. The author knowingly provides a detailed description of the characters. "War and Peace" is a novel in which the entire noble families, which make up the whole noble families, show the reader a reflection of the people who lived during the war with Napoleon. In "War and Peace" we see the Russian spirit, the features of historical events characteristic of the period of the late 18th - early 19th century. The greatness of the Russian soul is shown against the backdrop of these events.
If you make a list of characters ("War and Peace"), you get a total of about 550-600 heroes. However, they are not all equally important to the story. "War and Peace" is a novel whose heroes can be divided into three main groups: main, secondary characters and those simply mentioned in the text. Among them are both fictional and historical figures, as well as heroes who have prototypes among the writer's environment. This article will introduce the main characters. "War and Peace" is a work in which the Rostov family is described in detail. Therefore, let's start with it.
Ilya Andreevich Rostov
This is a count who had four children: Petya, Nikolai, Vera and Natasha. Ilya Andreevich is a very generous and good-natured person who loved life. As a result, his exorbitant generosity led to extravagance. Rostov is a loving father and husband. He is a good organizer of receptions and balls. But life on a grand scale, as well as disinterested assistance to wounded soldiers and the departure of Russians from Moscow, dealt fatal blows to his condition. Conscience tormented Ilya Andreevich all the time because of the approaching poverty of his relatives, but he could not help himself. After the death of Petya, the youngest son, the count was broken, but revived, preparing the wedding of Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha. Count Rostov dies a few months after these characters are married. "War and Peace" (Tolstoy) is a work in which the prototype of this hero is Ilya Andreevich, Tolstoy's grandfather.
Natalya Rostova (wife of Ilya Andreevich)
This 45-year-old woman, the wife of Rostov and the mother of four children, had some eastern surroundings, the focus of gravity and slowness in her was regarded as solidity, as well as her high significance for the family. However, the real reason for these manners lies in the weak and exhausted physical condition due to childbirth and the forces devoted to raising children. Natalya loves her family and children very much, so the news of Petya's death almost drove her crazy. Countess Rostova, like Ilya Andreevich, loved luxury and demanded that everyone fulfill her orders. In it you can find the features of Tolstoy's grandmother - Pelageya Nikolaevna.
Nikolay Rostov
This hero is the son of Ilya Andreevich. He is a loving son and brother, he honors his family, but at the same time he faithfully serves in the army, which is a very important and significant feature in his characterization. He often saw even his fellow soldiers as a second family. Although Nikolai was in love with Sonya, his cousin, for a long time, he nevertheless marries Marya Bolkonskaya at the end of the novel. Nikolai Rostov is a very energetic person, with "open and curly hair. His love for the Russian emperor and patriotism never dried up. After going through the hardships of the war, Nikolai becomes a brave and courageous hussar. He retires after the death of Ilya Andreevich in order to correct financial position of the family, pay off debts and finally become a good husband for his wife. To Tolstoy, this hero is presented as a prototype of his own father. As you probably already noticed, the character system is characterized by the presence of prototypes in many heroes. "War and Peace" - a work in which the morals of the nobility are presented through the features of the family of Tolstoy, who was a count.
Natasha Rostova
This is the daughter of the Rostovs. A very emotional and energetic girl who was considered ugly, but attractive and lively. Natasha is not very smart, but at the same time she is intuitive, as she could well "guess people", their character traits and mood. This heroine is very impulsive, prone to self-sacrifice. She dances and sings beautifully, which at that time was an important characteristic of a girl belonging to a secular society. Leo Tolstoy repeatedly emphasizes the main quality of Natasha - closeness to the Russian people. She absorbed the nation and Russian culture. Natasha lives in an atmosphere of love, happiness and kindness, but after a while the girl faces a harsh reality. The blows of fate, as well as heartfelt experiences, make this heroine an adult and, as a result, give her true love for her husband, Pierre Bezukhov. The story of the rebirth of Natasha's soul deserves special respect. She began attending church after being the victim of a deceitful seducer. Natasha is a collective image, the prototype of which was Tolstoy's daughter-in-law, Tatyana Andreevna Kuzminskaya, as well as her sister (the author's wife), Sofya Andreevna.
