A.N. Ostrovsky was born and spent his childhood in Zamoskvorechye, where merchants, artisans, and the poor have long settled. Almost 50 plays were written by him for a long time. literary life, and many of them were rooted in their native Zamoskvorechie. The drama Thunderstorm (1859), written at the time of public upsurge on the eve of the peasant reform, seemed to crown the first decade of the writer's activity, a cycle of his plays about the "dark kingdom" of petty tyrants. The artist's imagination takes us to the small Volga town of Kalinov - with merchants' storehouses on the main street, with an old church where pious parishioners go to pray, with a public garden over the river, where the townsfolk walk decorously on holidays, with gatherings on benches at the boarded gate, behind which watchdogs bark furiously. The rhythm of life is sleepy, boring, to match that tediously long summer day, which begins the action of the play: ".
The main conflict of the drama is not limited to the love story of Katerina and Boris. The development of the dramatic conflict would have been impossible without Feklusha, without Varvara, without Kuligin and others. secondary characters. Feklusha, a wanderer and a hanger-on, is similar to Kabanikhe in her reasoning. She thinks like her mistress, she regrets what her mistress regrets - about the old days dear to their hearts: “ end times, mother Marfa Ignatievna, the last, according to all signs, the last. The interlocutors lament the fact that life is in full swing in other cities. They are terrified by the "fiery serpent", which they began to harness. They are waiting for all sorts of troubles ahead: "And worse than this, dear, it will be." But of the people close to Kabanikhe, only Feklusha will not condemn her severity. In the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom" under the yoke of tyrannical power, the living human feelings, the will weakens, the mind fades. If a person is endowed with energy, a thirst for life, then, getting used to the circumstances, he begins to lie, dodge.
Under the pressure of this dark force the characters of Tikhon and Barbara develop. This power disfigures them, each in its own way. Tikhon is pathetic, impersonal. But even the oppression of Kabanikh did not completely kill the living feelings in him. Somewhere in the depths of his timid soul, a spark glimmers - love for his wife. He does not dare to show this love, and he does not understand Katerina, he is glad to leave even from her, if only to escape from the hell at home. But the fire in his soul does not go out. Confused and depressed, Tikhon speaks of his wife who cheated on him: “But I love her, I’m sorry to touch her with my finger ...” His will is constrained, and he does not even dare to help his unfortunate Katya. However, in last scene love for his wife overcomes Tikhon's fear of his mother. Over the corpse of Katerina, for the first time in his life, he dares to blame his mother:
"Kabanov. Mother, you ruined her, you, you, you...
Kabanova. What you! Al don't remember yourself! Forgot who you're talking to!
Kabanov. You ruined her! You! You!"
How different these accusations are from the timid, humiliated words of Tikhon at his first appearance on stage: “Yes, do we dare, mother, think!”, “Yes, mother, ...” So, indeed, the foundations of the “dark kingdom” are the power of Kabanikha is wavering, even if Tikhon spoke like that.
The development of characters in The Thunderstorm is associated with central conflict drama. Life in Kabanova's house also crippled Varvara. She does not want to endure the power of her mother, does not want to live in captivity. But Barbara easily adapts to the morality of the "dark kingdom", takes the path of deception. This becomes habitual for her - she claims that it is impossible to live otherwise: their whole house is based on deceit. “And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary,” says Varvara. Everyday rules its very simple: "Do whatever you want, if only it was sewn and covered." However, Varvara was cunning as long as it was possible, but when they began to lock her up, she ran away from home. And again the ideals of Kabanikhi are crumbling. The daughter "disgraced" her house, broke free from her power.
Most of the characters are weak and miserable nephew of Diky, Boris Grigorievich. He himself says about himself: “I walk around completely dead ... Driven, beaten ...” This is kind, man of culture. He stood out sharply against the background merchant environment. But Boris is not able to protect himself or his beloved woman. In misfortune, he only rushes about and cries: “Oh, if only these people knew how it feels for me to say goodbye to you! My God! God grant that someday it will be as sweet for them as it is for me now. Farewell, Katya! You villains! Fiends! Oh, if only there was strength! In the scene last date with Katerina Boris causes contempt. The man whom she passionately loved is afraid to run away with the woman she loves. He is afraid to even talk to her: “We wouldn’t be found here.” But it is to this weak-willed person that last words Katerina before her death: “My friend! My joy! Goodbye!"
