Comedy style woe from wit. Question: What are the features of language in the comedy Woe from Wit
The work made a great contribution to the formation of a new style literary language.
Before this, works of this genre were written in an elaborate, unnatural language. They included a lot of foreign borrowings, mainly French, since it was spoken by educated society. In Griboyedov’s work, the language, on the contrary, is quite simple, close to colloquial. It is not for nothing that some of their expressions have become proverbs.
The language and style of speech of each character in “Woe from Wit” is individual and is used by the author to characterize the characters who personify the types of people in society or the shortcomings that the comedy ridicules.
The play contains many purely Moscow expressions used at the time of its writing. This trait is shared by many of the characters, despite emphasizing their individual differences. Everyday and everyday language should have emphasized that the author is not inventing his own world, but wants to talk about people encountered in real life.
At the same time, the words of Chatsky and Sophia have another task. They express the feelings of these characters. In the monologues of the main Chatsky, words are used that were used under the influence of the freethinking of the Decembrist era: “fatherland”, “freedom”. His speech is full of pathos, it uses words such as “alien power”, “weakness”, as well as epithets unique to him: “vile”, “hungry”.
Despite this, the speech of Sophia and Chatsky, for all its imagery and colorfulness, is also realistic. The author clearly sought to combine everyday speech with a lyrical style.
A feature of the comedy style was its poetic form. It has a continuous rhythm without pauses. The play, in this sense, was written as a musical drama. Griboyedov also updated the form of comedic dialogue, introducing colloquial speech into it.
The size of the replicas of individual characters is also used by the author of the comedy. It is determined by the nature of the characters and the course of the play. Chatsky speaks most of all, voicing the ideas of the author and Famusov, expressing the opposite point vision. Minor characters, whose image is already clear, for example, Molchalin, are laconic. In addition, in some cases, the very brevity of the remarks, as in the case of Skalozub, helps to emphasize the character of the hero. IN in this case This is the rudeness and harshness of an old campaigner.
Overall, the work can be described as a brilliant example of the use colloquial speech to characterize the characters.
Option 2
The comedy play “Woe from Wit” by Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov has multiple stylistic features, the main of which is the verse form. It was the poetic comedic language that became the center of the culture of comedic dialogue between characters and made it possible to enrich literary speech simple, living vernacular. This form statements are more reminiscent of a musical drama, which has its own special, inevitable rhythm and without pauses or stops, a form that draws you in when reading.
The main characters of the comedy play Chatsky and Sophia are able to express a whole range of feelings that are different from other characters, for example, from Skalozub, whose speech is filled with in short phrases, Molchalin is also a man of few words. Their speeches express love, life's emotional pain, grief for those whom they lost in civil war, a unique sarcasm filled with irony and indignation.
From the first minutes of reading, the psychological, and one might even say ethical, elements of Griboedov’s comedic language are easily observed. Another feature of the language of the comedy “Woe from Wit” is Chatsky, who has his own special set of phrases that are alien to those times, his own individual construction of epithets and syntax, mixed with a set of simple and complex shapes proposals.
The speech of the main characters is filled with richness and variety, inversions and antitheses, gradations and pathos, which makes it possible to distinguish it from the speech of other characters, which is more similar to ordinary, everyday speech. Griboyedov was excellent at highlighting Chatsky and Sophia thanks to the created image and ideological spirit. But at the same time, Alexander Sergeevich did not forget about realism. Book echoes are felt from time to time in the context, just as the author felt their danger and power.
Griboyedov in his comedy play he was even able to recreate the special noble speech of the intelligentsia of the Decembrist era. At the same time, patriotic vocabulary also took place.
The main feature of Alexander Sergeevich’s comedy is the poetic construction of the characters’ speech, which is more reminiscent of a musical drama, filled with special rhythms, and in which there is no place for pauses and arbitrary stops.
Several interesting essays
- Essay on the painting Blue Spring by Baksheeva 2nd, 3rd grade
Beautiful picture with beautiful name. Why is spring blue and not green? This is the color of green. Typically, spring is always associated with young greenery. I think it’s just that greenery doesn’t appear right away. But the sky is so blue only in spring.
