WORSE FROM WITNESS
(Comedy, 1824; published with omissions - 1833; in full - 1862)
Molchalin Alexey Stepanych - the main negative character of the comedy, the role of a stupid lover; heart friend of Sophia, in his soul despising her; the shadow of Famusov, the antagonist of Chatsky, whose fiery volubleness is unfavorably opposed by the silent speechlessness of Molochlin (underlined, moreover, by the “silently speaking” surname). Transferred by Famusov from Tver, thanks to his patronage he received the rank of collegiate assessor; listed "in the archives", but in fact is the personal, home secretary of the "benefactor"; here, in a closet, and lives. M. strictly follows his father’s covenant (directly preceding the one that Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov will receive from his father): “to please all people without exception - / to the Master<...>/ Head<...>/ to his servant<...>/ To the janitor's dog, to be affectionate. In the ball scene (d. 3), he obligingly praises the Spitz of the old woman Khlestova, Famusov's sister-in-law, which deserves her favor. (But not respect: during the trip - D. 4, yavl. 8 - Khlestova scornfully points M. to his place - intermediate between the secretary and the servant: “here is your closet, / No wires are needed, go, the Lord is with you”; M . not offended.)
In a conversation with Chatsky (d. 3, yavl. 3), who decided to figure out why M. captivated Sophia, he formulates his life rules - “Moderation and accuracy”; “At my age, one should not dare / Have one’s own judgment.” These views are fully consistent with the unwritten Moscow norm. The same plot motif of the fall is repeated throughout the comedy; Chatsky, having barely appeared in the house, talks about how he "fell many times" along the way; The Skalozub recalls the story of Princess Lasova, a “rider, a widow,” who recently fell to pieces and is now looking for a husband “for support”; then, during the ball, Repetilov reports his fall: “I’m in a hurry here, / Grab it, I hit it with my foot on the threshold / And stretched out to my full height.” But only M.'s fall from a horse (d. 2, yavl. 7), at the news of which Sophia loses her senses, "rhymes" with the "exemplary" fall of Famus' uncle Maxim Petrovich: "He fell painfully - got up great." This parallel finally inscribes M. in that unchanging Moscow tradition, against which Chatsky rebels.
But, repeating the trajectory of the fall of Maxim Petrovich, M., in turn, is also endowed with a plot double, repeating his negative features in an even more vulgar and reduced form. This is Anton Antonych Zagoretsky - "a man<...>secular, / A notorious swindler, a rogue”, who is tolerated in society only because he is “a master of service”.
The need to tirelessly “please” also gave rise to M.’s romance with Sofia, in which he obediently fulfills the role of a Platonic admirer proposed (if not imposed) by her, ready to read novels with his beloved all night long, listen to silence and speak in a language that is not characteristic of him “philistine” ( “I have three little things ...”), but in the literary-salon, “Karamzinist” language of silent gestures and refined feelings. (So his “talking” surname is read in two ways: it also indicates the role of the “silent man” in love in Sophia’s plot.) This novel does not and cannot pursue “career” goals; M. does not expect to earn even more Famusov's favor in this way. On the contrary, he risks losing his favor as a result of a secret "romance". But he is not able to refuse to “please” the daughter of “such a person”. And, feeling hostility to "our deplorable stole", takes the form of a lover - because she likes it.
And therefore, perhaps, Chatsky is right, who at the moment of M.’s “exposure” (invited by the maid Lisa to Sophia’s room, he again flirts in the dark with the servants and speaks contemptuously about Sophia, not knowing that she hears everything; angry Famusov immediately appears ) sarcastically remarks: “You will make peace with him, according to mature reflection. / To destroy oneself, and for what! / Think, you can always take care of him / Take care of him and swaddle him, and send him away for work. / Husband-boy, husband-servant, from the wife's pages - / The high ideal of all Moscow men.
