Goals:
- Introduce students to stage destiny play "At the bottom".
- Introduce the heroes of the play into the setting and world.
- Determine the main conflict of the work - a clash of views and life positions bottom dwellers.
- Show the tense atmosphere of the Kostylevo rooming house with its endless disputes and quarrels; find out the reasons for the disunity of the people of the "bottom".
- Help students understand the meaning of the author's remarks.
During the classes
I. introduction teachers.
The largest 19th writers centuries (A.S. Pushkin, N.V. Gogol, L.N. Tolstoy) acted as prose writers, playwrights, publicists. Creativity M. Gorky is also characterized by multi-genre. He entered literature with romantic and realistic stories. In the late 90s. published the novel "Foma Gordeev", in which he reproduced a broad picture of Russian life, showing representatives of various social strata. In the early 900s, he turned to drama and acted as a playwright for several years.
"A play, a drama, a comedy is the most difficult form of literature," said M. Gorky.
At that time, the Moscow Art Theater enjoyed great popularity, opening with innovative productions of Chekhov's plays. new page in the history of Russian theatrical art. In the winter of 1900, Gorky visited this theater for the first time; in the spring of the same year, while visiting Chekhov in Yalta, Gorky met artists who captivated him with the idea of creating a play for them. The result of this acquaintance was the play "Petty Bourgeois" (1901) and the following plays: "At the Bottom" (1902), "Summer Residents" (1904), "Children of the Sun" and "Barbarians" (1905)
Let us recall what is the originality of drama as a kind of literature (student's speech, accompanied by a computer presentation).
1) Drama is for stage performances.
3) The text consists of monologues and dialogues actors.
4) The play is divided into actions (acts) and pictures (scenes).
5) In the interval between actions, a certain time may pass (a day, two, a month, half a year :), the place of action may change.
6) Whole life process he is not depicted in the drama, he goes as if behind the scene; the author, on the other hand, snatches the most significant, from his point of view, moments from the stream of time, and focuses the attention of the audience on them.
7) A special load in the play falls on conflict- a sharp clash between the characters on a very significant occasion. At the same time, there can be no (superfluous) heroes in the drama - all heroes must be included in the conflict.
8) A dramatic work is preceded by poster- list of actors.
The very first plays by Gorky showed that an innovative playwright had come to literature.
The content and problems of the plays were unusual, and their heroes are a revolutionary-minded proletarian, inhabitants of a rooming house, and a conflict. Gorky acted as the creator of a new type of drama.
From the cycle dramatic works Gorky's play "At the Bottom" is distinguished by the depth of thought and perfection of construction. "It was the result of my almost 20 years of observation of the world of "former people", among which I include not only wanderers, inhabitants of rooming houses and the "lumpen-proletariat" in general, but also some of the intellectuals - "demagnetized", disappointed, offended and humiliated by failures in life. I realized very early that these people are incurable, "Gorky wrote. He talked a lot and willingly about the tramps, their lives, people who served as prototypes for this or that character.
Over the play "At the bottom" Gorky worked hard and purposefully. Even the list of titles that he consistently gave to the play shows both the intensity of his search, and even partly his direction:
- "No Sun"
- "Bunkhouse"
- "In the hostel"
- "Bottom"
- "Day of Life"
- "At the bottom"
Why "Down"? (The author singled out not the place of action - "a rooming house", not the nature of the conditions - "without the sun", "the bottom", not even the social position - "at the bottom of life." The final name combines all these names with a new one. Not where how, A what's happening at the bottom" (what?): souls. Unlike original titles, emphasizing the tragic situation of the tramps, the last name is more capacious, ambiguous.)
The play received its final name on the theater poster of the Moscow Art Theater, on the stage of which the premiere of the play took place.