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The comedy by A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit” was written after Patriotic War 1812, during the period of the rise of the spiritual life of Russia. The comedy raised topical social issues of that time: the situation of the Russian people, the relationship between landowners and peasants, autocratic power, the insane wastefulness of the nobles, the state of enlightenment, the principles of upbringing and education, independence and personal freedom, national identity. The ideological meaning of the comedy lies in the opposition of two social strength, lifestyles, worldviews: old, serfdom, and new, progressive, in exposing everything that was backward and proclaiming the advanced ideas of that time. The conflict of the comedy is the conflict between Chatsky and Famusov’s society, between “the present century and the past century.” The society in the comedy was named after Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov. This hero is a typical representative of old Moscow society. He has all the advantages that are valued here - wealth, connections, so Famusov is an example to follow. Chatsky is a representative of the “present century”, an exponent of the advanced ideas of his time. His monologues reveal a holistic political program: he exposes serfdom and its products - inhumanity, hypocrisy, stupid military, ignorance, false patriotism. Representatives of the Moscow nobility are deprived of any civic thoughts and interests. They see the meaning of life, first of all, in material and life well-being. These are careerists and hypocrites who are in power, occupy high social status. The Famus people view the service only as a source of income, as a means to receive undeserved honors. The confession of Famusov himself is very indicative: And what is my business, what is not my business, My custom is this: Signed, off your shoulders. In the society of Moscow nobles, such phenomena as nepotism and nepotism are common. Famusov says: “Well, how can you not please your own little person,” and does not hide the fact that his “foreign employees are very rare: More and more sisters, sisters-in-law, children.” These people are deprived of a sense of humanity, they are enemies of freedom and stranglers of enlightenment, their innermost desire - “to take all the books and burn them.” One of them trades a crowd of his servants for three greyhounds. Another, for the sake of empty amusement, drives “rejected children from mothers and fathers” to the serf ballet, and then sells them off one by one. Satirically denouncing the local and bureaucratic nobility, the entire feudal-serf system, A. S. Griboyedov clearly saw the positive social forces of his era: the emergence and growth of new, progressive aspirations and ideas. Thus, Skalozub complains to Famusov that his cousin, having acquired “some new rules,” neglected the rank that followed him, left the service and “began reading books in the village.” Princess Tugoukhovskaya says that her relative, who studied at the pedagogical institute, “doesn’t want to know the ranks!” Famusov, referring to the widespread prevalence of freethinking, calls his time a “terrible century.” But the awakening of national, social self-consciousness is most fully embodied in the image of Chatsky. This is, undoubtedly, an ardent patriot, a fearless opponent of serfdom and despotic autocracy, a merciless judge of all lies and falsehood, of everything that is hostile to the new, that stands in the way of reason. Chatsky stigmatizes ignorance, denounces the nobility and acts as an ardent propagandist of science, education, and art. In the comedy, the conflict ends with the general recognition of Chatsky as crazy, and the love drama ends with the revelation love affair, which was conducted by Molchalin. At the end of the play, Chatsky feels abandoned by everyone, and his feeling of alienation from the society to which he once belonged intensifies. Denouement love drama influences the main conflict: Chatsky leaves all contradictions unresolved and leaves Moscow. In a clash with Famus society, Chatsky is defeated, but, losing, he remains undefeated, since he understands the need to fight the “past century,” its norms, ideals, and life position. As the first realistic comedy in new Russian literature, “Woe from Wit” bears in itself the signs of a bright artistic originality. The realism of comedy is manifested in the art of verbal individualization of characters: each hero speaks in his own language, thereby revealing his unique character. Griboedov the realist significantly enriched the language of new Russian literature with elements of colloquial speech, including vernacular and mastering the folk language. Before Woe from Wit, comedies were written in iambic hexameter, and the dialogues lost the flavor of lively speech.
Municipal budgetary educational institution gymnasium No. 18 of the city of Krasnodar
Literature lesson notes
in 9th grade
LANGUAGE OF COMEDY
A.S. GRIBOEDOV “WOE FROM MIND”
Prepared
teacher of Russian language and literature
CHESNOVA Lyudmila Dmitrievna
Krasnodar city
2014
LANGUAGE OF COMEDY A.S. GRIBOEDOVA
"WOE FROM MIND"
Lesson objectives:
- Identification of the main features of the language of comedy by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit". Revealing the aphorism of the language of comedy, its “nationality”. Determining the role of the characters' speech characteristics.
