Griboedov million torment summary. A million torments (critical study)

"A million torments" (compendium).

The comedy "Woe from Wit" is both a picture of manners, and a gallery of living types, and burning satire, and most of all a comedy. As a picture it is huge. Her canvas captures a long period of Russian life - from Catherine to Emperor Nicholas. In a group of twenty people, all the old Moscow was reflected, its design, its then spirit, historical moment and customs. And all this with such artistic, objective completeness and certainty, which was given only to Pushkin and Gogol.

As long as there will be a desire for honors apart from merit, as long as there will be craftsmen and hunters to please and “take rewards and live happily”, as long as gossip, idleness, emptiness will dominate not as vices, but as parts of public life, - until then, of course, will appear and modern society features of the Famusovs, Molchalins and others.

The main role, of course, is the role of Chatsky, without which there would be no comedy, but there would be a picture of morals.

Every step of Chatsky, almost every word of his in the play is closely connected with the play of his feelings for Sophia, irritated by some kind of lie in her actions, which he struggles to unravel to the very end. All his mind and all his strength go into this struggle: it served as a motive, a pretext for irritation, for that “million of torments”, under the influence of which he could only play the role indicated to him by Griboedov, the role of a much larger one, highest value than unsuccessful love, in a word, the role for which the whole comedy was born.

The role of Chatsky is passive, at the same time it is always victorious.

The vitality of Chatsky's role lies in his absence of abstractions.

The role and physiognomy of the Chatskys is unchanged. Chatsky is most of all a denouncer of lies and everything that has become obsolete, that drowns out new life, "free life".

His ideal free life”is defined: it is freedom from all these counted chains of slavery that fetter society, and then freedom - “to put a mind hungry for knowledge into science”, or freely indulge in “arts creative, high and beautiful”, - freedom “to serve or not to serve ”, “to live in the countryside or travel”, not being known for that either as a robber or an incendiary, and - a number of further next similar steps towards freedom - from lack of freedom. Chatsky is broken by the amount of old strength, inflicting a mortal blow on it with the quality of fresh strength.

He is the eternal debunker of lies, hidden in the proverb: "One man is not a warrior." No, a warrior, if he is Chatsky, and, moreover, a winner, but an advanced warrior, a skirmisher and always a victim. Chatsky is inevitable at every change of centuries.

Sofya Pavlovna is not individually immoral: she sins with the sin of ignorance, blindness, in which everyone lived -

Light does not punish delusions,

But secrets are required for them!

This couplet by Pushkin expresses the general meaning of conventional morality. Sophia never saw the light from her and never would have seen the light without Chatsky, for lack of a chance. She's not as guilty as she seems. This is a mixture of good instincts with lies, a lively mind with no hint of ideas and convictions, confusion of concepts, mental and moral blindness - all this does not have the character of personal vices in it, but is, as common features her circle. In her own, personal physiognomy, something of her own is hiding in the shadows, hot, tender, even dreamy. The rest belongs to education.

Looking deeper into Sophia's character and environment, you see that it was not immorality that "brought her" to Molchalin. First of all, the desire to patronize a loved one, a poor, modest one who does not dare to raise his eyes to her - to elevate him to himself, to his circle, to give him family law. Without a doubt, she smiled in this role to rule over a submissive creature, make him happy and have an eternal slave in him. It is not her fault that the future “husband is a boy, the husband-servant is the ideal of Moscow husbands!” came out of this. There was nowhere to stumble upon other ideals in Famusov's house. In general, it is difficult to treat Sophia not sympathetically: she has the strong makings of a remarkable nature, a lively mind, passion and feminine gentleness. It is ruined in stuffiness, where not a single ray of light, not a single stream penetrated. fresh air. No wonder Chatsky also loved her. After him, she alone was asking for some kind of sad feeling, in the soul of the reader there is no against her that laughter with which he parted with other faces. She, of course, is harder than everyone else, even Chatsky.

As a critical response to the comedy "Woe from Wit" by Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov, Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov creates "A Million Torments". The summary of the article is a deep social and ideological analysis this work. It is characteristic that the title of the article was a phrase dropped by Griboedov's character - Alexander Andreyevich Chatsky. Thus, already when reading the title, it becomes clear what will be discussed.