A.S. Molchalin - Famusov's secretary, enjoys his trust in official affairs. He is not a nobleman by birth, but seeks to make a career. Molchalin's surname is justified by his behavior. "Here he is on tiptoe and not rich in words," says Chatsky. Molchalin looks like a modest young man. He plays the flute, loves sentimental rhymes. Sofya admires his kindness, pliability, meekness. She does not understand that all this is a mask that serves M-well to achieve a life program.
The purpose of M-on's life is a brilliant career, rank, wealth. He sees the highest happiness in "taking awards and having fun." For this, he chose the surest path: flattery, servility. If If Maxim Petrovich is a type of sycophant of the previous era , then Molchalin is a saint of the new time, acting more subtly and no less successfully. "He will reach the known levels, because now they love the dumb," Chatsky says about him with contempt, speaking of his mental abilities. Molchalin knows how he should behave, and determines his tactics:
First, to please all people without exception -
The owner, where he happens to live,
The boss with whom I will serve,
His servant, who cleans dresses,
Doorman, janitor, to avoid evil,
The janitor's dog to be affectionate.
Molchalin trembles before Famusov, speaks courteously, adding "s": "with papers, sir." He fawns over the influential Khlestova. Carefully composes a game of cards for her, admiring her dog:
Your spitz is a lovely spitz, no more than a thimble,
I stroked all of it - like silk wool.
He achieves his goal: Khlestova calls him "my friend" and "my dear".
With Sophia, he behaves respectfully, pretending to be in love, takes care of her not because he likes her, but because she is the daughter of his boss and her location can be useful in his future career. He is hypocritical with Sophia and admits to Lisa with cynical frankness that he loves Sophia "according to her position." Molchalin says that at his age one should not dare to have one's own judgment. And he declares why:
After all, you have to depend on others,
We are small in ranks.
Low-worshipping and servility to superiors is the life principle of Molchalin, which already brings him a certain success.
"Since I've been listed in the Archives,
He received three awards," he says to Chatsky, adding that he has two talents: "moderation and accuracy." Ready for the meanness of wealth and rank, he approaches others with the same yardstick. Thinking that Liza's favor is easy to buy, he promises to give her a "toilet of cunning work." At the decisive moment, when Sophia breaks his embrace with Lisa, Molchalin begins to humiliately crawl in front of her on his knees, not because he felt guilty before Sophia, but because he was afraid for his career. When but Chatsky appears, the completely cowardly Molchalin flees. This causes Chatsky's indignation. "The silent ones are blissful in the world!" - Chatsky exclaims with anger and indignation. And it was such an empty, insignificant person who was the culprit of the "million torments" of the smart, noble Chatsky, the culprit of the tragedy Sophia.
Work:
Woe from Wit
Molchalin Alexei Stepanych - Famusov's secretary, who lives in his house, as well as Sophia's admirer, who despised her in his soul. M. translated by Famusov from Tver.
The hero's surname expresses his main feature - "wordlessness". It was for this that Famusov made M. his secretary. In general, the hero, despite his youth, is a full-fledged representative of the “past century”, since he has assimilated his views and lives by his principles.
M. strictly follows the covenant of his father: "to please all people without exception - the owner, the boss, his servant, the janitor's dog." In a conversation with Chatsky, M. sets out his life principles - "moderation and accuracy." They are that "at my age one should not dare to have one's own judgment." According to M., you need to think and act as is customary in the "famus" society. Otherwise, they will gossip about you, and, as you know, "evil tongues are worse than pistols." M.'s romance with Sophia is also explained by his willingness to please everyone. He obediently plays the role of an admirer, ready to read love stories with Sophia all night long, listen to the silence and trills of nightingales. Sophia does not like M., but he cannot refuse to please the daughter of his boss.
A.S. Molchalin - Famusov's secretary, enjoys his trust in official affairs. He is not a nobleman by birth, but seeks to make a career. Molchalin's surname is justified by his behavior. "Here he is on tiptoe and not rich in words," says Chatsky. Molchalin looks like a modest young man. He plays the flute, loves sentimental rhymes. Sofya admires his kindness, pliability, meekness. She does not understand that all this is a mask that serves M-well to achieve a life program.
