Composition “The role of secondary characters in the drama of A. N

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered the singer of the merchant environment, the father of Russian everyday drama, Russian national theater. He wrote about 60 plays, and one of the most famous is The Thunderstorm. A. N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky’s play The Thunderstorm the most decisive work, since “the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought to tragic consequences in it ... There is something refreshing and encouraging in The Thunderstorm. This something is, in our opinion, the background of the play.

The background of the play is made up of secondary characters. This is a constant companion of Katerina, the main character of the play, Varvara, the sister of Katerina's husband, Tikhon Kabanova. She is the opposite of Katerina. Her main rule: "Do whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered." You can’t deny Barbara’s mind, cunning, before marriage she wants to be in time everywhere, try everything, because she knows that “girls walk around themselves as they want, father and mother don’t care. Only women are locked up.” Lying is the norm for her. Otsa directly tells Katerina that it is impossible without deception: “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", studied its laws and rules. It feels authority, strength, readiness and even a desire to deceive. She, in fact, is the future Boar, because an apple does not fall far from an apple tree. Barbara's friend, Curly, is a match for her. He is the only one in the city of Ka-linovo who can fight back the 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. He behaves cheekily, briskly, boldly, boasts of his prowess, knowledge of the "merchant establishment". Curly is the second Wild, only still young.

In the end, Varvara and Kudryash leave the "dark kingdom", but their escape does not mean at all that they have completely freed themselves from old traditions and laws and will accept new laws of life and honest rules. Once free, they are likely to try to become masters of life themselves.

There are also true victims of the "dark kingdom" in the play. This is the husband of Katerina Kabanova, Tikhon, a weak-willed, spineless creature. He listens to his mother in everything and obeys her, does not have a clear life position, courage, boldness. His image is fully consistent with the name - 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 parting scene 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 slowly drank too much, becoming even more weak-willed and quiet. Of course, she cannot love and respect such a husband, but her soul yearns for love. She falls in love with Diky's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in the apt expression of Dobrolyubov, “in the desert”, because in fact Boris is not much different from Tikhon. Just a little more educated. 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. .

IN " dark kingdom» The pilgrim Feklusha enjoys great respect and respect. Feklusha's stories about the lands where people with dog heads live are perceived as irrefutable information about the world. But not everything in it is so gloomy: there are also living, sympathetic souls. This is a self-taught mechanic Kuli-gin, who invents a perpetual motion machine. He is kind and active, literally obsessed constant desire do something useful for people. But all his good intentions run into a thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, ignorance. So, in response to an attempt to put steel lightning rods on the houses, he receives a furious 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 essentially a reasoner in the play, a condemnation of the “dark kingdom” is put into his mouth: “Cruel, sir, mores in our city, cruel ... Whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor, so that for his labors gratuitous more more money make money..."

But Kuligin, like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara, Kudryash, adapted to the "dark kingdom", resigned himself to such a life. Secondary characters, as already mentioned, are the background against which the tragedy of a desperate woman unfolds. Each face in the play, each image was a step on the ladder that led Katerina to the banks of the Volga, to death.

ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS IN THE DRAMA "Thunderstorm".

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, old church, where pious parishioners go to pray, with a public garden over the river, where on holidays the townsfolk walk decorously, with gatherings on benches at the boarded gate, behind which they bark furiously chain dogs. 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 connected with the central conflict of the 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. Her worldly rules are 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 of the 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 reputed to be a 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, we 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 the death of Katerina aroused a protest against the "dark kingdom" from the silent, downtrodden Tikhon, called Kuligin, who is usually shy 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 main character- Katerina protests against the old world, but minor characters somehow raise their voice against the "dark kingdom".

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 down” 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 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 will not 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, the morals in our city, cruel ... Whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor in order to make even more money from his free labors ...” But all his good intentions come across on 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 some poles and horns, 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 last character- 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 brought up in a patriarchal family. religious Katerina. 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 actor 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.

In today's article, I'm going to talk about one extremely subtle problem, which, unfortunately, not all novice authors think about. Today we will talk about roles secondary characters in a literary work. The fact is that novice authors sometimes either completely forget about the so-called supporting roles, or pay too much attention to a particularly successful secondary character to the detriment of the overall idea of ​​the story. Therefore, in order for such problems to arise as rarely as possible, we will discuss the place of secondary characters in overall structure artistic text.

For you, I think it's not a secret that within the framework of the blog " Literary workshop"I pay the most serious attention to the issues of working on characters, as I am completely sure that it is in the quality drawing of characters that a considerable share of the success of the whole work lies. Of course, everyone's business is to share these judgments or to refuse them, but if you are interested in the issues of competent study of the characters in your work, this article will certainly be useful to you.

Secondary characters.

So, at the very beginning, in order to better understand and structure the material, I will have to voice a couple of common truths. It is clear that these are well-known axioms, but without them, the subsequent investigation into the issue is simply impossible. The first banality goes something like this: Not all characters in a literary work are created equal.. Indeed, they can conditionally be divided into major and minor. And if the authors almost always pay increased attention to the main characters (they try to reveal the character, show the depth of inner feelings), then it is often simply not enough for the secondary ones. But in vain. Sometimes the roles of the second plan are no less important than the main ones ... But first things first.

In general, the main characters are the characters that the story tells about. The secondary ones are everything else.