Comedy demanded by the era

Was this assessment timely? Undoubtedly. Russia lived in a transitional era from the capitalist. There were no raznochintsy yet, and yet the nobility remained the most advanced layer of society. But is it all the nobility? That is the question. The development of a vast country could no longer be stimulated by heroes of the type Pushkin Onegin, nor Lermontovsky Pechorin. Article by I.A. Goncharov's "A Million of Torments" popularly and logically led its readers to this conclusion. Undoubtedly, society demanded a new, fresh look at society, the role of a citizen, education, social activities. And this view was presented by the image of Alexander Andreyevich Chatsky.

Chatsky's character

Chatsky's character is not just central, but centrifugal in an adequate, fair assessment of the meaning of this image (which simply did not exist before) Goncharov dedicated "Million of Torments". The brief content of the comedy is manifested in the fact that Chatsky opposes the "old world", cleverly and meaningfully testifying to the truth. It is not customary to talk like that in the aristocratic circles of Moscow. A honest characterization"pillars of society" is perceived by the highest nobility as an "assault on the foundations" and sacrilege. The nobility is powerless before his rhetoric, they shun him, declaring him insane.

Is it logical? Yes, and to the highest degree! Let us recall that even Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin did not understand Chatsky. The well-known poet, noting the justice of the comedy hero’s statements, at the same time wonders: “Why does he say all this if no one hears him” (i.e., the veiled question is clearly felt: “Isn’t Chatsky stupid?”). Dobrolyubov, on the other hand, was frankly ironic about this character - "gambling guy." Since the fundamental novelty of the talentedly created image was not noticed by almost the entire society, in fact, this is why Goncharov wrote “Million of Torments”. The summary of his work is an analysis of Griboedov's work.

So, our hero comes to aristocratic Moscow, looking up from business, to declare his love to the young, educated and romantic Sofia Famusova, who refuses him. This is where the plot intrigue is built. The girl, in turn, had already forgotten about her first feeling for him. She is driven by romantic generosity. Therefore, it cannot be said that she is as mercantile as her chosen one - the untalented and vile secretary of her father - Alexei Stepanovich Molchalin. People who imitate activities to achieve their career aspirations are soulless people, capable of expressing subservience and then betraying. Molchalins. Their caustic characterization is dedicated by Goncharov "Million of Torments". The summary of the comedy shows: they must lose. After all, the future state of the "Molchalins" is much more terrible than the state of the "Famusovs".

Alexei Stepanovich Molchalin is the antipode of Chatsky. A cowardly, stupid, but "moderate and accurate" careerist and in the future - a bureaucrat. There is nothing living, natural in the image of Molchalin. But his life calculation is correct - it is precisely such people, by their nature - slaves, who prefer to elevate those in power, so that later they reign supreme with the help of such people who do not have their own opinion.

conclusions

What is the significance of this work by Ivan Alexandrovich? It is obvious. Goncharov devotes "A Million of Torments" to an objective and worthy assessment. The brief content of the article is dedicated to this "beam of light in the dark kingdom."

The merit of Goncharov is that after a while he noticed an essential detail: Chatsky is active, he is able to change the world. He is a man of the future, which cannot be said about the passive dreamers Onegin and Pechorin. The image of Alexander Andreevich, despite the name of Griboedov's comedy, is optimistic. He inspires confidence in his rightness, being a literary and figurative embodiment of the words "and alone in the field - a warrior!"

The convictions of this man are the convictions of a Decembrist. Thus, comedy is a kind of alarm for future events. Russian society, which occurred on December 14, 1825 on

Year of publication of the book: 1872

Goncharov's critical article "A Million of Torments" was first published in 1872. The work analyzes the play of the popular Russian called. The author calls it relevant to this day, confirming his words with quotes from the book itself. Today, Goncharov's article "A Million of Torments" can be read within the framework of school curriculum, and the author can be found among .

Articles "Million of torment" summary

In his work “A Million Torments”, Goncharov notes that Griboyedov’s novel “Woe from Wit” can be called rather fresh work. He even compares the heroes of the play with characters. The latter, in his opinion, are already fading into the past and fading, while Griboyedov was able to convey the character of people so accurately that he does not lose his relevance.