Lesson objectives:
- Fostering love and respect for the native language using the example of A.S. Griboedov’s attitude towards it.
during the classes
True love for your country
Unthinkable without love for your language
K. Paustovsky
(Griboyedov's "Waltz" sounds)
Teacher:
Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov, subtle diplomat, talented poet, composer, went down in the history of Russian literature as the author of the only brilliant comedy “Woe from Wit.” A man with an excellent education, Griboedov devoted his entire life to serving his homeland, believing that the more enlightened a person is, the more useful he is to his fatherland. Let's turn to the epigraph. It is not for nothing that K. Paustovsky’s statement about love for one’s fatherland through love for one’s native language was chosen for the lesson. One of Griboyedov’s contemporaries recalled: “I have never in my life, in any nation, seen a person who loved his fatherland so ardently, so passionately, as Griboyedov loved Russia. He understood Russian subtly national character, admired the breadth of scope, spiritual beauty and the mind of a Russian person." Indeed, a fiery patriotic feeling, love for the people, careful attitude to the native language, to its origins was characteristic of all the work of the poet-playwright. He persistently fought for the originality of Russian culture, to preserve the centuries-old wealth of the multinational culture created by the people from dissolving into the fashionable external “Europeanism” of the noble class, alien to the people. He was deeply indignant that most of the “Frenchized” representatives of the nobility do not adequately speak their native language, and often consider it a sign of bad taste to speak it in secular society. This was also noted by Griboyedov’s contemporary I.M. Muravyov-Apostol: “Enter into any society: a very amusing mixture of languages, different dialects, French and Russian in half.” And Griboyedov in his comedy through the mouth of Chatsky says: …What's the tone here these days? At conventions, at big ones, on parish holidays? A confusion of languages still prevails: French with Nizhny Novgorod?
In the last monologue of Act 3, Chatsky speaks indignantly about the blind, stupid, slavish imitation of the Western way of life. Let's read this monologue and comment on it.(One of the students reads Chatsky’s monologue “ There is an insignificant meeting in that room...")
Teacher:
What worries the hero who has seen Russia?
(Chatsky notes with indignation that noble society does not know native culture, often despises her. And any pathetic “Frenchman from Bordeaux”, arriving in Moscow, is surprised and happy to hear French speech around him, see French fashion and feel like a king. Chatsky, and therefore Griboyedov himself, is outraged by this stupid imitation to the depths of his soul. He is hurt and offended for Russian culture, for the Russian language, which is distorted or simply not known.) Teacher: What did Griboedov do so that “our smart, cheerful people, even though based on our language, would not consider us Germans”? (He introduces into the comedy elements of lively colloquial speech, taken from the treasury of the Russian language. The language of his comedy is lively, witty, bright. There are also colloquial words and expressions, phraseological units, and apt sayings.) Teacher: Please note that the play is written in almost colloquial language, but it does not descend into rudeness and comes as close as possible to literary colloquial speech. Writer and critic V.F. Odoevsky wrote this about the novelty of the language of Griboedov’s comedy: “In Mr. Griboyedov we find a relaxed, easy, completely similar language to what is spoken in our societies; in him alone we find the flavor of Russian.” So, we can say that Griboedov used lively colloquial speech in his comedy, subjecting it to deep artistic processing ( words are projected on the screen). Write these words down. It is impossible not to say about " popular expressions created by the writer. A.S. Pushkin, having become acquainted with comedy, exclaimed: “I’m not talking about poetry: half of them should become proverbs.” V.G. Belinsky also noted this feature of the comedy: “Griboedov’s poems turned into sayings and proverbs and spread among educated people to all ends of the Russian land.” Determine which character this expression belongs to (character lines appear on the screen):Anyone who is poor is not a match for you. (Famusov) I would be glad to serve, but being served is sickening. (Chatsky) Happy Hours are not observed. (Sofia) To the village, to my aunt, to the wilderness, to Saratov! (Famusov) The houses are new, but the prejudices are old. (Chatsky) Sin is not a problem, rumor is not good! (Lisa) OH! Gossips scarier than a pistol. (Molchalin) The legend is fresh, but hard to believe. (Chatsky) Well, how can you not please your loved one! (Famusov) Pass us away more than all sorrows And lordly anger, and lordly love! (Lisa) Teacher: The bright, figurative, aphoristic language of comedy even today makes the work interesting for modern reader. There is no such work either in Russian or in foreign literature, which would sparkle with such abundance winged words and expressions that have forever entered not only the literary language, but also daily life (words are projected on the screen). Write these words down. Teacher: The undeniable advantage of the comedy language is Griboyedov’s masterfully implemented method of speech characterization of the characters. Individualism