The purpose of M-on's life is a brilliant career, rank, wealth. He sees the highest happiness in "taking awards and having fun." For this, he chose the surest path: flattery, servility. If If Maxim Petrovich is a type of sycophant of the previous era , then Molchalin is a saint of the new time, acting more subtly and no less successfully. "He will reach the known levels, because now they love the dumb," Chatsky says about him with contempt, speaking of his mental abilities. Molchalin knows how he should behave, and determines his tactics:
First, to please all people without exception -
The owner, where he happens to live,
The boss with whom I will serve,
His servant, who cleans dresses,
Doorman, janitor, to avoid evil,
The janitor's dog to be affectionate.
Molchalin trembles before Famusov, speaks courteously, adding "s": "with papers, sir." He fawns over the influential Khlestova. Carefully composes a game of cards for her, admiring her dog:
Your spitz is a lovely spitz, no more than a thimble,
I stroked all of it - like silk wool.
He achieves his goal: Khlestova calls him "my friend" and "my dear".
With Sophia, he behaves respectfully, pretending to be in love, takes care of her not because he likes her, but because she is the daughter of his boss and her location can be useful in his future career. He is hypocritical with Sophia and admits to Lisa with cynical frankness that he loves Sophia "according to her position." Molchalin says that at his age one should not dare to have one's own judgment. And he declares why:
After all, you have to depend on others,
We are small in ranks.
Low-worshipping and servility to superiors is the life principle of Molchalin, which already brings him a certain success.
"Since I've been listed in the Archives,
He received three awards," he says to Chatsky, adding that he has two talents: "moderation and accuracy." Ready for the meanness of wealth and rank, he approaches others with the same yardstick. Thinking that Liza's favor is easy to buy, he promises to give her a "toilet of cunning work." At the decisive moment, when Sophia breaks his embrace with Lisa, Molchalin begins to humiliately crawl in front of her on his knees, not because he felt guilty before Sophia, but because he was afraid for his career. When but Chatsky appears, the completely cowardly Molchalin flees. This causes Chatsky's indignation. "The silent ones are blissful in the world!" - Chatsky exclaims with anger and indignation. And it was such an empty, insignificant person who was the culprit of the "million torments" of the smart, noble Chatsky, the culprit of the tragedy Sophia.
MOLCHALIN is the central character in the comedy Woe from Wit (1824). The significance of this image was realized over the course of historical time. N.V. Gogol was the first to notice something important in the guise of the modest secretary Famusov: “this face is aptly captured, silent, low, silently making its way into people.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in a series of essays “In the Environment of Moderation and Accuracy” makes M. an important official with an exotic feature: his hands are stained with the blood of innocent victims of his vital enterprise and “unconscious crimes”. M.'s place in the plot of "Woe from Wit" is being clarified in relation to other characters in the play. Already in the very first minutes of the action, Griboyedov determines Sophia's choice in favor of M. This involves all the heroes of the triangle (Chatsky - Sophia - M.) in difficult psychological relationships. M., recently “plowing in Tver”, is not understood by Sophia: she takes his caution for tact, coldness for restraint of feelings, lackey calculation for sobriety of mind. M. is also not understood by Chatsky, whose love for Sophia prevents him from assessing the seriousness of his opponent. Deeply interested in maintaining his attractiveness for Sofya and Famusov, M. is more affected by Chatsky's arrival than this shows. The presence of Chatsky in the house threatens with revelations, mortally dangerous for him. M.'s accidental fall from a horse, Sophia's fright, her fainting provoke M.'s activity, seeking to protect his reputation, his already emerging service career. He enters into a duel, giving Sophia categorical instructions to defend herself against Chatsky's claims by all possible means and pushes Sophia to choose a method of revenge on Chatsky. Circumstances will tell the heroine the moment when the harshness she