Already after the first reading of the play by Gorky himself at the apartment of the writer L. Andreev, it was clear that it would become an event. Censorship for a long time did not allow the play to be presented. She blacked out the text, crippled it, but still, yielding to public pressure, she allowed to play exclusively in Moscow and only one Art Theater. The authorities considered the play boring and were sure of the failure of the performance, where instead of a "beautiful life" there were dirt, darkness and poor, embittered people (charmers, tramps, prostitutes) on the stage. The production, carried out by directors Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, was a tremendous success. The author has been called over 20 times!
Playbill of the play "At the bottom".
So, December 1902. Moscow Art Theatre. First performance of the play.
There are many prominent writers, artists, artists, public figures, well-known critics. The most beloved, most prominent artists of the Moscow Art Theater are in the cast: Stanislavsky (Satin), Moskvin (Luka), Kachalov (Baron), Knipper-Chekhova (Nastya), Luzhsky (Bubnov). The curtain opens...
II. Dramatization of the beginning of the play, prepared by the students of the class.
III. Conversation.
Where did the viewer go? When and where does the play take place? (In a rooming house in early spring, in the morning.)
How is the scene of action depicted in the stage direction for act 1, which depicts the furnishings of a rooming house? (A basement that looks like a cave. Everywhere there is dirt, soot, rags...)
- How are the characters on the stage?(Bunk beds are everywhere along the walls. Thin bulkheads fence off Ash’s room. Except for Kvashnya, Baron, Nastya, who live in the kitchen, no one has their own corner. other bed dying Anna(This way she is already, as it were, separated from life.)
- How is the stage lit?(The light reaches the bedchambers from the basement window, as if looking for people among the basement inhabitants.)
- Why does the author describe the rooming house in such detail in the remark preceding Act 1? Why is the remark so lengthy?(The playwright emphasizes the extreme poverty of the present existence of the "former", the wretchedness of the human shelter.)
- The tragedy of the existence of bunkhouses, the depth of human fall help to feel the remarks that give an idea of the sounds of the bunkhouse. What does the viewer hear?
Moaning Anna
tinkering and hysterically coughs Actor
Loud growls satin
fiercely tinkling keys and creaks Filed Mite
The Baron champs, chewing black bread:
- What is the atmosphere of the hostel?(Noise, swearing. Endless disputes, quarrels. Hell, anger:)
- Why are there so many fights?(Everyone lives in this basement as he wants. Everyone is preoccupied own problems. The characters don't seem to hear each other. The words come from different angles. All those present speak at once, without waiting for an answer, weakly reacting to other people's remarks, but everyone, almost not listening to others, speaks about his own. Complete separation of people under one roof.)
- Stability, the limit of mutual alienation is conveyed in the form polylogue. What remarks emphasize the continuity of such "communication", the feeling of the flow of time in a vicious circle, without beginning or end?
The curtain opens and the viewer hears the voice of the Baron: "Further!". This is the first replica of the play! It "creates a feeling of the inevitable flow of time, flowing in a vicious circle without beginning or end. ". (B.A. Bialik. Gorky the playwright.)
Growls, not frightening anyone, Satin, overslept after next intoxication.
Kvashnya continues a conversation started behind the scenes with Klesch, constantly fencing off his terminally ill wife.
Baron habitually mocks Nastya, absorbing another shocker.
Actor boring repeats the same thing: "My body is poisoned by alcohol: It's harmful for me: to breathe dust:
Anna begs to stop what lasts "Every single day:".
Bubnov interrupts Satina: "I heard: a hundred times!"
Satin, as it were, sums up: ": all our words are tired! I heard each of them: probably a thousand times:"
- In a stream of fragmentary replicas and squabbles, words that have a symbolic sound are heard.
Bubnov: "But the threads are rotten:" - twice, doing furrier business.
He is about the position of Nastya: "You are superfluous everywhere: yes, and all people on earth are superfluous:"
What do these seemingly random remarks reveal?
(The phrases spoken on a specific occasion reveal the imaginary connections of the people gathered in the rooming house, the "superfluity" of the unfortunate).
IV. Teacher's word.
Already the first readers of the play "At the Bottom" drew attention not only to the novelty of its content, but also to the novelty of its form. Chekhov commented on the play as follows: "It is new and undoubtedly good."