Further in Goncharov's study "A Million of Torments" summary tells that Griboedov's play was able to accurately reflect the mores of that time. In twenty characters, the writer in a satirical form was able to masterfully depict the entire capital with its advantages and disadvantages. Everything that happened behind the door of ordinary residents could be reflected in the work: gossip, family intrigues, idleness.

In Goncharov's work "A Million of Torments" we can also read about the main character of Griboyedov's play - Alexander Chatsky. Here he is compared to a character. However, the author of the sketch gives his preference to Chatsky. After all, in him, he said, there is a desire to become better. Unlike Onegin, he did not waste his life senselessly, but managed to study at the university, visit different countries, read a lot of books. In addition, Goncharov calls Chatsky a fighter for his convictions - due to the fact that the main character did not like to serve in front of someone who is higher in rank, he lost his previous job. Famusov stands in opposition to him, who defends the ingrained way of life with its lies and servility.

After that, from the abstract of Goncharov's article "A Million of Torments" one can learn that in the play Griboyedov managed to fully reveal the lyrical side of the character. This became possible thanks to the young girl Sofya, to whom Chatsky felt strong feelings. And, although the heroine loves another, the young man stubbornly tries to win her favor. But all to no avail.

Goncharov shows how hard it was for Chatsky to live in that society. Because of his convictions, he was able to turn many against him - the Gorichev spouses, Mrs. Khlestova, the swindler Zagoretsky. All that remains for him is “a million torments” and grief from his mind. Eventually the protagonist gets tired of fighting the others and starts acting like he's gone crazy.

Later, in Goncharov's article "A Million of Torments", the synopsis briefly describes the character of Sophia. The author notices the similarity of the girl with main character the aforementioned novel by Pushkin Tatyana. She is also the first to confess her feelings and sincerely gives herself in love. But there is something else in it, some inner strength and sharp mind. This is what captivates Chatsky.

Alexander himself, tired of fighting against hypocrisy and lies, understands that he will not succeed here. This is what makes the image of the main character relevant to this day. Goncharov's work "A Million of Torments" briefly tells that people like Chatsky will always exist on earth. These are fighters for the future, for progressive ideas and justice. Even Pushkin's Onegin is not such a bright character. Chatsky strive for freedom from the invisible slavery that hangs over all people. It is for this reason that his image can never grow old.

Summing up, the author reflects on the importance of correct interpretation of the text on the stage in the form theatrical performance. In his article “A Million of Torments”, Goncharov talks about the fact that it is already quite difficult for actors to portray the character of people of that era, so you can often find an implausible game. In order for the production to touch the hearts of the audience, the actors need to be imbued with every line of the play, convey it in such a way that people in the audience can feel the same as the characters feel. This can be achieved with the intonation, volume and voice of each character. Only then will the audience be able to hear the exemplary performance of the role.

Article "A Million of Torments" on the Top Books website

In his critical study "A Million of Torments" I.A. Goncharov described "Woe from Wit" as a lively sharp satire, but at the same time a comedy, which shows the customs and historical moments of Moscow and its inhabitants.

In the play, Griboyedov touched on quite important questions such as: upbringing, education, civic duty, service to the fatherland, serfdom and worship of everything foreign. The work describes a huge period in the life of the Russian people, from Catherine to Emperor Nicholas, symbolized by a group of 20 guests at a reception at Famusov, which Chatsky, the main character of the comedy, falls into. The writer showed the struggle of the past and the present in the images of the Chatsky Ifamus society.

When Chatsky arrives at Famusov's house to his beloved Sophia, he encounters people who live in lies and hypocrisy. People who are only interested in dinner parties and dancing, who are not interested in anything new at all. Chatsky personifies a person with a new structure of mind and soul, who is inspired by new ideas and knowledge, who is looking for new horizons. He is disgusted by serving the Fatherland only for the sake of rank and wealth.

But what about Sophia? Sophia did not like Chatsky, she cheated on him, choosing the near-minded Molchalin, who knows where and to whom to serve. Declaring Chatsky crazy, Sophia joins Chatsky's "tormentors", who laugh and mock him.

In Famusov's society, Chatsky remains misunderstood. He sees and understands the horror of serfdom and the fact that those gentlemen who absolutely do not care about problems own this world. common people and states, they are more concerned with their own good. At the same time, Chatsky does not understand how to exchange a person for a dog, or take a child from his parents, to satisfy the will of the master.