of speech in work of art is expressed in the fact that each character speaks in a language appropriate to his character, social background And cultural level. Griboyedov brilliantly implemented this principle. Each hero of his comedy speaks his own language. At home, you analyzed the language of the comedy characters - representatives of the “present century” and the “past century.” Now you will present your observations of the language of some characters. (Students’ reports made at home about the language of individual characters are read out.) Famusov's language. Famusov’s speech is a typical speech of a Moscow nobleman of the early 19th century. This is the speech of a half-official, half-landowner. One can hear in it both bossy, imperious notes (“Take all the books and burn them!”), and the lordly, rude tone of the landowner (“Donkeys! Tell you a hundred times? To work for you, to settle you!”). Like a great gentleman, he allows himself to speak most in simple language(“I’m rushing around like crazy” “Well, you threw away a thing!”), He does not neglect common words and turns of speech - “scared”, “from there”, “and in those days”, which speaks of his low culture. He is a flamboyant opponent of teaching and enlightenment in general, does not accept anything new and revolutionary (“Ah! My God! He is a Carbonari!”), but adheres to old traditions, when the word of a noble nobleman decided the fate and position of any person. Famusov – bright representative"the century of the past." (You can further analyze Molchalin’s speech characteristics, pointing out the main features of his language: the use of clerical and business expressions, which indicates a limited nature; falseness in conversations with Sophia; emphasized deference to his superiors, the use of obsequious -s, reflecting sycophancy and flattery; servility - “After all, you have to depend on others." The basis of his behavior is hypocrisy. By all qualities he belongs to Famusov society- he is his direct offspring).Chatsky's language. Chatsky's language is broader and richer than the language of other characters in the comedy. Chatsky – educated person, writer. This, naturally, is reflected in his conversational manner: he “speaks as he writes” (Famusov about Chatsky), often uses bookish figures of speech (“a mind hungry for knowledge”, “will arouse the ardor for creative, high and beautiful arts”). His speech is precise and expressive, he is a master of short and precise characterizations: “a constellation of maneuvers and mazurkas” - about Skalozub, “a sycophant and a businessman” - about Molchalin. He is ironic, mocking, uses to the point expressions that have become popular (“The legend is fresh, but hard to believe”, “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to serve”), and is able to characterize the situation in one sentence (“After all, nowadays they love the dumb”). Chatsky reveals the richness and beauty of the Russian language; it differs from the speech of other characters in its emotionality, decisiveness and independence of judgment. The character is a representative of the “present century”, and his speech characteristic emphasizes this. Teacher: We were able to make sure that the language of the characters, while remaining within the framework of national living colloquial speech, is so colorful that the features of individual human character clearly appear through it. Griboyedov, coloring his speech style actor unique individually characteristic words and phrases, created typical and at the same time individually expressive images (words are projected on the screen). Write these words down. Teacher: Let us turn once again to the notes that were made during the lesson. ( The words recorded during the lesson appear on the screen. The student reads all three provisions). So, summarizing what was said in the lesson, we can come to the conclusion that Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” owes its enduring success largely to the previously unprecedented nature of spoken language in poetry, which amazes, entices, and attracts attention. Final word teachers. Having created the comedy "Woe from Wit", Griboedov became not only a realist artist, but also an innovator in the field of literary language. Issues of language in comedy play exclusively important role. Skillful, careful attitude to the use of real living Russian language in poetic form Only a person who sincerely loves his Fatherland can do it. It is safe to say that, along with Krylov and Pushkin, Griboyedov became the true creator of our literary language. (Grades are given for the lesson. Homework is assigned)
Literature:
- Griboyedov A.S. “Woe from Wit” M.: “ Fiction» 1985 Zolotareva I.V. Universal lesson developments on literature
- Big literary encyclopedia Ed. Krasovsky E.V. M.: “The Word”. 2005 Selected Works(Fonvizin D.I., Griboedov A.S., Ostrovsky A.N.) M.: “Fiction” 1989
In this lesson we will learn what the work “Woe from Wit” conveys. We will also look at the language in which the comedy is written.
Topic: Russian masterpieces literature of the 19th century century
Lesson: Features of the characters and language of the comedy “Woe from Wit”
We continue to talk about the comedy "Woe from Wit". Whenever we talk about language, there is a certain feeling of boredom. The fact is that those Russian language lessons that were held at school in past years and are held now, as a rule, evoke this same boredom. But there is nothing more fun than the language of comedy, which constantly provides reasons for laughter.