Why is the form of the play "At the Bottom" unusual? In what way does Gorky deviate from the rules for creating dramatic works known to us from plays that we read earlier?
2.No traditional plot: it unfolds not so much in "external" events as in dialogues (disputes), polylogues- they determine the development of the conflict.
3. In a play no main or secondary characters- all are important.
Let's look at the list of actors - poster.
V. Work with the playbill.
Why are the characters presented in different ways: some - by name and patronymic, others - by nickname, by surname?
Why differently represented by Kostylev and Klesch? (The list presents a certain hierarchy of the "bottom". Here, too, there are "masters of life", however, they are not so different from the inhabitants of the rooming house).
People in society are valued differently. At the "bottom" of life can be a representative of any class, gender and age. What unites them? (They are all renegades. All "former".)
VI. Mini quiz.
Remember which of the heroes of the play before the rooming house was
- official in treasury chamber?
- caretaker at the dacha?
- telegrapher?
- locksmith?
- a furrier?
- artist?
VII. Conversation.
How did these people get here? What brought them to the rooming house? What is the backstory of each of the characters?
Satin hit the "bottom" after he served time in prison for murder (act 1).
The Baron is ruined. Served in the state chamber, squandered money; for embezzlement of state money he went to prison, then ended up in a rooming house (act 4).
Kleshch lost his job, although he was an "honest worker", "worked from an early age" (act 1).
The actor once had sonorous surname- Sverchkov-Zavolzhsky, but was not in the first roles (he says that he played a gravedigger in Hamlet), lived in need; began to drink, not seeing a way out - he drank himself, "drank away his soul" (act 2). Weak at heart. The tick resists - the result is the same.
Fate Ashes predetermined already at birth: "I am from childhood: a thief." "Thieves son". There is no other way (act 2).
Which hero tells more about his fall than others? (Baron. Each stage of his life is marked by a certain costume. These dressings symbolize a gradual decline in social status.)
What causes people to "bottom"? (People are brought to the “bottom” both by subjective (laziness, meanness, dishonesty, weak character) and objective, social causes (poisoned, perverted life of society).
What are the sleepers talking about? (About what any person thinks about.)
Honor and conscience Faith in one's strength, in one's talent
The people of the "bottom" are not villains, not monsters, not scoundrels. They are the same people as we are, only they live in different conditions. This amazed the first audience of the play and shocks new readers.
The characters talk and argue a lot. Their conversations are the subject of the image in the play. Clash of ideas life views, the struggle of worldviews determine the main conflict of the play. It's typical of the genre. philosophical drama .
VIII. Homework.
Answer the following questions in writing:
- One of the characters in the play, Satin, in the remark that ends the second act, will liken the overnight stays the dead: "The dead - do not hear! The dead do not feel: Shout: roar: the dead do not hear! .."
- Can it be said that the first act is conversations in "kingdom of the dead" (G.D. Gachev)?
- Or the researcher is right, who believed that "Luke, having descended into the basement, did not come to the desert, but to people" (I.K. Kuzmichev), and before the arrival of Luke retained to some extent living human features?
The creative concept of the play “At the Bottom” dates back to the very beginning of 1900. M. Gorky was going to create a "cycle of dramas" of four plays, each of which is dedicated to the image of a certain layer of Russian society. In the middle of 1901, he wrote about the last of them to K. P. Pyatnitsky: “One more thing: tramps. Tartar, Jew, actor, hostess of a lodging house, thieves, detective, prostitutes. It will be scary. I already ready plans, I see - faces, figures, I hear voices, speeches, motives for actions - are clear, everything is clear! ..” Conceiving the play as a description of the life of the poorest population of Russian cities, Gorky first of all defined it as a socio-philosophical drama, in which the main thing is conflict found themselves at the bottom of people's lives with the outside world. In one of the manuscript editions, the play was called: “At the bottom of life.” But at the same time, these people are also at the bottom of feelings, thoughts, each of them has to fight the decline in himself. These conflicts develop in parallel throughout the play.