Unfortunately, neither his speech nor his suffering excites anyone, and by expressing everything that he has accumulated, Chatsky sets everyone against him even more. And he speaks against people who value power and wealth, but are very afraid of enlightenment and truth. He talks about the fact that the progress of society is associated with the development of the individual, the flourishing of the sciences and enlightenment. But alas, this is all alien and alien to the society of old Moscow. He is constantly pointed to his ancestors that he should be the same. Chatsky is very smart and educated and does not understand how you can not live, but only play your roles. Ridiculed and misunderstood by anyone, he leaves Famusov's house with his unresolved torments.

Goncharov believes that Chatsky is broken by the amount of old power, but in turn he dealt her a mortal blow with the quality of new power, thereby starting a new century.

Immortal work famous classic Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit", according to which performances were constantly staged and continue to be staged in many theaters of the world over time, has not lost its relevance.

Ivan Goncharov - Russian writer And literary critic who was born in 1812. He became famous for writing an analytical article in which he analyzed the plot famous play Griboyedov. The work was so carefully analyzed by the author that, by studying the article, you can learn in detail about each main character of the play, his positive and negative qualities character. The article was called "A Million of Torments", a summary of which can be read online without much time consuming.

In fact, Goncharov's criticism of Griboyedov's play is not only an analysis storyline works, but also a satire on the way of life of the indigenous inhabitants of Moscow. The author makes fun of their customs, culture, way of life, attitude to life and people around them. Below you can read a summary of "A Million of Torment", which is presented in a condensed form.

This is a character who, according to Griboyedov, has a too sharp mind. His developed mind prevents him from living, building a normal way of life and developing. Goncharov notes that, despite this, Chatsky Griboyedov, compared with the same main characters in the works of Lermontov and Pushkin - Pechorin and Onegin - is an order of magnitude higher than them.

First of all, as a person, Alexander Andreevich Chatsky has big amount positive traits character.

Alexander Andreevich has been thoroughly preparing for great achievements all his life. The hero of the play studied well at school, read a lot and devoted the lion's share of his time to travel, and therefore arrogance and pride are inherent in him. For this reason, the young man at one time parted ways with the ministers. This trait in Chatsky's character was skillfully described by Griboedov, using just one phrase. : “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to serve.” In addition to pride, one can also note self-esteem, which is very sharply developed in the hero.

Heated disputes between Famusov and Chatsky allow us to capture the very essence of the previously written play.

Note!Main character works is a man of a completely new era.

The mind of the protagonist is full of bright and new ideas. The young man condemns the mores of the past. According to the storyline, Famusov is his complete opposite, defending the old traditions, rules and foundations of past years.

Two camps and a love triangle

IN comedy play Griboyedov "Woe from Wit", two main camps of opponents are formed:

  • Large Famusov family. Here the author describes senior and younger brothers as well as their father.
  • One against all, the eternal seeker of truth and new ideas - Chatsky.

Also in the comedy unfolds love affair. This is a triangle of relations formed by Sophia, Chatsky and Molchalin.

Sophia is in love with Molchalin, but she cannot say about her feelings, since the manifestation of passion by a woman towards a man is a sign of vulgarity. Despite this, Sophia in every possible way hints to Molchalin that she is not indifferent to her.

While riding a horse, the girl pretends to have lost consciousness. Molchalin is such a timid and shy person that he is in a daze and is not able to recognize Sophia's true intentions.

Alexander Andreevich, in turn, has loving feelings for Sophia. The main character does not hide his relationship to the object of love, but the girl does not show any interest in him. All her thoughts are occupied exclusively by Molchalin. Because of this, Chatsky considers the opponent a nonentity who is not worthy of love so beautiful woman like Sophia. Chatsky refers himself to the category of ardent and courageous men, whose soul and mind are torn apart by “a million torments”.

With his sharp and at the same time sarcastic remarks, Chatsky achieves that he sets the Famusovs, Sofya and Molchalin against himself. And yet, somewhere in the depths of his soul, there is still hope that Sophia will show compassion for him and reciprocate his love feelings. The poor young man does not even suspect that a conspiracy is being prepared against him in the enemy camp of the Famusov family. Until that time, his sharp mind sharply destroyed all the surrounding enemies, thoughts quickly transformed into poisonous words that hit the most sore spots of ill-wishers.

