Why is the play called Griboyedov's Woe from Wit? The meaning of the name of the comedy A

The title of any work is the key to its understanding, since it almost always contains an indication - direct or indirect - of the main idea underlying the creation, of a number of problems comprehended by the author. The title of A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” brings an unusual twist to the conflict of the play important category, namely the category of mind. The source of such a title, such an unusual name, which also originally sounded like “Woe to Wit,” goes back to a Russian proverb in which the confrontation between the smart and the stupid ended with the victory of the fool. The conflict between a wise man and a fool in general has always been very important and relevant for comedians belonging to the school of classicism. Critics have understood the meaning of conflict in comedy differently. For example, the opinions of Goncharov and Pushkin about Chatsky and who, according to Griboyedov’s plan, is the bearer of intelligence in comedy, differ. Goncharov, in his article “A Million Torments,” wrote: “Griboedov himself attributed Chatsky’s grief to his intelligence, and Pushkin denied him any intelligence at all... But Chatsky is not only smarter than all other people, but also positively smart.” Pushkin believed that in a comedy there is only one clever man- this is Griboedov himself, and Chatsky is only “an ardent, noble and kind fellow who spent some time with a very smart man (Griboyedov) and was fed with his thoughts, witticisms and satirical remarks.” What is intelligence in the comedy “Woe from Wit” and who is the smart person in it?

Intelligence is a theoretical virtue. For Griboedov's predecessors, only compliance with measures was considered smart. Molchalin, not Chatsky, has such a mind in comedy. Molchalin’s mind serves his owner, helps him, while Chatsky’s mind only harms him, it is akin to madness for those around him, it is he who brings him “a million torments.” Molchalin’s comfortable mind is contrasted with Chatsky’s strange and sublime mind, but this is no longer a struggle between intelligence and stupidity. There are no fools in Griboyedov's comedy; its conflict is built on confrontation different types mind. “Woe from Wit” is a comedy that has transcended classicism.

In Griboedov’s work the question is asked: what is the mind? Almost every hero has his own answer, almost everyone talks about intelligence. Each hero has his own idea of the mind. There is no standard of intelligence in Griboedov's play, so there is no winner in it. “The comedy gives Chatsky only “a million torments” and leaves, apparently, Famusov and his brothers in the same position in which they were, without saying anything about the consequences of the struggle” (I. A. Goncharov).

Chatsky differs from those around him not in that he is more humane, more sensitive. For Chatsky, there are two divergent categories: mind and feeling. He tells Sophia that his “mind and heart are not in harmony.” Describing Molchalin, Chatsky again distinguishes between these concepts: “Let Molchalin have a lively mind, a brave genius, but does he have that passion? that feeling? that ardor? Feeling turns out to be higher than the secular mind: at the end of the comedy, Chatsky runs away not to protect his lonely mind, but to forget about the insults inflicted on his feeling. “The grief from Chatsky’s mind is that his mind is sharply different from the secular mind, and with his feelings he is tied to the light. Besides, his mind didn't play last role in his love drama: “His personal grief did not come from his mind alone, but more from other reasons, where his mind played passive role, this gave Pushkin a reason to deny him his mind.” (I. A. Goncharov)

The title of the play contains an extremely important question: what is the mind for Griboyedov. The writer does not answer this question. By calling Chatsky “smart,” Griboyedov turned the concept of intelligence upside down and ridiculed the old understanding of it. Griboyedov showed a man full of educational pathos, but encountering a reluctance to understand it, stemming precisely from the traditional concepts of “prudence”, which in “Woe from Wit” are associated with a certain social and political program. Griboedov's comedy, starting from the title, is addressed not to the Famusovs, but to the Chatskys - funny and lonely (one smart person for 25 fools), striving to change the unchangeable world.

Griboedov created a comedy that was unconventional for its time. He enriched and psychologically rethought the characters and problems traditional for the comedy of classicism; his method is close to realistic, but still does not achieve realism in its entirety.