Speech styles as a way of characterization
There is a fairly clear explanation of how the methods of verbal expressions, which are called stylistic features of speech, interact. The style of speech mainly determines everything that speech can achieve. Style is a way of speech determined by its purpose.
The story begins with Griboyedov modern theater in Russia. Each of the characters in his comedy speaks in a very special way, and there is a character who is generally silent, silent until they force him to say something, his name is Molchalin. Each character is characterized most fully by the style with which he constructs his speech. Lizonka, fluttering with light phrases from one interlocutor to another. Sophia, who constructs her speech like a page of translation from French novel. Chatsky, who flares up with his tirades like a speaker gathering a circle around him at a social ball. Famusov, skillfully combining his teachings, his moral teachings, and the orders that he gives to his subordinates. Each of them has their own individual style. By how the character of each is revealed in these remarks, we can monitor the integrity of the plan.
There is a legend that Griboedov tried to read his comedy for the first time by I.A. Krylov, who perfectly mastered free speech, relaxed, easily combining different characters. So, according to this version, Griboyedov agreed with Krylov that he would listen as much as he wanted, at the very moment when he got tired, he could get up and leave. Krylov had a reputation as a rude, straightforward old man who avoided social decency and formalities. Krylov did not interrupt Griboedov’s reading, and then hugged him, kissed him and recognized him as his successor.
One witty writer has a very accurate expression: “Laughter is exposing someone’s stupidity.” So, Griboyedov’s comedy is built on exposing stupidity. Language is the main means of exposing it.
We are talking about the meaning that is expressed in forms of speech. The point of what Griboyedov does is that characters are not depicted, but those feelings that carry him with them are directly expressed. stage characters. Viewers, actors, and readers recognize themselves, their contemporaries, and acquaintances in them.
Griboedov's comedy was rewritten many times. This method contributed to the development of comedy throughout its existence until its production on stage in 1833, after Griboyedov’s death. Comedy exists in orally. This is exactly what A.S. imagined. Pushkin, one of the most thoughtful listeners, not readers. In 1825, in a letter to Bestuzhev, Pushkin wrote this: “I listened to Chatsky, but only once and not with the attention that he deserves. That’s what I caught a glimpse of.” Everything that Pushkin notices, he notices by ear, and in order for us to understand and appreciate how Griboedov sculpts the characters with the help of language, it is fundamentally important for us to hear, and not see, this text. Just as a sculptor sculpts clay with his hands, creating what he wants to show the viewer, so a playwright, with the help of words, with the help sound images sculpts what he wants to show. Therefore, by depicting his characters with sounds, the playwright sets before us a very specific task of perception. All playwrights created their stories in approximately the same way. dramatic works. “A dramatic writer must be judged according to the laws that he himself has recognized above himself” - the words that Pushkin wrote in that very letter to Bestuzhev, where they talked about Chatsky’s audition. The main character for Pushkin is not Famusov, but Chatsky, whose speech contains all the impressions that Griboedov wants to express plastically. He expresses the feelings that his generation shares.
Chatsky's tirades
Of all the speeches that Griboyedov’s characters pronounce from the stage, the tirades uttered by Chatsky sound most expressively and clearly. No wonder Pushkin said that he “listened to Chatsky.” With all his speeches, Famusov builds a treatise on the decline of morals in contemporary Russia at that time. All that Chatsky says in response to him is a response about a change in morals, about the need to reconsider those political and state convictions that guided the people of the past century. In essence, the dispute between fathers and sons, which will then continue throughout Russian literature, at the very beginning reaches high tension and extreme severity. In response to Famusov’s monologue about Uncle Maxim Petrovich, Chatsky utters something that carries the main semantic difference, the opposition of what is main idea the present century and the idea of the past century. Everything he says is smart. But what matters to us is not what he says, but how. The fervor with which this entire sequence of thoughts is presented is of very special interest.
“..And exactly, the world began to grow stupid,
You can say with a sigh;
How to compare and see
The present century and the past:
The legend is fresh, but hard to believe,
As he was famous for, whose neck bent more often;
As not in war, but in peace they took it head on,
They hit the floor without regret!
Who needs it: those are arrogant, they lie in the dust,
And for those who are higher, flattery was woven like lace.
It was an age of obedience and fear,
All under the guise of zeal for the king.