At the beginning of the play, we see the inhabitants of the rooming house, dissatisfied with life, themselves, each other. Many of them used to live better, but they got here because of some kind of misfortune. So, the Baron and Satin ended up here after prison, Bubnov left his wife, leaving her his workshop, the Actor drank himself. Some, like Nastya, have never seen another life. Some have already come to terms with this situation and understand that it is impossible to rise from the bottom, while others hope that all this is happening to them temporarily. So, Kleshch thinks that after the death of his wife, he will work hard and be able to secure a better existence for himself. He believes that if you live “by honor”, then you can achieve everything. The actor, on the contrary, is trying to find solace in alcohol, thereby further aggravating his plight. He no longer expects to leave this rooming house and bitterly recalls his former life. And among these oppressed people appears stranger- Luca, a wandering old man without a passport. Full of compassion for all people, he brings hope to many inhabitants of the rooming house. Anna, the wife of Kleshch, lies near death and experiences terrible suffering. And this old man makes it easy for her last hours. Expecting the same torment after death, she hopefully hears his words: “Nothing will happen! Nothing! You - believe! Calm and - nothing else! ..” He tells the actor about the existence of a free clinic for alcoholics, and he even refrained from drinking for one day and worked sweeping the street. Peplu Luka advises to go with Natasha to Siberia and start there new life. In the inhabitants of the rooming house, there is confidence that they can escape from the captivity of a hard life to freedom. And here the author raises a deeply philosophical question: “Do these people need a lie?” After all most of Luke's words are a lie uttered out of pity, with the aim of comforting, helping. He also supports Nastya in her stories about “ true love”, although it is quite obvious that nothing like this happened to her, that all this was read from books. The answer to this question is in the words of Satin: “Whoever is weak in soul ... and who lives on other people's juices - those need a lie ... she supports some, others hide behind it ... And who is his own master ... who is independent and does not eat someone else's - why should he lie? Lies are the religion of slaves and masters... Truth is God free man!” The answer is the whole development of the action. We see the collapse of all hopes: Anna dies, and Klesh's tools are sold for her funeral - he is left without a livelihood; Vaska Pepel kills Kostylev in a fight, which will apparently land him in jail; The Tatar crushed his hand and lost his job. It seems that Luke brought only worse changes to their lives, since after his departure the situation in the rooming house becomes even more deplorable than at the beginning of the play. These tramps plunged even deeper into the “bottom”, they lost another clash with their fate, finally lost faith in their strength. All this is emphasized at the end of the play. The actor, deprived of Luka's support and constantly convinced by Satine that all the talk about a free clinic for alcoholics is a lie, commits suicide. And, as an illustration of the hopelessness of the situation of the shelters, Sateen’s ordinary words sound: “Eh ... ruined the song ... fool-cancer!”
Taking as the basis of his play the conflict of the lower classes of society with their difficult life, Gorky managed to fulfill main task- to show all the facets of the existence of these people, for a long time or forever remaining "at the bottom", all possible manifestations of their characters. We see the practical impossibility of any positive changes in their lives, despite all their efforts and hopes, since they are not free people. A free man, according to Gorky, must boldly face the truth, and not find solace in a beautiful lie, being content with his position. And only when a person becomes free, he will be able to overcome difficulties and escape from the abyss of a rooming house. Only then can the hopes of better life not only for one person, but for the whole society.
1. The realism of the play "At the Bottom".
2. Heroes of the work.
3. The attitude of the author to the inhabitants of the "bottom".
M. Gorky's play "At the bottom" - a prime example realistic work. The writer is already giving up romantic tendencies that were characteristic of his work. Realistic start attracts the writer, he pays much attention to socio-philosophical conflicts. Gorky himself can be called one of the most talented writers of his time. He brilliantly depicted human characters, we have not the slightest reason to doubt their veracity. No less vividly Gorky portrayed the life against which events unfold. Life for Gorky is not just a collection of various details in the description of the situation. No, life acquires special meaning, grows to global sizes. It is no coincidence that life and being are words of the same root. The living conditions in which a person happened to live necessarily affect his character and worldview.