dropped in a state of long-contained irritation acquires the meaning of public opinion: “He is out of his mind ...” M. is opposed to Chatsky not only as a rival in a love affair, but also with his whole life position. The conflict between Chatsky and M. accumulates the energy of a collision until the third act of the play, when these characters meet in a dialogue. She reveals Chatsky's contemptuous inattention to M., which gives M. the advantage of being completely frank. This is one of the few scenes in the play where M. is sincere to the end. Sincere, but not appreciated by Chatsky as a worthy opponent. And only in the final scene in the hallway, at the denouement, will Chatsky understand what power the apologist for "moderation and accuracy" has achieved over Sophia. In Griboedov's plot, M.'s love bliss collapses. But this is more an exception than a rule in the life of Famusov's Moscow, because he is one of the pillars on which it rests. Among the first performers of the role of M. was the famous vaudeville actor N. O. Dur (1831). Productions of "Woe from Wit" of the second half of the 20th century show that M. cannot be considered a small, minor character in the play, as happened over many decades of her stage history. M. is the second hero of Griboyedov's plot, a serious opponent of Chatsky. This image was shown by K.Yu. Lavrov in the play by G.A. Tovstonogov (1962).
Alexei Stepanovich Molchalin is one of the main characters in A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit".
Molchalin serves as Famusov's secretary and enjoys his trust in official affairs. He sees the purpose of his life in rank, wealth and career. His highest happiness is "to take rewards and live happily." To achieve his goals, Molchalin makes connections with influential people, believing that this is the best way to climb the career ladder. Trembling before Famusov, he always speaks, politely adding “s” (with papers, s). He plays cards with the influential Khlestakova, admiring her dog:
Your Spitz is a lovely Spitz, nothing more than a thimble.
I stroked all of it - like silk wool.
He achieves his goal, Khlestakova calls him "my friend" and "my dear."
Molchalin has a speaking surname.
“Here he is on tiptoe and not rich in words,” Chatsky says about him. Molchalin does not express his opinion:
In my summers must not dare
Have your own opinion.
He is laconic, phrases are fragmentary, especially in dealing with people of a higher rank than him. And even with his girlfriend, Sophia, who loves him, he is silent:
Breathe from the depths of your soul
Not a free word, and so the whole night passes.
Despite this, Molchalin speaks freely with Lisa, confessing his feelings to her, tells Chatsky about his base position. Therefore, we can say that taciturnity is not so much a character trait of Molchalin, but another way to achieve goals. It was not for nothing that Chatsky said that Molchalin would reach "known degrees, because now they love the dumb."
In addition, Molchalin sacredly honors his father's instruction: "to please all people without flaw"
Thus, we can say that Chatsky was not mistaken when he said: "The silent ones are blissful in the world."
The character of Molchalin is revealed gradually, in relations with other people.
So, with Famusov, he is a helpful and quiet young man. He depends on Famusov, so he is very modest. In communication with Lisa, he is much more emotional: “You are a merry creature! Alive!"). He frankly confesses his love to Lisa, while insulting Sophia. He cynically calls her: "our deplorable thief." At the same time, while communicating with Sofia, Molchalin is respectful, he pretends to be in love with a girl and courts her for promotion.
In the comedy, Molchalin is opposed to Chatsky, who is truly in love with Sophia. And we see how the dramatic knot between Molchalin, Sofia and Chatsky is slowly untied. Molchalin is also the main figure in the struggle between Sophia and Chatsky. After all, Chatsky, calling Molchalin stupid, offended Sophia's beloved. And she took revenge by exposing Chatsky as crazy. We can’t help but notice that Molchalin is one of the main faces in the last scene, where everything fell into place. Sophia found out about the true intentions of Molchalin, but he began to humiliately crawl on his knees, not because he felt guilty before Sophia, but because he was afraid for his career. When Chatsky appeared, he completely fled. Here, all the cowardice and meanness of Molchalin was fully revealed.