A million torments

Chatsky was already tired of fighting. It seems that the whole world is against him, and all further attempts to defeat the enemies are just a waste of time. In the summary of the article, Goncharov pointed out that at this stage Chatsky becomes sad, picky about others.

The speech of a man becomes drunk, it becomes difficult to catch the essence of his thoughts and statements. This once again confirms the rumors about madness that Sophia had previously spread.

After some time, Molchalin and Sophia are tied love story. Young people agree on a first date and meet far from human eyes. Only one Chatsky does not stop following the girl. He spies on how young people communicate in private. Full of jealousy and unrequited love, Alexander Andreevich arranges a hysterical scene for the girl. At this moment, the man looks like Othello: he begins to reproach Sophia for giving him false hope, dragging him along, and eventually rejecting him.

Sophia herself justifies herself and convinces the crazy man that all this time she only pushed him away from herself. Chatsky does not hear Sophia and continues to insist on his feelings, which she is not able to accept. Goncharov notes that this case Chatsky had no right to the role of Othello, which he so passionately performed during the play, because in reality Sophia did not give him any promises and even the slightest hint of love. All the passionate feelings of the girl were directed to the timid Molchalin.

Useful video: "A million torments" - in 5 minutes

The image of Sophia

Goncharov believes that in the play "Woe from Wit" in the image of Sophia, the average woman of that era is represented. This is a moral and at the same time mental blindness, which is overshadowed by the instincts of lust. Only with the help of an outsider, this veil before the eyes gradually disappears, and insight comes, but too late, since the maiden's honor is trampled on by the condemnations of others.

In this case, the role of Chatsky lies in the fact that it was he who opened the girl's eyes to all the insignificance of Molchalin. With his constant jealousy, the young man emphasized all the time that Molchalin was not worthy of her hand and heart.

Note! Sophia is also a strong female nature, who does not care about the opinions of others. It is quite possible that it was precisely for these qualities that Chatsky fell in love with her and so desired to take possession of her heart, because the girl was his equal in mind.

Despite all the strength of her character, Sophia was carried away by Molchalin for the simple reason that she felt not only love for him, but also great pity. In eyes strong woman Molchalin looked like a weak man who needed constant moral support. Sophia wanted to elevate him so that he would become her equal and be there all the time. A woman could get herself an eternal slave, under her complete psychological control.

personal freedom

Chatsky vehemently argues with Famusov, arguing that the whole essence of a free life is to break the shackles of slavery. These are life frames, criteria and stereotypes that do not allow a person to live the way he wants. In part, the Famusovs agree, but a sense of pride does not allow them to completely yield to the interlocutor. Describing this situation, the author of the article, Goncharov, focuses on the fact that Alexander Andreevich is the type of person who despises quotes like "One man is not a warrior."

If we are talking about Chatsky, then, of course, he is a warrior. Even left alone against everyone, this person will fight and confront the whole world of people who do not agree with his single and correct opinion. Alexander Andreevich proves the correctness of his thought even when it is an absolutely useless waste of time. Chatsky is the image of a person who is used to always being at the forefront of events. He is a skirmisher warrior and at the same time a victim, since the result of all disputes is always the same - this is the rejection by society of a person who dared to go against the opinion of the majority.

Useful video: A million torments - staged by the Open Book studio

Conclusion

After the general analysis Goncharov's work moves on to the staging of Griboyedov's play. The author believes that beating a comedy is much more difficult than it seems at first glance. Goncharov argues his idea with the following arguments:

  1. historical fidelity. The thing is that the stage does not tolerate strict observance of the historical reality reflected in the work. When acting out the plot of a play, the actors must always be creative. A slight deviation of the storyline is allowed. IN otherwise the result of such a production will be one - this is a mediocre and boring action that will quickly tire the viewer and does not motivate other fans theatrical art come to the re-staging of the play.
  2. Artistic performance. According to Goncharov, an actor is at the same time a musician, poet and writer rolled into one. He must subtly feel the work, the plot of which is played out on stage. Each phrase of the hero of the play must be pronounced with maximum artistry. It is also necessary to keep literary language works. It is this harmonious combination that awaits an exquisite audience. This is the plan of action that a successful actor playing in Griboyedov's play should always know.