The great Woland said that manuscripts do not burn. Proof of this is the fate of Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov’s brilliant comedy “Woe from Wit” - one of the most controversial works in the history of Russian literature. A comedy with a political bent, continuing the traditions of such masters of satire as Krylov and Fonvizin, quickly became popular and served as a harbinger of the coming rise of Ostrovsky and Gorky. Although the comedy was written back in 1825, it was published only eight years later, having outlived its […]
After reading A. S. Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” and critics’ articles about this play, I also thought about: “What is he like, Chatsky”? The first impression of the hero is that he is perfect: smart, kind, cheerful, vulnerable, passionately in love, loyal, sensitive, knowing the answers to all questions. He rushes seven hundred miles to Moscow to meet Sophia after a three-year separation. But this opinion arose after the first reading. When in literature lessons we analyzed comedy and read the opinions of various critics about [...]
The very name of the comedy "Woe from Wit" is significant. For educators, convinced of the omnipotence of knowledge, mind is a synonym for happiness. But the powers of the mind have faced serious tests in all eras. New advanced ideas are not always accepted by society, and the bearers of these ideas are often declared crazy. It is no coincidence that Griboedov also addresses the topic of the mind. His comedy is a story about progressive ideas and society's reaction to them. At first, the title of the play is “Woe to Wit,” which the writer later replaces with “Woe from Wit.” More […]
The comedy “Woe from Wit” was created in the early 20s. XIX century Main conflict, on which the comedy is based, is the confrontation between the “present century” and the “past century.” In the literature of that time, the classicism of the era of Catherine the Great still had power. But outdated canons limited the playwright’s freedom in describing real life, therefore Griboyedov, taking as a basis classic comedy, neglected (as necessary) some of the laws of its construction. Any classic work (drama) should […]
Hero Brief description Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov The surname “Famusov” comes from the Latin word “fama”, which means “rumor”: by this Griboedov wanted to emphasize that Famusov is afraid of rumors, public opinion, but on the other hand, there is a root in the root of the word “Famusov” from the Latin word "famosus" - a famous, well-known wealthy landowner and high official. He is a famous person among the Moscow nobility. A well-born nobleman: related to the nobleman Maxim Petrovich, closely acquainted […]
A “social” comedy with a social clash between the “past century” and the “present century” is called the comedy of A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit". And it is structured in such a way that only Chatsky speaks about progressive ideas for transforming society, the desire for spirituality, and a new morality. Using his example, the author shows readers how difficult it is to bring new ideas into the world that are not understood and accepted by a society that is ossified in its views. Anyone who starts doing this is doomed to loneliness. Alexander Andreevich […]
A. A. Chatsky A. S. Molchalin Character A straightforward, sincere young man. An ardent temperament often interferes with the hero and deprives him of impartial judgment. Secretive, cautious, helpful person. The main goal is a career, position in society. Position in society Poor Moscow nobleman. Receives a warm welcome in local society due to his origin and old connections. Provincial tradesman by origin. The rank of collegiate assessor by law gives him the right to nobility. In the light […]
In the comedy “Woe from Wit” A. S. Griboyedov portrayed noble Moscow of the 10-20s XIX century. In the society of that time, they worshiped uniform and rank and rejected books and enlightenment. A person was judged not by his personal qualities, but by the number of serf souls. Everyone sought to imitate Europe and worshiped foreign fashion, language and culture. The “past century”, presented vividly and fully in the work, is characterized by the power of women, their great influence on the formation of tastes and views of society. Moscow […]
The famous comedy by AS.Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" was created in the first quarter of the XIX centuries. Literary life This period was determined by clear signs of the crisis of the autocratic-serf system and the maturation of the ideas of noble revolutionism. There was a process of gradual transition from the ideas of classicism, with its predilection for " high genres, to romanticism and realism. One of prominent representatives and ancestors critical realism and became A.S. Griboyedov. In his comedy "Woe from Wit", which successfully combines [...]
It’s rare, but it still happens in art that the creator of one “masterpiece” becomes a classic. This is exactly what happened with Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov. His the only comedy"Woe from Wit" became national treasure Russia. Phrases from the work are included in our daily life in the form of proverbs and sayings; We don’t even think about who published them; we say: “Just by chance, keep an eye on you” or: “Friend. Is it possible to choose // a nook further away for a walk?” And such catchphrases in comedy […]
The comedy by A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit” consists of a number of small episodes-phenomena. They are combined into larger ones, such as, for example, the description of a ball in Famusov’s house. Analyzing this stage episode, we consider it as one of the important stages in resolving the main dramatic conflict, which consists in the confrontation between the “present century” and the “past century”. Based on the principles of the writer’s attitude to the theater, it is worth noting that A. S. Griboyedov presented it in accordance with the traditions […]
CHATSKY is the hero of A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” (1824; in the first edition the spelling of the surname is Chadsky). The probable prototypes of the image are PYa.Chaadaev (1796-1856) and V.K-Kuchelbecker (1797-1846). The nature of the hero's actions, his statements and relationships with other comedy personalities provide extensive material for revealing the theme stated in the title. Alexander Andreevich Ch. is one of the first romantic heroes of Russian drama, and how romantic hero on the one hand, he categorically does not accept an inert environment, [...]
The very name of the comedy is paradoxical: “Woe from Wit.” Initially, the comedy was called “Woe to Wit,” which Griboyedov later abandoned. To some extent, the title of the play is a “reversal” of the Russian proverb: “fools have happiness.” But is Chatsky surrounded by only fools? Look, are there so many fools in the play? Here Famusov remembers his uncle Maxim Petrovich: A serious look, an arrogant disposition. When you need to help yourself, And he bent over... ...Huh? what do you think? in our opinion - smart. And myself [...]
The famous Russian writer Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov said Great words about the work “Woe from Wit” - “Without Chatsky there would be no comedy, there would be a picture of morals.” And it seems to me that the writer is right about this. It is the image of the main character of Griboedov’s comedy, Alexander Sergeevich “Woe from Wit,” that determines the conflict of the entire narrative. People like Chatsky always turned out to be misunderstood by society, they brought progressive ideas and views to society, but conservative society didn’t understand […]
In the comedy "Woe from Wit" Sofya Pavlovna Famusova is the only character conceived and performed close to Chatsky. Griboyedov wrote about her: “The girl herself is not stupid, she prefers a fool to an intelligent person...”. Griboyedov abandoned farce and satire in depicting the character of Sophia. He presented to the reader female character great depth and strength. Sophia was “unlucky” in criticism for quite a long time. Even Pushkin considered the author’s image of Famusova a failure; “Sophia is sketched unclearly.” And only in 1878 Goncharov, in his article […]
Molchalin - characteristic features: desire for a career, hypocrisy, ability to curry favor, taciturnity, poverty of vocabulary. This is explained by his fear of expressing his judgment. He says mainly in short phrases and chooses words depending on who he is talking to. Not in the language foreign words and expressions. Molchalin chooses delicate words, adding a postive “-s”. To Famusov - respectfully, to Khlestova - flatteringly, insinuatingly, with Sophia - with special modesty, with Liza - he does not mince words. Especially […]
Characteristics Present century Past century Attitude to wealth, to ranks “They found protection from court in friends, in kinship, building magnificent chambers where they indulge in feasts and extravagance, and where foreign clients from their past lives do not resurrect the meanest traits,” “And those whoever is higher, flattery, like weaving lace...” “Be inferior, but if you have enough, two thousand family souls, he is the groom” Attitude to service “I would be glad to serve, it’s sickening to be served”, “Uniform! one uniform! He is in their former life [...]
When you see a rich house, a hospitable owner, elegant guests, you can’t help but admire them. I would like to know what these people are like, what they talk about, what they are interested in, what is close to them, what is alien. Then you feel how the first impression gives way to bewilderment, then to contempt for both the owner of the house, one of the Moscow “aces” Famusov, and his entourage. There are other noble families, from them came heroes of the War of 1812, Decembrists, great masters of culture (and if great people came from such houses as we see in comedy, then […]
The gallery of human characters successfully noted in the comedy “Woe from Wit” is still relevant today. At the beginning of the play, the author introduces the reader to two young people who are completely opposite to each other: Chatsky and Molchalin. Both characters are presented to us in such a way that we get a misleading first impression of them. We judge Molchalin, Famusov’s secretary, from Sonya’s words, as “the enemy of insolence” and a person who is “ready to forget himself for others.” Molchalin first appears before the reader and Sonya, who is in love with him […]
The image of Chatsky caused numerous controversy in criticism. I. A. Goncharov considered the hero Griboyedov a “sincere and ardent figure” superior to Onegin and Pechorin. “...Chatsky is not only smarter than all other people, but also positively smart. His speech is full of intelligence and wit. He has a heart, and, moreover, he is impeccably honest,” the critic wrote. Apollo Grigoriev spoke about this image in approximately the same way, who considered Chatsky to be a real fighter, an honest, passionate and truthful person. Finally, I myself held a similar opinion [...]