The husband of Katerina Tikhon deserves more respect than Boris, as he dared to accuse. Even the clerk Wild Curly, who is said to be rude, commands at least some respect, because he was able to protect his love by running away with his beloved. Among the characters of the play, opposed to the Wild and the Boar, Kuligin boldly and sensibly judges the "dark kingdom". This self-taught mechanic has a bright mind and broad soul like many talented people from the people. He condemns the greed of the merchants, cruel attitude to a person, ignorance, indifference to everything truly beautiful. Kuligin's opposition to the "dark kingdom" is especially expressive in the scene of his encounter with Wild. Kuligin writes poetry, but his usual speech is imbued with poetry. “It’s very good, sir, to walk now,” he says to Boris. - Silence, the air is excellent, because of the Volga it smells of flowers from the meadows, the sky is clear ... "And then Lomonosov's poems sound.
Kuligin condemns " cruel morals» Dikikh and Kabanov, but he is too weak in his protest. Just like Tikhon, like Boris, he is afraid of tyrannical power, bows before it. "There is nothing to do, you must submit!" he says humbly. Kuligin and others teach obedience. He advises Curly: "It's better to endure." He recommends the same to Boris: “What to do, sir. You have to try to please somehow." And only at the end, shocked by the death of Katerina, Kuligin rises to an open protest: “Here is your Katerina for you. Do what you want with her! Her body is here, take it; and the soul is no longer yours: it is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!” With these words, Kuligin not only justifies Katerina, but also blames the merciless judges who killed her. We see that Katerina's death aroused a protest against the "dark kingdom" from the silent, downtrodden Tikhon, called Kuligin, who is usually timid before the tyrants, to an open protest. The main conflict of the drama is the struggle between the old and new morality. And as the author intended, not only the main character - Katerina protests against the old world, but also secondary characters somehow raise their voices against the "dark kingdom".
The Thunderstorm is a play by Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky in five acts, written in 1859, in an atmosphere of pre-reform public upsurge. After the premiere of the performance on the stage of the Moscow Maly Theater, the play was followed by many critical reviews. The minor characters in this play play an important role. The development of the conflict would have been impossible without Feklusha, Varvara, Kuligin and others.
Most of secondary characters I remember Feklusha - a wanderer (a person walking on a pilgrimage.
Ostrovsky clearly has a reduced value). Feklusha did not go far, but she heard a lot. In the city of Kalinov, she is the main source of information. Feklusha convinces that Kalinov is the promised land, propagandizes that further Kalinov is hell. In her understanding, a steam locomotive is a fiery serpent, tells about the lands where people with canine voices live. She convinces that life in Kalinovo is the most beautiful. Her stories are a subject of trade, for them she is honored, treated, supplied with the necessary. Besides
it helps "tyrants" to keep people in constant fear.
It is impossible not to pay attention to Kuligin - a self-taught watchmaker who is looking for a perpetual motion machine - as can be seen from the first act of the play, Kuligin is well educated, he read Lomonosov, Derzhavin.
However, his knowledge is archaic, which emphasizes his connection with Kalinov. This is a character from a world that has already gone. Kuligin also expresses the author's position in the play. Condemnation of the "dark kingdom" is put into his mouth. It is he who says that there are cruel customs in Kalinov, that the one who has money rules in the city.
Another important character in The Thunderstorm is the tyrant Wild - a rich merchant, one of the most respected people in the city. He is aware of his power over people and complete hopelessness, and therefore does what he wants. But Wild attacks only on people weaker than himself, on those who cannot fight back like that. Dikoy and Boar stick together, for she is the only one who can understand him.
I would especially like to single out Varvara, Tikhon's sister and Katerina's constant companion. Her chief life principle- do whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn covered. She wants to try everything before she gets married. Lying is the norm for her. She says that she herself was not a liar, but she learned when it became necessary. Barbarians adapted to the "dark kingdom, to its laws and rules.
In addition, speaking about the role of secondary characters in the play, one cannot fail to mention Kudryash, the clerk Wild. This character says that girls can hang out with guys as much as they want, but women should be locked up. This conviction is so strong in him that he learned about Boris's love for Katerina, he says that this business must be stopped.
The secondary characters in Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm are not only the background against which Katerina's tragedy unfolds, but also describe the life and characters of that time. Each actor in this play helps the author to convey as accurately as possible the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom".