The play "At the Bottom" is very interesting primarily for its characters. These are typical inhabitants of the "bottom", as the name itself says. The life of all the inhabitants of the rooming house has developed far from the best way. They have nothing good, bright, joyful. These people occupy the lowest rung of the social ladder. They have no illusions about their life, on the contrary, they are aware of the hopelessness of their existence. The peculiarity of the play "At the Bottom" is that it does not have a plot and denouement, which, in essence, contradicts this genre. Not in the play and the main plot conflict. But there is a socio-philosophical conflict. And it is revealed not in actions, but in conversations. There is much more talk in the play than action. It can even be said that there are practically no actions as such.
We understand well the philosophy of all the inhabitants of the “bottom”. They do not hide their beliefs. The limitedness, wretchedness, insignificance of their characters is obvious. The inhabitants of the "bottom" are cruel towards each other. We don’t see any sympathy, respect, or even friendly attachments among them. Such a phrase as “you are a fool, Nastya ...” looks like something taken for granted and quite normal for them. Normal human compassion alien to the characters in the play. Tick's wife dies, but no one tries to say at least unfortunate good word. All the heroes of the work are cruel both to themselves and to others. And unhappy in this cruelty. Each hero has his own truth, or, conversely, its absence.
The tick says: “What is the truth! Where is the truth? Here is the truth! There is no work... there is no power! Here is the truth! Shelter... there is no shelter! You need to breathe ... here it is, really! Devil! On ... what is it to me - really? Let me breathe... let me breathe! What am I to blame for?.. Why do I need the truth? To live—the devil—it is impossible to live... here it is the truth!.. Speak here—the truth! You, old man, console everyone... I'll tell you... I hate everyone! And this truth... damn it! Understood? Understand! Damn her! Social contradictions give rise to such an attitude towards life. The Tick has nothing - no job, no shelter, no future. He does not need the truth, he does not see the point in his life. The bearer of a different philosophical principle is Luke. He does not try to seek the truth, he has enough faith in God. Such a worldview enables the old man to put up with the hardships of life.
The play "At the Bottom" can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, the work can be interpreted as a harbinger of revolution. It was this perception that was traditional quite recently. The play was viewed through the prism of social transformations. Unfortunate destitute people were considered carriers revolutionary ideas. After all, their life was very bad, and the revolution could bring something good. The revolution would bring social change, which would have a beneficial effect on the inhabitants of the "bottom".
Now this interpretation of the work no longer seems unambiguous. After all, Gorky does not use direct calls for revolution. It only shows the unfortunate destitute people. They have neither the strength nor the desire to change something in life. If attempts are made, as, for example, by the Actor, then they still turn out to be useless. The inhabitants of the "bottom" have no moral values. They are closed on themselves, they are not interested in the people around them. They mockingly laugh at each other, as if they do not understand that by doing so they humiliate themselves. Society has rejected all the inhabitants of the “bottom”, they do not have a moral principle that could become a support for further revival. The outcasts of society are not able to revive, their destiny is further degradation. The disputes about life that the heroes of the play lead are speculative and abstract. They do not know real life because she walked past them. They do not know the beautiful, sublime, pure and bright. Gorky calls the heroes of the play "former people." And he says that the work was the result of his "almost twenty years of observation of the world" former people". The author has no sympathy and sympathy for his characters. And those have no high aspirations. Any attempt to save your inner world at best, they can be a retreat into a world of dreams and illusions. Nastya reads romance novels in order not to notice the wretchedness real life. The absence of high aspirations reveals the wretchedness and degradation of the tramps, the inhabitants of the bottom. Using their example, Gorky shows that lack of ideas, lack of will can never bring positive results. The life of the inhabitants of the "bottom" is meaningless, and they have no future.