I'm not talking about your uncle;
We will not disturb his ashes:
But in the meantime, who will the hunt take?
Even in the most ardent servility,
Now, to make people laugh,
Bravely sacrifice the back of your head?..”
In the way Chatsky constructs periods in his speech, clear traces of the rhetoric of the very science that Griboedov studied at the university noble boarding school are visible. These are rhetorical periods, built in strict accordance with the canons of ancient rhetoric. Chatsky says how statesman, in contrast to Famusov, who thinks of himself as a service man. “I would be glad to serve, but being served is sickening,” says Chatsky.
And this is how Chatsky ends his monologue:
“...Although there are hunters everywhere to be mean,
Yes, nowadays laughter frightens and keeps shame in check;
No wonder the sovereigns favor them sparingly..."
By mentioning laughter and shame, Chatsky generally takes the dispute with Famusov to a different plane. Laughter stops a person before committing any act; this is laughter, which we now call public opinion. For Famusov, such a concept does not exist at all. Yes, there is the opinion of Princess Marya Alekseevna, which can affect his reputation, but the concept of “ public opinion“Famusov doesn’t have it. But Chatsky is guided by precisely this idea; he believes that the opinion of society is more important than the opinion of individuals. Also the concept of shame, which Famusov does not have, but for Chatsky it is decisive. The speech of the characters turns out completely different levels consciousness.
The structure of this language requires special explanation. The point is that in our everyday speech we use language that is determined by the situation. Sometimes we speak in formal, strict language, but in most cases we speak in everyday language. Everyday language does not have certain rules; we may not finish sentences or words. We can simply leave hints without revealing our thought, although it will be clear. This language is similar to sign language. Words can be replaced with gestures or facial expressions.
This one is alive, spontaneous everyday language, completely unacceptable in books, is necessary for stage speech. In order to get an idea of the person on stage, you need to convey in short strokes, in separate words, the feeling of communicating with this person. It’s as if we are communicating with the characters that Griboyedov brings to the stage. The principle of unity of place is observed: all the action takes place at the same time on the stage, which is designed as a room in the Famusovs’ house and is very organically connected with the home theater where Griboedov’s comedy is to be presented. The principle of unity of action is observed: everything that happens in Griboyedov’s comedy happens inextricably, in one piece - here and now. Famusov's house becomes a kind of similarity to the house in which that home theater is located.
Unity of time, unity of place, unity of action - the three formal principles of classic drama for Griboedov turn out to be a completely different kind of device. This is a technique that provides a direct, natural perception of everything that happens on stage and in the auditorium too. The stage and the auditorium have something in common, and phrases heard from the stage are perceived as a direct conversation with auditorium. Therefore, there is a feeling of a kind of tight rope. In a conversation between two people, there is a feeling that they understand each other from half a word, from half a glance, sometimes they understand each other without words at all. We also understand them without words. The words that are spoken at the same time serve only to maintain this emotional tension.
Consider the first scene of the comedy. Lizonka is sitting in the living room, guarding the peace of Sophia and Molchalin, and suddenly master Famusov enters... The way they exchange phrases in this situation, expressing those very feelings about which it is impossible to say in any way, illustrates our thesis. The master entered, Lizonka was scared, now the master finds out that Sophia is in the bedroom with a man, and this man is Molchalin, who has no place in the young lady’s bedroom. So this fear cannot be told, it can only be shown. Here's how it happens:
Lisa
Oh! master!
Famusov
Master, yes.
After all, what a naughty girl you are.
I couldn’t figure out what kind of trouble this was!
Now you hear a flute, now it’s like a piano;
Would it be too early for Sophia??
Lisa
No, sir, I... just by chance...
Famusov
Just by chance, take notice of you;
Yes, that's right, with intent.
Oh! potion, spoiler.
And then Famusov clings to Lisa. It is clear that the words in this case are those speech means, plastic means of expression, find themselves in some kind of contradiction with the meanings that arise. So for you and me, what is important is not what is said in a comedy, but how the characters speak. And this is crucial for the perception of any dramatic work.
In what each of the characters says, one can find signs of intelligence, and signs of stupidity, and signs of that great madness that distinguishes wise men. But every time these words take on true meaning and meanings only when they sound together with intonation, rhythm of speech, along with the meaning that the actor puts into it.