Updated: 2015-09-23
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/ / / The role of secondary characters in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"
From the pen of A.N. Ostrovsky published about 60 plays that glorified the name of the author and made him eternal in the memory of Russian literature. One of the most decisive and frank is the play "", in which we observe the world of tyrants and their boundless deeds, which ultimately lead to tragic consequences.
The action takes place in the most ordinary town of Kalinov. But what happens in it draws our attention. We, the readers, are watching the suffocating situation in which the inhabitants of Kalinov found themselves. They are daily affected by cruel merchants with all legal status.
There are many in the play. minor images. They help the author to reveal the types of relationships between people of that time, to reveal the character traits of the main characters. Conventionally, you can divide the characters into pairs that are somewhat similar.
Very similar to each other (Kabanikha) and Wild. They are powerful people, no one dares to argue with them. Wild dominates in the town of Kalinov, and Kabanikha in his estate. Both persons respect each other, because they consider themselves similar and the same.
Daughter Kabanova, is a friend of Katerina. Girls always tell each other secrets. Varvara learned and adapted to life in her mother's house. And her main skill was lying. In her speech, she directly states that without this it is impossible to live in their family. She resembles her mother in her manners and character. She is equal to another character - Ivan Kudryash. He is lively and frisky, he is cocky and boastful. In some ways, he reminds us of the Wild himself. A couple of Curly and Varvara eventually run away from the city. But will they be able to become different people and free themselves from the principles of tyranny? This is known only to the author.
There are two similar male images. This is Katerina's husband - Tikhon and her beloved Boris. Both of them can be considered weak and spineless. could not protect Katerina from the constant oppression of Kabanikh and silently obeyed the will of his mother. And Boris could not take the girl with him to Siberia, and thereby save her from suicide. He was completely dependent on his Uncle Wild. Both characters simply do not deserve attention, much less Katerina's love.
The wanderer Feklusha and are also paired, only this is completely opposite images. Feklusha is an adherent of the "dark kingdom". She always comes to the defense of tyrants. Kuligin, on the other hand, opposes the images of the Wild, Boar and other similar persons. It was he who was able to express indictment towards Marfa Kabanova after the death of Katerina.
Thanks to such a variety of minor characters, we see against their background the fate of the main character Katerina, who has no equal in this play. Only she was able to deal an irreparable blow to the "dark kingdom" and express a frank protest of cruelty, callousness and lawlessness.
A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered the father of Russian everyday drama, Russian theater. He opened new horizons for the Russian theater, new heroes, new type relations of people. About 60 plays belong to his pen, of which the most famous are such as "Dowry", " Late love"," Forest "," Enough simplicity for every sage "," Our people - we will settle "and, of course," Thunderstorm.
The play "Thunderstorm" was named by A. N. Dobrolyubov the most decisive work, since "the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought in it to tragic consequences.... Indeed, the play takes us to the small Volga city of Kalinov, which would not be remarkable if, in the depths of its patriarchal nature, problems would not arise that can be attributed to a number of universal problems. Stuffiness is the main thing that determines the atmosphere cities, and the playwright very accurately tells us the state of mind of people forced to spend their lives in this atmosphere.
The secondary characters in the play not only form the background against which the personal drama of Katerina, the main character of the work, unfolds. They show us different types people's attitudes towards their lack of freedom. The system of images in the play is such that all minor characters form conditional pairs, and only Katerina is alone in her true desire to get out from under the yoke of "tyrants".
Dikoy and Kabanova are people who keep in constant fear those who are somehow dependent on them. Dobrolyubov very aptly called them "tyrants", since the fundamental law for everyone is their freedom. It is no coincidence that they treat a friend with a friend very respectfully: they are the same, only the sphere of influence is different. Wild manages in the city, Kabanikha - in his family.
Katerina's constant companion is Varvara, the sister of her husband Tikhon. She is the main opponent of the heroine. Her main rule: "Do whatever you want, if only everything was sewn and covered." Barbara cannot be denied intelligence and cunning; before marriage, she wants to be in time everywhere, to try everything, because she knows that "girls walk around themselves as they want, father and mother don't care. Only women are locked up." Varvara perfectly understands the essence of relations between people in their house, but does not consider it necessary to fight mother's "thunderstorm". Lying is the norm for her. In a conversation with Katerina, she directly speaks about this: “Well, you can’t do without it ... Our whole dwelling rests on this. And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary.” Barbara adapted to the dark kingdom, learned its laws and rules. It feels authority, strength, the desire to deceive. She, in fact, is the future Boar, because an apple does not fall far from an apple tree.