The second banality for today: the author himself and readers in the course of the work must clearly understand which characters are the main ones and which are insignificant. If the public has confusion or doubts, the blame for this lies entirely with the author. He must clearly separate one from the other, and also be fully aware of what role the main characters play in his opus, and why he uses secondary ones. And if everything is generally clear with the former (the main characters are the conductors of the main idea of ​​the work, the object of viewer interest and empathy), then the place and tasks of the latter are not always extremely clear and transparent. It is these difficulties that we will discuss further.

Live background.

So, unless our story takes place on a desert island, the main characters are usually surrounded by a lot of people who don't have much influence on the course of the story. In fact, they are only part of the background of our work. They can perform some insignificant functions (tell the hero the news, bring him to the scene of action, step on his foot in a tram, steal a wallet in a stampede, etc.), but after that they invariably disappear from view. The main character cannot be in an absolute vacuum, there are always people around him who create a moving background, a dynamic setting for the work, otherwise what is happening simply will not be realistic. It is very important that these minor characters do not attract too much attention, do not interfere with the perception of events and the hero himself.

However, it is not always possible to maintain the right balance between the main and secondary characters. Sometimes the image of some insignificant person turns out to be so vivid that it begins to “pull the blanket over itself”, to distract the reader from the main direction of the story. In this case, the writer should carefully consider why this happens? Perhaps the influence of this character should be reduced, to the point of excluding him from the text altogether, or maybe it would be more reasonable to change the plot a little, allocating more free space to a successful bright image, making him one of the main characters? The author must decide this question on his own, based on general design, work ideas.

But in general, of course, the main role of secondary characters is to create a lively background for the work.

Stereotyping.

What, by and large, main character literary work differs from ordinary person? In the overwhelming majority of cases, the fact that the hero is capable of those actions that the layman would never have dared to do. That is why he is a hero. But on the other hand, a hero can only be a hero in the background ordinary people, only in comparison with their stereotype can he demonstrate his heroism (the ability to deviate from the usual rules and norms, violate prohibitions, show courage, etc.). Accordingly, the role of minor characters in the story is also demonstration of society stereotypes. That is, secondary characters in any work are typical representatives of society, carriers of its stereotypes. And as soon as one of the characters violates these very stereotypes, he involuntarily attracts the attention of the reader. The author should use this subtle moment as when working on the main characters.

However, these judgments in no way mean that the secondary characters should be faceless and similar friend on a friend. Not at all. It is also quite permissible for them to break stereotypes, only they must do this one by one, and not all at once.

Eccentricity and humor.

Characters who do not claim to be the main roles should also have individuality - small but bright details will make the story more interesting and complete, set the mood, and sometimes add humor. I think it's no secret that often the main pranksters in works of art It's not the main characters, but the secondary characters. Major actors are traditionally expected to be serious heroic deeds, saving the world and beautiful maidens, but nothing special is required from the secondary ones, therefore, they can humor to their heart's content. Therefore, the eccentric behavior of episodic roles is exactly the resource with which a writer can make his own text more vivid and interesting. This should not be forgotten.

Here you can also mention "obsession" - an extreme version of eccentricity, in which a minor character behaves too intrusively or reacts too emotionally to any events.

From this follows the third function of secondary characters - this work on short-term entertainment of the audience. The author has the ability to make a minor character arbitrarily eccentric, because he, in fact, does not affect the development of the plot, but at the same time, such vivid images make the text more interesting and memorable.

Exaggeration.

The moment of exaggeration when working on episodic roles has as its goal the same entertainment of the reader in the course of the story, creating vivid emotions in him that are not directly related to the main idea of ​​the work. In general, the entire spectrum of sensations that has already been discussed a little higher, in the previous paragraph about humor and eccentricity.

The main method here is the deliberate exaggeration of certain character traits of a minor character: cruelty or kindness, spontaneity or prudence.

But why, one might ask, is exaggeration used for these purposes? Why not just draw an ordinary character, endowed with this very prudence? The thing is that hypertrophy makes it possible to focus on the right trait, it is easy to highlight it against the general background of mediocrity.

How can it work? For example, in the form simple trick, when a minor character first radiates hypertrophied innocence and gentleness, and then, at the right moment for himself, stands out with already exaggerated prudence. As you understand, the game of contrasts is understandable always and everywhere. And the greater the contrast value, the stronger the effect it usually produces.

That's all for today. We have analyzed the three main functions of secondary characters: creating a background, delineating stereotypes, entertaining the reader through eccentricity and humor. I hope this will help you to be more thoughtful when it comes to drawing your characters. I look forward to your comments and opinions! See you soon!

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The role of minor characters in the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"

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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 - we will settle down” 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 if in the depths of its patriarchy there were no problems 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 minor characters form conditional pairs, and only Katerina is alone in her true desire to escape from the oppression of the “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 what you want, if only everything was sewn and covered." Barbara will not 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 Diky's nephew, Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, in the apt expression of A. N. Dobrolyubov, “in 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 he can make even more money 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 furious rebuff from Wild: “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, 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 has 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 is a detail that allows the author to convey as accurately as possible the atmosphere of the “dark kingdom” and the unpreparedness of most people for the fight.

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There are two types of people: one is people who are used to fighting for better life, people are decisive, strong, while others prefer to obey, adapt to environmental conditions. In A. N. Ostrovsky's play, Katerina is the main character in A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm". N. A. Dobrolyubov defined her as the embodiment of a "strong Russian character", called her "a ray of light in a dark kingdom." But despite her Katerina and the boar, they are two opposite people from the same family. The boar is the hostess " dark kingdom". All the characters in this play are either victims of this kingdom, like Tikhon and Boris,
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