The works of M. Gorky occupy a very special place in the history of Russian drama. The writer turned to the theater at the very beginning of the 20th century and became a real successor to the traditions of Russian drama. 19th century. Gorky believed that the main purpose of the drama is to depict "man and people", a reflection of the influence of fate on the development and formation human personality. In addition, in the works of Gorky there are features characteristic of the genre philosophical drama. They found their most vivid reflection in the play "At the Bottom", which was written in 1902.
It was in this work that Gorky managed to combine the real destinies of people and abstract philosophical concepts.
Behind the external conflict of the work, an internal conflict is clearly traced, which becomes the main one and helps the best way reveal the characters of the characters, and, in addition, contributes to the most profound perception of the main meaning of the play. External conflict shown through love triangle(Natasha - Ashes - Kostylevs). But this intrigue is only a background for the development of an action based on an internal philosophical conflict (Luke - overnight stays - Satin). It is the internal conflict that becomes the basis of the dramatic action. This conflict is based on the philosophical reasoning of the inhabitants of the rooming house about Man and his capabilities.
The writer was very deeply worried about the idea of what should be real man who he is on this planet.
Once, in his letter to Chekhov, Gorky remarked that it was very difficult to love, help, and pity the "cheesy midges with guts" that all people are. But at the same time, in Gorky lived an unshakable faith in Man, as well as in his strength of mind. The writer called Man the best, most complex and most interesting creature on the ground. Author's reflections on the essence of Man, on his morality and spiritual world became the basis of the internal conflict of the play.
The work captures the awakening human soul, albeit partial, completely timid. Speaking in a blunt manner, Bubnov speaks about himself and other rooming houses, expressing them common feature: being at the "bottom", people are deprived of all the attributes of a civilized life, there remains "one naked man", just the way it is. Maybe that's why tramps are drawn to some general principles and concepts. The author calls them "reluctant philosophers", these unfortunate people are still able to dream of a brighter future. Tick wants to succeed through hard work, Nastya dreams of love as salvation, Natasha is waiting for a hero, Anna is praying to God. The simple and naive judgments of tramps hide the answers to the most difficult questions about the nature and destiny of man.
There are other types of characters in the play. Satin, Baron and Bubnov have come to terms with their own position as cheaters and do not seek to change anything in their fate. They talk deeply about the meaning of life, yearn for truth and freedom. These heroes are naturally endowed with a lively mind, but do not strive for action.
At the end of the second act of the play, Elder Luke appears. This is a smart and outstanding person who has vast experience and a keen interest in people. He seeks to understand each person, sees not only the mistakes of other people, but is able to discern their bright qualities. Luka does not just pity people, he believes in them, sincerely wants to help everyone.
However, Luke's position is such that he is ready to accept any life situation and adapt to it. Luke passively waits for the good, not trying to correct a specific state of affairs. He offers his help to the rooming dwellers, which simply helps them to adapt to need and misfortune. Luke gives people a ghostly hope that everything will work out by itself. When the collapse of these illusions occurs, the old man quietly disappears.
In the last act of the play, all the consequences of the experience are revealed. Gorky is especially interested in the fermentation of the lazy thoughts of the roommates, so the question of Man is posed with particular force in the last act. Of course, the heroes of the play did not change overnight, the author simply showed their painful thoughts, which, meanwhile, will not change anything in their lives. However, the meaning of their words does not decrease from this, because they have been accumulating in people's souls for so long.
Satin's words about Man sound in a special way. This is a kind of hymn to human capabilities and dignity. Despite the fact that Satin is usually indifferent to people and their misfortunes, he firmly believes that Man is a strong and wise being worthy of respect. Satin opposes the saving lie that Luke used. He believes that truth is the only God of a free man. At the same time, Satin understands that his words do not apply to specific inhabitants of the rooming house, because these people are not able to fight for their honor and dignity. For Satin, Man is absolutely all people on the planet.