The meaning of the name of the comedy "Woe from Wit". In my comedy there are twenty-five fools for every sane person, and this person, of course, is at odds with the society around him. A. S. Griboyedov

There are great works in Russian literature already in the names of which their main essence is contained. ideological meaning. The meaning of the name of the comedy “Woe from Wit”, “Dead Souls” by N. V. Gogol, “Profitable Place”, “Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky, “On the Eve” and “Fathers and Sons” by I. S. Turgenev, “War” and the world", "Resurrection" by L. N. Tolstoy. A worthy place in this series is occupied by A. S. Griboedov’s comedy “Woe About Wit.”

By creating the image of Chatsky, a leading man of his time, the writer showed that the mind is a powerful force in the fight against the old order, despotism, and slave psychology. Chatsky's mind is the reason for his irreconcilable conflict with Famus society, a society of fools, as he rightly believed. This problem was already very relevant in Griboyedov’s time, and the concepts “smart” and “wise guy” were often used as synonyms for the concepts “free-thinking” and “independent”. It was in this sense that the Decembrists and people close to them used these words.

Griboedov, in his comedy, raised his voice in defense of reason, education, culture, national and social independence: against the “past century” with its outdated views and slave psychology. Chatsky's mind is the advanced beliefs of a person hostile to the inert and backward Famusov society, “the lives of the past, the meanest features” of which are hated by those who embody the “present century.” Precisely because Chatsky lives “on par with the century,” he does not and cannot have anything in common with the Famusovs, the silent ones, the rock-toothed ones; his conflict with them and people like them (and in Griboyedov all the heroes are “familiar strangers”) is inevitable.

In the comedy, Chatsky is alone, but “behind the scenes” there are his like-minded people, the same “smart guys” who are not only feared, but also feared by Famusov and his guests. This is Skalozub’s cousin, who picked up “some new rules”, despite the fact that “the rank followed him”, “he suddenly left his service and began reading books in the village.” This is the learned nephew of Princess Tugoukhovskaya, who also “does not want to know the ranks,” and the professors of the Pedagogical Institute: they practice “schism and lack of faith.” On behalf of these young people, children of 1812, Chatsky speaks. Therefore, it is not by chance that we” in his monologue: “now let one of us, one of the young people, be an enemy of the quest...”

Chatsky’s mind should also be understood literally, because the desire for enlightenment is characteristic progressive youth (remember how Sophia reproaches him: “Why search for intelligence and travel so far?”), and how hostile progressive views were to noble Moscow. “We were children of 1812,” said the Decembrist M.I. Muravyov-Apostol. And we, the readers, behind the lonely figure of Chatsky in the comedy, guess the entire young Russia of Griboyedov’s time, the Russia of the future Decembrists and their like-minded people.