Pushkin, in his letter to Bestuzhev, already known to us, says that Chatsky is “an ardent, noble and kind fellow who spent some time with a very smart person" So he says very smart things, but who is he saying to? He says this to fools. “Is it worth throwing pearls in front of Repetilov?” - writes Pushkin and asks to give this letter to Griboyedov. It is quite obvious that Chatsky is not the mouthpiece of the author’s idea, whom we are accustomed to meeting on stage in classical drama. This is a completely independent character. And the author, Griboyedov, is a man of epic qualities who imbued him with thoughts. In the same way, we can talk about every character in a comedy, whether he is smart or stupid, whether he is evil or kind, depends on how the actor does it. Later it depended on the director, who dictated his will to the actors. And how the reader, viewer, listener will perceive it depends on him.
The language of the spectator and the language of the actor in the hall must coincide - this is a very important condition. The replica that sounds from the stage should be perceived in the hall as if it were alive, as an address to the audience. Everything that the characters say on stage is addressed not so much to each other as to auditorium. This is a very special reception, the reception of that fair booth folk theater, from which it grew European theater, which was soon imitated by Russian classicists, and his own Russian theater. But Griboyedov’s theater is not oriented towards Shakespeare, Molière, Schiller, it is mainly oriented towards that very popular squabble of throwing words around that exists in a fair booth. The characters exchange words like jugglers throw different objects around in the arena. In this sense, Griboyedov apparently laid the foundations of a theater that had not yet been born in Europe at that time. A theater that will appear in the 20th century and which will find itself in another crisis in the 21st century. But this is the topic of our next lessons.
1. Korovina V.Ya., Zhuravlev V.P., Korovin V.I. Literature. 9th grade. M.: Education, 2008.
2. Ladygin M.B., Esin A.B., Nefedova N.A. Literature. 9th grade. M.: Bustard, 2011.
3. Chertov V.F., Trubina L.A., Antipova A.M. Literature. 9th grade. M.: Education, 2012.
1. Tell us about the features of the comedy “Woe from Wit”
2. Why is Chatsky the main character of the comedy for Pushkin?
3. The language of the viewer and the language of the actor, what is their feature?
"Woe from Wit" follows the rules that apply to the comedy genre according to the theory of three styles - this work is written in simple colloquial language. However, here too there is one deviation from the canons: Chatsky’s monologues, main character, pronounces high style, which would be more appropriate in a tragedy. With the help of this technique, Griboedov emphasizes the fact that Chatsky is unlike the society around him, he is superior to it.
Features of the poetic language “Woe from Wit”
The comedy is filled with phrases and expressions that later entered the language as "winged". This was predicted by A.S. Pushkin in his: he said that at least half of the text should turn into proverbs and sayings.
People still use Griboyedov’s expressions today, without even thinking about where they came from. For example, " Happy people don’t watch the clock”, “And the smoke of the Fatherland is sweet and pleasant to us”, “I would be happy to serve, it’s sickening to be served!”, “What a commission, Creator, to be the father of an adult daughter!” Everyone knows these sayings, but not everyone knows their author.
This serves as proof that comedy has not yet lost and will never lose its relevance, because it describes eternal problems and unchanging human characters. All those images that are present in the comedy are still alive today, they just have been slightly adapted to modern realities. Griboyedov managed to perfectly reflect not only all the ins and outs Russian society early XIX centuries, but all facets of human nature.
Stage life "Woe from Wit"
This is precisely what the features of the scenes in “Woe from Wit” are connected with. In this comedy, the scenery is not so important: it can change, because it is just a background. The main thing is the selection of actors and their manner of speaking. Each actor and director imagines comedy heroes in their own way.
Sophia is portrayed either as a tender girl in love, or as a suffering heroine, or as the future powerful wife of a henpecked husband. Liza is either a simple, cheerful servant, or a vulgar serf girl, or someone extremely rational.
The image of Chatsky, the main character, causes the most theatrical controversy. Some portray him as a slightly boring “preacher at the ball” (as the critic Lotman called him), others as a suffering and lost intellectual in society.
It is very important to ensure that the characters pronounce the text in the correct manner. The language of the comedy “Woe from Wit” is such that it cannot be read in an overly artistic or pretentious way; the more naturalness there is in the speech of the actors, the better for the production.
Therefore, directors often resort to all sorts of tricks. For example, in one of the productions of “Woe from Wit,” Famusov delivered his famous educational monologue ( “That’s it, you’re all proud...”), playing tag with young people.