Varvara's friend, Ivan Kudryash, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can answer Wild. “I’m considered a rude man; why is he holding me? So he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me ... ”says Kudryash. In conversation, he behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess, red tape, knowledge of the "merchant establishment". He, too, adapted to the tyranny of the Wild. Furthermore, moreover, it can be assumed that Curly could have turned out to be the second Wild.
At the end of the play, Varvara and Kudryash leave " dark kingdom", but does that very escape mean that they are completely freed from the old traditions and laws and will become the source of new laws of life and fair rules? Hardly. They are likely to try to become masters of life themselves.
The couple is also made up of two men with whom the fate of Katerina was connected. They can be safely called the true victims of the "dark kingdom". So the husband of Katerina Tikhon is a weak-willed, spineless creature. He obeys his mother in everything and obeys her. He does not have a clear life position, courage, boldness. His image fully corresponds to the name given to him - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also allows his mother to treat his wife shamelessly. This is especially dazzling in the scene of farewell, before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats word for word all the instructions and moralizing of his mother. Kabanov could not resist his mother in anything, he only sought consolation in wine and on those short trips when he could get out of his mother's yoke at least for a while.
Of course, Katerina cannot love and respect such a husband, but her human essence craves love. She falls in love with Diky's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in the apt expression of A. N. Dobrolyubov, "in the wilderness", because in essence, Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Is that more educated, yes, like Katerina, he did not spend his whole life in Kalinovo. Boris's lack of will, his desire to get his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful with his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love. Katerina bitterly says that Boris, unlike her, is free. But his freedom - except in the absence of his wife.
Kuligin and Feklusha also form a couple, but here it is already appropriate to talk about the antithesis. The wanderer Feklusha can be called the "ideologist" of the "dark kingdom". With her stories about the lands where people with dog heads live, about a thunderstorm, which are perceived as irrefutable information about the world, she helps "tyrants" to keep people in constant fear. Kalinov, for her, is God-blessed soil. The self-taught mechanic Kuligin, looking for a perpetual motion machine, is the exact opposite of Feklusha. He is active, obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. A condemnation of the "dark kingdom" was put into his mouth: "Cruel, sir, the morals in our city are cruel ... Whoever has finances, sir, he tries to enslave the poor, so that he can make even more finances for his free labors ..." But that's all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, ignorance. So, on an attempt to put steel lightning rods on the houses, he receives a fierce rebuff from Diky: "The storm is sent to us as a punishment, so that we feel, but you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of horns, God forgive me."
Kuligin is perhaps the only one who understands main character, it is no coincidence that he just utters accusatory words in the finale of the play, holding dead body Catherine. But he is also incapable of fighting, as he too has adapted to the "dark kingdom", resigned himself to such a life.
And finally, the last character is a half-mad lady, who at the very beginning of the play predicts the death of Katerina. It becomes the personification of those ideas about sin that live in the soul brought up in patriarchal family religious Katherine. True, in the finale of the play, Katerina manages to overcome her fear, because she understands that lying and humbling herself throughout existence is a greater offense than suicide.
Secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Each character in the play, each image is a trifle, allowing the author to convey as accurately as possible the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom" and the unpreparedness of most people for the fight.
A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered the father of Russian everyday drama, Russian theater. He opened up new horizons for the Russian theater, new heroes, a new type of human relations. About 60 plays belong to his pen, of which the most famous are such as “Dowry”, “Late Love”, “Forest”, “Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man”, “Own People - Let's Settle” and, of course, “Thunderstorm”.
The play "Thunderstorm" was called by A.N. Dobrolyubov the most decisive work, since "the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought in it to tragic consequences ...". Indeed, the play takes us to the small Volga town of Kalinov, which would not be remarkable at all if, in the depths of its patriarchal nature, problems would not arise that can be attributed to a number of universal human problems. Stuffiness is the main thing that determines the atmosphere of the city. And the playwright very accurately conveys to us the state of mind of people who are forced to spend their lives in this atmosphere.
The secondary characters in the play not only form the background against which the personal drama of Katerina, the main character of the work, unfolds. They show us different types of people's attitudes towards their lack of freedom. The system of images in the play is such that all secondary characters form conditional pairs, and only Katerina is alone in her true desire to escape from the oppression of "tyrants".