As a result, we can say that Molchalin will always find a place in the Famus society.
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Updated: 2017-10-04
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In A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”, the poet displays the image of Molchalin, the meaning of which has not lost its relevance today. The traits of a sycophant, secretly, with the help of overt frank flattery, breaking out into people, were first noticed by N.V. Gogol, and M.E. go smarter and more worthy.
The image of Molchalin is especially vivid in his communication with other characters in the play and, above all, in his relationship with Sophia. Molchalin understands that, portraying love for Famusov's daughter, he enlists her support and appears before Sophia as a timid and modest lover. The girl does not catch his pretense, and perceives the absence of sincere and passionate feelings as restraint and sobriety of mind. Molchalin understands that the appearance of Chatsky in Famusov's house threatens his relationship with Sophia, and hence his career. He tries in every possible way to strengthen his position. Molchalin fakes a fall from a horse, pretending to be so injured in front of Sophia that the girl in love with him loses her senses. He is so hypocritical that he immediately rises and dusts himself off as soon as Sophia is taken into the house in a fainting state.
There is no limit to the cynicism of Molchalin. Despite the possible exposure, he brazenly sticks to Liza, not paying attention to her refusal and reproaches that Molchalin with the maid is a rake, and with the young lady he is modest. Sneaky by nature, Molchalin tries in every possible way to denigrate Chatsky in the eyes of Sophia, portraying him as talkative and frivolous, ready to ridicule anyone as a tactless person. Yielding to his pernicious influence, Sophia begins to look at Chatsky through the eyes of Molchalin. She enters into an argument with Chatsky and proves to him that Molchalin is a decent and virtuous young man. She even tries to oppose the virtuous Molchalin to the mocking and sharp-tongued Chatsky. This opposition, put into the mouth of Sophia, acquires a much deeper meaning than the opposition of the characters and traits of the two rivals. This is a contrast between two different life positions. On the one hand, a sincere, decent person who does not tolerate pretense, flattery, does not mix pleasure and work, on the other, a miserable creature, a fool who does not represent anything worthwhile, achieving success in dirty and vile roundabout ways. Without embarrassment, Molchalin himself says that he fulfills his father's wills to please everyone in order to avoid evil, whether it be a master, boss, servant, porter or janitor's dog. And Molchalin strictly follows the precepts of his father, not only in words. He gives the opportunity to win cards to the noble lady Khlestova, strokes and praises her dog, seeking the favor of the eminent lady.
Molchalin's speech deserves special attention, obsequious with those who occupy the highest position in society and condescendingly dismissive with those on whom he does not depend. Molchalin is laconic and cautious, he carefully and diligently selects the right words, taking into account the one to whom he is addressing. In a conversation with Famusov, he is respectful and always emphasizes his desire for work, he addresses Khlestova with undisguised flattery. While with Sofia Molchalin he is modest all night long and only holds her hand, with Liza he does not pick up words, but directly and rudely demands closeness from her. Molchalin does not stand on ceremony with Chatsky either, he shows him his superiority, boasts of his career and love successes, and even tries to urge Chatsky to follow his example and visit the influential Tatyana Yuryevna in order to achieve ranks. Chatsky rightly and regretfully states that in the existing society, the dumb enjoy a special disposition of the authorities, can go far and achieve certain degrees.
The final scene of the play debunks Molchalin's hidden plans, and Sophia rejects him. However, Moscow of that time gave preference to such Molchalins, who advanced through the ranks with the help of flattery and helpfulness, and rejected the smart and energetic Chatskys in every possible way. "Woe from Wit" plays on the stage of many theaters and the problems of careerism raised in this play remain relevant to this day. This was proved by many actors who played the role of Molchalin, including the first vaudeville actor N.O. Dur in 1831 and K.Yu.
Updated: 2011-05-07
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