In Chatsky’s clash with Famusov’s world, how Sunbeam in a drop of water, the struggle between old and new, which most fully characterizes the era, is reflected. The idea of the impossibility of agreement and reconciliation between the two opposing camps is brilliantly emphasized by the title of the comedy.

The meaning of the title of the comedy by A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"

A. S. Griboyedov, 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 and a brilliant mindset, Griboyedov devoted his life to serving his homeland, believing: “The more enlightened a person is, the more useful he is to his fatherland.” Close acquaintance with the Decembrists and sharing their ideas and hatred towards the autocratic serfdom system gave the poet a lot. However, he did not believe in the revolutionary method of changing Russian reality and in the happy outcome of the Decembrist conspiracy. Griboyedov's early little-known work was closely connected with drama. The writer co-authored with P. A. Katenin (“Student”), A. A. Shakhovsky and B. M. Khmelnitsky (“Own Family, or a Married Bride”), Gendre (“Feigned Infidelity”, a brilliant translation of the comedy by G. Barthes) . The writer’s first independent work is the comedy “Young Spouses” - free adaptation famous story French playwright K. de Lesser.

The main theme of the work is the depiction of reality as it is: the depravity of the morals and principles of life of the decaying nobility and the sad, largely unfair position of an advanced person who finds himself in such an environment. The problems that the author poses in the work are truly serious. They relate to the situation of the Russian people, principles of upbringing and education that have become obsolete and outdated, autocracy and the identity of Russia. Many of them were raised earlier in the works of other authors of this time, but most of them never received their logical resolution.

The title of any work is the key to its understanding; it contains an indication (direct or indirect) of the main idea, the problem posed by the author. The title of A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” perhaps allows us to see an extremely important category in the conflict of the play, namely the category of the mind. The source of such an expression, which forms the basis of the title and originally sounded like “Woe to Wit,” goes back to a Russian proverb, in which the confrontation between the smart and the stupid ended with the victory of the fool. Conflict between a wise man and a fool

was important and relevant for the comedians who preceded A.S. Griboedov and belonged to the school of classicism (for example, he is present in the comedies of Moliere and Beaumarchais). In “Woe from Wit” this conflict looks different; here it is rethought. Contemporaries could not help but feel this, so several opinions arose, for example from I. A. Goncharov and A. S. Pushkin, about Chatsky and who, according to Griboyedov’s plan, is the bearer of the mind in comedy. Goncharov, in his article “A Million Torments,” wrote: “Griboedov himself attributed Chatsky’s grief to his mind, but Pushkin denied him any mind at all. But Chatsky is not only smarter than all other people, but also positively smart.” Pushkin actually said in a letter to Bestuzhev that “smart actor“in comedy - Griboedov, and Chatsky is only “an ardent, noble and kind fellow, “who spent some time with a very smart person (namely with Griboedov) and was imbued with his thoughts, witticisms and satirical remarks.” So, what is intelligence in comedy Griboyedov and who is the smart person in it? Intelligence is theoretically a virtue. For comedians early period this quality has never been a drawback (Filint, an intelligent person, is a reasoner in Moliere’s “The Misanthrope”; positive characters are Starodum, Pravdin in Fonvizin’s “The Minor,” etc.). On the contrary, the authors ridiculed fools (Mitrofan in Fonvizin, for example). It is important to note that it was the observance of moderation in everything that was considered smart (therefore, for Moliere, the clever Alceste is not an ideal, worthy of emulation). It is Molchalin, and not Chatsky, who has intelligence, as well as a sense of proportion. Molchalin’s mind serves the owner and thoroughly helps him, while Chatsky’s mind (and “his speech is seething with intelligence, wit,” as I. A. Goncharov says) only harms, it is akin to madness for those around him, it is he who brings him “A million torments.” Molchalin’s obsequious mind is contrasted with Chatsky’s strange and sublime mind, but this is no longer a confrontation between intelligence and stupidity. There are no fools in A. S. Griboyedov’s play; its conflict is built on the opposition of different types of minds. “Woe from Wit” is a comedy that has crossed the narrow boundaries of classicism.