Dikoy and Kabanova are people who keep in constant fear those who are somehow dependent on them. Dobrolyubov very aptly called them "tyrants", since the main law for everyone is their will. It is no coincidence that they treat each other very respectfully: they are the same, only the sphere of influence is different. Wild manages in the city, Kabanikha - in his family.
Katerina's constant companion is Varvara, the sister of her husband Tikhon. She is the main opponent of the heroine. Her main rule: "Do whatever you want, if only everything was sewn and covered." Barbara cannot be denied intelligence and cunning; before marriage, she wants to be in time everywhere, to try everything, because she knows that “girls walk around as they want, father and mother don’t care. Only women are locked up.” Varvara perfectly understands the essence of relations between people in their house, but does not consider it necessary to fight mother's "storm". Lying is the norm for her. In a conversation with Katerina, she directly speaks about this: “Well, you can’t do without it ... Our whole house rests on this. And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary. Barbara adapted to the dark kingdom, learned its laws and rules. It feels power, strength, desire to deceive. She, in fact, is the future Boar, because an apple does not fall far from an apple tree.
Varvara's friend, Ivan Kudryash, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Kalinov who can answer Wild. “I am considered a rude; why is he holding me? So, he needs me. Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me ... ”says Kudryash. In conversation, he behaves cheekily, smartly, boldly, boasts of his prowess, red tape, knowledge of the "merchant establishment". He, too, adapted to the tyranny of the Wild. Moreover, one can even assume that Curly could have turned into a second Wild.
At the end of the play, Varvara and Kudryash leave the "dark kingdom", but does this escape mean that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will become the source of new laws of life and honest rules? Hardly. They are likely to try to become masters of life themselves.
The couple is also made up of two men with whom the fate of Katerina was connected. They can be safely called the true victims of the "dark kingdom". So the husband of Katerina Tikhon is a weak-willed, spineless creature. He obeys his mother in everything and obeys her. He does not have a clear life position, courage, courage. His image fully corresponds to the name given to him - Tikhon (quiet). Young Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also allows his mother to treat his wife shamelessly. This is especially evident in the scene of farewell, before leaving for the fair. Tikhon repeats word for word all the instructions and moralizing of his mother. Kabanov could not resist his mother in anything, he only sought consolation in wine and on those short trips when, at least for a while, he could escape from the yoke of his mother.
Of course, Katerina cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with nephew-
Nick Wild, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in the apt expression of A. N. Dobrolyubova, “on the desert”, because in essence Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Is that more educated, yes, like Katerina, he did not spend his whole life in Kalinovo. Boris's lack of will, his desire to receive his part of his grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive it only if he is respectful with his uncle) turned out to be stronger than love. Katerina bitterly says that Boris, unlike her, is free. But his freedom - except in the absence of his wife.
Kuligin and Feklusha also form a couple, but here it is already appropriate to talk about antithesis. The wanderer Feklusha can be called the "ideologist" of the "dark kingdom". With her stories about the lands where people with dog heads live, about the thunderstorm, which are perceived as irrefutable information about the world, she helps the "tyrants" to keep people in constant fear. Kalinov, for her, is the land blessed by God. The self-taught mechanic Kuligin, who is looking for a perpetual motion machine, is the exact opposite of Feklusha. He is active, obsessed with a constant desire to do something useful for people. A condemnation of the “dark kingdom” was put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, morals in our city, cruel ... Whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor, so that for his labors gratuitous more more money to make money ... ”But all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, ignorance. So, on an attempt to put steel lightning rods on the houses, he receives a fierce rebuff from Diky: “The storm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel, but you want to defend yourself with poles and horns of some kind, God forgive me.”
Kuligin, perhaps, is the only one who understands the main character, it is no coincidence that it is he who pronounces accusatory words at the end of the play, holding the body of the dead Katerina in his arms. But he is also incapable of fighting, as he also adapted to the "dark kingdom", resigned himself to such a life.
And finally, the last character is a half-mad lady, who at the very beginning of the play predicts the death of Katerina. She becomes the personification of those ideas about sin that live in the soul of the religious Katerina, brought up in a patriarchal family. True, in the finale of the play, Katerina manages to overcome her fear, for she understands that all her life to lie and humble herself is a greater sin than suicide.
Secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Each character in the play, each image -
a detail that allows the author to convey as accurately as possible the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom" and the unpreparedness of most people to fight.