Vera Rostova
This heroine is the daughter of the Rostovs ("War and Peace"). The portraits of characters created by the author are distinguished by a variety of characters. Vera, for example, was famous for her strict disposition, as well as for the inappropriate, though fair, remarks she made in society. Her mother, for some unknown reason, did not love her very much, and Vera felt this keenly, and therefore often went against everyone. This girl later became the wife of Boris Drubetskoy. The prototype of the heroine is Lev Nikolaevich (Elizaveta Bers).
Petr Rostov
Rostov's son, still a boy. Petya, who grew up, tried to go to war as a young man, and his parents could not keep him. He escaped from their care and decided to join the Denisov regiment. In the very first battle, Petya dies, not having had time to fight yet. The death of a beloved son greatly crippled the family.
Sonya
With this heroine, we finish the description of the characters ("War and Peace") belonging to the Rostov family. Sonya, a glorious miniature girl, was Ilya Andreevich's own niece and lived all her life under his roof. Love for Nikolai became fatal for her, as she failed to marry him. Natalya Rostova, the old countess, was against this marriage, since the lovers were cousins. Sonya acted nobly, refusing Dolokhov and deciding to love only Nikolai all her life, while freeing him from the promise given to her. She spends the rest of her life in the care of Nikolai Rostov, with the old countess.
The prototype of this heroine is Tatyana Alexandrovna Yergolskaya, the second cousin of the writer.
Not only the Rostovs in the work are the main characters. "War and Peace" is a novel in which the Bolkonsky family also plays a big role.
Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky
This is the father of Andrei Bolkonsky, a general-in-chief in the past, in the present he is a prince who has earned the nickname "Prussian king" in Russian secular society. He is socially active, strict like a father, pedantic, is a wise owner of the estate. Outwardly, this is a thin old man with thick eyebrows that hung over intelligent and penetrating eyes, in a powdered white wig. Nikolai Andreevich does not like to show his feelings even to his beloved daughter and son. He harasses Mary with constant nit-picking. Prince Nikolai, sitting on his estate, follows the events taking place in the country, and only before his death loses an idea of the scale of the Russian war with Napoleon. Nikolai Sergeevich Volkonsky, the writer's grandfather, was the prototype of this prince.
Andrey Bolkonsky
This is the son of Nikolai Andreevich. He is ambitious, like his father, restrained in expressing feelings, but he loves his sister and father very much. Andrei is married to Lisa, the "little princess". He had a successful military career. Andrei philosophizes a lot about the meaning of life, the state of his spirit. He is in constant search. In Natasha Rostova, after the death of his wife, he found hope for himself, as he saw a real, and not fake, as in secular society, girl, and therefore fell in love with her. Having made an offer to this heroine, he was forced to go abroad for treatment, which became a test of their feelings. The wedding ended up falling apart. Andrei went to war with Napoleon, where he was seriously wounded, as a result of which he died. Until the end of his days, Natasha looked after him faithfully.
Marya Bolkonskaya
This is Andrei's sister, the daughter of Prince Nicholas. She is very meek, ugly, but kind-hearted and also very rich. Her devotion to religion is an example of meekness and kindness to many. Marya loves her father unforgettably, often pestering her with his reproaches and ridicule. This girl also loves her brother. She did not immediately accept Natasha as a future daughter-in-law, since she seemed to her too frivolous for Andrei. Marya, after all the hardships, marries Nikolai Rostov.
Its prototype is Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, Tolstoy's mother.
Pierre Bezukhov (Pyotr Kirillovich)
The main characters of the novel "War and Peace" would not be listed in full, if not to mention Pierre Bezukhov. This hero plays one of the most important roles in the work. He experienced a lot of pain and mental trauma, has a noble and kind disposition. Lev Nikolaevich himself loves Pierre very much. Bezukhov, as a friend of Andrei Bolkonsky, is very responsive and devoted. Despite the intrigues weaving under his nose, Pierre did not lose confidence in people, did not become embittered. By marrying Natasha, he finally found happiness and grace, which he lacked with his first wife, Helen. At the end of the work, his desire to change the political foundations in Russia is noticeable, you can even guess from afar the Decembrist moods of Pierre.
These are the main characters. "War and Peace" is a novel in which a large role is given to such historical figures as Kutuzov and Napoleon, as well as to some other commanders in chief. Other social groups are also represented, except for the nobility (merchants, petty bourgeois, peasantry, army). The list of characters ("War and Peace") is quite impressive. However, our task is to consider only the main characters.