“Modest, but nothing but mischief and the wind on her mind”; Sophia: “Oster, smart, eloquent, / Oh, if someone loves someone, / Why look for intelligence and travel so far,” etc.), but these are statements different series. Each character has his own idea of the mind, which he justifies as he appears in the play, so comedy does not at all come down to a clear distinction between representatives high society and Chatsky to identify the mind. There is no standard of intelligence in A. Griboyedov’s play, therefore there is no winner in it. “The comedy gives Chatsky only “A Million Torments” and leaves, apparently, in the same position Famusov and his brothers were in, without saying anything about the consequences of the struggle.” Chatsky differs from those around him not because he is smarter, but because he is more humane, more sensitive (“sensitive, and cheerful, and sharp,” as Lisa says). For Chatsky, there are two mutually exclusive categories: mind and feeling (he tells Sophia that his “mind and heart are not in harmony”; describing Molchalin, he again distinguishes between these concepts: “Let Molchalin have a lively mind, a brave genius, / But is there does he have that passion? that feeling? that ardor?.." The feeling in fact turns out to be higher than the secular, sophisticated mind (Chatsky at the end of the play says: “I’m running, I won’t look back, I’ll go looking around the world, / Where there is a corner for the offended feeling!”, that is, he runs away not to protect his lonely mind, but to forget about the insults inflicted on his feelings). Love drama as if it becomes an expression of the hero’s ideological loneliness. “His personal grief came not from his mind alone, but more from other reasons, where his mind played a passive role, and this gave Pushkin a reason to deny him his mind.” Chatsky’s “woe from mind” lies in the fact that his mind differs sharply from the mind recognized in the world, but by feeling (“He has a heart, and, moreover, he is impeccably honest”), as I. A. Goncharov says in the article “ A million torments,” he is still tied to the society in which he moves, depending to some extent on the opinions of the world.

The title of A. Griboyedov’s play “Woe from Wit” contains an extremely important question: what is the mind for Griboyedov himself. The writer does not give a direct answer to this question, and this already reveals a rethinking of the traditions of classicism. By calling Chatsky “smart,” A. Griboyedov turned everything upside down, ridiculing the old understanding of such a quality in a person as intelligence. A. Griboyedov showed a man full of educational pathos, constantly encountering a reluctance to understand him, which stemmed precisely from traditional concept“prudence”, which in “Woe from

mind" is associated with a specific social and political program. A. Griboyedov's comedy, starting from the title, is not addressed at all to the Famusovs, but to the Chatskys - funny and lonely (“one smart person for 25 fools”), with their reasoning, striving to change a world that is not subject to rapid changes. A. Griboedov created a comedy that was unconventional for its time. He enriched and psychologically rethought the characters' characters and introduced into the text new problems unusual for the comedy of classicism. However, although his method is close to realistic, the writer still does not achieve realism in its entirety when showing characters, everyday life, social environment and all the deep problems hidden in the society of that time.

The bright, figurative, aphoristic language of comedy still 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. A. S. Pushkin spoke about Griboyedov’s skill like this: “I’m not talking about poetry: half of it should become a proverb.” Catchphrases not only embellished the text of the work, organically intertwining with it and flowing from it, but also became the wealth of the Russian language, went “to the people.”

The topicality of comedy is still undeniable. Silent people are blissful in the world. Typical people They still meet today only in masks of decency, with behavior that makes them less noticeable in the crowd, and with a new “gloss” that modern Sophias are susceptible to.

Each comedy character has become a household name. About existence similar images in real life, unfortunately, there is no doubt. Take, for example, Repetilov - a most useless, unnecessary person for society, who, however, was accepted into it thanks to his brilliant abilities - the ability to “stick” to a smarter person and feed on his thoughts and ideas, distorting them and awarding himself their authorship. No wonder the phrase that became popular was put into his mouth:

“Yes, an intelligent person cannot help but be a rogue.”

"Woe from Wit" appeared greatest work of a similar kind for his contemporaries. Until now, his images are alive, heroes and themes exist side by side with reality. Sometimes it becomes scary to look into the future

- centuries pass, generations change, but Griboyedov's comedy continues to remain, because human thought and human judgment are largely conservative. Who are the judges? The permanent Famusovs and Molchalins. Chatsky? There are plenty of them, but they occupy the same place as they did several centuries ago. They can criticize, quite rightly and justifiably, they can criticize ossified and dilapidated, but no less vulgar social conditions. But things usually do not progress beyond criticism, and there is only one way out: like the main character of a comedy, run away.

Get out of Moscow!

I don't go here anymore.

I'm running, I won't look back,

I'll go search around the world,

Where there is a corner for an offended feeling.”

Griboedov’s timeless work will remain so not only due to its special poignancy and relevance, but also thanks to the brilliant imagery perfectly superimposed on modern society:

Well done! Well Famusov!

He knew how to name guests!

Some freaks with other world,

And there is no one to talk to, and no one to dance with.

Griboedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" was admired, admired, praised, and copied by hand. And with no less energy, they scolded and scolded.

And most of all they argued about Chatsky, which is quite understandable: he - main character. Another thing was unclear: was he smart? Or, to put it another way, is grief from the mind?

In January 1825, responding to criticism from Pavel Aleksandrovich Katenin, Griboedov wrote to him: “You find the main flaw in the plan: it seems to me that it is simple and clear in purpose and execution - the girl herself is not stupid, she prefers a fool to an intelligent man (not because so that our sinners have an ordinary mind, no! And in my comedy there are twenty-five fools for one sane person) - and this person, of course, is in contradiction with the society around him, no one understands him, no one wants to forgive him, why is he a little higher than others "
This is how Griboyedov looked at his hero. But Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, genius poet and the brilliant reader assessed the situation differently. In January of the same 1825, he shared with Prince Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky: “Chatsky is not at all a smart person, but Griboyedov is very smart.” In another letter, to Alexander Alexandrovich Bestuzhev, he clarified: “Do you know who Chatsky is? An ardent, noble and kind fellow, who spent some time with a very smart man (namely Griboedov) and was imbued with his thoughts, witticisms and satirical remarks. Everything he says is very smart. But to whom is he telling all this? Famusov? Skalozub? At the ball for Moscow girls? Mol-chalina? This is unforgivable. The first sign of an intelligent person is to know at first glance who you are dealing with and not throw pearls in front of Repetilov and the like.”

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Dmitriev, who was angry with Griboedov for his comedy “Moscow Old-Timer,” spoke out more sharply: “Mr. Griboyedov wanted to present a smart and educated person. But we see in Chatsky a man who slanderes and says whatever comes to mind. Chatsky is nothing more than a madman who is in the company of people who are not at all stupid, but uneducated, and who plays smart in front of them because he considers himself smarter. Chatsky, who should be

the smartest person in the play, is presented as the least reasonable of all.” Orest Mikhailovich Somov did not agree with Dmitriev, because he believed that Griboyedov “presented in the person of Chatsky smart, ardent and kind young man, but not entirely free from weaknesses: he has two of them - arrogance and impatience.” Belinsky scolded both Griboedov and his hero, Chatsky: “This is just a loudmouth, a phrase-monger, an ideal buffoon, at every step profaning everything sacred he talks about. Does it really mean to enter society and begin to scold everyone to their face as fools and brutes? deep person? This is the new Don Quixote, a boy on a stick on horseback who imagines he is sitting on a horse.” This comedy was deeply appreciated by someone (here we must say about the coincidence of views of Belinsky and Mikhail Dmitriev), who said that this grief is only not from the mind, but from cleverness. We clearly see that the poet seriously wanted to portray in Chatsky the deep contradiction of man with society, and God knows what happened?” Later, Belinsky’s views began to change - “from censure to admiration.”

Apollo Aleksandrovich Grigoriev wrote about Chatsky with admiration, or, more precisely, with obvious sympathy. For the first time in Russian literature, he brought the hero of a comedy closer to the Decembrists. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky also considered Chatsky a Decembrist, although, unlike Herzen, he drew different conclusions from this: “Chatsky is a Decembrist. His whole idea is to deny the previous, recent, naive worship. Everyone in Europe took a whiff and liked the new manners. Just manners, because the essence of worship and servility in Europe is the same,” Dostoevsky noted, reflecting on Chatsky’s isolation from the foundations of Russian life.

It is difficult to say to what extent the words of the hero of “Libra” Shatov correspond to Dostoevsky’s views, but in preparatory materials about the novel, the only assessment of its kind was put into his mouth: “Chatsky, like a narrow-minded fool, did not understand to what extent he himself was stupid.” These judgments for a long time were kept in Dostoevsky's papers and, naturally, were not known for a long time.Griboedov created a comedy that was unconventional for its time. He enriched and psychologically rethought the characters and problems traditional for the comedy of classicism; his method is close to realistic, but still does not achieve realism in its entirety.

The title of any work is the key to its understanding; it contains an indication (direct or indirect) of the main idea, the problem posed by the author. The title of A. S. Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”, perhaps, allows us to see an extremely important category in the conflict of the play, namely the category of the mind. The source of such an expression, which forms the basis of the title and originally sounded like “Woe to Wit,” goes back to a Russian proverb, in which the confrontation between the smart and the stupid ended with the victory of the fool. The conflict between a wise man and a fool was important and relevant for the comedians who preceded A. S. Griboyedov, who belonged to the school of classicism (for example, it is present in the comedies of Moliere and Beaumarchais). In “Woe from Wit” the same one the conflict looks different, here it is rethought. Contemporaries could not help but feel this, so several opinions arose, for example from I. A. Goncharov and A. S. Pushkin, about Chatsky and who, according to Griboyedov’s plan, is the bearer of the mind in comedy. Goncharov in his article “A Million Torments” wrote: “Griboedov himself attributed Chatsky’s grief to his mind, but Pushkin denied him any mind at all.”<...>But Chatsky is not only smarter than all other people, but also positively smart.” Pushkin actually said in a letter to Bestuzhev that the “smart character” in the comedy is Griboyedov, and Chatsky is only “an ardent, noble and kind fellow who spent some time with a very smart person (namely Griboyedov) and was saturated with his thoughts , witticisms and satirical remarks.” So, what is intelligence in Griboyedov’s comedy and who is the smart person in it?

Intelligence is theoretically a virtue. For comedians of the early period, this quality was never a drawback (Filint, an intelligent person, is a reasoner in Moliere’s “The Misanthrope”; the positive characters are Starodum, Pravdiv in Fonvizin’s “The Minor”, etc.). On the contrary, the authors ridiculed fools (Mitrofan in Fonvizin, for example). It is important to note that it was the observance of moderation in everything that was considered smart (therefore, for Moliere, the clever Alceste is not an ideal worthy of imitation). It is Molchalin, and not Chatsky, who has intelligence, as well as a sense of proportion. Molchalin’s mind serves the owner and thoroughly helps him, while Chatsky’s mind (and “his speech is seething with intelligence, wit,” as I. A. Goncharov says) only harms, it is akin to madness for those around him, it is he who brings him “a million torments.” Molchalin’s obsequious mind is contrasted with Chatsky’s strange and sublime mind, but this is no longer a confrontation between intelligence and stupidity. There are no fools in A. S. Griboyedov’s play; its conflict is built on the opposition of different types of minds. “Woe from Wit” is a comedy that has crossed the narrow boundaries of classicism.

The category of mind is related to the philosophical content of the play; the presence of such a layer is simply impossible in the comedy of classicism, focused on already given absolute truths. In his work, A. Griboyedov raises the question of what the mind is. Almost every hero has his own answer, almost everyone talks about intelligence (Famusov: “Modest, but nothing but pranks and the wind on her mind”; Sophia: “Oster, smart, eloquent, / Oh, if someone loves someone, / Why look for intelligence and travel so far”, etc.), but these are statements of a different series. Each character has his own idea of the mind, which he justifies as he appears in the play, so the comedy does not at all come down to a clear distinction between representatives of high society and Chatsky in terms of identifying the mind. There is no standard of intelligence in A. Griboyedov’s play, therefore there is no winner in it. “The comedy gives Chatsky only “a million torments” and leaves, apparently, Famusov and his brothers in the same position as they were, without saying anything about the consequences of the struggle.” Chatsky differs from those around him not because he is smarter, but because he is more humane, more sensitive (“sensitive, and cheerful, and sharp,” as Lisa says). For Chatsky, there are two mutually exclusive categories: mind and feeling (he tells Sophia that his “mind and heart are not in harmony”; describing Molchalin, he again distinguishes between these concepts: “Let Molchalin have a lively mind, a brave genius, / But does he have that passion? That feeling? That ardor?..” The feeling turns out to be higher than the secular, sophisticated mind (Chatsky at the end of the play says: “I’m running, I won’t look back, I’ll go looking around the world, / Where there is a feeling for the offended corner!", that is, he runs away not in order to protect his lonely mind, but to forget about the insults inflicted on his feelings). The love drama, as it were, becomes an expression of the hero's ideological loneliness. "His personal grief It happened not from his mind alone, but more from other reasons, where his mind played a passive role, and this gave Pushkin a reason to deny him his mind.” Chatsky’s “woe from mind” lies in the fact that his mind differs sharply from the mind recognized in the world, but by feeling (“He has a heart, and, moreover, he is impeccably honest”), as I. A. Goncharov says in the article “ A million torments,” he is still tied to the society in which he moves, depending to some extent on the opinions of the world.

The title of A. Griboyedov’s play “Woe from Wit” contains an extremely important question: what is the mind for Griboedov himself. Direct answer to the same one The writer does not answer the question, and this alone reveals a rethinking of the traditions of classicism. By calling Chatsky “smart,” A. Griboyedov turned everything upside down, ridiculing the old understanding of such a quality in a person as intelligence. A. Griboedov showed a man full of educational pathos, constantly encountering a reluctance to understand him, which stemmed precisely from the traditional concept of “prudence,” which in “Woe from Wit” is associated with a certain social and political program. A. Griboedov's comedy, starting from the title, is not addressed at all to the Famusovs, but to the Chatskys - funny and lonely (“one smart person for 25 fools”), with their reasoning, striving to change a world that is not subject to rapid changes. A. Griboedov created a comedy that was unconventional for its time. He enriched and psychologically rethought the characters' characters and introduced into the text new problems unusual for the comedy of classicism. However, although his method is close to realistic, the writer still does not achieve realism in its entirety when showing characters, everyday life, social environment and all the deep-seated problems hidden in the society of that time.

It would be tempting to express the meaning of the title of the comedy “Woe from Wit” in one short, laconic, biting phrase. But it is hardly possible to do it this way. Let's explain what was said.

Search for the idea “Woe from Wit”

The dramaturgy of Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov in this play is innovative and multifaceted. Therefore, it is unambiguous to determine which of the heroes of the work (representing “ old age” or presenting a new one) won and who lost is impossible.

The play contains philosophical meaning and therefore compares favorably with the simulated scenes from the classical salon dramaturgy XIX century. In it, Griboyedov displayed a full-fledged model of the Russian “demimonde”.

The title of the comedy “Woe from Wit” is deceptive: although, according to the author himself, it expresses the idea of the work, this does not happen. The point is Griboedov's talent. In fact, he made the work an order of magnitude deeper than he himself was able to characterize it. This idea can only be explained by an analogy with... “Quiet Don” by Mikhail Sholokhov.

Griboyedov the artist is stronger than Griboyedov the playwright

Let's abstract from the difference in eras. Another thing is important: Sholokhov the writer turned out to be stronger than Sholokhov the communist (who stigmatized Pasternak). Mikhail Alexandrovich did not become “ Quiet Don” to reveal the “correctness” of the commissars, but soulfully told about And based on this, the reader saw a true model of an unhealthy society.

Returning to the work of Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov, we can also rightfully say: the author showed an order of magnitude more than he himself said in the simplified model “25 fools for one smart person.”

A play without winners and losers

For pressing questions early XIX centuries, raised in his work by the diplomat Griboyedov, an undoubtedly insightful man, should be looked at more broadly. The civilizational conflict between the old and the new gives this work its meaning. “Woe from Wit” is an arena for the collision of two worldviews: the old, feudal-bureaucratic (of the last century), and the new, bourgeois-raznochinsky, born in the minds of the future Decembrists after Russia’s victory over Napoleon.

Indeed, Alexander Andreevich Chatsky, who expresses sharp and reasonable judgments after arriving from Europe, in the course of the play is faced with a wall of misunderstanding of Moscow aristocratic society.

But for the young man, the most painful thing is that his hopes for mutual feelings with Famusov’s young unmarried daughter Sofya Pavlovna are crumbling. In addition, his career “doesn’t work out” and, obviously, it won’t work out. Do you think he lost completely? Do you believe that the word “grief” was said by the author specifically in relation to Chatsky?

But Famusov won’t become an “ace” either!

Representatives of two worlds: Chatsky and Famusov

What kind of description does the author give of the consequences of the conflict? “Woe from Wit” in the finale contains a scene when Alexander Andreevich leaves, nursing resentment from “offended feelings.” However, the “government manager” Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, the organizer of Chatsky’s “cold-as-ice” reception in his home, does not look like a winner either. He is also not the winning side in the conflict. He gets his “millions of torments.” In the current hierarchy, Famusov cannot “jump above his head” in terms of his career. He has very average business skills (he is lazy and does not know how to work with documents). His only hope is to increase the family's capital through the marriage of his daughter to Colonel Sergei Sergeevich Skalozub. However, this is also problematic. Sophia understands the idiocy of her father's contrived passion.

“Woe from Wit” - a story about pre-Decembrist Russia

Thus, the meaning of the name of the comedy “Woe from Wit” is completely different. This is not exclusively Chatsky’s “grief” from society’s underestimation of his views. (During the play positive hero encounters 25 characters who are apologists for the old bureaucratic society.) This problem should be looked at more broadly.

This is the grief of the entire post-war feudal Russia, where the “Chatskys” (future Decembrists) already understood: it is necessary to change the social matrix of society, to destroy career ladder, based on servility and flattery, begin to develop new projects in society. But society (including the aristocratic one) continues to live “ old life", resolving their petty mercantile career aspirations, giving birth to the Molchalins.

The meaning of the work

The personality of the author himself is the key that determines the meaning of his work. “Woe from Wit” is Griboyedov’s attempt to shout publicly, resonantly, at the top of his voice (here one cannot do without brutal directness) to everything Russian society that there is a problem in its development. The clever diplomat felt not only the pressing issues of the “current day”; perhaps he foresaw the coming split in society (which, as we know from history, led to a brutal reaction during the time of Nicholas I).

Do you think he was heard? Even Pushkin reacted with irony to not understanding him. What can I say next?

“Woe from Wit” - an innovative play

The work is made great vivid images. “Woe from Wit” is not only about the 26 people who appear on stage. After all, there is also off-stage characters. Prince Fyodor, a “botanist and chemist”, Skalozub’s cousin, along with the professors of the pedagogical institute “practicing schisms and lack of faith” are potential allies of Chatsky.

It also deserves respect that the author is trying to convey the meaning of the title of the comedy “Woe from Wit”, completely “hacking” the old dramaturgy. Griboyedov the innovator moved away from classicism when creating his work; his creation is quite realistic. The author creates a full-fledged model of society with 26 real, characteristic characters instead of 5-6 (the usual circle of classicism characters). In the end, Alexander Sergeevich does not use classical Alexandrian verse, but switches to “free iambic”.

Instead of a conclusion

We, talking about the play, have finally come to the opportunity to understand the meaning of the name of the comedy “Woe from Wit.” Please note that the work includes characters that are not ideal:

freethinker, melancholic, “funny guy” (according to Pushkin’s review) Chatsky;
the mercantile father of the family and an official with average abilities, Famusov;
the nosy careerist and deceiver Molchalin;
a smug and narrow-minded campaigner - Colonel Skalozub;
Sophia, confused between the desire for happiness and capable of meanness;
still decent, but powerless servant Lisa.

All of them help the reader of the comedy find deep philosophical implications in it.

Let us define the main thing in “Woe from Wit” - the idea of the work. Can we say that Chatsky is smart? Yes and no. He has an understanding of the dynamics of progress, but no contact with people. Let's be honest: he is not intellectually capable of becoming a donor of these ideas to society.

Alexander is ideologically opposed by Famusov. Can we say that he is smart? Yes and no. He does not understand that the feudal state is moving towards disaster, struggling to maintain obsolete orders. But is he stupid? Hardly. Most likely, he simply lives for today. In addition, unlike Chatsky, he has a definite father of the family, lives in harmony with society, that is, he is oriented towards people. His home is the center of social life for the nearby community of aristocrats.

Conclusion: each of these heroes has their own mind. However, their focus is polar opposite. One understands promising paths and cannot implement them. Another, in principle, can (he, if desired, will find words, to convince his “inner circle”), but does not consider Chatsky’s pro-Western thinking to be correct, preferring “patriarchal antiquity.”

The problem is that the minds of these two people are aimed at mutual opposition, and not at the development of society. This is the essence of the idea contained in the title of the work. The classic said correctly: “Russia’s problem is fools and roads!”